Wow! Where does the time go? I can’t believe it’s already
been 3 weeks since our last family letter. Here are the highlights of the past
few weeks:
Kason is 15 months
old already! We often hear the comment that he looks older than that. He is
active and always on-the-go. He loves to
be outside, no matter the weather. He
got his 3rd haircut a couple weeks ago. He is trying to use a spoon and pen to
write. He is saying lots of new words,
including “go” and “Who’s this”, but mostly has a language of his own now. He
can talk and talk like he is making a deal with you, but doesn’t say anything
we can understand yet. He learned how to
blow on his hot food. He loves playing
with his cousins; he and Brooke have become good friends lately. They are
learning how to share and play together. Mostly, Kason just likes to follow
Brooke around and copy her every move. It’s amazing how much he can learn from
just a morning together. Some of Kason’s favorite things to do are: unload the
kitchen cabinets, somehow reaching the cereal boxes and other things on the
kitchen counter, play in the sugar bucket, throw things in the garbage cans
(usually things we are looking for later), trying to open the dishwasher soap
packets, pulling out the outlet plugs, opening the oven door, climbing on the
table, turning on the bathtub, escaping outside anytime the door opens, and
playing in the toilet. Just kidding—these are not really his favorite things to
do, but he is pretty relentless in trying to do them each day. He loves to get
into things he’s not supposed to. He is
getting into a better sleep routine, with one 2-hour nap around noon and
bedtime from 9 to 7 pretty consistently.
Kason has been to the
doctor a couple times in the past few weeks.
Two Sundays ago Kason tipped over a kitchen chair. He was holding on to
the back of the chair that landed on the tips of his fingers and bruised them
up pretty good. His paranoid mother decided on Thursday that the ring finger on
his right hand was pretty swollen still and looked pretty big still. I told Kolt he should try to tip over the
chair like Kason did and see if his fingers broke. He didn’t think that was
such a good idea. We met Kolt at the
doctor’s office after his night shift and got an x-ray. The doctor explained that the chances of his
finger being broken are actually pretty small, but let us get an x-ray just to
be safe. Kolt helped Kason get his x-ray
which was a challenge to get him to hold his hand still. He was right—no broken finger, just a nice
little bruise! He is one tough boy! Kason
also had his wellness checkup last week.
He weighed 26 lbs. 1 oz. (89%) and measured 35 inches long (99%). He is still big and tall! He got 3 shots
this time, including the flu shot. Kolt
and I also got the flu shot; I’m pretty sure Kason was tougher than me! He also
started a funny little rash on his face. It moved to his knee next and then his
belly. We got a prescription cream to try for a week, but it hasn’t
helped. We are keeping a close eye on it
to see if it progresses. It doesn’t seem
to bother him at all though which is good.
The doctor told mom and dad it was time to get rid of the bottle, make
sure he was sleeping in his own bed, and start decreasing his dependence on the
binky. So far, his bottle has been gone
for 3 days, and we have made significant progress on the binky and sleep
routine. Kason is pretty good at
handling change!
Baby girl is doing
great! I passed my glucose test with flying colors last week at my
appointment. My blood sugar and iron
levels were right where they were supposed to be. The hardest part was keeping
down that sugary drink! We love listening to her heartbeat! Kason is even
attentive when we listen. It is great! So far, I am on the same track for
weight gain as I was with Kason which I am excited about. I have
been feeling really well lately. I am
nauseous, but having thrown up for months.
My biggest complaints at this point are being tired all the time,
sciatic nerve pain, heart burn, and my increase in pressure on my joints from
the extra weight. Nothing bad at all! I
have even been able to keep down tums which have helped the heart burn tons! We
have had a couple names picked out since we got married but are waiting to meet
her to decide what her name will be. We can’t wait!
Kolt has finished up his toughest work schedule so far. He
tried out a month of working several nights a week and trying to go to classes
in the day. He did a lot better than I could, but it was definitely more than
we were looking for. He didn’t mind
working nights at the beginning because it gives him a chance to study, but it
is hard to function in the day and get enough rest. He did do well on the 3 tests he took the
past few weeks which is a great thing! On Saturday evening, Kolt worked his
last night shift at the BHC. The next
few months are just going to be two 3 pm – 11 pm shifts a week and any other
shifts that he wants to pick up. With
baby coming in December, he will really slow down working and take some time to
be home until we get situated.
On Sept. 23rd, we invited the Seward family from
our ward to come out to the arena and ride horses. They won the horseback ride at the Iona 10th
Ward Service Auction in July. We have had lots of scheduling conflicts with our
busy schedules, but finally got it in before winter hit. They had a great time. It was fun to hear
about our connections with some of Kolt’s cousins. What a small world!
On the 23rd,
I also started playing piano for the Rocky Mountain Choir on Tuesdays and
Thursdays. There are 2 classes in the mornings. Kolt drops off Kason after the
1st class when he leaves for school.
Kason is getting much better about sitting there. He is learning not to
pound on the piano and is turning into quite the social butterfly as of today’s
class. There are a couple girls from our
ward in the classes that are good to help me with him when he wanders off. I have really enjoyed learning new music. It is great for me to have to practice
something and improve my skills. I can still
hear my music teacher, Ellen Knapp, counting in my ear. I have lots of work to do in that area! Kason
enjoys the music too. It is fun to see him stop and listen when they sing. I’m very grateful for music!
We have had an exciting volleyball season! The team is full
of the nicest girls, and they are fun to coach and be around. In September, we played really well in the
Idaho Falls Freshman Invitational. We
were in a tough pool on Friday night. We finished second to Shelley, but won
our crossover on Saturday morning to put us in the gold. We played Shelley right off in the tournament
and beat them in a tough 3-set match.
The girls really got over the hump in that game and learned how to
buckle down and play. I think it really
took it out of them. After that match,
we lost to Highland and then Shelley again to take 3rd in the
tournament. It was a good finish, maybe
not where we wanted, but we learned a lot at the tournament. The next Monday at practice, one of the girls
sprained her ankle. We now have 6 which
is great for the girls. It requires all of them to step up and fill new
roles. They have definitely learned a
lot the past couple weeks, although it has been tough. We have won several
games and lost a tough one to Madison a couple weeks ago. The girls played really well this last week
beating Skyline in 3 and Idaho Falls in a hot 5-set match. We lost the 3rd game 32-34. It was
a battle every step of the way, but we did it! Tonight is our last home match.
We finish the season going to Highland on Thursday and with our conference
tournament on Saturday at Madison. Kason is really pretty good at
volleyball. He has no court-awareness
and loves to walk right on the court, but the girls are great to pick him up
and move him in between plays. Bentley
and he play together when we scrimmage the JV downstairs. Natalie has been awesome to come help us at
practices. She definitely adds to the
intensity and helps keep the girls focused.
My mom has even come a few times to help with our numbers. The girls like it when they come and get a
kick of the “family reunion” we have at the gym sometimes!
While at our freshman
tourney at Idaho Falls on the 27th, the Staker Family had their
Annual Get-Together. Kolt and Kason were able to attend. They had a great time and even brought me
back some food! Kason stayed with Grandpa Piquet for the evening, and Brand
came to the volleyball tournament with Kolt.
Grandpa Piquet sent an awesome picture of Kason on the rocking horse. He
had a great time! He has certainly missed Grandma’s Day out at the Piquet’s.
On the evening of the 27th, my mom and I attended
the General Womens Conference. It was a
great session. While at the meeting, I
really felt the desire to attend the temple regularly. With another baby on the way, I know that will
get more and more difficult, but I remember a quote from one of the sessions of
conference that said something like “Set a goal to attend the temple regularly.
Don’t let anything or anyone keep you from going there.” I have pondered that
through all the sessions of conference and hope that we can get better on
setting a regular time each week to attend the temple. I also reflected a lot
on a poem my parents had framed for me called My Three White Dresses. I decided to find pictures of me in my 3
white dresses and share them. We also
learned about using Facebook in a positive way to share the gospel. I have enjoyed the memories I have in each of
my 3 white dresses. Our new baby girl is
also going to be blessed in my own blessing dress which made it even more
special as I pulled it out and got it ready for her blessing day in a few
months.
On the 29th,
Kolt and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary by sending Kolt to work a
night shift. He did surprise me by
getting me a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
He is always so good to remember the important holidays which I am
grateful for.
Work has been going really well at the Post Register. I am still working 3 afternoons a week which
has been a good balance for me. Kolt is
able to watch Kason most times I am at work except when he works the night
shifts and needs to sleep. My mom is
great to take him when Kason wakes up, so Kolt can keep sleeping. I really enjoy what I do at work. I am very
blessed to have my job! They treat me so well. I have enjoyed being home more.
If you can believe it, I am actually working on organizing Christmas right now.
Something tells me I won’t be able to do much in December
We had a great
conference weekend. I felt like some of the themes of the conference that Kolt
and I noticed were following the prophets, attending the temple, making sure
our conduct and trajectory matches our goals, and following Christ’s
example. It was neat to see how Kason
responded to conference. While he was still a one-year old, he did pay
particular attention when the choir sang and when President Monson spoke. We watched Saturdays sessions at home and
then sent Kolt and my dad off to the Priesthood session. Kolt came home anxious to tell me about
President Uchtdorf’s talk. I was excited the next day when I saw a video on
Facebook of his talk. During the
Priesthood session, my mom, Kason and I went grocery shopping. My mom treated
us to ice cream cones on the way home. Kason was in heaven!
On Sunday we watched
the morning session on TV, had dinner with the Lindley family at noon, and then
listened to the afternoon session on the drive to Provo. Kolt had his interview at Rocky Mountain
University of Health Professions on Monday morning at 9. Kolt got pretty sick going down, so the drive
wasn’t too fun. We decided to drive by
the Jordan River Temple which we had never seen before. We stayed the night on Sunday at Corey &
Janis’ home. We had a great evening
visiting with them. There is always a
great Spirit in their home. On Monday morning, we had scripture study with the
Lindley’s before everyone headed off for the day. Kason and I got to walk with Alysa to school
in the morning. We dropped off Kolt at his interview in Provo, and then Kason
and I drove to Hogle Zoo to meet my friend Candace Ross. There was an accident on the way, so traffic
was slow. I was grateful Kason fell asleep watching all the cars and trucks
around us. He would only eat so many graham crackers I kept handing back to
entertain him! We had a great time at Hogle Zoo. Kason loved the elephants and
the water park, and especially the big wet black round ball at the front of the
park. I’m not sure what you call that,
but he giggled and played by it for a long time. Candace and I had a great time
visiting. She was a great help with Kason the whole day. I couldn’t have done
it without her! We ate at Zupas for lunch and then visited in the parking lot
while Kason slept until he was time to pick up Kason.
Kolt had a great interview. He was interviewed by 3 different people, one
who was from Idaho. He loves the new
campus. This fall will be their first year.
He also loved that all the professors were LDS and shared his beliefs. Most of the other students that interviewed
with him also had families which made it feel really comfortable and like
home. He got a call the following day
that he had been accepted! We are so happy about that! We would love to live
there. Kolt still has 2 more interviews
in Arizona in December. We are hoping to get an interview offer from Idaho
State soon, and then we will make a decision about where to move. Rocky
Mountain’s program starts May 4th, so it is right around the corner!
We are excited for the new adventure and are very grateful that Kolt has been
doing well so far with his interviews.
We had a good Sunday
this past week. Kason is learning how to
whisper in Sacrament Meeting. He likes playing in nursery for the first
hour. He is definitely in his own world,
only worried about finding a basketball and staying by the basketball
hoop. Kolt taught the Sunday school
lesson while I stayed in nursery with Kason, although he doesn’t need me at
all, he is still 3 months away from being 18-months. We had a great Relief Society lesson on the
temple again, another reminder for me to go to the temple! Sunday evening we
had dinner with the Lindley’s and then set off to visit Great Grandpa &
Grandma Staker. Kason was so cute with
Grandpa Staker. He talked gibberish to him for probably 5 minutes straight. They had a great time. We enjoyed some
pumpkin pie as well. After our visit, we
stopped by Great Grandpa & Grandma Piquet’s house. Kason was pretty wound up and put on a good
show for them. Kolt and I worked hard to protect anything that could break. It
was fun to visit with them. On our way
home, we stopped by Kolt’s parents’ house and Shauna & Landon’s home. Shane made a great dinner and yummy
dessert. Paisley was glad to see Kason
when we stopped by their house to congratulate them on the way home! Kason
slept great that night—I think he was worn out.
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