November Update

Wow! How did 3 weeks fly by already? Here are Kason’s updates for November: Kason is 16-months old and is learning lots! He talks all the time.  He says lots of new words including help, stinky (while plugging his nose), I love you, Choo Choo, Brand, baby, stuck, thank you (for any reason), fit it, Ooh Ooh for a monkey sound, quack quack for duck, roar, cheese, and Amen. He is in a fun stage where he wants to try to repeat lots of sounds and remembers quite a few and how to use them. He tries to dance and sing as of late. He loves singing the Primary songs and sings “Earthly home” throughout the day. He likes to sing along with you.  He has started doing actions for Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes and Popcorn Popping during our nightly scripture study. He also learned to fold his arms and more importantly has a definite head bow during prayers. Both only last for about 10 seconds, so we have learned to pray fast.  It is awfully cute! He is starting to look like a big boy, not a baby anymore! He is getting good at using his fingers.  He matches all 9 shapes correctly in his quiet book. He is starting to give a few closed-mouth kisses.  He has grown up a lot during the last few weeks.  After our scripture study and prayer, he lies down in his crib all by himself with his Primary songs and falls asleep on his own.  He sleeps from 9-7 more consistently than he ever has.  He doesn’t fall asleep to milk in sippy cup anymore, only with his horse blanket and binky.  He also doesn’t have his binky in the day anymore.  It is almost gone during naps too which is awesome.  He has made so much progress lately! I think that means it is about time for his little sister to get here.  He is a pretty happy boy and likes cuddling.  He likes following his older cousins around.   He loves to play with his trucks and tractors and trailers.  He always wants his trailers hooked up to his truck.  His favorite word is “Uh oh” for everything! He is getting adventurous and wants to try new things, like jumping off the couch.  Kason hardly has time to sit and eat anymore, but he will always snack and eat what you are eating.

Baby girl is healthy and growing.  I have been sick lately which is new for this pregnancy.  I feel like Jerry on Seinfeld when he throws up after 9 years.  I have thrown up nearly 15 times in the last few weeks, saying good bye to my almost 3 month stretch since August 4^th.  Yes, when you’re pregnant, you remember dates like that! I think I got some kind of flu bug a couple weeks ago which has made the nausea come back and stay for a few weeks, but I’m still thankful for every day that I haven’t been sick this pregnancy.  When I am sick, Kason loves to cry at the bathroom door and stick his hands underneath the door until I acknowledge that I see them! At our last appointment, the doctor actually said I was measuring small which I think is partly due to my being sick.  It is hard to believe this girl will be here in 3 weeks! We are getting very excited.

Here’s some highlights from our past 3 weeks:

On the 10^th, Kolt had his interview at ISU.  It was pretty much what he had expected.  ISU prides themselves on drilling interviewees with ethical questions during the interview and making the students feel very uncomfortable.  They did a good job of that! He got to meet with several current students during the interview day which was nice. We celebrated in the evening with a family dinner to Red Robin.  They should be calling for early interview offers this week, so we are hoping to get a call. 

On the 11^th, I played at the RMMS Veterans Day assembly.  Kolt and Kason came to listen. It was fun to sit by Rope as well.  In the evening, I accompanied a lady in our ward sing at the Veterans Day City Council Meeting like I did last year.  She is a great singer and makes it easy to follow along. 

Kolt has been working 2 evenings a week as of late.  It works pretty good to coordinate our schedules.  They recently made a change in the scheduling policy at his work starting January.  As part of the policy, they took away the 8-hour shifts which Kolt primarily works.  We are hoping that they will continue to work with Kolt, so he can keep working during the next semester.  They are being good to give Kolt lots of time off this month with this new baby on the way. 

On the 14^th and 15^th, Kolt went hunting with his family up to Gaylen Stucki’s cabin.  They didn’t shoot anything, but had a great time.  While they were gone, Kason and I went to the YW Fundraiser Dinner and Silent Auction.  I learned that Silent Auctions are way too easy, and we won a few things including a cut and color, singing lessons and babysitting.  I’m pretty excited about that!

On the 16^th, we sang with the choir in Sacrament Meeting. Kason didn’t cooperate much with Grandpa Lindley on the stand.  We are a little out of practice without choir this summer.

Work at the Post Register has been busy lately.  My mom and I are working hard to clean up accounts which has made it busy although we are making a lot of progress.  I am looking forward to a break with this new baby.

On the 22^nd, Kolt and I had a huge day of Christmas shopping.  We are about 2 gifts away from being done! I have lots of wrapping still to do, but we are close! Neighborhood gifts are ready, and we are going to do a New Year’s card once we get this baby here. I am so excited to almost be done! I don’t last very long walking around town.  In the evening, we went to the ISU Big Sky Conference volleyball game with my parents. We met up with Kristi’s family at the game. ISU lost, but it was a good match.  After the game, we enjoyed ice cream at Arctic Circle.

On the 23^rd, we had tithing settlement and then went out to Grandpa & Grandma Piquet’s for a lasagna dinner after church.  We a good time visiting with family, and Kason liked playing with Paisley in Grandma’s toy car (his favorite!).

This past week we had several days off for Thanksgiving.  Kolt didn’t work much and had school off which was nice.  Rope spent most of the week with us.  Kolt started working out with T25 every morning, so Rope joined in on that, and then most mornings, they went to the church to play basketball for a few hours.  He was good help with Kason too!  Kason got used to having Rope to play with all day long!

On Tuesday, Rope, Kolt, my mom and I went to Mockingjay Part I.  My dad took Kason which was awesome! He is not a movie-goer anymore. We enjoyed the movie.  After the movie, we went straight to Brand’s jamboree.  They beat Aberdeen and Teton.  Brand started and did well considering he was sick that day. We are excited to watch him this season!

On Wednesday evening, we had the Annual Dalling Thanksgiving Dinner.  Rope couldn’t miss out on the basketball, so he came with us too! Kolt looks forward to this day through the whole year.  It is always fun to see family, eat yummy food, and play in the gym.  It’s a great place to have kids.  We had a great turnout with over 120 people this year.

On Thursday morning, Kolt went duck hunting with Landon, Rope & Brand.  They had a good time all morning, and even brought home a few ducks.  At noon, we had dinner at Grandpa & Grandma Piquet’s.  I brought 2 pans of yams and Raspberry Pretzel Salad.  We had a great dinner! I ate so much that I could hardly move.  Rope put Kason to sleep on a 4-wheeler ride, so we all had a nice nap.  Kolt was scheduled to work from 3-11, and we were glad that they didn’t have him come in ‘til around 5.  Rope came home with us that evening because he wanted to experience Black Friday sock shopping at Fred Meyer’s the next morning.  My dad, Kolt, Rope and I left at 4:40 to get our socks. It was a very successful trip, and I think Rope enjoyed the experience!  We were home as usual at about 5:30 to go back to sleep.  We back later in the morning to hit Rapunzel’s Boutique, Porter’s, and the Dollar Tree for a few other things.

On Saturday morning, Kolt and I went with my dad to an early morning temple session.  Kason stayed with my mom.  It is great to attend the temple, although it is physically hard for me to go through.  I always have a good feeling when I go there, and it seems like life gets a little easier and clearer for me when I attend.  Kolt got called off for his shift, so it was nice to have the day and evening together.  Kamrie and Kylen came to visit, and Kason had a blast playing with them.  He was tired last night!

Today we had a good block of meetings.  I have been subbing a lot in the sunbeams class, and today I was glad to help conduct Primary.  Kason stayed in Kolt’s Sunday school class for a little while, and I was able to trade him for a little while.  We had a nice combined meeting about indexing.  I am excited to set a goal for indexing this next year.

Hope you all had a good November.  We are sure thankful for the many things we are blessed with each day.

Kason's Sick--Grandpa P's Birthday--Family Weekend

Kason turned 16-months old this week! His new words are cheese, thank you, Roar, and snorts for a pig sound. He is learning so much each week. He likes to try to draw with cousin Brooke, and he is particular to hold the pencil just like he sees us do. He loves playing with his cousins. This week he has been pretty sick getting more teeth and started a cough and runny nose. It’s the time of year! Last week at church he also took a header on the Hymnbook holder on the church bench.  He got a nice black eye and then an infection in that eye on Tuesday.  We took him in on Wednesday to see if it was anything more. He didn’t eat anything besides milk for about 18 hours.  He has been glued to his binky for the last week. He tested negative for strep, and we were relieved to find out that although he hadn’t eaten anything, he was 28 pounds.  The doctor said he is just fighting through a bug, and he is already on the mend!

Baby girl is doing great! We listened to the heart beat this week at our appointment. She has a fast heartbeat, much faster than Kason’s ever was.  The doctor said with the way things are looking we can expect this baby at 39 weeks! It is hard to believe we will have a baby in our house in 6 weeks.

Monday Kolt and I alternated watching Evan and Saydie. Kason liked playing with them.  Kolt worked in the evening. Tuesday we voted on our way out to Grandpa Piquet’s birthday party. We had Taco Salad and yummy birthday cake! We got Grandpa a DVD holder to hold all of his DVDs. It was a hit! Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Wednesday Kason and I played the piano at choir to help them get ready for their concert on Friday. We had doctor’s appointments, and I printed checks at work.  Kolt played basketball at the church on Tuesday and Wednesday night. He is really missed it!

Thursday I had an early morning work meeting.  Kolt went to class after the meeting, and then my mom took Kason with her to pick up Saydie.  Kason spent the evening with Grandma Piquet.  Over the weekend, Kolt and I spent a few days housesitting at a ranch in Swan Valley.  Kolt went up early on Thursday to check on the animals, and Kason and I came up later in the evening.  On Friday, Kolt was gone most of the day for class and work.  Kason and I stayed at the house and checked on animals throughout the day. Kason loved being out there.  He soaked in every minute! On Saturday, we had a great day together as a family.  It was so nice to not have a schedule and just spend time together. We explored the area and enjoyed the valley.  I even planned meals and had groceries to cook which I was pretty proud of! We are so glad we had the opportunity to do that. We had a great time and felt like we were living the life.

Sunday morning we drove in to church. I played the organ in Sacrament Meeting. Kason made progress on whispering today! We had a lot of work to do in that department. Kolt taught the Sunday school lesson, and I taught the sunbeams. I’m grateful for Grandpa & Grandma Lindley for taking Kason.  I was glad when Kolt could join me for the class half of Primary.  After church, we went back to check on cows and pack up.  We got home in time for dinner with the Lindley’s.  It has been a great week.

This is a picture at Twin Falls last week that I forgot to include!

Twin Falls--Halloween--Horseback Ride

Kason’s Updates: Kason will be 16-months old tomorrow! His new words this week are “Saydie” and “Baa” for a sheep sound.  He is really good about trying to repeat lots of words, although some don’t sound at all close to the actual word, and he doesn’t usually say many words to others except for Mom and Dad.  He loves animal books and knows lots of animal sounds by heart.  Teeth #13 and #14 broke through last night which explains his fussiness! He has had a rough time sleeping at nights lately!

Baby girl is also doing really well. It hit me this week that we will have a baby in our home in 8 short weeks. That’s going to fly by for us!

Monday my mom, Kason and I went to Twin Falls to watch WWCC’s Volleyball team play CSI and mostly to visit with Makayla! Kolt stayed home for class and work. We got there around noon. My mom took Kason around Twin Falls with her, and I followed around on the bus with the team for the day. I loved every minute of being with Makayla, and it was fun to reminisce in the memories of playing for WWCC.  It was definitely worth the drive to see Makayla, and I’m so thankful for my mom for coming with us, so we weren’t alone! WWCC lost to CSI in a tough 4-set match. Kason liked playing with Bentley Bounds during the game. It was fun to also be Makayla’s family and Chantal’s family during the day and at the game.

Tuesday Kason and I went to choir. He loves to see Rope at Rocky Mountain. In the evening, we went to the Ward Halloween Party. There were tons of people there! Kason enjoyed walking the Primary parade with Kolt. He liked playing with the other kids and looking at the costumes.  After the party, we went out to Kolt’s parents to process the meat.  We all stayed up really late, which confirmed why Kason has an early bedtime, as he did not sleep well at all that night!

Wednesday we had the Annual Piquet Pumpkin Carving Party.  We had yummy Taco Soup for dinner and lots of other treats.  Paisley and Kason loved playing in the pumpkin guts with me on the floor.  Paisley tried to pull out each seed one-by-one, and Kason spent most of the time putting back all the guts we cleaned out.  They thought it was pretty fun! We sure love that Halloween tradition!

Thursday evening Kolt and I went to the temple while my mom and dad watched Kason.  We have been meaning to go to the temple for a long time and finally got there on Thursday.  I sure love going to the temple. It always seems like whatever things I am worrying about at the time go away when I am at the temple, and I am filled with peace.  After the temple, we stopped by the distribution center and met a girl who just returned from Italy a month ago. She knew Tyler very well, and it was great to visit with her!

On Friday, I spent the whole day closing the month at work. Natalie watched Kason while Kolt had class in the morning.  After I got home, we started our evening of trick-or-treating. We went to Klingler’s and Brammer’s next door first! Then we went out to Grandpa & Grandma Staker’s.  We were glad to see them just before they leave for Arizona next Wednesday.  Kason ate all of the cookies Grandma gave him almost before we left. Kason also loved Grandma’s rocking chair so much that he gave Kason one that he had made! He loves it and sits in it for quite a while each day so far. It is beautiful! Thanks for spoiling us, Grandpa Staker! Afterwards, we went out to Aunt Karla’s and enjoyed visiting with her.  We stopped at Great Grandpa & Grandma Piquet’s afterwards and met Shauna, Grandpa, Paisley, and Brand there.  Our final stop was out to Grandma Piquet’s. It was a great Halloween! Kason was such a cheese throughout the whole night. I think he caught on to the candy thing, and figured out if he smiled really big, he usually got something extra! He was an adorable horse for Halloween!

On Saturday morning, Kolt went out to work on his experiment for school with Rope. They ended up getting a flat tire, so Kason and I went to rescue them. In the afternoon, we went for a horseback ride with my mom, Brooke, Chantal, Alexis & Makayla Sorensen.  It was a great afternoon. I was worried about the weather, but it was perfect in the mountains except for wind at the top of the mountain.  Kason loved every minute of it. He rode with my mom, and I took Brooke because she sits a little better on her own.  Brooke soaked up every minute of the ride.  It was great to have our last horseback ride before winter and before this baby comes. Kolt picked up a 7-11 shift on Saturday night. It actually worked out great for us. His work often calls and “begs” for him to pick up shifts. When he told him what he could do, they took him up on it. It was a nice 4-hour shift!

On Sunday morning I played the organ, and Kolt taught the Sunday School lesson. During the first 10 seconds of Sacrament Meeting, Kason fell off the bench and hit his cheek on the Hymnbook holder. He has a nice shiner! He did pretty good during nursery.  They did come get me during Sunday school. He didn’t really like it much when they started the lesson and put away the toys.  I sat with him during the lesson, singing time, and snack time, then he did better when they started playing again.  After about 15 minutes, he started falling asleep on the leader’s lap, so he came with me to Relief Society for the last half hour. He must’ve been playing too hard! He just keeps getting better and better each week though which is exciting for us.