Is School Over Yet?

Kason’s Updates:   Kason is still rolling over lots! He has learned how to push up on his hands and move around with his knees.  He will be crawling in no time! He is learning that things are much more fun when he is part of the action, so he doesn’t want to be left out of anything anymore.  He is also very interested in food.  He loves his rice cereal and loves the other foods that his dad gives him when his mom isn’t looking.  He has found his voice and has gotten pretty loud.  He has spent the last couple of nights in his crib. Sometimes we get 6 hours and sometimes just 2, but it is a work in process!  It is fun to see him learn new things!

 

We are in the busy times at school.  Kolt and I both have had a couple exams last week and a couple more this week.  It seems like the professors try to cram it all in the week before Thanksgiving, so we don’t have to worry about it over the break.  It will be nice in a week, but for now, it is quite busy! My mom was out of town this week, so we are so grateful that Aunt Shauna and Jeanna could babysit while we were both at school.  He had a great time with both of them! 

Monday evening I accompanied a lady in our ward sing America The Beautiful at the Iona City Council Veteran’s Day Program.  She did an excellent job.  They had some cute little preschoolers sing The National Anthem.  They were sure cute!

I experimented quite a bit with cooking this week, including Creamy Tortellini Soup, Teriyaki Chicken, Bacon Artichoke Tomato Pasta, and Mint Brownies.  Some were a success, but others weren’t.  I’m not quite a cook like my mother yet, but I’m trying!

Wednesday we got to babysit Paisley while Shauna did some exams.  Paisley is sure grown up! She loves her snacks and loved playing with Kason.  I even got to see her roll over finally! Wednesday afternoon I went out to do piano in Hamer.  The girls had all practiced so well.  Ashley is coming right along on her first hymn! Kason had a good time playing with Aunt Trish and girls.

Friday afternoon after work I met Shauna at the new Wood Creations store to shop for some crafts.  We found a bunch of them to work on. I’m so excited! Kason fell asleep sitting in the arms walking around the store. He was sure cute! We did our first craft on Saturday morning.  The turkeys turned out awesome, and it looks great on the entertainment center! On Saturday we also watched Brand’s game at Rocky Mountain.  They beat Rigby pretty handily, and Brand played well.  In the evening we helped on some projects out at Kolt’s parents’ house.   Kason had fun playing with Brand and Grandma Piquet while we worked!

On Sunday, Kolt taught a good lesson about the 10 Virgins and being spiritually prepared.  We had a new family move into the ward that has a girl in our class.  They were pretty reverent, and I think they learned something! We also had a good lesson in Relief Society about an 80 year old lady that was converted to the church.  In her Patriarchal Blessing, it said that she would’ve been converted to the church and baptized a long time ago, but the young man that was supposed to teach her did not accept his mission call.  It was a pretty touching lesson about being better missionaries.  The ladies that sat by me had a good time watching Kason as he was crashed and then woke up pretty hungry right before the lesson finished.  Our bishop, my dad, also shared a really neat quote by C.S. Lewis that was exactly what I needed to hear.  I included it here.

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” C.S. Lewis

Milestone Week-Montana-Staker Thanksgiving

 Kason had a big milestone week!! He went to his doctor’s appointment on Monday and got his 4-month shots! He actually did really well and didn’t fever as much as he did for the last ones! His mom is really happy about that! He weighed 19 lbs. 4 oz. (98%) and was 29 inches long (100%) and had a head circumference of 17 inches (91%).  Doctor Southwick described him as not being kinda big in a group of boys his age, but “definitely the biggest kid in the bunch.” We are pretty happy about that and hope he decides to be a good athlete someday!  Dr. Southwick also suggested supplementing him with rice cereal in the evenings to help him sleep longer.  We have tried that this week, and he has slept much better the past week, including an 8-hour night and a 6-hour night.  With the rice cereal, we decided to officially move him into his own room and avoid rocking him to sleep.  He actually sleeps really well at nights and has fallen asleep in his crib on his own for 6 nights in a row! As soon as he learns that his tongue keeps pushing out the cereal, he is going to really love it!

Monday at work I laid him on the floor behind my chair and did some work on the computer.  He started whining, so I turned around and found him on his belly! He rolled over! And not just once, he did it 6 times in a row! He now loves to do it every time you lay him on his back, but he can’t roll back over, so he usually whines when he gets tired of lying on his tummy.  I was SOO excited on Monday when he first rolled over, but it has since hit that he will be require a lot more maintenance now that he is moving! It is sure fun to see him learn and grow! He is still a happy baby.  He does really well when he stays with babysitters.  He stayed with Grandma Lindley and Grandma Piquet this week, and Aunt Kristi last week! We are so grateful for all those who help take care of Kason while we finish school! What a blessing it is to live close to family!  Kason also learned how to move in the walker on the tile in the kitchen.  He wheeled himself all the way from the deck door next to the fridge on Friday! He is learning a lot! 

Monday evening I went with Makayla, Kari, and Kara to get pedicures at Austin Kade! It was my first pedicure, so it took me a little while to get used to the pampering! I had the best time talking to Makayla! I just love her and miss her too much over in Wyoming! We then met Dan, Mandi, Haylie, Kolt and Kason at Café Rio and ate dinner. We sure love that family and feel like they are part of our family too!

Wednesday we took pictures at JC Penny with a coupon I got when Kason was born.  After 2 hours of waiting past our appointment, we finally got pictures taken.  Of course, Kason wasn’t very cooperative after that, but we are still glad we got them.  I’m also glad we asked my mom to take some pictures out in the leaves before we went. They might just be my favorite ones!

Saturday Kason and I went to Kristi’s Post Baby Shower at Olive Garden.  We had an awesome time visiting and eating! Kason and Kylen played on the floor together.  After lunch, Kolt and my dad picked us up to got to Dillon.  We watched Montana Tech play at Montana Western.  Tyler is interested in playing at Montana Tech, so we went to watch them play.  We ate at Sparky’s Garage before which was yummy! The game was at 4:30, so we actually got home at a good time!

Sunday morning I got up and made my first Banana Cream Pie for the Staker Thanksgiving Family Dessert.  It turned out awesome!  We loved meeting Radek! Grandma and Grandpa Staker are leaving for Arizona for the winter, so we do Thanksgiving a little early before they leave! Kason is so lucky to have 7 living great grandparents and even more fortunate to live close and have a close relationship with each one of them.  We sure miss Great Grandpa Lindley every day! Christmas also came a little early this year for Kason! Grandma & Grandpa Piquet spoiled him with some awesome cowboy stuff including cowboy boots!

4 MONTHS

-Weight: 19 pounds 4 ounces (98%)

-Length: 29 inches long (100%)

-Head: 17 inches (91%)

-Officially Size 3 diapers after WAY too many blow outs in Size 2

-Loves to LAUGH especially when Aunt Shauna tickles him

-Rolls from side to side and almost from belly to back

-His toes are his new best friends!

-Slept in his crib a couple of nights

 -Cues and babbles all the time

-Mostly 6-9 month clothes

-Sucks his big toe like a champ!

-Got an ear infection this month that changed his temperament, but got on antibiotics soon enough to stop any major problems

-Loves bouncing in his walker

-Loves eating and never sleeps through the night!

-Loves Mom and Dad

-Happy, happy boy!

Halloween Week

Somehow this week has flown past me! Kason hit 4-months old this week. He loves to play with his toes! I actually found sucking on his big toe a couple times this week.  Sunday night Aunt Shauna spent some time helping him learn to roll over. We propped him up on his elbows and he rolled once from belly to back all by himself!  He also has been laughing really cute this week! He tries really hard to imitate the sounds others make.  He loves to stand on your lap and bounce up and down. He loves standing in the walker, and we also tried the Johnny-jumper this week which was a hit!  

Monday afternoon after work I went out to teach piano lessons at Jared & Trish’s.  I love teaching piano and realized as I drove out there that I never play the piano anymore besides at church.  I definitely need to brush up on my terminology and skills! The girls did great! Lindsey is a great counter, Lacey practiced so well and passed off almost all her songs, and Ashley is almost starting the Simplified Hymns! Kason had a great time with Aunt Trish and the girls.  The first snowfall happened Monday night also, and it took a little over an hour to go home! It was a serious whiteout for October!

School has been going well for both of us.  Kolt did well on a couple of tests last week, which surprised him, but not the rest of us.  He does a really good job of studying, not doing homework or other assignments, but just studying the material. (Something I never learned how to do!) The Spring 2014 class schedule has come out, so we both tentatively planned out schedules next spring.  Kolt’s schedule is mostly Tuesday-Thursday from 9-5 with one class Monday and one Friday.  My schedule looks like it will be an online class, an independent study, an internship (at my work) and a night class in Idaho Falls. YAY! Looks like there’s no bus to Pocatello for my last semester! I’m so excited to spend more time at home!

The varsity volleyball team went to State volleyball this weekend.  I went to practice and played on Tuesday and Wednesday. Bentley kept Kason occupied while I played! We spent all Saturday watching the games online.  They took 2^nd at state to Century!

We had a great Halloween on Thursday! Aunt Shauna & Uncle Landon took Kason & Paisley to their ward trunk-or-treat while Kolt had class and I took a test.  They had a great time! Kolt went out and picked up Kason, and then I met them at Grandma & Grandpa Piquet’s.  Aunt Karla came just in time to see our outfits! Kolt was a real trouble and was The Man in the Yellow Hat for the second time. Kason made a cute Curious George!  On Friday we got to babysit Paisley too!  I took Kason to work, but we came home just in time before Shauna came home! She is such a happy girl and had a great time with Kolt! 

Saturday we caught up on homework, watched volleyball and then went to Chuck-a-Rama with Dad and Natalie’s family.  I had a good time catching up with some of the girls I worked with a few years ago.

I also did a little hospital frame for Kason of his birth! It looks really good! 

We had a fairly normal Sunday.  I played the organ, and Kolt taught the Sunday school lesson on Spiritual Self-Reliance. We had the 17s and 18s class join us!  We celebrated Kolt’s dad’s birthday on Sunday evening. I made a broccoli salad for dinner.  We had lasagna which was awesome! We gave Grandpa some cute little magnets of pictures of him & Kason for his birthday! It was a great Sunday!