Embrace This Day

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Thanksgiving Week

It is certainly starting to get colder here in Idaho. Kason is starting to get a bit of a cold, so we are trying to keep him bundled up better with a coat, hat, socks, blankets, and a cover over his car seat. He is almost grown out of his car seat weight-wise, which is sad, but it is a little bit exciting that we don’t have to carry around the pound of bricks with us everywhere we go. Kason just keeps growing and growing. We unofficially weighed him, and he weighed 22 ½ pounds. He eats bananas every night with his rice cereal. We tried yams this week, but he seemed to have a little problem digesting them, so we will wait a little longer for those. He is starting to put more weight on his hands and knees when he is on his belly. He scoots and scoots, but doesn’t realize he is moving himself backwards. He is also interested in sitting up. He sat up by himself for long periods of time this week, watching and playing with his cousins. If he is sitting alone though, he usually tries to grab a toy on the floor and tumbles onto his head. He is also getting more vocal and learned how to scream…loud. Our efforts to get him to sleep through the night are unpredictable; sometimes he sleeps 6-8 hours and sometimes Kason makes us so happy he sleeps 2 hours at a time. He seems to not have much of a routine except his faithful morning nap from about 8-10. It is sure fun to watch him grow and learn.

This week has been a great break away from school! We have been shopping, putting up Christmas lights, and running errands. Kolt watched Kason on Monday and Wednesday while I went into work. On Tuesday, we went out to Piquet’s to help them with some projects, and then we hit dinner in Ririe.

On Wednesday we had Thanksgiving dinner with the Dalling family in Sugar City. Kolt was just a little excited to finally make it to a Dalling Thanksgiving dinner after 3 years of not being there. We usually have dinner and then the whole family goes to the gym to play basketball and other sports. The kids always have a fun time playing with their cousins. Kolt played basketball a few games with Jeremy, Dayle, Jared, Scott, Wyatt, Craig, Shelby, Bryant, Kristi, and Mom. I played volleyball with Kamrie and Lindsey. Lacey was a great babysitter! I sure love visiting with my cousins, aunts and uncles and am grateful that we can get together with my grandparents a couple times a year. We have great family!

On Thursday we had dinner with our immediate Lindley family. We missed Natalie’s family and Tyler. We had a great dinner and yummy pies. Kason fell asleep sitting up during dinner; it was a great excuse to get a good Thanksgiving nap in too! Kolt always loves watching football over the break, and there were even a couple exciting games.

On Friday we went with my parents up to Uncle Corey and Aunt Janis’ cabin in Bear Lake. It is definitely one of my favorite places in the world, and it is even more special being visiting with our family. Janis made us delicious soup for lunch, and then we made gingerbread houses in the afternoon. Kolt played ping pong with the cousins, went 4-wheeler riding with the boys, and then made an awesome gingerbread house with a real window. Kason loved playing with Cousin Blake. Aunt Janis got Kason his first toy horse. It is just like his daddy’s horse, and he loves it! In the evening we hit dinner at The Bear Trapper which was delicious! We had a great visit with Megan and Matt at dinner. It was awesome to talk to Matt about public accounting, and I even got some help on my auditing project this semester. We sure have great family and it great to visit them whenever we can.

On Saturday we went to the Institute temple day at 6 AM. They had a great turnout; we were so impressed with how many recent converts brought their own family names to be baptized for. After the temple, the group went to Smitty’s for breakfast. There are some neat kids with great testimonies taking institute, and it is nice to see obedient and righteous kids. Kolt and my mom went on a horseback ride with JJ and Kate. JJ continues to impress Kolt on each ride. We also babysat Evan, Saydie, Charlie, Kamrie and Kylen for a few hours while they went to watch The Hunger Games. We sure love our nieces and nephews, and they certainly kept us busy! After dinner, we watched Polar Express and had caramel popcorn.

On Sunday we drove up to Salem to watch Paxton Owen Hobbs be blessed by his father, Mark. I sure love seeing Jocelyn and can’t wait until we live a little closer someday. We saw my cousins Shane and Mandy and Bill and Heidi in their ward. We also visited by Crystal Spackman who used to do my hair growing up! After Paxton’s blessing, we drove up to Rodek’s, who is Tavann and Jessica Young’s son. Jessica is Kolt cousin. It was a great meeting, and we had a yummy dinner at Alan & Terri Beck’s home following the meeting. I made my favorite cheesecake, and it sounds like it was a hit too! I found out I am distantly related to my third grade teacher, Miss Young, and also Kelsey Smith’s older brother Casey was also at the blessing. It is fun to see people we know and make connections.

We are grateful for the gospel and for our families. I am more and more grateful for my family each day and so grateful that we can be together forever.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Thanksgiving Break Begins with The Book of Mormon Challenge

Kason keeps growing and learning new things! He is almost 5 months old now. Thanks to his dad and Grandma Lindley, he has learned to put his tongue between his lips and blow and spitting all over. He thinks he is pretty funny when he does that even though most times he just makes drool run down his face. Kason has been spending more time in the jumper that hangs in the doorway. On Saturday he bounced around for 30 minutes until he about fell asleep standing up. He has a cute little giggle and has started liking peek-a-boo. Yesterday he also pulled his belly completely off the floor by extending his arms when he is having tummy time. Although he still has some time before he really starts crawling, he is learning that his arms and legs can be good for something. He is also learning that things are much more fun in the action. He doesn’t enjoy playing by himself quite as much as he used to. He really likes his rice cereal, and we have started mixing it with bananas, which he loves. In the past week, Kason has tried bananas, beans, potatoes, and mangos. He is still only eating solids once a day in the evenings though. The other exciting thing of the week is that Kason rolled from his belly to his back twice. It will be a great day when he learns he can roll back and forth by himself.

Monday morning started with going visiting teaching to 2 of our sisters. I enjoy going with my mom; she is a great visiting teaching and helps motivate me and schedule visits at times I can make it. I also had my visiting teachers visit me on Thursday this week. I have some great visiting teachers who always share a great message with me. I am grateful for the church and for the Relief Society.

We have had quite the week with my car. On Friday, I decided to take it in to Sunnyside Auto to get some simple things done. My dome light had gone out and the vents weren’t working right. I was hoping to get it back quick, so I kept bugging them to finish it. On Monday evening, the mechanic, who lives near us, offered to drop it off at our house. I am so glad to have it back! Tuesday morning on my way to the bus stop, the oil light came on. It had been leaking the past couple weeks, but a mechanic at Jiffy Lube said it was a minor leak for “a car with over 200,000 miles on it”. The lady didn’t seem to think very highly of my car, although it has been a great car for us. I had Kolt take it back to Jiffy Lube on Tuesday afternoon to check it out. They said that the leak was pretty serious now and recommended taking it to another mechanic shop in Idaho Falls. Since Sunnyside had just returned my car the night before, I felt bad taking it back to them, so we used Jiffy Lube’s recommendation. The other mechanics said that the oil pump had gone out in the car and it was a $1200 fix. We immediately called Sunnyside, and they said to bring it over and they would fix it for a fraction of that cost. So on Friday morning, we picked up the car and drove it over to Sunnyside. Kolt had asked them if it had oil in it, and they assured him he would make it. However, within a couple miles, the engine was smoking, and it didn’t have any oil in it. After a lot of stressing and some more oil, we got it to Sunnyside, but it doesn’t look pretty. We are praying that we didn’t burn up the engine and are anxiously awaiting a verdict from Sunnyside. We have learned this week just how good Sunnyside Auto Repair has been to us. In the meantime, we are grateful that we are on break and don’t have to go too many different directions, and we are also very grateful for Kolt’s parents letting us use their silver truck.

We are excited to start a much needed break of school this week. We have taken at least 10 exams and written several papers combined in the last couple weeks. I am so grateful for Grandma Piquet who took Kason on Thursday evening, so I could write a paper. I have been learning just how difficult it is to do anything that requires a lot of focus with Kason around.

Friday evening Kolt had class in Pocatello, so I took Kason to the Bonneville vs. Hillcrest girls basketball game with my parents, Nathan and Brooke. Nathan is at such a fun age; he is very smart and says some of the funniest things. Brooke really likes Kason and likes to keep an eye on him wherever he is.

Kolt has been working with JJ quite a bit that past couple weeks. He has put on about 5 rides already. I think Nathan technically rode him first. (Nathan told Kolt he wanted to ride JJ instead of Kate one day, so Kolt threw him up and let him sit on JJ for a minute). JJ has done a great job, and Kolt is pretty proud. He thinks that JJ would make a great horse for a younger kid, since he has a small frame. JJ is really mild tempered and by the time next spring rolls around, he should be a great horse.

Saturday afternoon Kevin and Ashley watched Kason while Kolt and I went to the Hunger Games 2 with my mom. We loved the movie and even Kolt, who hadn’t read the books, was pretty excited about it. It is definitely one I want to go watch again soon! I enjoy watching and reading the Hunger Games and comparing it to similarities in history.

Sunday was a big day! Sunday morning we had tithing settlement, then I played the piano for the choir, then I played the organ in Sacrament Meeting. Kolt taught the Sunday school lesson about Financial Self-Reliance. He really does a good job teaching and has a passion for teaching about the gospel. After church, we had dinner with the Lindley’s. All of us were there except for Tyler. It is fun to get together and see the kids grow and interact together. It is also great to visit with my siblings.

We are excited for Thanksgiving this week. I am especially grateful for the gospel. President Ames from the Stake Presidency spoke to us in Sacrament Meeting yesterday. He spoke about gratitude and about the work of sealing individuals to their families. He shared a story about his mission to a couple different cities to do work for his relatives. I am excited to start doing family history work when I finish school. It is definitely a goal I have for next May.

I am also grateful for the Book of Mormon. We have started a 40-Day Book of Mormon Challenge with Kolt’s family. Kolt and I have been reading the Book of Mormon for almost an hour the past 3 nights. We have felt a big difference in our lives as we spend time studying the scriptures. We are using The Book of Mormon for Families book that we got for our wedding and have been using the questions and study helps as we read. We have felt a definite increase in the Spirit in our lives as we have diligently read from The Book of Mormon and been more diligent in our prayers. I know The Book of Mormon is true, and we are blessed when we do the little daily things that bring us closer to the gospel.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

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

Sunday, November 10, 2013

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!