Kolt's Birthday-Kason's Shots

We are in the middle of the hardest rain/hail storm I’ve ever seen! It is coming down pretty hard! This week’s highlight was Kolt’s 22^nd Birthday.  He had quite the week! Last year, I dropped the ball on his birthday and didn’t get him anything, so this year I decided I had better make up for it by giving him a few different gifts.  We had a busy day Wednesday, so we had to celebrate his birthday at a few different times.  It started with Kason getting his shots Wednesday morning that he didn’t love.  I’ll talk more about that later! 

Wednesday afternoon Kolt, Kason and I went to lunch at Kolt’s favorite place, Sizzler.  We had a really nice dinner, and Kason slept straight through it.  Kason and I gave him a car charger and wall charger for his phone, as well as a tie hanger for his closet that he had been asking for.  We rushed to our volleyball game; the girls played well for losing a player and learning a new rotation, but we ended up losing to Idaho Falls.  We fed Kason and then hurried out to Brand’s game at Rocky Mountain.  They won a close game against Eagle Rock.  Brand wasn’t feeling very well, but he played great and his team needed him.  After the game, Kolt’s dad gave him a present.  He got new stirrups, a shirt to wear riding, and some new reins that he had been wanting! He was so excited.  I surprised him again with a picture of his Grandpa Piquet’s Paint Horse Stagecoach Hitch.  Kolt loves this picture and talks about it regularly, so with the help of my awesome mom, we got it ordered and framed.  I figured we needed this picture in our house, so that our kids can see it when Kolt talks about it! He loved it and it was a great surprise.  I was pretty proud of myself for thinking of something Kolt would really like.  

The birthday celebration continued. Friday evening we went to dinner with my parents at Applebees.  I surprised Kolt again with a new black suit that he needed.  He had been wearing one with holes in it from his mission.  It was a good surprise, and he wore it Sunday! Saturday we went out to Kolt’s parents’ house.  We hit Subway for lunch and then had an awesome “Better than Anything” birthday cake that Shauna made!  It was delicious! Shauna and Landon gave Kolt some slobber straps for his reins that he loves.  They are so awesome to surprise him with something he had been wanting! Kolt then went with his dad, Shauna, Landon, Brand & Rope riding up in Harriman.  The ride was a total adventure.  It started by almost getting rained out. Kolt’s dad asked him to ride his half lingers, and he got bucked off, landing on the only lava rock in the meadow.  He hit his face and collar bone and is pretty sore. The other half linger got loose in the midst of it all.  Long story short, they got home at almost 2 AM, and Kolt says he won’t be riding anymore half lingers.  We have been joking that he almost died on his birthday horseback ride! We are glad everyone got home okay! Happy Birthday to Kolt! Thank you for being a great husband and father!

The other highlight of the week was Kason’s 2-month doctor’s appointment.  Kason weighed 14 lbs. 9 oz. and measured 26 inches long.  He is a growing boy, ranking 99% in height and 94% in weight.  His head was in the 82% percentile.  The doctor says he is looking great and is great at holding up his head at this age.  He also got his immunizations, 3 shots in one leg, one in the other, and one oral.  Thank goodness I had my mom there to help me while Kolt had class.  We stood on each side of Kason while they gave him his shots! He was a trooper, screaming pretty good, but settling down shortly after.  He slept almost 7 hours afterwards.  In the middle of the night on Wednesday, he woke up screaming, and I could tell he was burning up.  He had a fever of 101, but we got some Tylenol in him quickly and he finally fell back asleep. It was a bit of a scare, but he is doing great now! He has started to find some new sounds this week and loves talking while he lies on the floor.  He is starting to like his jungle mat.  He has also found his hands and likes to suck on his fist! Kason keeps working on tummy time and is stretching out his legs and neck on his belly.  He has officially grown out of his 0-3 pajamas.  He kept getting frustrated when I put them on, and he couldn’t stretch out his legs all the way! He is sure in a fun time with all the smiles!

On Labor Day, I picked up a booth shift for the Post Register at the fair.  We drove down there just to find that they had shut down the booth for the day due to rain.  For volunteering to work, we got tickets to the Gem State Pro Rodeo, so we decided to go back home, take a nap, leave Kason at home with my parents, and then hit the rodeo.  We went in time to get some food and walk around.  We had some yummy food which is always the highlight of the fair! We had a fun time with Kristi, Bryant and Kamrie at the rodeo! It is always a blast going out with family! The weather ended up being better than we thought it would, and we were wishing we had brought Kason.

We had a good week of school and work.  I pushed back a couple things at work for Kolt’s birthday.  I ran out of time on Wednesday and Thursday to finish the checks.  I ended up talking Kason and Kolt into the Post Register after my night class at 9:30 PM and finishing checks. It was nice to have my 2 boys with me while I finished! 

On Friday morning Kolt went to work for Dr. Cannon.  He was able to use his Spanish this week with a guy who didn’t speak English.  I went out to Shauna’s house before work to watch Paisley while they went to Lee Harris’ sealing.  Paisley and Kason were a breeze and even slept so I could get some homework done! Paisley is sure a cute girl! She is still a bit smaller than Kason, but is definitely more developed than Kason and loves sitting up and looking around all the time, a new thing for me! When she woke up, Paisley could not figure out why Kason was still asleep!  Friday evening Kolt and I went to the Bonneville football game against IF.  We didn’t get there until the 2^nd quarter and it started to rain before half, so we were only there for about 30 minutes! Bummer! Kason was sure cute though with his football hat and onesie!

Saturday evening I went to Jocelyn Hobbs’ baby shower.  She is having a boy too! There were lots of nice ladies to help with Kason.  I sure love being with Jocelyn, and I’m so excited for her to get baby Paxton here! She got lots of awesome gifts! I gave her a couple of cute orange outfits! My parents were able to go up to Rexburg with me and visit Grandma Dalling while I was at the shower.  

On Sunday morning we went to Brandon Craig’s mission report.  It was fun to see our friends from high school.  He did a great job and was definitely a representative of Christ.  We went to lunch at his house and had a good visit with Kyler & Hailey Arave, Trevor Empey, Zach Pickering, and Jacob Shipton.  Kolt taught the Sunday School lesson about keeping the commandments and how we practice being with the Savior every day.  We also had a good lesson in Relief Society about being committed to the gospel and fulfilling our callings, no matter what they are.  After church, we went to dinner at Natalie & Brady’s.  Brady’s family was in town, so it was fun to get all the families together and visit with the Coulston’s.  We are so grateful for family and love them very much!

2 Months

 

14 pounds 9 ounces (99%)
26 inches long (94%)
Head 40 cm (82%)
Size 2 diapers

Hair thinning out on top because his head is growing so big!

Falls asleep BY HIMSELF

SMILES A LOT when his tummy is full

Sleeps 5-6 hours at night

Still has HAIRY legs and ears, but lost it on his back
VERY HAPPY baby--content most all the time except when it's time to eat

Play with his toys on his bouncer 

Likes his SPACE

CHUBBY thighs and arms
KICKS his legs all the time

Loves being in the gym
ROLLS from his back to his side

Tries to HOLD UP HEAD, but is still pretty bouncy

Eats a TON in the evenings to prepare for his hibernation at night

LONG torso & legs
Just found out how to move his arms--AIR PUNCHES

Fits most 0-3 month cloths, starting 3-6 month clothes

CUES and GURGLES

Sleeps a LOT still

Loves LOOKING AROUND

Classes Started--First Volleyball Game--Cody Sold

To start this post, I just wanted to introduce why I started writing a "weekly update". I have the greatest family; they started a tradition of writing a Family Letter every week to update what we have done this week.  I send it in an email to my family. If any of you want me to add you to the Weekly Update Email List, put your email in a comment, and I will add you to the list!

Here's this week's Weekly Update...

Wow! I cannot believe it is September already and Kason hit his 8-week mark! Kason is a happy, smiley baby.  He has a great smiley time after he eats when he will smile at anyone.  He has been a great sport at volleyball; he sits in his car seat for a while and then likes to be held for the second half of practice.  He is quite content to sit in his bouncer which makes it easy to leave him in for too long! He is really good at going to sleep on his own and doesn’t need to be held most times. He likes to sit up and try to hold up his head.  It’s pretty bouncy, but he keeps trying! We tested out the bumbo just to see how close we were, but we’re a little ways off. He was sure happy about trying! When he is awake, he likes to be held facing out and looking around, not cuddled too tight! He is starting to grow out of some of the 0-3 month clothes and is working his way into 3-6 month clothes.  He cues and gurgles quite a bit.  He is in a really fun stage right now!

Well, Kolt and I started classes this week.  It is a lot different being a student when you have a baby. We spend lots of time juggling Kason and still trying to get to our classes! Kolt is taking 17 credits, physics, anatomy & physiology, organic chemistry, statistics, and independent problems.  He really likes the classes he is taking, but isn’t too excited about having to read the textbooks! He has all his classes in Idaho Falls except one lab in Pocatello.  He carpools with some of his friends from school. He is also the President of the LDSSA (Latter-Day Saints Student Association) Club on campus which hosts 3 Institute classes at the ISU University Place campus.  He is working on getting a presidency to help him.  It looks like I might be the secretary this year to help get the Facebook page up and running. 

I’m taking 12 credits this year, Auditing, Intermediate Accounting III, Productivity & Quality, and Financial Investments.  Yes, they sound very interesting! I actually really enjoy my classes.  It is the only semester I have taken only 12 credits.  I haven’t taken less than 15 until now.  I have 2 in Pocatello on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I ride the bus, getting on at 7 AM and getting home by 2.  My mom is so great to babysit Kason every Tuesday and Thursday during school.  She helps me more than I know.  It is really quite handy to have her so close. I really appreciate her for always being willing to help.  I think she really likes Kason, and he definitely loves his grandma.  I sometimes worry he likes her more than he likes me! She is a great grandma, and I never have to worry about Kason when she is with her.  I also have a Thursday night class in Idaho Falls and one class online.  It’s a pretty easy load, but it is going to take a lot of focus to get things done on time. I am very excited to be done this spring!

On Monday morning, Kolt had to set up a table for Institute at the IF campus.  He had to show the horse, Cody, to a guy in the morning, so Kason and I got the table ready until he could get there.  Kason stayed the morning with Kolt until I finished at work.  I picked up him on Monday before Kolt’s class started at one.  On the way into the school, I saw Jeremy Dalling, my cousin, and we got to catch up a bit.  Kolt found out that he has a class with Jeremy, and he is really excited.  He is hoping they can be study partners for physics this year! That evening, I went to a picnic at Tautphaus Park Zoo with my parents and Kason.  We met up with Natalie at the park and had a good time visiting. Kolt went and rode Cody for the evening.  He sold her Tuesday morning to a guy who owned her half-sister and liked her breeding. Kolt made some good money off of her for only owning her for a month.

Tuesday evening we went to Rope’s football game at Sandcreek and on Wednesday we went to Brand’s game at Sandcreek also.  Kason had a good time wearing his football hat and onesie. He is a great baby and does a good job with Grandma & Grandpa Piquet and Aunt Shauna! I saw Jordyn Hansen, Ashley’s sister, at the football game. I sure loved visiting with her, and Kason loved being with Jordyn! Brand and Rope both won their games! We also ran over to my dad’s District 91 Family Dinner.  He played a softball game against some of the other teachers, but we had volleyball, so we got their just in time for the last few plays.

Volleyball has been really fun so far.  It is a lot different with a baby because I now have to worry about Kason at practices.  Mia Sorensen, one of the players from my 10s club team this springs, came with her mom a few days and watched him for me. That helped a ton! My team is very coachable and wants to improve.  They are getting better every day.  We beat Skyline in 3 on Thursday.  We also played in the Hillcrest Invitational on Saturday.  We lost to Shelley in the championship, but I was still very happy with our finish.  I saw lots of things to work on, but we have lots of time to improve.  I am so grateful for good moms to help with Kason.  He was a great baby all day.  

I missed the first 1 ½ hours of my night class on Thursday.  My teacher seems really nice to work with; he stalled the class, so I didn’t miss a thing that night.  I am so glad to have Grandpa Piquet and Aunt Shauna watch Kason on Thursday evenings.  They are so good with him; he loves going out to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. I always know he is taken great care of with them, and they are always great to send me pictures and updates!  I can’t wait for the day when he can talk and play with Paisley.  They are going to be great friends.

Friday morning Kolt and I went to the 6 AM session at the temple.  We are still working on the temple routine, but we are making a habit of grabbing a cinnamon roll on the way home.  On Friday night, Kolt went to his night class in Pocatello, and I watched Kamrie while Kristi and Bryant went on a date.  She is such a good girl and loves Baby Kason.  She played with her toys for quite a while.  Once I quit trying to do homework while watching both her and Kason, I had a much better time! Kolt got home a little early and took Kamrie out with the horses, and I tagged along with Kason in the front pack. The highlight of the night was holding Kamrie while she fell asleep.  Plus, I got a 100% on my first quiz of the semester!

On Sunday Kolt taught Sunday school about the commandments, and I played the organ.  I filled in as the Primary pianist.  They are working on the Primary program.  I kept trying to imagine where Kolt and I will be when Kason has his first Primary program.  I sure hope his grandparents can be there! Kason went with Grandma & Great Grandma Lindley to Sunday school and Relief Society. We had a great dinner with the family after church.  It is always good to be with family.

7 Weeks-New Horse JJ-Last Week of Summer

Our summer is officially over, and we are headed back to school tomorrow.  Kason hit 7 weeks on Wednesday.  He is really getting to be quite smiley.  He is getting into a great routine.  He is much less fussy and fun to be around.  He often falls asleep by himself now without being held.  He’s sleeping about 6 hours at night.  His hair is starting to thin out from his growing head; he is taking after Grandpa Lindley on that one! He is definitely the center of our lives.

I spent the week working, coaching, and improving my repertoire of dinner recipes.  I made spaghetti, corn on the corn, fruit salad, salsa chicken, Kaylynn Carter’s (my coworker) Chicken Almond Salad, and Kenny and Tara Lindley’s Italian Pasta.   I am very far away from mastering the cooking thing.  I managed to light the almonds for the salad on fire.  Yes, an open flame that nearly lit the whole house on fire.  Needless to say, I think I am going to stick with a supervisor to keep an eye on me when I try to cook anything else.  I worked Monday and Tuesday to print checks.  Kason was a great tagalong in the office; my best babysitter is my boss.  She spoils him rotten, and he loves it.  I got lots done and worked really quickly thanks to so much help.

Kolt and I also started volleyball practice this week.  We practice Mon-Fri. from 7-9:30 AM.  We played 2-on-2 on Monday, then spent the next 3 days learning skills, and then played 2-on-2 on Friday to see if there were any changes in the results.  It is fun to watch the girls improve.  Kolt enjoys playing with them in the scrimmages.  He helps them improve quite a bit and is learning the skills well enough to help the girls also.  I have enjoyed having some girls I know on the team as well.  

Kolt had a doctor’s appointment with Dr. Peter Cannon on Monday.  He needs to start shadowing physician’s for medical school applications, and Dr. Cannon is going to take Kolt along with him on Fridays for the next couple months.  Kolt went in for the first time on Friday.  He loved it.  Dr. Cannon did a great job of knowing the right patients for Kolt to be with.  He also gave Kolt information to read about each case beforehand, so he knew about the condition of the patient.  He is looking forward to shadowing him.

Wednesday Kolt and I spent the day in town.  We intended to only take a few hours at 10, but we didn’t get home until 3.  We went to the Institute building to meet with Bro. Seedall, Little Caesar’s for lunch, Burger King for ice cream, Walmart to get groceries, the bank to make a deposit, ISU to pay tuition and pick up books, Dr. Southwick’s for Kason’s appointment, back to Walmart for a prescription, and then to Stockman’s for a gift card.  What a day! At the doctor’s appointment, we found out that Kason has thrush again; within a day of taking the prescription, both of us are feeling great! In the evening we went to Rope’s football scrimmage. Kason rocked Grandpa Piquet’s shades! We are excited for football season and the cooler evenings!

Thursday I played the organ for Ron Olsen’s funeral.  My mom came and watched Kason.  Brother Olsen told me 2 months ago that he had never heard me make a mistake on the organ. I told him he just didn’t listen close enough! Brother Olsen will sure be missed.  On Thursday my mom and I went out to Chloe & Ashley’s volleyball game at West Jefferson.  They both played really well.  We hurried back for a Ward Party at the Iona Square.  I visited with Jeanna and Brandi Simmons.  We sure have some good friends in this ward.  

Kolt worked on Cody for the last week; he put her up for sale today.  She has made a lot of progress.  He rode her up to work cows at Jared and Trish’s on Tuesday.  We are hoping to sell her in the next little while as Kolt bought another horse this week.  JJ is a 5 year old buckskin gelding who needs a few pounds and a lot of rides.  We picked him up on Saturday morning down in Wallsburg, Utah by Heber City.  Kolt’s dad arranged to drop off some truck parts in Utah on the same trip and also picked up a half linger horse.  We stayed at Kolt’s cousin, Chris Jensen’s, house in Provo.  We had a great trip! Kason was a great sport; he slept almost the whole trip.  I took advantage of that and slept most of the whole trip also! I am all caught up on sleep!  We left Friday night after Kolt’s dad got off of work and got back Saturday evening just in time for my volleyball team activity.  We hit Olive Garden in Logan and had the Never Ending Pasta Bowl. I think it was the best food I've ever eaten!

Sunday I taught the lesson about writing in journals. We watched the movie Oh, Remember, Remember by President Eyring.  Kolt talked about his ancestors who kept journals.  We spent the evening visiting with Kolt’s parents when we picked up JJ.  We spoiled him with some grain and apples.  We are excited to work with JJ.

6-Week Update-Volleyball Tryouts-Block Party-Stake Conference

Well, the best news is...we got the Piquet family pictures back! We love them!! Here they are...

Kason is 6 weeks old already! He is starting to smile quite a bit and recognizing Mom and Dad’s faces.  He is just learning how to talk without crying.  I had a whole conversation with him in the kitchen the other morning.  He found his toys on bouncer and has been quite entertained.  He is starting to rotate an awake-cycle between feedings.  I just pray it is during the day.  He sleeps about 5 hours during the night but is mostly 3 hours between feedings during the day.  In the evenings, he eats every 1 ½ from 6-10, gearing up for his 5-hour hibernation! We took him to Grandpa Piquet’s work and weighed him on the scale; he is exactly 13 pounds! He is so tall that he hardly looks fat and still has his long legs  He has the cutest little cheeks! He is starting to really like being outside at nights; I think he enjoys the cool air and looking around.

Monday I had a doctor’s appointment in Rigby; everything seems to be healing well.  Lindsey and I did a lot of errands in town; she stayed in the car and watched Kason at each stop.  Kolt rode Cody out to his parents’ house, about 5 miles.  They trotted the whole way, and she wasn’t even tired when they got there!  Monday evening we had dinner with my cousins, Jason & Marie Dalling and their kids, Sarah, Caleb, Valerie, and Justin.  Jason was so nice to answer a lot of Kolt’s questions.  He did a good job of being honest about what becoming a physician is like, but also encouraging us and telling us he could do it. He told us about a couple of physician’s he went to school with.  One physician had 11 kids before getting a job, and one was a bishop during residency.  Wow! If they can do it, we definitely can.  Marie helped me a lot by telling me what to expect as a wife of a physician.  I went to bed that night feeling like this journey may be very difficult, but I felt that we were going to do it.  Kolt also felt a little more motivated.  It will be quite a journey.

Tuesday morning Kolt worked at the hospital.  I swam with Nathan and Lindsey in the hot tub, while my mom watched Kason.  I did the laundry and did some work at home.  Wednesday I went visiting teaching with my mom.  We are visiting some neat ladies; Kason has about a 15-minute timer.  After that, he is ready to go! Wednesday evening Kolt stacked hay with his family.  They did some more early Thursday morning before their long horse ride at Palisades. I spent the day with Kason; we had a good time eating and taking lots of naps.  I am soaking up the last days before volleyball and school start.

Friday morning we had volleyball tryouts at Bonneville.  The sessions were 7-9:30 and 5-7 at night.  Kolt was able to come to both sessions and even got to play a little.  We did a lot of scrimmaging and queens to get a good look at the girls.  Kason did a good job at practice with Kolt; Kason timed a feeding right during practice! We had 15 girls try out, many of whom hadn’t played on a team before.  We kept 8 players. I am really excited for the season.  We have a good group of girls that work hard and want to improve.  Friday evening we had a block party at the neighbor’s house.  My mom and dad took Kason, and we met them there after practice.  Kason loved Pinky & Brammer holding them; he is sure a friendly baby!  

Saturday morning Kolt and my mom went to move cows with Kolt’s new horse.  She is making a lot of progress; Kolt is getting ready to sell her in the next couple weeks.  My dad, Kason and I had a date in town.  We went to Wendy’s and then shopping at Fred Meyer.  He bought me a pretty purple dress and matching necklace! The day reminded me of the days I used to go to town with my dad almost daily.  I sure love my dad and enjoy talking with him.  He seems to have the best advice in any of life’s problems.  He is always very aware of what I’m feeling, often even before I tell him.  I love him very much.

Saturday evening Kolt, me and my parents went to the Adult Session of Stake Conference.  Grandma and Grandpa Piquet watched Kason.  I think I missed Kason more than he missed me.  They said he was a great baby! It is so nice to be able to have family close, so we can get a little date night and know that Kason is taken care of.  The highlight of the night was coming home to see Kason is an extra outfit of Paisley’s because he peed on his outfit.  I had to look at him twice because I couldn’t figure out if it was Kason or Paisley when I first saw him!  He makes a very cute girl though!  Elder Baxter did a question and answer session at Stake Conference.  Afterwards, we went out to Trista Schuster and Craig Darrington’s reception.  They look very happy. We sure like them both and their families.  It was fun to remember our own wedding day almost a year ago.

Sunday morning we had Stake Conference.  We sat by Dane and Tammy Nelson.  They took great care of Kason; he is getting to be a pretty happy baby.  The webcast wasn’t working for the first half hour, but it finally came up and we were able to see my parents singing in the choir at the Stake Center.  Kolt took the Lindley grandkids for a little horse ride Sunday evening after dinner; Ashley was awesome and put Kason to sleep for me too!