Family Pics

When we went to Rexburg for Halloween, we were able to get some professional family portraits done by Rebecca Hansen. We love her work! We had her come out last fall to the house and do some shots of us with the horses and we loved those ones as well. Casen wasn't too sure about the whole idea, but he did great. We were in an old ballroom above some stores in Rexburg. We would reccommend Rebecca and her husband Chad to everyone!

Always a lil behind

I am always behind it seems like. So much has happend in the past 3 months! We sure are amazed at how much Casen has changed and we just love his lil personality. He is such a good baby and full of smiles and cute sounds. At his 2 month appointment he was 11lbs 6 oz and 23 3/4 inches long. But that was almost a month ago, so I am sure he is bigger now. He is already wearing 6-9 month clothing and eats like a champ! I will post some of the pics we have of him.


Casen loves taking baths and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a shot of his lil bum.

This was Thanksgiving Weekend


Here is one of his adorable smiles


He is such a lil man when we get him all dressed up

Casen Mac Knight has arrived!!!

First, I apologize this has taken me over two weeks to get posted, but those of you with children, understand the affect a newborn has on sleep patterns. :) So, Casen came to us about a month early and it was a crazy time. Fri 8/21 at around 6:30 my water broke, but with no contractions :( We had been to one birthing class that Wed. and they told us if this were to happen, we would have to get to the hospital ASAP. So, while I went into denile, Brandon got everything packed for the hospital and his parents came over to help. I called my sister (who just finished her night shift in Mtn. Home) and told her to meet us at the hospital in Twin Falls. My mom headed down from Grangeville and my dad who was driving through eastern Montana, made a detour and came down as well. The doctor told me I was in for the long haul and that it would be at least 24 hours before he would be born. I can't explain how unprepared mentally I was for this process. They started me on Pitocin around 10am and the fun began. My advice for anyone wanting to induce labor willingly, don't. The first hour was a breeze, just some minor contractions. Then the big ones came as they kept turning the pitocin up. I went nuts. They gave me some narcotic called staydol or something and then I became one angry pregnant lady who appeared drunk. I just kept tellin the nurse I wanted to quit and they told me I couldn't get the epidural until I was at least 3cm. The problem with the pitocin was my contractions didn't stop...they just kept rolling on. I went on like this for quite a while. And my body does this fantastic thing when I am in pain, I stop breathing. This was not good for Casen, because with every contraction I held my breath and his heart rate would drop. Finally the staydol wore off and I could get focused and I worked thru the contractions. Then the best part was when I finally got to 4cm. The epidural worked like a charm and was the easiest part of the day. The problem was that it slowed down my labor, so they kicked up the pitocin again. Around 10:30pm they told me it would be time to push. The doctor kept putting me on my side because every time I pushed apparently Casen's heart rate would drop. After he was born, they told me it was because his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. I had to be put on oxygen because I wouldn't breath too well. But the pushing went on for 1 1/2 hours and then the doctor decided to use the vacumm, because we was quite worried about Casen. At 12:05 am, Casen entered the world screamin and kicking! One thing the doctor noticed was the umbilical cord was attached at the membranes, not the placenta, which would have been fatal if the membranes would have ruptured at that insertion. They were sure since he was premature there would be some complications, but he was great! 6 lbs. 4 oz and beautiful! The only problems occured on Sunday, they caught the jaundice and he had to be placed in the NICU for a few days. It was difficult to see him in there, but it was for the best and he came home a strong and healthy boy! It is amazing to see how much he has changed already. He is a happy baby and doesn't fuss, unless he is gassy :(. He is such a miracle. We love him more than I though was possible. I will do my best to put up tons of photos.

Riding my horse at 35 wks!

Well, all through this pregnancy I have always asked what activities I should and shouldn't do. Up until about 4 months I still played bball and tried to exercise. I have ALWAYS been riding my horse and no one has told me otherwise. The only thing I was advised not to do was skydive or bungee jump, which I haven't. So, since we have moved I have really missed riding my horse everyday and decided it was time. So, out we went to ride and Brandon wanted to lead Rascal just to be safe. Well, that wasn't too fun, so I eventually got the reins and off we went. It felt so great to ride, even if me and the horse have gained a few lbs. He has been so great at taking care of me and understands when I am riding or when Brandon is riding him there is a difference. He has been so smooth and slow at the trot and lope with me. So, I figured I'd better get a picture of this and so far all I had was my phone, so I apologize for the poor quality...but here I am riding my horse Rascal at 35 wks pregnant. (You'l have to forgive me for riding in shorts, but jeans ARE NOT an option when it is 100 degrees out and also for the flip flops, my feet don't fit in my boots when they are that swollen.)

Update on life in Hagerman

Well, we have officially moved to Hagerman! This is where Brandon grew up and where his family still has their horse ranch, so it seemed like a good place to be. Brandon is working with his dad's counseling business and will start his 2nd internship in September. We were so blessed to find a great house to rent and it is 5x bigger than our previous home...plus it has A/C. :) We are out of town on this great horse racing/training facility while the owners live in California. There is a ton of great pasutres, a shop, barns and of course Tex LOVES the canal that goes right thru the property. We are getting unpacked slowly, but had the great help of his parents to move us here and my family to help get me unpacked! We couldn't have done it with out family! We dearly miss our friends in Rexburg and hope to get back over there after Casen is born. When we moved, I brought my horse, my dog and 3 cats...I am not a crazy cat woman, they are all ones that I have saved and raised on the bottle, so of course I couldn't leave em behind. Since we have moved into this home though, we have experienced some plumbing problems. The bathroom downstairs smells like sewage...and leaks...and has frogs coming into it somehow. Then our kitchen sink has something majorally blocking it and therefor is not able to be used...which poses a problem since there is also no dishwasher. But we are getting along just great and have more space than we know what to do with.l We will probably be living here for many years to come. I will get some pictures up soon.

IT'S A BOY!!! Half way to go!

We had our ultrasound appointment this morning and were so delighted to see a healthy baby in my tummy. And as the title says, it is a boy! I had her take some pictures of the proof so there will be no mistake. :) Brandon and I are so happy to just be having a baby and for it to be a boy is great. It will be the first boy in his family and my parents first grandchild. We are pretty sure we will name him Casen Mac Knight. Case is my Dad's middle name and we both call our grandpa's "Grandpa Mac". I'm so glad I found out and now I can call the baby a "him" instead of "it". Brandon is so excited, we went out and bought some onesies that say "Daddy's Champ" with a lil puppy on them. So far the pregnancy has been great and everything is on schedule for his arrival on Sept. 15. So I am exactly half way through and have felt him move. Things are going great! I will try to post some of the ultrasound pics..try being the key word.

Here is the pic to make sure it is a boy. Look in the middle, by the arrow!


Here here is laying on his side with his hands under his head, and his legs all curled up.

16 Weeks and counting

I need to apologize for my lack of posting. Sabrina told me I never put anything up, so here I go. One thing I need to admit is that I don't know how to post pictures. So anyone with advice, please help. Incase the word hasn't made it's way around, Brandon and I are expecting our first baby in September!!! We are so very excited and just can't wait to be parents! We are going back and forth about whether or not to find out the sex of the baby and if you know me, I am not a patient person. Just this week I decided I want to know. We are excited for the semester to be over and brandon will just be doing his internship. The in July we get to move!