Knight Family

Fire

2010-08-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

The same weekend as Casen's birthday, a bad fire came thru this area. It was acutally 5-8 small fires that all blew together and made one nasty fire. It was just across the river from us and actually jumped the river just down from us. In total I think it burned somthing like 500,000 acres. Fire crews from all over the western states are still camped out in town. The whole valley was coverd in smoke and ash and it is still blowing around. It was pretty scary for quite a few folks and some ranchers lost all their grazing and hay. I was able to snap a few good pics of the sunset...along with my new gray mare and her filly.

Casen's 1st Birthday

2010-08-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

I realize I completely missed the summer, but I will update when I have the laptop with all the pictures. Last weekend our lil' boy turned 1..yikes! He is such a fun boy and changing each day. His newest thing is to dance to any music, radio, cell-phone or even in church. During the musical number yesterday, he stood up and with one had he led the music and danced, all while singing in his sweet babbly voice. Then proceeded to clap, I'm not sure if it was for the girl singing or for himself...either way he gets the attention :) I love him and he makes me laugh every day. Back to his birthday. We made a cake and he was very excited about it. He shared to nicely with everyone, even if you didn't want the leftover frosting on his fingers. He found out where his Grandma had the ice cream and scoop, and we spoiled him. The last picture is when he bit into the ice cream, he thought it was cake. My sister came over as well, with her new daughter Kylee. It was such a fun day. I just can't believe how quickly this year went by. I am blessed to be home with him each day and love this life.

A visit to times past

2010-06-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

Well, yet again I find myself needing to update...where does the time go? We are busy as usual. Brandon has just started his Master's with BSU and will be done in about a year :) I am keeping busy by coaching. I have enjoyed this month so far with the Varsity Basketball team. Being the assistant coach will be fun! Then when school starts, I will take over the junior high volleyball and basketball teams :) Until then, Casen and I are enjoying this summer, and since he is now crawling, we are very active! I haven't put up the most recent pictures, but here are some to fill the gap.
In April, we went to the Horse Expo in Nampa to see my grandparents, but this time we brought along Brandon's grandpa as well. So Casen was able to hang out with 2 great-grandpas! He had a blast!

He even got to sit on a miniature horse, who was also 8 months old :) He is such a fun boy and it was very special to have him with both grandpas

Here are just some more pics of Casen being...well Casen.

Casen's crib, made with love

2010-02-26T10:07:00.001-08:00

Brandon had always wanted to make a crib for our baby, so he did. The wood he used is blue pine and it is from my Grandpa's property. It is beautiful! My Dad and him plained the wood, sanded it, cut it and pieced it all during Christmas break, so when we came home all he had to do was finish sanding it, and put a finish on it. I am so impressed with what Brandon can do. It is a beautiful crib and Casen sleeps great in it.

Catching up

2010-02-26T09:44:00.000-08:00

Casen was able to meet one of his cousins from Virginia for the first time earlier this month. Brandon's cousin, Nelson and his wife Suzanne were visiting Utah and flew up to Twin to come visit. Colton is 3 months older. It was a wonderful day and very special for Casen's great-grandpa Mac to be able to hold 2 of his great-grandsons, both with middle names of Mac.

Casen is just in love with our new dog Taz. Anytime he seems him, he will laugh or smile and squeal. Taz has been a great puppy for us and is so patient with him. He will just lay there and let him pull on him.

Casen is 6 months!

2010-02-26T09:15:00.001-08:00

Wow, I can not believe that Casen is already 6 months old...it seems like we are just getting the hang of being parents and now so much is changing. He is sitting up, rolling over and eating vegetables? When did all this happen? He has been such an amazingly happy baby. Seriously, I am so grateful for his lil guy. He wakes up smiling, he goes to sleep smiling and yesterday during his vaccinations, just after he got poked, I picked him up and he smiled at the nurse! We love his laugh and fun personality.

Just after his appointment yesterday we went and got some 1st foods for him to try. I wasn't sure how it would go, but he loved it! We tried carrots first and he is qutie a fan. And a quick learner...only after a few times of us feeding him, he wanted the spoon to do it himself. Things got a little messy, but nothing a fun bath couldn't fix.

Graduation, Christmas, Casen and new puppy

2010-01-08T13:52:00.000-08:00

We had a great 2009 and looking forward to 2010. Brandon worked hard and graduated from BYU-Idaho on Dec. 19. Along with his brother Austin, his sister Shannell and her husband Mike. It was quite a family affair. Right after graduation, they had family pictures with EVERYONE. Jeff Smith did a great job and we were so excited that we were able to get 2 shots with Casen smiling. I will try to get those soon. Brandon got very sick right after graduation but was still able to travel with us up to my parents house in Grangeville. Our trip was delayed a bit due to the winter weather, but at least there was snow! We were so lucky to be able to spend 1 1/2 weeks with my parents and even more blessed that Brandon was still able to work while we were there. We had a great Christmas and were spoiled with presents. Casen didn't know what he got, but he loved grabbing the wrapping paper. What made it so special was all of my family was there and able to hold him. He will smile for everyone and can light up a room. My grandparents are truly in love with him and my grandpa will read him story after story, which Casen loves. We played lots of card games and Casen was such a good baby to play right along with us. He has changed so much in the past 4 months! He will grab anything in front of him and take it straight to his mouth. He even rolled over!!! His little laugh is adorable and he is really getting the hang of this babbling thing. Then just after the New Year began we were so lucky to get our new puppy, Taz! He is Tex's nephew to be exact. Taz's mother was Tex's sister, so we got him from the same people up in Plummer. He has been a handful, just as any puppy is, but he is very smart! We love him already! He is pretty good with Casen, just this morning while I was looking at the mail, I looked down and he was laying on Casen's feet, licking his hands and Casen was smiling. Of course after I washed his hands, it was all ok. :) It has been tough though, trying to train a puppy and keep Casen happy. But life is good and it is so nice to have a dog around the house again. I have started coaching my 6th grade bball team this week and it will be an adventure. We get 2 practices a week and have a 1 game every Saturday until the end of February. They are a great bunch of kids and really work hard. I just have to keep remembering they are only in 6th grade. Also, I start officiating junior high boys basketball next week and they have about 12 home games, so I will stay busy with it all. Brandon is great and supportive, so it makes it a little easier. We are happy and loving our new son and new puppy.

Family Pics

2009-12-11T13:44:00.001-08:00

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

2009-12-01T16:32:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2009-09-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-13T16:02:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-02T16:01:00.001-07:00

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!

Thanksgiving is over, on to Graduation...

2008-11-28T14:16:00.000-08:00

We love the holidays because we get to see our families so much! This year is a bit different because we have to be on the ranch when the owners are out of town, so we can't just up and leave like the normal college student. Through a crazy bunch of changing plans, we were blessed to head up to my parents house in Grangeville. Everyone was great and came on Sunday to celerate Thanksgiving early with us, since we had to be on the ranch for Thanksgiving day. It was great to see everyone and we had a blast with Kristen and Carlos. I will try to get more pictures up of our adventures, but maybe after graduation. Yes, on to Graduation. We only have 2 more weeks of school left this semester, which places my graduation on Dec. 12! Finally I get a Bachelor's degree. It is odd though, now I am getting close, it seems everyone has a joke about how my intelligence is actually lacking. Oh well. We can't wait to be done with this crazy semester. Now all I have to do is find a job...if you have any reccomendations, please send them my direction.

Our lives, currently

2008-11-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

We are greatly anticipating Thanksgiving break! We will celebrate a weekend early with my family in Grangeville and then head back here to watch the ranch during the break. We live out in Menan, Idaho in a renovated barn. It is a beautiful log home now and we are so blessed. We also get to use the new indoor arena on the ranch any time...but the downside to an indoor arena is indoor stalls. Horses poop and pee and need to be clean, so alas, Brandon has been cleaning stalls every morning for almost a full year now. That isn't his favorite job, but it pays off the rent. He is also training as many horses as he can. We had a great summer full of wonderful horses and now since school has started his time gets short. We also have some of his dad's amazing horses, which are our fun horses to ride. I will graduate in a month and am a little leary of the future. What do you do after you have gone to school for the past 18+ years? I love my current job with the University, teaching and managing the horsemanship classes. Sadly when I graduate it is time to find a career. I hope to find a vet willing to hire me, but if not I can always subsitute teach and try to find a team to coach.
Our only addition to our family has been our puppy Tex. He is a full Australian Shepherd who has the best personality anyone could ask for. He loves to work with Brandon, whether cleaning stalls or chasing cows. I hope to get pictures up soon of everything.

Not sure how this thing works

2008-11-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

Brandon and I aren't exactly tech savvy, so we are still trying to figure out how this thing works. Any advice is welcome!