Daddy's Birthday

Once you are an adult, birthdays generally aren't that fun. This is something that kids have a hard time accepting or understanding. This year Dan's birthday fell on a Wednesday which meant work and Church night for him and a long wait for the kids. The kids made him cards during the day, but didn't understand why we weren't buying him any presents. Let's just say it had been a pretty expensive few weeks with purchasing him a new car and having the family car in and out of the shop. They couldn't figure out why we didn't make him any cake or a cheesecake like we had done the previous year, once again baking and me just don't mix right now. Besides his work was buying him a big cake from Costco and he got to bring home the left overs, so we were going to celebrate with that.

As I mentioned before Dan spends most of Wednesday evening at the church and barely has enough time to eat dinner before he heads to the church. So, we were going to celebrate when he got home later that evening. The kids tried really hard to wait up for him, but didn't exactly make it.
We even tried waking Noah up, but he was too tired. So I decided to let the kids eat Daddy's Birthday Cake for breakfast, using the rationalization that it was a Carrot Cake. However, this wasn't enough for the kids - they insisted on singing "Happy Birthday" to daddy that night. I'm not sure why everyone ended up with candles, but the kids thought it was pretty cool.
Hopefully next year will be a little more exciting.

More Birthday Fun

Grandma Sandi and Papa Tim came the day after Noah's birthday to help us celebrate in style. One of his requests was to have Grandma Sandi come to his party and we were happy that she was able to.

We all went out to dinner at the Texas Roadhouse. The kids enjoyed throwing peanut shells on the floor while we waited for our table and the adults enjoyed visiting. Dinner was supper yummy with appetizers including fried pickle chips and an onion blossom. Everyone enjoyed sharing Grandma's shrimp skewers and the kids all had huge chicken nuggets. During dinner the kids enjoyed watching the staff line dance and after dinner they were kind enough to sing "Happy Birthday" to Noah. As usual he was embarrassed at all the attention and would have rather been any where but there. You can just see it in his face. However, he did enjoy the free sundae and even shared it with his cousins, sister, and the rest of the table.
The plan was to go swimming at Grandma and Papa's hotel after dinner. However the pool was closed. Even with the slight change in plans we all managed to have a good time together and can't wait to do it again.

Noah's Birthday

Since Mommy isn't allowed to eat much sugar these days - there was no Homemade Birthday Cake. Instead we opted for a small Ice Cream Cake purchased at Walmart. I didn't want left overs, or the temptation of eating the frosting.
Here are a few highlights from opening presents. He was very nice and patient and allowed his little sister to help him out with the difficult task of ripping off the wrapping paper.
Twistable coloring crayons for his "church bag" from Grandma Lynie and Papa Mike....
New Skechers from Grandma Mona and Grandpa Kyle. Mom and Dad were excited to cross this off the the back to school list. I think he was excited too. Even Zoe thought they were pretty cool. We were horrible parents and made him wait to wear them until School started.A Crane from his friend Tyler...
Lightning McQueen Race Car.....Markers for his "church bag"...
It was a pretty low key night as the big party was to happen the next night when Grandma Sandi, Papa Tim, Trenity, and Chelsea came in to town. However, we couldn't pass up celebrating on his real birthday. Other gifts include: a new Leapster from Mommy & Daddy, Money from Auntie Lori - used to purchase a new game for his Leapster, and an Alarm Clock and camera from Grandma Sandi & Papa Tim.

Happy Birthday Noah!

I can't believe my baby boy is already 5 years old. Where has the time gone? He will be starting Kindergarten next month. I know he is ready, I'm not too sure I am.

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A recent conversation:

N - "Mom, it is going to be so hard when I am 5."

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M - "Why?"

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N - " Because I am going to go to school, I have to help Zoe a lot, and I have to help you lots when Baby Jack comes and your tummy is cracked."

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M - "Well, I guess you could stay 4 forever."

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N - " No, I don't think that will work."

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So, I've managed to stress him out, by teaching him how to be my big helper, and in trying to prepare him for the arrival of his new brother. My intention was to channel some of his energy and get better behavior out of him. I guess I've gone a little too far.

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I love you Noah and hope your wish comes true!

Jackson Taylor McDonald

Just a quick update on our little boy. I will be 31 weeks tomorrow (7/23). Only 8 weeks to go! I have lost a total of 19 lbs with this pregnancy and my blood sugar is still being controlled by diet, exercise, and metformin. Jack's estimated weight is 2 lbs. 15 oz. Right on target and everything looks great.

Since I am considered "High Risk," I am already down to 2 weeks between appointments and am on travel restrictions starting next week (7/30). I am a little disappointed that my doctor has changed his mind and will be requiring twice weekly non-stress tests in another 3 weeks. He had earlier agreed that they were a waste of time, especially if my numbers, weight, and blood pressure look good, which so far everything has been excellent. He has even made the comment that I should be pregnant all the time. Oh well, I guess it is a small price to pay for a healthy baby.

Here is a profile shot at 29 weeks, 4 days.
Zoe has given him a new nickname: "Baby Jack Jack Taylor Swift"

Noah has enjoyed being able to feel him kick and move around and can't wait to share a bedroom with him.

So Sick

I am so sick of having sick kids. Enough is enough. Go bother some one else. I feel like I've had a sick kid for the past month. It started out with the stomach flu, right up until the Family Reunion. Then there was more puking at the reunion and the Trenity puked while she was at our house. Now we are dealing with Viral Croup. I've had my fill of whining and crankiness.

The latest bout of illness started Thursday late afternoon when Zoe started sounding hoarse. I didn't think much of it and chalked it up to allergies. Friday she coughed a little and had a little runny nose, but again I just assumed it was allergies. That evening her cough sounded more like a seal bark and I knew it wasn't a good sign. She woke up early on Saturday morning barely able to breath. Dan got up with her gave her some Motrin and a breathing treatment. We put her back to bed with us, just in her pull-up and with a cool washcloth. She was able to sleep a little restlessly and woke up a few hours later with a temp of 103.5, unable to talk, and barely moving air. Dan quickly got her in a cool shower to bring her temp down, I gave her some Tylenol, and we started to debate which would be the better route Urgent Care or the ER.

The shower brought her temp down and she started to perk up a bit so we ended up going the Urgent Care route. By the time we got there her lungs sounded clear, her temp was down, and her pulse ox was normal. So they gave her a steroid cough syrup and sent us on our way with instructions as to when an ER visit would be warranted. Luckily she's been breathing well since then and we haven't had to visit the ER.

However, she is one of the few that the Prednisone really affects. I swear she has been extra moody, angry, and even experienced what Dan and I like to call a "Roid Rage". She spent Sunday morning throwing and knocking over furniture, and yelling and screaming incoherently while running and jumping around like an animal. Something we've never seen her do before.

Fortunately for us she has calmed down a bunch since then. Unfortunately Noah is showing signs of coming down with it. I would prefer that this cough would just go away.

Play Ball!

Progressive Insurance treated its employees to a night at the Reno Aces Ball Park. They were allowed to bring one guest on the company's money and had the option of purchasing additional tickets as needed. Not knowing exactly who would be at my house, if I'd feel like sitting through a game, or when Trenity was being picked up - we decided to make it a guys night and Dan would take Noah. We figured Noah would appreciate it the most and he had so much fun with it last year. Plus I really didn't want the expense of hiring a babysitter. When game day arrived Dan's boss had extra tickets and Trenity was being picked up that afternoon. The tickets were ours free of charge if we agreed to give our Beer Vouchers to his boss. So, Zoe and I ended up tagging along after all. This didn't sit well with Noah at first and we now owe him a "Boys Night Out" with Daddy.

Here is a picture of the kids with Archie.As predicted Noah really enjoyed himself and Zoe slept through a good portion of it. She woke up just enough for the 7th inning stretch and to sing "Take me out to the Ball Game." We all had a lot of fun and can't wait to do it again.

Family Fun Evening

Noah's favorite cousin, Trenity, spent 10 days with us while Grandma Sandi and Papa Tim were in Hawaii. The kids loved having someone to play with 24/7. I really enjoyed and appreciated the extra help. She was a good sport considering she was sick 1 day, we were without a car for 2 days, and had several last minute and very unexpected events, not to mention my kids smothered her and wouldn't leave her alone. They enjoyed playing games, going swimming, and we even made it to the local Bowling Alley and Ice Cream Parlor. Plus she got to go with me to my latest ultrasound since she meets the magic age requirement. I can't believe how grown up she has gotten, she used to be my little girl (before I had kids of my own) and now she is 9 years old. She's one of the most polite and cooperative kids I have spent time with in a long time. I so wished she lived closer and can't wait until her next visit.

Here are some pictures from our Family Fun Evening:

Noah's cheesy smile.
The little princess. This is the only time she allowed her Dad to help her. From here on out she carried her own ball and put it on the chute all by herself. She is turning out to be such an independent little thing.
Enjoying Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream at Steve's Ice Cream Place. She is so spoiled, she originally ordered Cotton Candy Italian Ice. But insisted on having a cone so Trenity traded with her.

Miss Trenity.

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So a little information about our unexpected events. The kids and I got back from the Family Reunion on Tuesday, July 6th. That night Dan got a call from the Stake President's Executive Secretary, Brother Jensen, wanting to set up a PPI for the following evening. Dan politely explained that he had just had one about 2 weeks prior, so Brother Jensen said never mind and hung up. About 2 hours later Brother Jensen called the house again this time requesting that Dan and I both come in a meet with the Stake President the following evening. Right away we knew this would be life changing as our Bishopric had been in place for over 6 years and the Bishop had been talking about moving. So, the next evening we went in and President Egbert asked Dan to serve as the 2nd counselor in the new Bishopric. The change would take place on the following Sunday and if we wanted family there we'd better make some phone calls on our way out.

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I can't say that I was surprised by the call, I've had a feeling for weeks, if not months that it was coming. I'd sit in Sacrament meeting and look around wondering who could or would help me with my kids during Sacrament meeting, especially when the baby comes. Or better yet, what am I going to do in January when church starts at 9am with 3 kids to get ready? I know I will figure it out and everything will work out - like I told President Egbert if my friend Mindy can do it with twice as many kids as I have, then surely I can do it.

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My parents were in Hawaii an unable to be there. But, Dan's parents were able to make a last minute trip to be here. The funny thing with that is they had talked about coming up on a whim anyway, so it gave them the extra incentive to do it. Dan's Dad was able to ordain him a High Priest and stand in the circle as he was set apart to serve as the 2nd counselor in the bishopric. We wished Granny and Grandpa Woffinden could have been there too, but they had a more important place to be. Dan's little cousin was being ordained a Deacon on the same day and they had promised him they'd be there.

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I haven't sat through Sacrament meeting alone yet as Zoe was sick this past weekend. However, Noah did go and was able to sit with the Fetherston Family and the Kenisons were nice enough to bring him home after church, so he didn't have to wait around for his Dad. I am so grateful for all the wonderful people and friends I have that are so willing to help out. I know this will be a good growth opportunity for my Husband and our Family.

Thueson Family Reunion

The kids and I had the opportunity to attend my family reunion over the 4th of July weekend. It was held at the Emerald Forrest Camp Ground in Trinidad, CA. To give you a better idea of its location think Northern California Coast, close to Arcata and McKinleyville. It was fun filled and exhausting weekend. Every family was in charge of one meal and one activity. It was fun to watch the next generation interact with one another and run around together. I am happy to report no one got lost and there was only one minor injury which I will highlight later. The kids enjoyed running in the meadow (our common meeting area) walking the trails, visiting the beach, roasting marshmallows, watching fireworks, and driving their parents crazy.

My parents were in heaven as they had all 12 (soon to be 13) grand kids in one place for 4 days. I don't think this has happened for at least 2 1/2 years, maybe even 3. However, it was sad that my brother Brandon couldn't be there (he is studying for the bar exam) and Dan couldn't be there (couldn't spare the time off with the baby coming and it being a holiday weekend).

Thank you so much Mom and Dad for making it possible for me and the kids to attend this fun event. I couldn't have done it with out you.

Read on for some of the highlights.

Mini Reunion in Redding, CA

Our immediate family started the reunion off a day early. In order to break up the long drive and make it easier on my Grandma at least in one direction we took of Thursday late morning early afternoon headed for Redding, CA (the halfway point). My dad reserved 4 rooms at the newly opened Fairfield Inn. One for him, my mom, and grandma. One for my brother Trevor, his wife, and 5 kids. One for me, my sister, and our kids. One for my sister-in-law Melody and her 3 kids. She was so brave to travel that far without her husband and especially just being an in-law. Spending so much time with her over the weekend reminded me of why I miss her and Brandon so much and all of the fun we used to have. I so wish we could live closer. The majority of us had dinner together that night at the Hometown Buffet and then took advantage of the swimming pool. Trevor's family didn't arrive until the wee hours of the morning. We then got up the next morning, took advantage of the free breakfast, and had everyone loaded up in the car by 10:30 to make our way to the campground. It was a long trip on a very curvy, twisted, two lane highway. Not a trip I want to take anytime soon.

Here is a picture I snapped in the middle of the night. If only it were easy to sleep like this.

What Happened?

Here is the injury I spoke of in a previous post. From what I finally gathered through many sources is this is the result of little kids trying to play Frisbee. I guess Michael (my brother's 7 yr old) was trying to throw the Frisbee to Alex (my aunt Linda's 13 yr old) when the wind blew it right into Noah's face. At least this is the story my nephew Michael gave me after several days of speculation between the other kids. Luckily my Uncle Gary is a doctor and checked him out as soon as it happened and followed up on it over the next few days.

I wasn't there when it occurred, I was making final preparations for our activity back at the cabin. When I got there I was told Noah had a bloody nose, and Noah had a little accident. I wasn't too worried as Noah tends to be a little bit of a hypochondriac and thought it was no big deal. Boy did I change my mind when I first saw it. I've never seen someones face so swollen in between the eyes before. However, I was so proud of how my son was handling it, there were tears, but he wasn't blaming his cousin - he understood that it was an accident and not done on purpose. I on the other hand felt bad for my initial reaction to just brush it off as no big deal.

To me the pictures don't do it justice. He was so swollen, it reminded me of the Klingons on Star Trek or a character from Avatar. The swelling eventually went away and he only had slight black eyes, but he never really complained of it hurting.

The first night... The next day....

We tried to help Noah come up with a good story of how it happened. He seemed to be pretty proud of his injury as long as you didn't mention that he might get a black eye. Dan is know questioning my ability to take the kids on future trips by myself. I figure boys will be boys and at least he didn't break a bone.

The Beach

On day 2 of the reunion we took the kids to a beach that was about 1/2 mile from the campground. The kids loved digging in the sand and running in the waves. I on the other hand thought it was extremely cold and windy. But beautiful none the less.

Zoe digging in the sand... Chelsea really getting into it. The cold didn't seem to phase her in the slightest.

Noah running away from the waves...

Zoe enjoying the crashing waves and wet sand...

Chelsea, Noah, and Michelle...

Zoe trying to keep up with the big kids....

S'mores

S'mores...my favorite thing about camping. Too bad this is a big no right now on so many levels. I managed to practice self control and not partake of its yummy goodness. Thanks to my Cousin Todd and Brother Trevor they kept the fire going and all the kids and adults too supplied with the essential camping treat.

Couldn't resist how into it she was... Look at the gooey marshmallow...

Love her beautiful blue eyes...

Tiny Bear Cave

Around the corner from our cabin was a tree with a hollowed out trunk. The kids had a lot of fun pretending it was a cave for tiny bears. This activity lasted for several hours and every time the tiny bears were mentioned the story grew and got more exciting. My son wasn't such a fan of the tiny bears theory, which made it all the more fun to tease him about.

Here are some pictures of the tree:
Some close ups of my two cuties... Another interesting tree....

My pretty girl....