Back to Normal?!

People often ask, "Is life back to normal?" You know my sense of normal has changed. My mom used to say,"After 5 kids your life is chaos so you might as well have 5 more." Um, that's ok! But yes 5 has been a lot to adjust to.
I was doing great when Cody was about 2 weeks and then

WHAM!

School started



A minor surgery! (It's kind of been the never ending pregnancy.)
Laundry!

The stomach flu went through the family. Of course I got it while Justin was on the annual Men's Hike in Stanley.

Laundry! Oops did I already mention that. Justin's truck dies! (The engine is ruined. Just a minor problem)

Hunting Season begins. Justin is trying to be real good this year!

Keeping up with the homework, piano, reading, shopping, and the house. And the laundry! (Did I say that again!)

Then, there are the things that you can't see. The things that really matter. Am I paying enough attention to Leah? Am I reading enough with Hailey? Is Aubrey adjusting well enough to the new school? How is Brooke really doing?

As you can see I was a feeling a little overwhelmed! I remember my mom telling me a story about when she was sitting by Sister Clark in RS. I grew up with the Clark family in Arizona. And I think Sister Clark is about the sweetest lady I had ever met. Her husband was the Bishop during my HS years and they had 7 children, 5 boys and 2 girls. Well, they were sitting next to each other when another lady said to Sister Clark, "You are so lucky to have wonderful children!" After the lady left, Sister Clark leaned over to my mom and said, "I don't remember any luck, just a lot of hard work!" So, there you have it! It takes work!



Well, it's taking some adjustements and work, but I think I am back to "normal". Thank goodness Cody is starting to sleep until 4:30!! Yeah!! Ginger had a fantastic idea to deep clean each other's homes for an hour once a week. So, I don't have to feel guilty about the dirt in the window sills and the fingerprints on my walls. The girls are finally in a morning routine! We sold Justin's truck "as is". (Now on to the new adventure of purchasing another!) And the laundry, well it's still there!

Makes Me Laugh

Leah trying a fresh tomato!




My modeling ability! My sister wanted to take some shots of Cody and I! She would try to prompt me.. "Look out the window...um you have the crazy lip thing going on." "Just look down at him....alright never mind that pose.." This went on and on. Yeah, a career in modeling doesn't look like it will be in my future! She probably took 30 plus pictures and this is about the only one that I didn't have some crazy look in!


The lady at McDonald's today who ordered a Diet Coke and an ice cream cone.

Hailey's concerned look in this picture while kokanee fishing Monday night.




So, Brooke and Aubrey went exploring the creek having a fantastic time until Brooke slipped on a rock! You would think a mother would quickly come to the aid of her poor child. But what did this mother do... take a picture!


Our frequent water fights!

Who can't help but laugh at this picture!!

I am Grateful

I am grateful...

for an incredible doctor!

for all of the friends and family who showed up at my door with food and/or cleaning supplies to help me in my "limited activity" period. Or who brought books and videos for me!

for awesome Albertstons' sales!! Sorry, but last week Breyers ice cream was $0.75! I know probably not the best item to be stocking up on when you are trying to lose your pregnancy weight!

for all of the wonderful friends and family who watched my children for my gazillion doctor appointments! Thank you! Thank you!

epidurals! Even though it took two tries it was worth it!

for my mom who watched our girls, scrubbed my kitchen floor (as you can imagine it had been awhile!) made scripture case holders for them, made bread (except now I get the question everyday, "So why don't you make homemade bread Mom?" good question!), did my laundry, etc. Thank you Mom!!

friends and ward members who brought in yummy dinners and treats for my family once Cody arrived!

for four beautiful little girls who are a huge help! And a happy two year old who is coping as best she can with a life changing event!

and most importantly for a beautiful, healthy baby boy!

He's Arrived!!

Cody Hunter Thueson
July 27, 2009
7 lbs. 4 oz, 21 inches
Absolutely Perfect!

The Waiting Game

Well, we are still waiting for the arrival of our bundle of joy. Since I have been told many times this little guy would arrive early, it has been the longest pregnancy!! Thank goodness my doctor will induce on Monday. Yeah! The girls are so excited and can't wait to meet him. They pray every morning and night for his safe arrival. I could not have asked for sweeter girls!
Here's just a few photos of what the Thueson's have been up to.
Camping in McCall. Don't worry, I made sure Justin brought the air mattress for me to sleep on.








Well, here is the cute little chick Aubrey bought for her birthday. But as you can see it is not so cute any more! So after the tragedy of the two chuckers (let's just say it involved the neighbor's cat), the two chickens have now made the rabbit cage their home. Brooke and Aubrey love to take out their chickens and do "magic tricks". Circus here we come! I will find them swinging with their chicken on the their lap. The chicken sitting on their arm like a parakeet. And my personal favorite, Aubrey training her chicken around the yard with phrases like "slow down" and "stay". Yes, we have extremely talented chickens on our hands.


It's hard to believe my little Booshie has turned 4!! She is so excited because that means next year she'll be in kindergarten. Yikes!! And to my surprise she wanted a Belle cake instead of Cinderella. She said the breakfast prayer on her birthday and prayed that "I will get lots of good birthday presents!"


Fourth of July Celebrations: The Parade




Cooling off in the fountains in downtown Boise


Enjoying the Hawks Game and Family Time!!

Summer Fun Has Begun

Officially our school gets out Friday, but we have already begun our summer adventures.

First, I'll start with a baby update. As you can see in this photo I'm still pregnant and doing well. About 5 weeks ago the baby started dropping off with his measurements so the doctor put me on a no exercise/eat ice cream everyday diet. Not bad!! I have an ultrasound about every 2 weeks to track his progress and he's doing great right now!! And yes it is still a boy. I think I asked them to keep checking on the first 5 ultrasounds and since then have realized that yes, the Thueson's can have a boy!! And no, we do not have a name yet. So any suggestions?!?

So, the girls finished up soccer a couple of weeks ago and had a fantastic time. As you can see Brooke is very competitive. I have no idea where she gets it from. At school they have a mini-marathon they do throughout the year and Brooke ran the most miles for any girl in the school! Go Brookie Cookie!

And Aubrey is just as competitive. She was named the "Speed Queen" on her soccer team! It was so fun to watch them play and enjoy their season!

For Memorial Day we headed up to the cabin with Ginger and Gregg. Some of these picture are for my brother Michael who lives in Dubai. Sometimes we get busy and don't post pictures of our kids enough and him and Camille haven't seen our kids for almost a year. So, here's one of Cash and Weston and don't mind the little girl who's mother didn't do her hair!!

Paula Jean and her family came up from Phoenix for two weeks. The kids had a great time and we tried to do as much as we could in our rainy June weather. I think she said it rained everyday while they were here. Unfortunately, we were still in school but we tried to do as much as we could with them and even took a day off of school to play. While they were here Makenna and Kylie were baptized on the same day.



After the baptisms we had a huge party at Carter and Tendra's. We rented a big bouncy bin and a huge slide. Good time was had by all!! Even when we tripped the breaker and the fans would go off and the entire slide would almost collapse.

On our "day off" of school we went to the park and showed the cousins huge trout and even two sturgeons. Then we headed off to the Boise zoo which is just the right size for most of our kiddos!

So, every year the town of Eagle has a Wet and Wild Parade. Even though it was only 70 degrees and cloudy with a few scattered showers, we didn't miss the best parade of the year. They first have a dry portion of the parade with the usual floats, horses, dance groups, etc. Then, the real fun begins with fire trucks and companies equipped with lots and lots of water. Aubrey had gotten a squirt gun and was not afraid to challenge the fire hoses, super soakers, and huge water guns coming from the parade. As you can see in the next photos everyone got involved except for Hailey and me.





About once a week we head to Merrill Park where Dad can fish and the girls can play on the playground. Perfect for this pregnant woman's body!



For FHE we headed down to Swan Falls to do little fishing on the Snake River. Unfortunately, the river was raging and swirling and we got skunked. I tossed and turned all night long with nightmares of my children falling in it! Needless to say, I don't plan on going back anytime soon!

Our Tom Boys

So, you would think with four daughters our house would be all about nail polish, dancing, and ballet. Which they are most of the time, but when you have a Dad like Justin you are also trained in the finer things in life - hunting.

So, after Brooke and Aubrey's soccer games a few weeks ago. He took them turkey hunting and they loved it!! As you can see by the photos they were in heaven. And they even spent time picking flowers for me. They now ask every week if they can go again.


Absolutely gorgeous!

I love this picture of Brooke!

On a whistle pig hunt with dad. As you can see Aubrey is thrilled, but Hailey wanted nothing do with it!

Two weeks ago Justin woke up and said, "Let's go get some baby chuckers!" Alrighty! What do you do with baby chuckers? You stick them in a box in your kitchen. At night you wake up hearing strange noises in the kitchen and realize they are just your pet chuckers. And when Mom is gone you let them run around on the kitchen counter. The girls once again think its great. Then today we came home from Justin's parents and one was stading on our chair in the family room. Justin tried to catch it and it quickly hopped up stairs to our room. Needless to say the chuckers are now outside!