Wild Animal Park

For any of you who doubted that Danny was the spitting image of his father, here is conclusive evidence. I have always teased Dan about when he's standing his hands always seem to end up in his back pockets, see exhibit one, or in his back waistband. It doesn't matter if he's waiting in line at the store or brushing his teeth, his hands always end up behind his back. I found it a little strange and wondered why he did it. Well, now I can see that it's just him 'cause Danny does it too.

He loved feeding the goats and the deer until they got a little aggressive, then he got a little scared and wanted to keep his distance.

Momma and Danny looking at some cute little monkeys.

Dan took Danny over to see the baby camel, whose fur was unbelievably soft, and as he set him up on the fence to pose for the picture, I saw that the camel started nibbling on Danny's leg! Needless to say, Danny was a little startled and didn't want much to do with him after that. But the little camel was so cute, his umbilical cord was even still attached.

I thought he looked like he was really GQ-in' it!

Simple Pleasures

Is this not a picture of pure enjoyment?!

Rita's is an italian ice chain out here that Dan and I love. And I think we frequent it probably a little more than we should because Danny knows exactly where it is and if we drive by he yells out, "treat!" and points in the direction of the establishment. I am shocked that a kid, not even two years old, can recognize places out and about town. He knows exactly where Chick-fil-A is as well. He cries out from the back seat, "side!!" which in his language is slide. They have a little toy area that Danny is obsessed with. Whenever we eat there, I can hardly keep him from darting immediately to the back of the restaurant, pulling on the little handle on the door and racing into the play area without a care in the world. But playing on that jungle gym thing is something he loves, so he remembers it. The simple pleaures of a child.

But this particular time at Rita's, they gave him a massive ice cream cone! Dan did not join us on this trip and by the time we got home, this is what he looked like. Just imagine his sugar high.

Called to Serve

I am very excited to announce that my brother Austin, the younger of my two brothers, just received his mission call to Vancouver Canada, Mandarin speaking!! He leaves for the MTC at the end of October.

We find his call especially endearing because since Austin was 10 or 11 he has always wanted to serve his mission in China and speak Chinese. We knew China wasn't open to missionary work at the time, so we would tell him, "you never know what can happen." So for the last seven years or so, he has been fascinated with the Chinese characters and the Chines cultural. He has had a Chinese calendar and a souvenir that I brought home for him from NYC Chinatown hanging in room for years!

So when he read his call and came to the part that he would be speaking Mandarin, nobody believe him because he was going to Canada not China!! We had to ask him several times, "Are you kidding?! Austin, are you serious?" We just couldn't believe it because he has wanted so badly to learn Chinese. (I am opening admitting ignorance and I do not understand the difference, if any, between Chinese and Mandarin so I hope I am not sounding too foolish.)

Here is a map of his mission. Before 1974, this area was known as the Alaskan Canadian Mission.

I also did a little research on Vancouver because I was curious as to why there was such a large Chinese population. I didn't quite find my answer---but I am short on time and I have a baby that will be waking up any minute wanting to eat and if anyone knows why, I would love to learn about it---but I did learn that since the mid 19th century, Vancouver has been home to one of the largest Chinese populations in North America. And apparently it has a beautiful and clean Chinatown. And it has the first authentic classical Chinese garden to have been built outside of China. Here is where you can find some more information. http://www.vancouver-chinatown.com/

But we are very excited for Austin that he has this wonderful opportunity to serve the Lord as a full-time missionary for two years. He is a hard worker and has a strong testimony of the restored Gospel. I know he will do great work in Vancouver!

Pure Cream

At Kate's doctor appointment yesterday, I nearly died when the nurse told me that Kate weighed NINE pounds and TWELVE ounces!! I had no idea! I thought she was getting a little chubby, but she has put on nearly two whole pounds in almost three weeks. And she's grown just about an inch and a half. I was shocked! My mother-in-law teases me about having not just milk, but pure cream. But my babies like it and they sure do grow! I love to see the chub that she's starting to accumulate.

Dan put together the double stroller for us and we went on our first walk all together. Danny was thrilled about being able to see his little sister the entire time and look out for her, as he's doing in the second picture by trying to buckle her in. But let me tell you, this is one mother of a stroller. I feel like I'm pushing around a boat! Even though it does ride smoothly, with the two kids, it is heavy and quite a workout.

I love this picture because I think it perfectly depicts their relationship. Danny innocently enjoys to torment his little sister. He's oblivious to it all. He loves being a big brother!

Nursing?

Having two kids so close together has been very interesting. Oftentimes, I feel like I serve as Kate's personal bodyguard where my main duty is to protect her from her older brother! While Danny has been very accepting of his new baby sister and loves her very much, he is still learning how to be gentle. And I'm still learning how to to help him understand how we take care of Kate. For example, I've tried to explain to him that when I'm nursing Kate, she's drinking milk and that's how she eats. But for some reason, I don't think he quite understands that. He has always been very affectionate with me while I've been nursing the baby, but I thought that was simply because he wanted my attention as well. But the other day as I was switching Kate to the other side, Danny comes over, looks at me and Kate, and then tries to kiss me where Kate had been eating!!! Every day is so exciting with the two of them!

Welcome Kate to Our Family!!

Wednesday started off like any other day and ended with us having another member to our family. On July 30, 2008, Kathryn Hawley Norton was born at 5:38 p.m. She was 20.5 inches long and weighed only 7 pounds 13 ounces. I can say only because Danny was over 9 pounds. And what a difference a pound and a half makes!

This labor was much quicker the second time around and with the aid of only four contractions, I was able to push her out! It was awesome!
This was taken minutes after she was born. We were amazed with her VERY long and skinny fingers and toes. Danny has blocks for feet, so it's interesting to see her very different build. Dan's dad was able to come over shortly after the delivery and take some great pictures!
I was worried about how Danny was going to react to having a baby sister around, but it was a delightful surprise when all he could do was smile and want to kiss her. Although he's "a bit" rough and still trying to learn how to control all his strength, all he wants to is kiss and touch her and be with her everywhere. I can't turn my back for a second, only to find out he's trying to climb into the pack 'n play with her, for example. But he's been really good and is excited to be a big brother.
As many of you know, we struggled with picking out a name for this child and we didn't have a name until just a few days ago. Dan and I would like to try to name our children with names from our family, so that they know where their name originated from and why they were named what they were. So we chose the name Kathryn, my mom's name, and will call her Kate for short. There will be no confusion, since my mom is very much a Kathy and never uses her given name, which I think is beautiful. The name Hawley (pronounced like Holly) is Dan's grandma's maiden name. So Kathryn Hawley Norton it is!