The Norton Family

Winter Wallop

2009-12-20T19:23:00.000-08:00

So do I sound like the Weather Channel? They make their titles so dramatic, Winter Wallop 2009! But a wallop it was and it was so fun! I don't remember ever seeing so much snow in one storm, all in about 24 hours.

This was looking out my front window on Saturday night.

I though this looked so cool. Although, now I'm just feeling bad that we don't even have a cover for the grill. No wonder it's falling apart...

I opened my backdoor this morning to see this much snow above the door.

Dan spent over a half and hour digging out his poor little Honda.

This is actually a ruler and a half and there's still snow above it. Don't ask why I have a half a ruler.

We had a great time on a little walk this afternoon.

Adventure Aquarium

2009-09-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

We were also able to go to Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey right across the river from Philadelphia. This was the first aquarium I've ever been too, so I don't have anything to compare it with, but IT WAS AWESOME!!!! We loved it! We didn't allot nearly enough time.

Danny got to pet real baby sharks. But since he has issues with getting clothing wet, this wasn't his most favorite thing.
This sea turtle was HUGE! It was so cool. It was much bigger than the ones I've seen in real life in Hawaii.

This was the highlight of the trip!! I could have stayed at the hippo exhibit for another hour, at least! There were two of them and it was so fun watching them play and swim with each other. This may be admitting my ignorance, but I had NO IDEA that hippos swam like this! It was incredible. They had this 20-ish ft. display window to watch the hippos underwater. Danny and a few other little kids would run from side to side following the hippos every movement, squealing with delight. He made a little girlfriend there, Mary Jane. They wouldn't leave each others side after that, so we hung out with her mom for the rest of the afternoon while the two of them ran around, held hands and had fun together! I loved listening to them talk to each other. Mary Jane is about 9 months older than Danny, so she spoke really well. I had no idea what Danny was saying sometimes, but it didn't matter, they communicated! It was really cute.

Here is his little girlfriend!

Sesame Place

2009-09-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

Just north of Philadelphia, there is the cutest little amusement park, Sesame Place. It's geared for little kids, so both of my kids were able to do just about every ride with us. They had the greatest parade and some awesome shows. The characters made it so exciting for both Danny and Kate. I'm surprised how much she got into it. Now, she LOVES watching clips on www.sesamestreet.org and will go to the computer, even when it's off, and point and grunt. That means she wants to watch Elmo, and she wants it now, or else I will hear some serious screams of discontent. She is the loudest baby I have ever known. My mother-in-law likes to define this characteristic as just being "assertive." But regardless of what you call it, she still is a bit of a drama queen. And we love every bit of her!

Dan captured this most amazing action shot! This was Elmo's flying fish ride. Danny got to push a button and it would fly high. When he released it, we would start to fall. This was at the beginning of the ride, so you can see Danny was still getting the hang of how to push the button.

And I captured this action shot on Elmo's Peek-a-Bug. I was promptly reprimanded by the 16-year old ride attendant over the quality PA system that cameras were not allowed. Whoops!

Notice the character hedging in the background? There's Elmo, Big Bird and Snuffy.

Golfing with Daddy

2009-09-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

Thank you to my awesome father-in-law, John, who took these great pictures! He is such a talented photographer. This picture makes his swing looks pretty good, though I HIGHLY doubt he hit the ball.

Danny LOVES his uncle Matt, almost as much as driving the golf cart.

Celebrate Good Times!

2009-08-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

We are celebrating a momentous occasion in our house today. Danny has improved by leaps and bounds in the toilet training efforts recently and today was the first day he had no accidents AND told me that he had to go "number two." I thought this day would never come. I am one happy girl, I mean, mom.

** I hope the following doesn't sound crude and immature, but I don't know how to talk about it other than using these words. **

I don't know if there is a connection with this, but two days ago we started putting Danny's toys in time out when he had a poop accident. He would always be playing with something when it happened, so I decided to put the toys he was playing with in time out. He was told that he could get them out of timeout when he went "poo poo on the potty." Accidents happened two days in a row, but today in the midst of the craziness of getting dinner ready with the missionaries, Danny told me he needed to go, and he went! I was ecstatic about this HUGE accomplishment and he was so excited to take his toys out of time out. Now if we can just keep this ball rolling...

Kate's Party

2009-08-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

So I realize she's only one, but it is her first birthday! I enjoyed throwing a big party for Danny on his first birthday, so I wanted to do the same for Kate. And I have been having a lot of fun with cakes, so this is an original Rebecka creation.

I made two cakes in cookie sheet pans, made a delicious pudding-y icing for the center, then cut the cakes into the shape of a one. Then I frosted it with a homemade butter cream icing. For the blocks and letters, I colored fondant and rolled it out, then cut out the shapes I wanted. Just to cover up my icing "issues" I placed Skittles around the perimeter of the cake. If I were to do it again, I don't think I would have used the Skittles. I don't know if it needed anything around it, but I definitely would do something different in the future.

I love this picture, because Kate had three of her cousins AND her brother, all 2 and 3, desperately wanting to help open her gifts. They were so excited they couldn't help but rip the paper every once in a while. Or a lot in some cases.

One happy birthday girl.

Zucchini lovers and haters

2009-08-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have zucchini coming out the wazoo and for those of you who hate zucchini, try this recipe! It's smooth, light and delicious! My kids even love it.

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Curried Zucchini Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
coarse salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium zucchini) sliced 1-inch thick
1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted for garnish.

1) Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and 1 Tbsp salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and curry powder; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2) Add the zucchini, potato, and 4 cups of water; reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes.

3) In batches, puree the soup in a blender (do not fill more than halfway) until smooth, serve immediately, or let cool, and refrigerate in an airtight container until chilled. Garnish with the toasted almonds.

Let me know if you try the recipe. I hope you like it!

Kathryn Hawley

2009-07-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

WARNING: Cheesy post ahead.

So Kate has officially completed the first year of her life! I've been thinking about her a lot as we've crept up onto this date and I'm amazed with all the things she is able to do at this point.

For the past few weeks I have been keeping a running list of the things I love about her and that make me smile.

She loves finding any opportunity when the gate for the stairs isn't up. She then treats it as a race to see how fast she can climb up the stairs. When I come racing up behind her, she giggles so much she can barely continue.
She has an obsession with my cell phone and the remote. Holding it isn't enough, she HAS to push buttons.
I have to be sneaky when I unload the dishwasher. If she is in the general vicinity, she makes a mad dash to start pulling things out of the utensil holder and the bottom rack.
She can unroll the toilet paper with the best of them!
I love seeing her excitement for new foods. In the beginning, she had the most delicate little fingers as she picked up foods carefully with her thumb and pointer finger. Now, who needs delicate!?! Kate's an eating champ and is currently in the lead over Danny.
Her walking has improved a lot over the past couple weeks. She still isn't ready to take the plunge and give up crawling, but her cute little, not completely balanced steps are so fun to watch. You can tell she gets enjoyment and satisfaction out of her new found ability.
I have enjoyed the summer because she has more skin showing than over the winter months and I love it! Her soft, snuggly skin just invites lots and lots of kisses!
I love her piercing, blue eyes. She really looks at you. It almost feels like she's looking at your soul.
And I can't get over her scrunchy nose when she smiles. It's one of my favorite things about her.

Kate is an absolute delight. I am so happy that we are lucky enough to have her in our home.

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

I have kinda been ignoring my blog lately. While I have enjoyed reading up about all of you, I have not felt like posting something myself. (And I have been having fun with Facebook.) But with all the excitment of Dan getting home from his LONG business trip right before the 4th of July, we spent the next five consecutive days together with our family. And it was awesome.

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays and this year did not fail to disappoint. On the 3rd we had a fun ward activity. And Danny held perfectly still while getting his face painted. I could hardly believe it. He's never still.

The actual 4th of July was spent at a park for the community fireworks. The fireworks this year were less than spectacular, (possibly due to the recession??) but the kids had a great time. We met up with several of our neighbors and the kids were entertained with a beach ball for like two hours.

But THEY were amazed by the fireworks. So that's all the matters.

Lily plants

2009-06-19T14:25:00.000-07:00

These are some of my enormous lily plants. They are in an unusual location for the size of the plants, so I'm gonna try to move them at the end of the season, but I am loving the color!

I'm trying to be a green thumb like my dad and grandma, but I have A LOT to learn.

Love Summer Time

2009-06-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

Danny and his cousins playing at the park trying to catch fire flies.

They were really getting the hang of it.

This is Danny's "cheese" face. At least I got his eyes opened in this picture. Usually he squints them as he yells "cheese!"

How did this happen?

2009-06-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

As I was getting ready this morning, this is what Danny did while I thought he was playing with Kate. As of now, the clothes remain in the middle of my closet floor, I just haven't wanted to deal with it yet.
Only a few hours later, as I was writing a quick email to my brother Austin, Danny, who was right next to me, found a Sharpie behind the computer desk and wrote all over himself. And I was right there! How could I have been so oblivious??!

Musician in Training

2009-05-22T10:24:00.001-07:00

I found this as I was going through the pictures that were taken on my mom's birthday. I just loved it too much to not share it. Danny has loved this toy guitar since we got here and he is just too cute.

Surprise Party

2009-05-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

My mom's birthday was on Tuesday. She can now state her age with the help of the word CENTURY!! And for the very special occasion, I decided that I just needed to be there. So with the help of my awesome family, I made arrangements to fly to Idaho to be there on my mom's birthday and planned a little surprise party for her. Nearly everyone except my mom knew about the plans and when she came home from mutual, she walked in the door and entered the kitchen and there we all were. But these pictures tell the story best.

I love this one. It is just so funny. This is raw, real emotion. She had no idea. I don't think her jaw could have been any lower. So fun!

It took her nearly a half a minute to move from her initial position. See picture #1. Once things sank in a bit, then she was able to move and being speaking in a somewhat coherent fashion.

Still in shock.

Josh made the lengthy trip down from BYU-I.

All the grandbabies were there. Danny had been practicing the Birthday song for a month for this very moment. But he of course wanted to help her blow out the candles.

My beautiful sister Alisha and her husband Ben.

Enjoying the pleasant evening out on the patio. We were only missing Kelsey who wasn't able to ditch her class midweek to join us. (She teaches a second grade special education class.) But she will be coming down this weekend. And of course Autie who is serving his mission in Vancouver. We missed him too!

Further Evidence

2009-05-16T21:18:00.001-07:00

We went to the circus a few weeks ago and I found him chewing up his popcorn box. Yes, the box was still half full of popcorn.

This isn't really evidence of Danny's chewing obsession, as much as evidence that the tight ropers were awesome!

Evidence that while Kate is growing up, she still is just a baby and just couldn't stay awake for the whole performance.

Growin' up!

2009-05-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

Kate is turning into a big girl! It all started when she got her first tooth in Hawaii and it's been nonstop ever sense!

Soon after the life changing moment of cutting her first tooth (on the bottom), the two top ones began poking thru as well!

Then she figured out how to crawl overnight! She had been getting up onto her hands and knees for a while, but wasn't showing much interest in really c-r-a-w-l-i-n-g. But then, WHAM! All of the sudden she shot accross the room like she had been doing it all her life.

And now, she is a fast little bugger. Tonight, she had been playing under my feet while I was preparing a lesson and then all of the sudden she was gone. So I left the kitchen to see if she had gone into the family room to play with Danny, but no, she was climbing up the stairs! She was already up four steps by the time I got to her!

How did this happen?! :)

FREE CHOCOLATE!

2009-05-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

So my good friend Stacey informed me of this fun bit of information. Every Friday, through September, the chocolate company Mars (makers of M&Ms, 3 Musketeers, Snickers, etc) is giving away tons of coupons for one free chocolate bar. They're calling it The Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act.

So go sign up and get free chocolate coupons in the mail!

Virtue: For Such a Time as This (Ether 4:14)

2009-05-11T06:31:00.000-07:00

I felt the Spirt so strongly while I watched this for the first time during the Young Women's broadcast. It is very powerful and pure. I am so grateful for my calling to serve with the wonderful young women in my ward. They are such examples to me!

Please take the time to watch it. It's just over five minutes long. I loved it.

Four years ago today...

2009-05-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

It was a very happy day.
We were lucky enough to have a short break in the rain to get some pictures.

Time is an interesting concept. At times it seems like we were just dating, but then at other times, it seems like we've been together forever. I realize four years isn't a huge amount of time, but a lot sure has happend in these last four years!

Love

2009-04-29T19:49:00.001-07:00

Dan and I watched a movie last weekend that we just loved! Dan in Real Life is the title. Fitting for our family, I think. But it's with Steve Carell. Has anyone seen it? It was very endearing. And we loved the screenplay, the dialog was great. I'm not a great movie review writer, I had to do it once in a college English class and I'm not sure how well I did, so I won't attempt to create a compelling summary to set the scene for this next quote, (it's kinda complicated) so I'll just tell you the quote. But at the end one of the characters says, "Love isn't a feeling, it's an ability."

I have mixed feelings about this quote. (I'm not at all critiquing the movie, because I loved it. This is just something I've thought a lot about.) To me, this says that one can make a conscious decision to love or not to love. That there may not be a "one and only soul mate," but that we can simply choose to be happily in love with whomever we choose. But then I wonder if that kind of philosophy takes the romance out of love.

In contrast, at the end "Dan" says, "You know that feeling in your heart? When your heart is just pounding, like it's actually outside your ribs. Exposed, venerable, but wonderful and awful, and heartsick, and alive, all at the same time?" That description to me describes more of a feeling than an ability to love.

If you really have the ability to chose who you love, can you feel this same emotion as described? But I don't know, I just wanted to get some honest feedback on your thoughts of love.

Is this normal???!!!

2009-04-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

Danny is chewing on EVERYTHING these days!! He's always chewing on his fingers, not sucking, but chewing! He chews on the bed sheet, toys, books, crayons, anything! I mean, he mutilated this ball. It was a hard nerf ball too. We didn't think he'd be able to chew it up, but he showed us wrong! This can't be normal, right? He's 2 1/2.

Family Vacation

2009-04-26T20:37:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful time in Hawaii! We absolutely love it there. The kids were great on the flights and adjusted well to all the travel and everything we put them through...except getting back on some form of a schedule since coming home. They have really struggled with the time change and now don't want to sleep at night! But if that's my only complaint, I'll take it!

The boys making goofy faces, intentional or not, I'm not so sure.

Danny showing off his slippers.

Kate looked so pretty with her lei at the PCC.

Dan's parents and brothers were able to join us on the trip. Danny LOVES his uncles! Here is Mikey and Danny splashing in the ocean. If you look closely, you can see Danny's cheesy Doritos face.

Kate enjoyed her grandma time on the beach. At this moment, Cindy was holding her hands, so it was a rare moment when Kate wasn't trying to eat the sand. She was oftentimes too successful.

Color Sortin'

2009-03-23T14:37:00.001-07:00

I know this isn't the greatest picture, but I found it so interesting when I looked over at the fridge and saw this. We've played with the magnets before, but Danny's never sorted them like this before. I thought it was so cool! He did it on his own!

I love Springtime in Virginia!

2009-03-20T04:52:00.000-07:00

Spring has teased us with a few super nice days here and there in the last month or so and I am just dying to see buds start coming out on the trees. Going back and forth to Tracy's orchard several times for all the wheat stuff only furthered my excitment. There's not really any green yet, but just imagining what it will all look like in a few weeks has gotten me very excited.

On msn.com this morning, I read an artice/slideshow thing about the most beautiful places in the United States to see spring's beautiful colors. Of course, Washington DC's Cherry Blossoms topped the list! That's one of my favorite things to do each year and I have been there every year I've lived here. I love it! Get ready for pictures in a couple weeks!

Check out the slideshow for some beautiful pictures and daydream about roadtrips.

Wheat

2009-03-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

Wheat has been consuming my every thought lately, which is one of the many reasons I have not been up to blogging. It all began back in October when I visited my parents and talked to them about the difficulty about getting hard white wheat in Virginia. So my dad placed a few phone calls and helped me begin the process. And what began as a venture to get orders for 100 bags, turned into the challenge of coming up with a 880 bag order. Yes, that's an entire tractor trailer full of wheat. 44,000 lbs. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

At first, orders filled in and there was a lot of interest, but then there was a point midway that I thought there was no way we were going to be able to reach that amount. That was it. No one else wanted wheat. I was imaging how embarrassing it was going to be to tell all these people that had ordered that we couldn't place the order because we were short of the amount. But over the span of a couple days, and the right person getting the word to spread the word to their contacts, I received so many emails and phone calls that there was more demand than wheat! Now, I have almost another half a truckload of wheat for another order! Am I ready to do it again?!

Of course, a project involving this many people can't happen without a few glitches. That would be too easy. For example, we received news on the day of the delivery that the truck had broken down in Ohio! So we had to spread the word that pickups would not be happening later that night. So we postponed the pickups to Monday, but on Monday we found out that they weren't able to fix the truck, so it still wasn't going to arrive on time. More phone calls. But it arrived last Friday and pickups went pretty smoothly, largely in part to my AWESOME cousin Tracy and his mad forklift/pallet jack skills! Thank you!

This is Tracy!
Tracy and his son Michael who also brought to the table much brawn!

Dream Entryway

2009-02-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

I so want this.

Minus the dog.

Mouse on the Loose

2009-01-19T18:37:00.000-08:00

Well, a mouse named Danny that is. Dan loves Toblerone chocolate and somehow Santa always seems to bring him one in his stocking. Well, Danny got a hold of it and this is how I found it on the kitchen floor.

This was taken on Christmas day, but I just saw the picture again today and I thought it was too funny. So I had to share!

Christmas morning

2008-12-29T07:07:00.001-08:00

We had such a nice Christmas this year. I know that's a pretty simple statement. But it was. Dan and I got kinda emotional as we realized this was our Christmas for our children in our house. We have been so blessed and we're so grateful for a secure job in this uncertain economy, a comfortable home, healthy children and the love we have for each other.

Santa brought Danny a new train set! He was so excited and would have been completely content if he has just received that. Note for next year.

Kate was a good sport on Christmas morning and even attempted to "open" a present or two, with her mouth! :) But she even had fun and could feel the excitement of the event.

Snake River Pictures

2008-12-26T19:51:00.000-08:00

Recently, I found the picture of the Idaho Falls Temple that I wanted framed and displayed in my home. (obviously this is not it.) Yes, it took nearly three years. But this photographer, James Neeley, is amazing! (Check out http://www.flickr.com/ to see some of his work.) I love the pictures he takes, probably because they are mostly images from my home, but they are captured beautifully. I wanted to share a short slide show of images with the Snake River. One of the pictures of the Temple in the slide show is the one I chose.

Any guesses??

Halloween Pictures in December

2008-12-17T05:27:00.000-08:00

I've had some people ask to see Danny's UPS costume, and since I wasn't on the ball in OCTOBER...I am going to do it now.

Concert Etiquette...NOT

2008-12-15T05:55:00.000-08:00

Last night one of my cute young women was singing a solo at her high school's Christmas concert and I really wanted to go. The problem is I have two small children and a husband that works nights. So my two options were to not go or to bring the kids.

*disclaimer: To my music major/choir conductor friends Amy and Andria, I do understand concert etiquette, I just was thinking about a concert in our church, ya know.?! Last week, I took them to a musical fireside thing and they were great! Besides, there were other kids there and kids make lil' noises here and there, so it wasn't a big deal. So that's what I was thinking. Anyway...

Well, this was one of many concerts this high school puts on during Christmas and this one happened to be downtown at an old Methodist church. When we entered the chapel, we saw Ashlyn's family up in the balcony and they invited us to sit with them. As soon as we sat down, I knew we were in trouble. They were in the first row in the balcony and you moms out there know you need to have another pew in front of you for containment purposes. Toddlers tend to escape.

As the concert began, I also noticed the lovely acoustics. However, I noticed them even more when Danny started yelling "agua-er." Yes, that's Spanglish for "agua" and "water". One of Danny's first words was aqua, because he had a Salvadoran babysitter and has always used that word for water until recently. In the last week or so, he's been using "aqua-er" because he hears us call it "water." My poor confused son.

Back to the concert. So I tried to unsuccessfully to quietly exit the balcony with every sound echoing across the entire room. Gave Danny a little water break and a chance to walk up and down a couple fights of stairs. I then tried to use some concert etiquette and not enter again until they finished the song they were singing. Well, then Danny started to whine for Kealeigh, our little 7 year old neighbor friend, who he saw quietly sitting in the pew. (We brought along our favorite neighbors Kealeigh and her mom and sister Elise.) Tara, the mom, was a big help with Kate during this time.

So anything to keep Danny quiet, we entered again, every sound magnified a million times over. I had him sit on my lap and tried to keep him interested by giving him something to listen for. The conductor had already used some bells in previous songs, so that's what I told him to listen for. Sure enough, the next song gave Danny lots of opportunities to tell me about the bells, much to his own excitement, but the lovely acoustics echoed Danny's two-year old voice around the room as he exuberantly told me "Bell! Bell! Bell!" over and over again.

I was frazzled at this point, and with Kate starting to make baby noises, I decided it be best to pack up and leave. (you're probably wonerding why I didn't do that sooner!) End of concert experience with two kids. Moral of story: Don't do it. :)

Oh, the best part is, just as we left the building and started walking up the street, my cell phone went off. Wouldn't that have been perfect?! Aghhhh!

Miracles Never Cease

2008-12-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

So after a brief lil' demo, (yes, that means he wasn't quite sure how to do it) my dear sweet husband helped me clean the bathrooms today by scrubbing down THREE toilets! He was so awesome and it was so nice to have someone to work beside. I don't think he realizes though that he has now consigned himself to that duty for the rest of his life...

Wish me luck. :)

Snugglin' Siblings

2008-11-27T04:33:00.001-08:00

Lately I have not felt much like blogging for some reason, but last night provided me with the most perfect opportunity to return. Dan went to check on the kids before tucking into bed ourselves and he comes back into our bedroom and motions that I follow him into Kate's room. I walk into her bedroom only to find Danny snuggled next to her in her crib. Both of them looked as peaceful as can be, which is unusual for Kathryn when Danny's around. :) I have no idea when Danny climbed into her crib, neither of them made a peep. I wonder at what point in the night Kate would have "realized" Danny was around and made his presence known...

Danny's birthday

2008-10-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

So Danny's birthday was on October 5th, a long time ago I know, but one of the reasons I have been putting off posting about it is because I wanted to post a video of him blowing out his birthday candles, but I didn't know how to do it. But I think I finally learned, so take a look. We got such a kick out of it.

And since Danny is obsessed with Elmo, my mom helped me make him an Elmo cake. He loved it! We tinted fondant and used that for the eyes and nose so it would be nice and smooth and then I just tried to make the red icing look like fur. Since Danny's birthday was over conference, we used this cake for the party we had later in the week.
Danny is such a happy and loving little boy. He has such excitement and enthusiasm for life, I love being around him. He's very affectionate and one of his sweet little hugs and a kiss just melts my heart.

My Daddy's Bread

2008-10-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

One of the things I acquired on my trip home LAST year was the wheat grinder/mixer that my great grandma left for me. It's gotta be 40 years old or so, but my Grandma kept it in perfect condition and it works great!However, it was only this latest trip that I really practiced with my dad on how to make his most delicious bread. These pictures are of my first attempt without my dad's supervision. And I think I passed! It doesn't take that long and it is so much better than store bought bread--we love it!

Invites

2008-10-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

Our YW presidency has been trying to put together everything for our up and coming Young Women in Excellence. We chose our theme to be "Reap the Harvest." We thought it would lend itself to convenient decorations for this time of year. :) But we're really excited about it and the latest thing we did was make special homemade invitations. Since this is not necessarily my forte, I pleaded help from my incredibly talented friend Shanan and she gave us a little template to create the invites ourselves. One of my counselors and awesome friend Katie helped me do it and we think they turned out pretty cute!

Trunk or Treat??

2008-10-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

Our ward is having a Trunk or Treat on Tuesday night and I come to you for ideas. I have never been to one and I am having a bit of trouble thinking of ways to decorate our trunk. So if you have decorated a trunk in the past or have seen a FABULOUS one, (or know of where I can find some ideas) please let me know. Thanks!

Photo Session

2008-10-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a nearly two week vacation in Idaho with all of my family. It was the first time in years that we were all together, all six of us siblings plus our parents. With Josh just getting home from his mission and Austin just about to leave, the timing of this trip was perfect. It wasn't initially planned that way, but that's how it worked out and we are very grateful.

I loved having a countless number of people in line waiting to help me change diapers, hold a crying baby, or watch Elmo with Danny. They all WANTED to do it. It was so awesome. Needless to say, I got majorly spoiled and I had a serious wake-up call when we got home and it was back to reality. But the kids have been really good and Kate is starting to be less grumpy. She has had her first grins, some of which have become near giggles. Her coo's are so cute and when it happens it makes me forget that she cries a lot.

While we were in Idaho, we had a photo session with a wonderful photographer, Kimberly Smith. She took some amazing pictures of my best friends new adorable little son, Landon, and I wanted some too! We wanted to take cute naked newborn pictures of Kate, but she was just too big to take cute sleeping pictures. She was too big for all the props and cute newborn poses and kept waking up and was very disgruntled the entire time. And she had TWO major accidents and she shot poop all over us and all over the canvas backdrop, which required some extensive cleanup. It was so funny! But take a look at this album I compiled of some of our favorites from the session.

Kate's blessing Sunday

2008-09-29T18:31:00.000-07:00

After about twenty shots, this is only one where everyone was looking at the camera, Danny had his hand out of his mouth and Kate wasn't crying. So this is our little family on the day Baby Kathryn was blessed.

Proud Grandma Norton Daddy and his little girl Here are all the Norton cousins. Even though I miss my family desperately and I'm sad Danny doesn't get to spend much time with my side of the family, I am so happy we at least have Dan's family close. They are really starting to play well together and they love GrandDad's hammock!

Apple pie anyone?

2008-09-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

So I have never made an apple pie before. But our ward was having a chili cook off today and contests in chili, cornbread and apple desserts, so I thought I would give it a try! I found a Paula Deen recipe and put it to the test. Unfortunately, we did not arrive in time (surprise, surprise) and so it didn't get judged. But I think it turned out very pretty and it was delicious. We loved it!

In the last week or so...

2008-09-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

I always check on Danny right before I go to bed and the other night this is what I found. Could a mother be more proud?! :)
Although, the pride stops whenever I find that he has climbed up something again and has gotten into something (again) that he shouldn't. Dan loves seeing his son with make-up brushes and powder all over himself. But Danny couldn't be happier.

Danny loves balls and plays so hard his cheeks get all blushed. This week, he spent a day with his Grandma Norton at a farm on a field trip and he found pumpkins, which he insisted were balls.
His favorite thing to do right now is instead of holding my hand, he wants to put his hands in his pockets like a big boy.
Kate was a bit disgruntled the other night when we took her and Danny to James Wood's football game. (The high school where I used to teach.) Danny had a blast, but Kate wanted to go home. This picture cracks me up!Contrary to what one might believe after having seen the previous picture, Kate has begun to smile!

Protect Our Children Act

2008-09-16T12:16:00.001-07:00

Yesterday's Oprah show was about online sex predators/pedophiles. (To read a summary of her show, click here.) Not the most uplifting topic, I know. While watching I had such a pit in my stomach and I had to turn away at times because I was so disgusted. While trading in pedophile pornography is illegal, there are not sufficient resources to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators. Only one-half of one percent are ever prosecuted. And now the demand for this type of pornography is so high, the predators are attacking younger and younger children, even infants. Being a new mother, this was particularly disturbing. I don't even want to say anymore about the crime, it is just horrible what is happening to these children, toddlers and infants and this should never be a part of one's childhood. To even imagine that any child has to experience this kind of abuse is heartbreaking.

Even though I had difficulty sleeping last night, I am glad that I watched because there is something we can do to help these innocent children. There is a group called PROTECT that is working to pass better laws to better protect our children and there is an important bill going before congress this month. Senate Bill 1738, the PROTECT Our Children Act, will provide valuable funding for child protection task forces. Please take the time NOW to contact your senator and voice your opinion on this bill. Tell them to vote yes! Oprah's website gave great instructions as to how to do this. Click here for that page. It only takes a few minutes. Please do it today.

Top Gun

2008-09-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

As I previously mentioned, Dan was away at UPS school last week and I had to hold down the fort without him. I got to change one million and one diapers (believe me, I counted) while Dan worked on attaining his goal of being the Top Gun of his class. This training that he went to was pretty intense with class all day long, then hours of group and personal homework. Plus, they were required to memorize a bunch of information that they were drilled and tested on. At the end of the week, there was a contest and whoever won, would be the Top Gun of the class. My dear sweet husband is ultra competitive, plus he really cares about doing a good job, so he took this very seriously and he reached his goal! Congratulations Dan! (I meant to get a picture of him and his trophy, but I didn't get to it today...maybe another day.)

Bruin Beatdown

2008-09-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

"Rise and shout the Cougars are out along the way to fame and glory...Go Cougars!!!" I know some people don't enjoy blowouts, but when it's our treasured Cougars who tears up a PAC-10 team, we don't mind one single bit. It was so fun to see them play so well in all aspects; excellent offensive domination, big defensive hits and forced fumbles, and another blocked kick. Which by the way, is what won the game last week, NOT necessarily the controversial excessive celebration call Washington got. But if you'd like to read about Hall's seven touchdown passes and how AWESOME BYU is, click here: http://http//sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282570252

Josh is home!

2008-09-08T19:39:00.001-07:00

It's taken me a little while to get some pictures posted of Josh's homecoming from Mexico because I haven't had any. I've waited and waited...he got home on August 27th. But after much nagging, my dear sweet little brother Austin, who asked to be mentioned lots in my blog, sent me some pictures today. They were taken at the airport. Here Josh is with my Grandma and Grandpa Tew and Aunt Rachelle. My mom says his suit was hanging on by a thread. I know he worked so hard and I'm grateful for his testimony and committment to the Gospel.
Getting a long awaited hug from the lil' sis!
And doesn't Lexie look pretty! I had to put this in because she just went to Homecoming on Saturday night and she looked gorgeous! She's a junior this year.

Newsflash---Being a mom is hard

2008-09-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

Just in case you didn't know, being a mom is a handful and I'm ready to go crazy. I'm about ready to pull my hair out with Danny. He wants to be so independent and it makes things soooo difficult for me. His favorite thing right now is when I hold his hand and ask him to walk with me, he throws his body to the floor and REFUSES to walk. I feel like I'm gonna pull his arm out of the socket. But then if I don't hold his hand, he takes off and loves to see me chase him. I feel like I'm creating this terror child, but I don't know what to do. At this point, I definetely feel like the two year old is winning and it's driving me crazy! Our enrichment activity this week is on parenting-looks like I'll be the first one there! (Actually, probably not, I can't seem to be on time for anything!)

But I guess I should share something that shows his sweetness, because he is most certainly not all bad. :) So a little background information---ever since he was a baby he has been one of those that plays with his hair. When he nursed, he would play with this one little piece and twirl it around one of his fingers. Also, when I hold him and he has his arms around my neck, he'll do the same thing to a piece of my hair. And now that he has a big boy bed and I lay in bed with him to read stories and sing songs and stuff, he does the same thing. Well tonight, he put me to sleep as he played with my hair! When I woke up, nearly an hour later, he was asleep but still playing with my hair. He's so cute.

The baby is doing well though. They're so sweet when they're newborns. Dan is out of town this week for some training, so we shall see how I do ALL by myself.

I'm a canner!

2008-09-06T18:05:00.001-07:00

My next door neighbor Tara went to Pennsylvania for Labor Day weekend and raved about how good produce from Lancaster County was. She offered to bring me back some peaches, so I decided I needed to learn how to can. My Relief Society did it as an Enrichment activity a few weeks ago, but with the new baby I wasn't able to go. So I called up my friend Sister Rust to see if she could tell me how to do it. But instead, she so graciously offered to come and help me that very day! So we spent a couple hours together and afterwards I felt like a better Mormon woman! :) I ended up getting about nine quarts of peaches. Thank you Sister Rust!

I'm looking forward to canning apples here pretty soon. My cousin manages some orchards out here, so I'm sure I'll be able to get some delicious apples from him.

Slip 'n Slide

2008-09-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

We had such an exciting mutual activty last week at the Bishop's house. Check out this Slip n' Slide!! Two tarps were sewn together to make one massive slide and the kids used dish soap to make themselves go even faster. After everyone's eyes were burning from the dish soap, the YM leaders realized that they should have purchased baby soap instead. But the kids hardly complained and they had a great time.

Dan would get a running start holding Danny in his arms and just FLY down the hill. This one ended up in a small little crash, but Danny just popped up and started clapping with a big smile on his face. Dan is creating a lil' dare devil.

My little warrior playing with all the big kids!

Wild Animal Park

2008-08-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-23T19:25:00.001-07:00

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

2008-08-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-08-11T18:47:00.000-07:00

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!!

2008-08-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

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!

Baby Shower

2008-07-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

Check out that tummy! Wow!!! Can it get any bigger? (Acutually, on second thought, let's not answer that.)

My friends threw the most amazing baby shower for me! Everything was so beautiful, it looked as if things had been professionally catered. Needless to say, the food was divine. :) Everyone made suggestions about what to name this baby since we haven't decided officially as of yet. We got some pretty good ideas! But people were overwhelmingly generous and the new baby definetely has some cute new outfits!

These pictures are with my sister-in-laws, Kristy, Jen, and Elena.

4th of July Fun

2008-07-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

Survivor concert! "With the eye of the Tiger, it's the thrill of the fight, rising up to the challenge of our rival. And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night and he's watching us all with the.........Eye of the TIGER!!!!"

We celebrated THREE full days of the 4th of July. Our ward had an activity on the 3rd with a big firework show and all. The 4th was spent at our local park where Survivor played a concert. (This was very exciting news for an Idaho Falls High School graduate. Go Tigers!) They sounded so great and it was so much fun! Then we watched firework celebration number two with some friends of ours. This is Danny's little friend Josh.

On the 5th, we were able to go up to Bayse, VA where Dan's great aunt lives. Their little community has quite the celebration and we were able to be there with most of his family enjoying the pool, good company and good food. And obviously, Danny very much enjoyed the watermelon. I had to resist posting all ten pictures of him eating the watermelon, because he was so cute and was absolutely enjoying it (except the rind, that confused him a bit.)

Shoes

2008-06-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Whether they're mine or Dan's, Danny loves to wear our shoes! And apparently putting on Dan's dirty socks as well!

Momentary Mishap

2008-06-08T11:05:00.000-07:00

Danny got his entire arm stuck down the ball chute of his little toy. He was quite panicked for a little while. I couldn't even get it to budge, so I asked Dan if he could try to get him unstuck. After a few minutes of trying and not having any success, he asks me for some cooking oil!! I was like, "Can't we try something else first?!" The thought of that cleanup process was a little overwhelming. So I talked him into trying lotion, and wala! It worked! Danny was freed!

Danny's girlfriends

2008-06-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

The two little girls next to Danny are our neighbors. Danny just loves them!!

Memorial Day at the National Zoo

2008-05-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

Danny is loving the zoo this year! While the animals are cool and all, it's definetely the people and kids and commotion that grabs his attention more though.

Hawaii Trip

2008-05-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

Dan and I recently returned from our trip to Hawaii. We went to celebrate our third anniversary, but it was more because we found REALLY good airfare, :) too good to pass up acutally. But we had a great time. I was nervous about leaving Danny and not having him with me, but it all worked out just fine. Leaving him with John and Cindy created one set of very happy grandparents and another set of very jealous grandparents.

Here are a few photos from our trip.

Here we are after the luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We loved the PCC, but it was our first full day in Hawaii and we were so tired!! In fact, we only made it up to intermission at the big night show because we were both falling asleep. Embarassing I know, but we were struggling with the six hour time difference.

I was facinated by the mountains!

My friend Andria from BYU was kind enough to take us on a hike to a beautiful waterfull. Although, I can't believe I posted that HIDIOUS picture of me and Dan on the hike to the waterfall, but I was amazed again at the mountains and how lush everything was. (In my defense, the mountain was steep and it was a warm day.)

We also snorkeled at Hanama Bay. I totally forgot about bringing an underwater camera and the ones they had available were $20, sooooo...we didn't have one and we weren't able to take pictures of the beautiful fish and SEA TURTLES that we saw while snorkeling. Bummer. But it was so cool!

Dan and I at the beach by our hotel on Waikiki with Diamond Head in the background.

Dan caught some big waves at Sandy's. I opted to sit out and watch. I can boogie board on Myrtle Beach waves, but not at Sandy's and being 7 months pregnant.

Peer pressure

2008-05-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

So peer pressure has finally set in and I'm going to try to do this whole blogging thing...hopefully it will go better than my attempt to scrapbook. That has not been a successful endeavor for me. I've been told blogging is easy, but that's what people say who are good at something, so we'll see how this novice does.