quick catch-up!!!

Here's a "melting pot" of Norton News, enjoy!

Our little girl is learning how to clean....yeahh!!! You go girl! She actually lifted, carried and placed the kitchen chair here so she could reach up and clean the sink, I did not set this up, I swear!
A fun playdate with McKenna. McKenna is 3 months older than Izzy. They absolutely loved singing, dancing, and doll-caring together. McKenna is fully potty-trained (and also #3 in her family). I need to get going past the introductory phase of potty-training, advice?
Thanks to my Aunt Marnae & Uncle Bill, we enjoyed a date night with them court-side for a Jazz game. Complete with "on the house" pre-dinner! Thanks!

In the midst of his hardest Nursing school semester, Aaron found solace with a few escapes to some cold lakes & rivers for a few hours of fishing. After eight years, he only has one more semester left. We are counting down the days, literally!!! Izzy and I made the most of the first snowfall the first week of November and made a handsome snowman she gave lots of kisses & hugs to. Sadly, he was melted by that same afternoon.

I now realized I never posted anything for Halloween. Here's a family photo, complete with the "family cat" on the left that Izzy gave a hug and a kiss to every night before bed. We had a lot of fun trick-or-treating in our first neighborhood, and answering the door to our first trick-or-treaters on our own porch. We love being homeowners!

Isabelle helped Daddy carry in a very large pumpkin to carve, she loved sticking her fingers in all the goo inside!

Now, as far as owning a home in Utah and shoveling snow off the driveway a dozen times this week already, not such a fan!

Happy Christmas everyone! We hope Santa finds you and this post finds you happy and well!!!

p.s. we love blog comments, go ahead, leave one!

I'm sold!

BLACK FRIDAY!!!! Black Friday shoppers are described as the "crazies" the deal-hunters and the overly-anxious-for-the-holidays. My sister Liz and I joined forces with them this year. Here is our story...(cue the law & order duh duh duh)

I haven't had that kind of a rush in a long time! Luckily no-one died or lost their baby like that one walmart I heard about on the news, which is awful! Anyway, the night went as follows. Liz picked me up on that chilly morning at 4:30am. I had my little sister Melissa sleep at my house that night since Aaron worked a graveyard 'til 6:30am. That wasn't going to stop me from becoming "one of them." We left with our ads in hand but one big problem. What were we shopping for and why were we doing it at 4:30am? My sister had the best answer for this: "every morning I wake up do the same thing all year, either go to work or take care of the kids, this is one morning to do something different!!!" And so we drove on the wet roads to the Murray Super Walmart and we were SHOCKED that the parking lot was full. Then we were so confused because there wasn't anyone outside in line. So we went parking in a neighboring store lot and walked inside and then another weird occurance, no one was moving in the store, they were all just standing in the aisles, we were so confused. So we started to make our way to to the back of the store and over the intercom we hear this "ok shoppers!" and everyone went nuts grabbing the items in the aisles they were standing next to. Turns out Walmart was open all night but shoppers couldn't take the black-friday deals until 5am and we got there about 4:50am. So Liz and I panicked as we had no clue where to go (we really didn't have an idea of what we wanted to buy, we just wanted to push and shove and get on tv for it, and maybe buy a few things in the meantime) so we scrambled around and started grabbing things everyone else was, not really paying attention to what they were, it's crazy I tell you. So we spent almost an hour there and then checked out with some goodies and decided to hit target too. so we went to ft. union target and again, parking lot full, but I guess they opened at 6 because as we got there, they were just barely letting the-wrapped-around-the-store-line inside. So we swerved into a parking stall and squeezed in line. After we got in the store I was running to the electronics (to buy what-I don't know) and I got in trouble for running which was one of our goals (hehe) so I snagged an office dvd that was a black friday deal for $13 which I was soooo proud of, and then shopped some other good deals they had, I lost my sister in the crowd but found her later (it was so hard not to have a cell phone!!!!) and we checked out. after checking out I thought my office dvd seemed more $$ that I thought it was supposed to be, so I checked my bag and I actually had picked up the wrong season of the office that WASN'T on sale and was normally $40 so I was pissed!!! So we went back to the return desk and I returned it...I ain't paying $40 for that when I have it on TIVO!! Then after returning it, we saw a channel 2 news camera interviewing someone and we got behind them and were all annoying in the camera and that finished our last goal so we felt like champions. We pushed, shoved, yelled, got yelled at, and got on tv...and shopped while we were at it. WHAT A BLAST! we are totally hooked and doing it next year! Join me if you want, but watch out!