Easter Weekend

We had a great Easter weekend. On Saturday we went to a little Easter party and Peter's sisters. We dyed Easter eggs and had an egg hunt. Aydan had a great time playing with his cousin Halle and trying to find all the eggs. Sam had a good time sleeping, he took a nap during the entire party. On Sunday the boys woke up to find that the Easter bunny had stopped by. They both got Easter baskets with some candy and a toy then they had an Easter egg hunt in the house. Aydan found the most eggs, seeing as Sam was more interested in eating the Easter grass then finding eggs. Later that day we went to my brothers house for dinner and some family time. MiRanda made some really yummy soups! We again dyed eggs and had another egg hunt. Aydan never got sick of hiding and finding the eggs. It was such a nice day we spent most of the day hanging outside enjoying the weather. Finally Spring is here! Well sort of.

Sam hanging outside.

Aydan on the egg hunt.

Sam and Tuck.

Aydan at the park.

Aydan dying eggs.

Sam and his ducky.

Sam eating Easter grass.

Aydan helping Sam with his eggs.

Aydan finding his basket.

Halle, Joshua and Aydan.

Oh The Joys of Parenting!

It has been a very tiring couple of weeks. Aydan and Sam both got really sick, especially Sam. He saw two different doctors and was tested for pertussis. Thankfully it was negative, but he was still really sick. Aydan ended up with bronchitis and was put on antibiotics. Sam got a double ear infection and bronchitis. He got antibiotics, ear drops and nebulizer breathing treatments. His cough was too weak so he needed the nebulizer at least twice a day to help him breath. It was kind of scary and of course he wasn't sleeping very well. Not like that is a change, he is still going strong on not sleeping through the night. Oh and let me tell you have fun it is to try to give Sam his antibiotic. I am surprised that he is better, he pretty much spits out all of it. It took both me and Peter to hold down Sam, open his mouth and blow in his face. And yet he still would spit and wiggle enough so most ended up on his neck. What a pain! The boys are doing better now. It seems that most of their cough is gone and Sam is no longer wheezing. They are both back to their normal crazy selves!

The Norton pharmacy.

Sam and his nebulizer. He would sit still for about 5 minutes then it was wrestling time!

Sam getting grumpy, he really didn't like the nebulizer.

A Great Loss

Sophie Marie November 6, 2002-March 29, 2009.

On Sunday afternoon my precious Sophie was hit by a car and died almost instantly. She died doing what she loved, being outside and hanging out with Wes. I know Sophie is just a dog but she was more than a dog, she was part of our family. She was my first baby and my princess. She was spoiled rotten and had a mind of her own. Her favorite spot was on the couch looking out the window, she loved seeing what was going on in the neighborhood and sleeping the day away. She was such a great companion. Anywhere I was Sophie would shortly follow, in the bathroom, putting the boys to bed or watching TV she was always close by, wanting to sit in my lap. And if I would have know she would be taken so soon I would have let her in my lap all the time. Sophie loved playing fetch, with Pinky. As soon as you would pick her ball up she would be at attention, she would stay that way never flinching until you threw the ball. She loved being outside, playing in the snow, visiting the neighbors yards and just lying in the sun. Although she loved sniffing other yards and wandering around she would always come home. We never had a problem with her running away, she knew this was her home. She loved chasing cats, anytime there was a cat in our yard Sophie would freak out until we would let her out to chase the cat out of her territory. Thank you Sophie for keeping the cats out of my flowers, thank you for keeping me warm at night, thank you for cleaning up after the boys eat, she was our own doggie vacuum, thank you for being sassy, grumpy and being the best little dog our family could have. I know the boys drove you crazy, but you never hurt them and I loved you for that. I am sorry that I couldn't stop you from going in the road, I am sorry that you can't be with us anymore. We will miss you more than you will know. You have brought so much joy into our lives. My heart hurts so much, my eyes are swollen from crying. I miss you so much. I am sorry! I love you more than I showed you. You were my princess and my friend. I will miss you, thank you for being a part of our lives, thank you for being the best dog anyone could have. We will miss you! Goodbye Sophie Marie.

Update

At the Zoo.

Sam swimming or chewing. FYI that is not Annie sitting behind him!

Aydan as Captain Jack Sparrow.

Sam's new toy. He hears you loading the dishwasher and he dashes over.

This is just a cute picture of Sam.

It's been awhile since I last posted. I have not been in the mood to blog, I have the winter blahs. I am really looking forward to Spring. Anyway here is a break down of what has been happening at the Norton household. At the end of February we went to free zoo day. It was a lot of fun. Aydan had to be the leader and kept saying "follow me, I'm the leader". He was obsessed with seeing the snakes. He had a little map of the zoo and kept looking at it trying to show us the way to the snakes. We finally got to the snakes and he was in heaven . He actually was able to touch a snake! He just loves snakes, crazy boy! And here is a story of what a great brother Aydan is. One morning Aydan was in bed with us and Sam started waking up. He said I need to go check on Sam. We of course stayed in bed. Shortly later Aydan came down with some toilet paper and proceeds to tell us that he was trying to get some boogers off of Sam's face. He said he got some of it, but not all and gave me the toilet paper and told me to go get the rest of the boogers off of Sam's face. He even tried to use a baby wipe but said we didn't have any. I know it's kind of a gross story, but how loving is Aydan! What a sweetie. I hope Aydan stays this close to Sam, and always looks out for his little brother. They are so cute together. Sam finally got his first and second teeth at the same time, he is waving bye-bye and hi, or really if you wave at Sam he excitedly waves back. Sam also went swimming for the first time! Of course he loved it. At first he clung to Peter and his teeth were chattering. But soon he was crawling all over the place and splashing like crazy. We had to chase him all over the shallow end, he would have kept crawling till the water was over his head. We are going to have our hands full when he starts walking.

Sparkling Clean

Isn't he handsome! We took Aydan to the dentist last week and he did great! This was the second time he has gone, but the first time they cleaned his teeth. He actually was excited to go and wanted to go first thing in the morning. I am not sure why he was excited to go, we all know my feelings on the dentist. I pretty much need a xanax to go to the dentist! But Aydan was so brave, walked in sat down and let them clean his teeth. He even let them put that fluoride thing in his mouth. It seemed like he really enjoyed it. The dental hygienist wanted him to stay and show all the other kids how to behave, then she asked if she could take him home! We are lucky that Aydan is such a great little boy.

The fluoride mouth piece.

Waiting for the cleaning.

Just happy to be here!

9 Months Old

Sam has had a busy 9 months! He is so full of energy, so happy! By the end of the day we are all exhausted. He does not stop. Just in the past month he pulled the rocking chair down on himself, a bar stool on himself, fell out of the bathtub, we called poison control because he decided to suck on our fragrance that you plug in the wall (don't worry he is just fine, and the wallflower is in the garbage) and he is teething, he has 4 coming in at the top and two at the bottom. As shocking as this is he still is not sleeping any better. We are all praying that once those teeth come in so will the sleep. HaHa! Anyway on Tuesday he had is 9 month check up. He got his blood drawn from his heel and one shot. He is such a good boy he didn't even cry. He looked at the nurse, kind of gave her a scowl but didn't cry. He was all smiles. He loves new adventures! I can't wait for the weather to get better so he can go outside, and to the park. This house is too small for all of his energy! Sam now weighs 18lbs 11oz (20%) and 30 1/2 inches long (97%). He is really tall and skinny. He really has no fat on his little body. And I promise you he does eat. He just takes after his daddy! And don't worry he are childproofing the house this weekend. We are doing the works, pretty much anchor down anything that moves, and lock anything that can open. Sam is a handful, but a happy handful. We love you Sam!!

Sam loves the bath, and what a mess he makes!

Just take out the camera and Sam will smile.

My boys!

All smiles!

The BIG 30!

On February 10th I turned 30! Pretty devastating! But it all turned out fantastic because Peter threw me a surprise party! I kind of hinted, okay told him, I wanted a surprise party. He is such a good listener because that is exactly what I got. Peter even cleaned the house the night before! He planned the whole thing including a spaghetti dinner for everyone at the party. What a great husband. Me and Peter left for an early dinner at Happy Sumo. Which was delicious, try the diva roll! So when we got back, SURPRISE! My family and friends were there to greet me! I was not really surprised, but I loved it anyway. I love hanging out with my friends and family so this was exactly what I needed. The dinner was great, the decorations were awesome, the game was surprising and the movie was fantastic. Peter made a slide show of pictures of me, himself, the boys, Sophie, our vacations and other adventures. He even had music with the pictures. It was so dang cute and thoughtful. He makes me feel so loved. He really put a lot of effort into that slide show. It was the best gift I have ever received. I love you Peter, you made my birthday very special and one I will never forget. I am so lucky that you are part of my life.

I really appreciate everyone that came to celebrate my birthday with me. I enjoyed hanging out with all of you and thank you for helping out with the food! We really should do this every year!

Unfortunately we were too busy having fun to take many pictures. So there are only these two.

Do I look surprised? And aren't these decorations the best!