Merry Christmas 2011

What a blessed year it's been. You can focus on the bad economy which has affected lots and lots of families and most realtors, including me. Or you can focus on all that's good around your family, community, and nation. We're focusing on how technology can help us share our year with lots of people in only one instant. And the many other things there are to be happy about and celebrate.

This year we'll start at the bottom. It's certainly the cutest end of the train.



Olivia is now 7 years old and in 2nd grade. She is everything artistic. She likes to sing and draw and dance and she notices details and puts finishing touches on everything. For example, she's been setting up a table for Santa for a few days, and every day there's just another little touch. A bear, a plate and cup, green Christmas lights, little flowers and berries. I think she'll be an amazing homemaker or interior decorator some day. She lost her two front teeth recently and we see evidence of them coming in by Christmas. She is involved in dance and piano. She is a delight and joy and her older brothers ADORE her. So do we.



Noah is 10 and in 5th grade. He's a great kid with a great sense of humor. He is learning the appropriateness or inappropriateness of sarcasm. I have to admit, he gets it from our family, but we're trying to teach him how to do it without being disrespectful or hurtful. He has boundless energy, really likes to read, likes gaming, and does well in school. He is also learning piano and is sitting out basketball this year due to the schedules of the older kids and basketball. Noah keeps us laughing.



Emily is officially a teenager. Do I need to say anymore? Actually, so far, it hasn't been bad. Emily has a happy attitude. She's very helpful and she has loads and loads of friends. She is in 7th grade and is very tall for her age. The boys are finally passing her up, but there's only another girl or two her height. She loves to dance, and she has played volleyball and basketball this year. She is also doing well in piano and can now play some hymns. She has joined the Young Women program in our church and has been asked to be the President of her class. We know she'll do a good job. We are really pleased with the young lady Emily is becoming. She's a blessing in our home.



Jefferson is now 16 years old! He's a sophomore. Next month he'll get his real driver's license. Not sure we REALLY want to go there, but here we go. Jefferson is becoming quite the musician like his older brother. He's getting really good with the hymns and plays often for the men in church. His talents in singing are beginning to shine and he enjoys choir. He played tennis earlier this year and is back in basketball and seems to be improving in those areas too. He is so close to his Eagle Scout award. He actually planned and carried out an Eagle project, but it was unexpectedly not approved and he felt he should honor his commitment and will now plan and execute another. Jefferson is a BIG help and does almost whatever I ask of him. He's doing well in agriculture with his goat project and his small goat milk soap business. The soap is divine! He is a fine young man.





Joseph had a pretty big year. He graduated from High School and 4 years of seminary. He earned his Eagle Scout. He played tennis and then later this year re-injured his knee and will be having surgery again in January as he is in constant pain and he needs to be in great shape when he heads out to be a missionary somewhere in the world. It's hard to walk or bike if your knees aren't working right. Joseph spent the Summer working for a disaster recovery company repairing schools and other buildings from water damage, air plane crash damage and other things that require hazmat suits; even in 100+ degree weather. Joseph knows first hand now that he does not want to work for minimum wage any longer than necessary. He started college in the Fall at Eastern Arizona College as a music major. People think that's an easy major, but he's sure rethinking it. He's had several opportunities to share his singing talents with others this year. Joseph is basically the life of any party. He knows probably hundreds of kids at the college and they voted him the Homecoming King this year. Joseph is hysterically funny, but he is also quite sensitive and really cares about people. His mother misses him terribly at college. But, I'm glad he's only an hour away.



Christopher, who turned 20 recently, and is now known as Elder Norton in Kentucky, is spending time as a missionary teaching people about Jesus Christ and the church we belong to. We are able to email him once a week and we speak to him twice a year. On Mother's Day and Christmas. So, we are excited to speak to him in just a few days. His focus has helped him to grow in many wonderful ways. The boy who left, is turning into a mature young man. He only has 9 months left and we look forward to the day, when he comes back and sets a course for his life. But until then, we are happy for the service he is giving to others and the joy he is experiencing and we are experiencing from it.





Andrew has finished serving as a missionary in Utah of all places. He's 21. He loved his experiences and the people there. He loved helping others experience real change in their life, by dedicating themselves to Christian life. We were thrilled to welcome him home the day before Thanksgiving. We weren't sure if the blizzard of the century would delay him, but it did not and the worst part of the wait was the last ten minutes waiting for the plane. He has transitioned right back into life and is as funny as he ever was. He's enjoying social life and has a job in sales and is looking forward to getting back into school in January. He thinks he'll seek a degree in Physical Therapy as a backup for wanting to be a seminary teacher like his dad. Andrew is a great teacher, and we think he'll do well if he's able to do that.





The highlight of our year as a couple, was this Summer when Bret and I took a history tour of church sites beginning in Boston and ending in New York. We saw parts of Pennsylvania too. It was a wonderful time to learn more and understand the great faith of those who sacrificed much for what they believed in. We particularly enjoyed the Sacred Grove and the Hill Cumorah "pageant."

The highlight of our year as a family was the finishing and dedication of the Gila Valley Temple. Our 12 and older children practiced for months on dance routines for a Cultural celebration before the dedication. It really brought the youth together in our area and was a great experience for all. I can truly say that the night of the performance, I've never felt such a unified spirit of love and brotherhood. It was really amazing. And that carried over to the dedication. Bret and I had the opportunity to serve as tour guides for the weeks before when almost 100,000 people walked through and participated in the open house.

We also enjoyed very much going to Denver and spending time there with my cousin and her family and going to visit my Dad in Wyoming.

Bret is moving into his fourth year as bishop of our local church. He volunteers about 10-20 hours a week to take care of the administrative and emotional and spiritual needs of the people who attend out church. Even though it takes him away, we are all blessed as he serves others in their challenges. And it helps us to be more selective in outside activities and to better focus on our family time. His job has changed this year and he no longer teaches high school students but teaches religious classes to college aged kids. This means he gets to see Joseph and now Andrew very often. Pretty much daily. With the added travel time, Bret does not get much time for hobbies, but we enjoy our weekends when there is nothing else to do. Bret is a great dad and husband and a humble servant and we appreciate all the time he gives so selflessly. His recent handyman skills included installing beautiful laminate flooring in our kitchen and living room.

Dawn is winding down her real estate business. Her goal is to be finished before August of next year when the last listing expires. As much as I've enjoyed the last few years in real estate, it's not really where my interests, gifts, and talents lie. I am hoping to seek training as a Whole Health Educator and continue with clients that I've had with EFT the last few years. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can check out my website, www.dailyabundance.net. We have learned over 22 years of experience and study, that the body is designed to heal, that natural remedies and nutrition take care of most ailments and that our minds and bodies are closely connected and will respond to gentle therapies. We are thankful for medical technology when needed.

I'm now teaching the 12-14 aged girls at church and Emily is in my class. I ran for school board this year and was not elected and am perfectly ok with that. I also trained and ran in a half marathon. It was the hardest physical thing I've ever done, but I learned so many things about myself. I have temporarily stopped running, but want to pick it back up after the first of the year. I can't believe how much I enjoyed it as I have not run on a regular basis in over 20 years.

Well, that's the gist of life in our house. We hope there are plenty of blessings in your house too. We are wishing you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Wherever you are, we thank you for your love and friendship.

Love, The Nortons

That great BIG third gift

And then came my darling bouncy baby boy! Boy #3. A great big boy. He was 1/2 ounce shy of 9 lbs. Yeah, and half the epidural didn't take, so can anyone say pain? He came crying and he's had feelings about one thing or other ever since.



Who couldn't love that sweet little face? For those who know Joseph, they will find it hard to believe that he was unbelievably shy!!! Yes, I said it. At one point, when I was the Primary president, we did not have him give talks because it was so scary for him. Yep. Scared and shy. I have to admit that some of his being so little, I don't remember a lot. I had a time when I was struggling with depression, but I do know I loved the stuffins out of him. He was a good baby and toddler even if he didn't sleep through the night for 9 months. He was always hungry.



I'm not exactly sure when it happened. We think maybe when he was about 14. Joseph experienced a gradual change in personality. The real him showed up.



This is from his first attempt at winning Mr Wildkat at Duncan High School. He was impersonating Richard Simmons. Hys-TER-ical! So, Andrew and Chris came home with Joseph one night from a dance when he was about 14 or 15. "Mom! You should see Joseph's amazing moves!" "Joseph?" I say in disbelief. "Yeah, mom, watch him!" And he proceeded to move his body in ways I would have never imagined. My Joseph. An entertainer. Who knew? And let me tell ya. It's been amazing to watch Joseph's gifts and talents develop. He loved basketball, but his junior year, he tore his ACL at the end of the season. Surgery and rehab could not keep him from re-injury and he could not play his senior year. It was a big disappointment. But I was so grateful that Joseph had been developing his musical talents, his comic talent, and his dance skills.



And then there was MJ. Wow! That was a great performance.



He began teaching himself the piano again and singing. We sang together. He sang alone. He sang in quartets. He sang in choir. He has a talent and we hope he develops it even more. And when his senior pics came back, I also realized how incredibly handsome my Joseph is. He's tall. He's broad shouldered. Pretty blue eyes. And he is kind-hearted. The most important trait in physical strength in my opinion. I love how Joseph always thinks of others before he thinks of himself. He is genuine. And he truly does care. He is sensitive and has a testimony. And he makes his parents just plain proud.



That comic talent? Yeah, great BIG! Joseph had a deep voice from the time he was a little bitty boy. He turned out to be a tenor. Who knew? Since his teens, he's done most things big. His humor keeps me in stitches. Sometimes he doesn't know when to stop. But at least he's grabbing life by the horns and sucking all the marrow out of it. He's well like by EVERYONE. Peers, adults, little kids. A year ago, he had a two year old girlfriend. Haha. Joseph has so many friends at EAC, that he was nominated and later selected as Homecoming King. Did I say everyone loves him? Yep! He gets to go back for more surgery in January, so he can be prepared for whatever a mission may bring him. He's getting ready for that new step in his life and we're so happy at the great young man he has become and will continue to become.



Joseph is always willing to serve and here he was handsome as ever serving and escorting for a girl's night out at EAC. What a wonderful, lovable, handsome, great BIG beautiful son. I love you Joseph. Don't ever forget it.

The next Gift

Christopher Lines Norton, about 3 years old

I don't have any baby pictures on my computer of Christopher. I really wanted to name him Christian, but his dad wouldn't let me, and he tells me now that he's glad I didn't. For whatever reason, I always wanted him to remember Christ and be a Christ bearer. I am glad that I can say right now, my beautiful #1 second son is bearing the name of Christ to the good people of Kentucky.

He came 10 days early too. And I knew the day he was born something was wrong. He thrashed around for awhile and then he quit moving. That worried me and took me to the hospital and they found I was basically in labor anyway and kept me. He had a slight complication that was quickly taken care of and we were on our way. Another beautiful bouncing baby boy.

The best picture I can give of Chris from the time he could crawl, is to think of a frisky little puppy. He was always raring and ready to go. Happy and excited and tearing things up. His energy was boundless and I can say I did not nearly appreciate it as I should. He wore me ragged and was a beloved little rascal. How could you not love this face?



Chris' beautiful 5 year old face

He was born on August 31. And the school deadline for kindergarten was September 1. If I'd had the wisdom of the years as I do now, I might not have enrolled him. He would have had an extra year to accomplish and become. He had great friends that year though that influenced his life for good. But, I did not have the wisdom of the years and I was exhausted with four little boys running me in circles. So, off he went to school.

Christopher was a completely different "beast" than Andrew. Where Andrew was happy to be in one place, Chris was only happy if he was everywhere, seemingly at once! He questioned things early on and wasn't afraid to share his sometimes unappreciated opinion. He pushed the envelope and made us wonder what we were in for? But, as I said, he was very happy and he was very loving and he was for the most part a pretty delightful little boy.

Chris showed athletic promise from a very early age. He moved with grace and was comfortable in his physical body. Unfortunately, he also somewhere along the line did not develop a lot of self confidence. In baseball he was afraid to swing. But he had good encouraging coaches. He played football for a few years, but he really loved basketball. I really did think early on, he'd be a GREAT basketball player, so it was rather disconcerting through the years to see coach after coach overlook him. I don't know how it all works in sports and with coaches, but most of it has never made any sense to me. And I never spoke up in his behalf.

Chris was a good solid student, he was liked by many, including his teachers, and one thing I love about Chris, is he has always had a tender heart for the underdog. He roots for those who get made fun of, and befriends them. He loves to laugh and he is my movie quoting pal, although it's rubbed off on everyone in our family.

Another thing I loved about my Christopher is that somewhere mid teens, he "figured it all out." He knew that if he could please mom, mom was more than happy to allow him to do things he wanted. Opposite of Andrew, Chris was not a messy. He complained for years when I came down on both of them as they shared a room about it being so messy. And then when we changed up the rooms, I found out it was true. He kept his room pretty clean. I would also come home from somewhere and find him cleaning everything in sight. Why? Well, he usually wanted something. And I usually let him. :-)

To our absolute joy, his senior year, he really had the chance to shine. I will forever be grateful to our principal and men's basketball coach, Mr. Hudson, for the confidence he had in Chris. And for the talent he saw and drew out of him. And for the confidence that it built in Chris. For the first time in his life, he started on a basketball team and played good portions of the game. His beautiful shot that he had worked on for years, became a strength to the team. I'll NEVER forget the game tying 3-pointer in the Ft Thomas game and his additional 8 points that won the game. It still brings tears to my eyes knowing that game gave him a boost of confidence he had previously unknown.





And all too soon, it was over. We wished like crazy that either Mr. Hudson had come a year earlier, or Chris had been a Junior and had another year with him, but life is that way sometimes. So, he went on to EAC like his older brother and enjoyed a few months of introductions with him, until he left on his mission. He joined an evening basketball class a few weeks after it started and within a month or so, the coaches who were assistants for EAC basketball asked him to try out. And to our amazement, asked him to be part of the team. We were all very excited for him as it had been something he had dreamed of and run through his mind many times. He only played here and there and for a few minutes, but as he prepared for his mission, they asked him to please come back after and see them. So, we will see what happens.

Then, off he went to work for the Summer, and off he went to be a missionary like his older brother. And it was wonderful that they got to spend two days before he went into the MTC being brothers and doing missionary work together.





We miss him greatly, but he is needed for a few more months where he is. We are so proud of the hard work he is doing, the strengths he is gaining, and the service to his family, his church, and the Lord and Savior who he testifies of. I am so grateful that Chris is one of the gifts in my life.

The gifts in my Life

I don't know about you, but I LOVE Christmas. The sounds, the smells, the excitement, the children, the music, the thoughtfulness, and the holiness that weaves it's threads through the whole thing. I love it all. I love Santa, and I have a feeling the joy of Santa will not be quite so lively in our house in the next few years as our last ones "figure it out." But we'll keep him alive anyway. Because I think Santa believes in Christ. He acts like Him, so that's what I choose to believe.

Christmas will be a lot less commercial in our home this year. And so, it lends itself to really thinking about, WHAT it's all about. I was reading a post on another blog about a father's love for his son, and it occurred to me the gifts that my children are to me.

So, I thought I would post a few things about each of the seven or more most beautiful gifts I've ever been given, and thank God for each day. One per post.



Andrew William was the first gift placed in my arms that made the title of Mother come to life. He was unexpectedly early, and so he was born in Salt Lake City instead of Provo. He's our tax baby because he was born on April 15. The heavens must have been smiling down on me, because when they sent me Andrew, they sent me a content baby. They must have known my background and history and thought they'd give me a break and a gentle introduction to motherhood.

He came early and fast (4 hours) and because of it had a cute little cone head with peach fuzz on top. Within a few weeks, he was sleeping through the night. He'd get up at 6am to eat and then go back to sleep until 9am. Yes, I was a spoiled brat. He had beautiful blue eyes, and did I say he was content? We thought he was the most beautiful baby on the planet. He didn't crawl until he was 10 months old. And he didn't walk until after 15 months. Since I was expecting the second gift at the time, I was worried I'd be carrying two babies around, but he came through at the last minute.

He was content to lay right where he was and play with his toys. As a toddler I could give him any regular household item and he would examine it and play with it for a long time. He'd play with my bowls in the kitchen, or the measuring spoons and cups, or lids and milk cartons.

As he grew, we found him to be very bright and he was usually very joyful and happy and loved his younger brother from early on, since they were less than 16 months apart. That love has only increased through the years and flows back and forth between them.



In some ways it's hard to think of Andrew without also thinking of his younger twin. But, I must. On the first day of kindergarten we dropped him off. I wondered how I'd feel. I'm sure I got a tear in my eye as he headed to Mrs. Merrell's class. He didn't look back once. He headed straight in with his little back pack on and shouldered his new opportunities like a little man. He once told Bret he had a brain and he wasn't afraid to use it. That was true. He called me regularly from school at home to tell me he had scouts or piano and not to forget. I had to finally ask him to please not call me anymore because I did remember where he needed to go. How dumb was that? I did not know how badly I'd miss those calls later!

He was very responsible in almost everything but cleaning his room. Over the years, he became a gifted pianist. I hope he never forgets that talent. As he grew into a teenager, I was surprised and delighted that our relationship blossomed much more into a great friend than my little boy son. Of course, there are times as a parent when you must keep the friendship at arm's length for discipline or teaching, but I loved our conversations on the way to Safford. I loved his zany sense of humor and I loved that I knew my boy loved me and loved his dad.

As lovable and perfect as he sounds, we also came to learn he was a natural messy. He can be stubborn, and back in the day, he did not always appreciate the strengths or weaknesses of his parents and knew for sure that he knew more than we did. Growing pains!

One of my favorite all time days in his life was this one.





It may seem an odd choice. But, I think he may have felt a little unappreciated by others until this day. It was Homecoming week. And he had been chosen for the junior class representative for Mr Wildkat. There was competition between the other classes. And he won Mr Wildkat as Napoleon Dynamite. The cheering was great, the well wishes were great. Winning was great. But I think it gave him a shot of confidence that will help him the rest of his life. I remember when we drove home that day, he excitedly said to me, "Mom, every girl in the school ran her fingers through my hair!" And we laughed all the way home. He went on to win Mr Wildkat his senior year too as Drewlander. :-)

Then he graduated and went off to college! Excuse me? Who said he could do that? And the impending year of waiting for him to turn 19 and go on a mission was torture! But, since I had begun working as a realtor and spent a lot of time in Safford, it was so nice when he'd pop in to visit. Or he'd come by the subdivision I sat at. Or we'd go to lunch just because. He called me frequently and I enjoyed this boy turning into a man.



For 19 years, we prepared for the day, and the day finally came that he went off into the world to be a missionary. How he was missed! But oh, how he grew. I mean, he grew. He's not skinny anymore! And he grew in depth. We sent away a funny, skinny, smart, responsible boy to the Utah, Ogden mission and when he came back less than two weeks ago, we got all that back, minus the skinny, and so much more. A son, now a man of depth, understanding, compassion, knowledge, wisdom, kindness, and I could go on and on. He's still hysterical. I look forward eagerly to the day in just over 9 months when my two boys who were often mistaken as twins, will be reunited. And I also look forward to Andrew's future. It's wide open with possibility. And I know he will embrace it all and make it great.

I'm so grateful for my first born son who taught me great things and brought me great blessings as his mother. He continues to and I love him so much. He was my first real gift. I love you Drew!

Oh hey, an update

So, we finished the flooring. Well, there are a few more little finishing touches and now we'll have to paint because we touched up the pain with the wrong color, but here is what it looks like now.