Fun Day at the POO

Ok, so it's been a while........and then some!

I don't even know where to start....hold on, thinking!

K, we'll do this...

I'll give you some quick background....the Nortons have been BUSY!!

Then I'm going to start with what we did

this weekend

and work backwards as I continue to go forward!

Normally, I'd say

"stuff it"

and just go from this point on...

but soooo much has happened,

I want to share!

So we moved.....

About a month ago.

That's what started this 'dry-spell'.

And in typical Texas fashion we did something I NEVER in a million years imagined I'd do,

or that I would be happy doing,

and actually really like doing!

Keeping in mind that in all this DOING it is so very temporary!

But I am now the happy Texas resident

of a cute lil mobile home on

Union Chapel Road!

Who woulda thunk it????

Not I!

I'm sure all my pals in Utahr and SoCal are conjuring up images galore.

Hahaha!

But here's the Readers Digest version......

So the Nortons were getting ready to move

and had it in our minds that we wanted to move our little clan into Austin

and no longer just be happy with residing on the

country outskirts of this great city!

We found a fabulous apartment complex.

Affordable, easily accessible, 3 pools, playgrounds, movie rooms, amazing gym,

and just down the road from downtown

and oodles and oodles of shopping and restaurants!

As excited as we were to think about this move....a part of us was also really sad to be leaving our friends and the amazing ward we were in.

Our moving date was approaching and I told the YW presidency in my ward after an activity one night that I would be moving.

The 1st counselor stepped away,

made a call to an old landlord,

and came back telling me there was a mobile home that would be coming up for rent

next week

and we could have it!

This was a place she had lived before she got into her first home out here and loved it!

Bottom line.....

the rent was over $200 cheaper, much closer to Chris' work, and kept us in the ward!!

It would have been sheer stupidity on our part to turn that down....

and since making the decision to stay

we have realized the blessing in all of this

every single day

since we've been here!

So much has happened since that fateful day!

Our car broke down.

On the last trip the day we moved.

The ward rallied to help.

We still have 95% of our belongings in a storage unit in California.

The ward rallied again.

Our electricity was accidentally turned off for 24 hours.

The ward continued on it's rally.

While my car was getting fixed by a friend of a member...who isn't charging us a thing and claims to just 'really' enjoy working on cars.....

I had friends offer rides, offer cars, offer babysitting.

Until this weekend we didn't have a washer and dryer...

and it was the same thing all over again.

Friends would show up and grab a load.

Let me come to their homes and do a load.

Offer to watch my kids while I run and do 6 loads.

Every single day since we've made the decision to stay in this ward

we have felt love like I've never experienced before

from our

Texas family!

And if living in a mobile home is keeping us here...then by-golly, we're doing it!

Besides, it's fun!

And it's only temporary!

We know where we want to call 'home' now and can't wait to start looking for a house!

We've been here almost a year.....and not one day has gone by that I haven't felt that this place is exactly where the Norton's need to be right now!

I've never regretted the move here.

I've never wanted to leave.

And as different as it's been...I've loved it and know there's a reason we came!

Finding it is going to be the fun part!

So here we are

in bee-autiful Cedar Creek, Texas

and from this point on I will continue my epistle!

(side note: I bet Mormon woulda made one heck of a blogger!!)

Anyhoo.....

Onward Christian Soldier.

Saturday we took the lil Norts to the poo!

I realized today it's gotten a few degrees funner and many more degrees less terrifying to have 3 kids under 5 at the pool!

Last year was nuts!

Now that I look back!

How we survived...I'll never know!

But this weekend was a blast!

Ryan has turned into a fish overnight and grown fins and gills...I'm sure of it!

Logan has learned that water is only her friend

if

she listens to mommy and daddy and obeys the basic laws of physics.

And Phoenix is a hoot!

Here's the wet lil monkey now!

I wrapped a water noodle around my body

with just enough space for him to fit down in front and take control.

He just giggled and laughed

the entire time I cruised him around the pool!

Last summer he was between 3 and 6 months old!

What a change!

Logan....being, well, Logan!

Our future Olympian!
What on earth is she thinking about???

Hitch'n a ride......

Dad was so done with the 'photo shoot'.....

but Logan was just gett'n 'warmed up'!

This girl has the personality of 14 circus clowns!

Ry-ry trying to figure out why

she can't float on the noodle as well as she was in the big pool!

?????

Um, maybe cuz your in a whole 12 inches of water now!

One of my most favorite pics.....

Bubs and Daddy having 'guy time'!

Trying to convince Logan that it is in fact

time to go.

Summer has arrived in Texas......

let the fun begin!!