Easter 2016

This year for Easter we were invited over to Chris and Tamara's new home for dinner, egg hunt, and a short video about the Resurrection. Others who were there were Dad and Laverne, Gma and Gpa Norton, Nathan and kids (Melissa was in Utah recovering from surgery), and friends of Chris and Tamara. Afterwards we played a game called Pie Face (I think) that mom and dad brought over. It was fun but honestly not my favorite when it includes getting hit in the face with food, ha ha! On Saturday we decorated eggs at home.

Charlotte's first time coloring eggs. It's hard when they're little and they want to do it themselves!

This year we did our coloring the old fashioned way, or the way Curtis and I did when we were kids. Food coloring, water and vinegar in mugs versus buying the store bought kits.

Egg hunt in Chris and Tammy's back yard.

This year Nikki and Ellie hid all the eggs. They made sure that a few of them were impossible for the younger kids to find so that they could have some for themselves. Can't believe how fast they're growing up!

Here's the Pie Face game. Charlotte's wondering what daddy is doing.

Garrett put on some goggles. Smart thinking!

Poor Jack should have been wearing goggles! 

Posing for a picture but she did not want to play!

The kids enjoyed licking off the whipping cream from their faces.

Our New Family Member

After 2 1/2 weeks of looking we found a cat to adopt! We were disappointed twice when two free kittens were taken before we had a chance but this last week we found a cat for a reasonable price ($35) and decided to inquire about her.  She is 1 1/2 yrs old, fixed, and litter box trained. Those were the main things we were looking for when adopting a kitty (young, fixed, and litter box trained, and short haired). I sent an email asking those questions and was excited to find that she was all those things plus she is good with kids. She is also loving and cuddly but likes to do her own thing. So I asked if we could come see her on Thursday evening. I thought about going during the day and adopting the cat before the kids got home from school to surprise them but decided it would be better if at least Nikki went with me.

When the kids got home from school we decided to eat a quick dinner, go to the boy's school for the books and cookies fundraiser to get some new books, and then head to Boise right after to go meet this cat. Curtis got home from school before we left for Boise so we swung by and picked him up. And it's a good thing we did! I'll tell you why in a minute. On the way over we spent most of the time talking about different names we might give the cat if we didn't like the one it already had. There were Harry Potter names, ice cream flavors, candy bars, desert names (since after all, we live in a desert), and some of the usual cat names. Then I finally said why don't we wait until we know what the cat's name is first just in case we like the name already.

Nikki, Jack, and I were the first ones to go into the house. We didn't want to overwhelm the people living there or the cat with bringing our whole family in at the same time. After a few minutes Jack went and sent Garrett in. When the people tried to catch the cat so that we could pet her we found out that her name was Sage. That was one of the names we had brought up on the ride over! Sage was scared at first but once we were finally able to pet her she warmed up to us. The kids had earned some money doing yard work or Grandma Norton a few weeks ago so they put their money together to pay for her. We were very fortunate because she came with her cat food, dishes, collar, cat tree, litter box, and litter. That was a great deal!

Our little Sage kitty. I can't believe I got such a good shot of her. She's just like a toddler and moves quickly!

Sage was still scared and skittish so we had the owner bring her out to the car for us. We were going to hand her to Nikki to carry on the ride home since we don't have a carrying box but Sage got very anxious. Curtis had taken her from the owner and was going to hand her over to Nikki but she wanted to jump out of his arms. We then decided that it would be best if he held onto her until we got in the van and closed the doors. Poor Sage freaked out as soon as he got in the van. She hit her head hard when trying to escape through the closed window and then as I was getting in and closing the driver's door (I drove) she scurried across the dash board trying to get through my window which was also closed. Curtis was able to grab her and decided he better hold onto her until we got home. She was tense most of the way home. Poor thing!

She wanted to hide when we first got home so we closed all the doors to the rooms that had beds so she wouldn't hide under them. It took a little while but she finally warmed up and started exploring the house. Each day she gets a little more comfortable but I try to keep her off of our beds. Amazingly she had made it to the top bunk where Jack sleeps. I had to get her down quickly since Jack is our allergy boy. Jack has a little redness under one eye but I'm not sure if that's from the cat being here or if it's from something else. It's not getting worse and it's only a little swollen, barely even noticeable. I've also noticed a little redness on Charlotte's forehead sometimes but again not sure if that's the cat or something else. Most of the time she seems fine. That's all I've noticed with possible allergic reactions. So far so good.  We are all loving her!

Charlotte photo bombed!

I thought this shot looked cool.

She was exploring the house.

She loves looking out the window. One time she saw our neighbor's two dogs outside across the street and started growling at them. She was stressed out with living with several dogs that scared her. I think now she's enjoying being here without worrying about dogs.

Sage is getting used to us and feeling more at home. Nikki has been able to pick her up and hold her for a minute without her jumping out of her arms. Nikki also made a couple of toys for Sage made from yarn and objects such as fake feathers, bells, and a rolled up sock. Even Charlotte has fun pulling the string around to play with her. She is a fun and loving addition to our home and we're just hoping and praying that the allergic reactions will stay to a minimum and that maybe the kids who are allergic will become used to them. It's been known to happen!

Saturday Excursion

Saturday morning was some fun time with my kids. First thing at 9 a.m. was a kids workshop at The Home Depot where they could build something for free. The project for the day was a small wagon. They all loved it!  Nikki was a bit embarrassed before we started though because she felt she was too old to be doing something like this. She tried asking if she could just help the boys with their projects but I told her she would like it and just to make the wagon for her sister Charlotte. Afterwards, she said she was glad she did it and that it was better than she thought.  I mean, how often do you get to build something with a hammer and nails? I think the boys didn't really know what to expect before the project but they sure loved doing it! Garrett and Nikki did most of theirs on their own while I helped Jack. Charlotte stayed her in stroller for half the time but she got squirmy and fussy so I had to let her out. We were working on the lumber aisle so we used some boards for our hammering table. Charlotte kept climbing onto the boards and crawling all over. She also tried to get in and help Jack and I with his project but it was too much. I was able to get her to stand and watch for a little bit before she got bored. There were a few times where she took off trying to go explore. There were a lot of people there doing the project so it scared me a little when she disappeared the first time because I couldn't see her. She even got her fingers into the paint. After cleaning ourselves up I was able to get her back into the stroller so it would be easier to get her to the car. Charlotte just loves to go everywhere on her own!

I think this was Jack's first time using a real hammer and nails. He was pretty happy!

Working on her wagon (Charlotte's).

Kids give me the funniest faces when  tell them to look at me for the picture. Garrett was really loving this project and did most of it on his own!

Even Charlotte got to use the hammer....without the nails though!

They had stickers you could put on your wagon and paint. Nikki opted out on the stickers and did all paint. She mixed the red, white, and blue they had for us and made purple. She even painted the wheels!  Charlotte loves her wagon and has been pulling some of her stuffed animals around in it since she saw the boys do the same with theirs.

The boys did stickers but Jack later decided to paint the inside of his wagon different colors (using the red, white, and blue).

Garrett didn't want any paint and he was so happy with it even though he glued and nailed one of the wheel axles on slightly crooked. The wagon just likes to turn a little but it still works!

After the workshop I took the kids over to the Karcher Mall to go look at the pet shop. We were mostly wanting to see if they had any cats, which they didn't. With much reluctance I have decided to try letting the kids have a pet cat. So we were on the hunt for a good one. I would like to find one with short hair though. The main reluctance I had with getting a cat is the fact that Nikki and Jack both have allergic reactions when they pet a cat and rub their eyes without washing hands first. We're hoping that maybe it will help them get used to it but only time will tell. Nikki is the one that is really pushing it and will even be helping to buy the cat or anything it needs. She recently earned some money from doing yard work for her great grandparents (as did the boys). I also hope this will teach her more responsibility since the cat will pretty much be her cat. She'll be in charge of cleaning up after it, etc. 

Anyway, after looking at the pet shop we walked down to the pretzel shop for a snack. We had to wait a little bit because they had just opened and didn't have anything baked yet. So we sat on the benches and munched on crackers I had brought. After about 10-15 minutes we were able to purchase 2 big pretzels and share them. They were so yummy! 

After pretzels we walked back down by the pet store where they had ride on and candy machines. I gave each of the kids a quarter to spend on either a ride or candy. Nikki did candy of course. Charlotte and Garrett rode a ride together. And after much deliberation Jack went with candy but posed for a picture on one of the rides.

Jack in the space ship.

Garrett and Charlotte rode on a multi colored elephant.

Garrett was wearing his cowboy boots so I told him he had to get a picture on the horse. Too bad he didn't have his hat! And the horse was blue and orange. Go Broncos!

After the mall we went to Zamzows to see if they had cats. They didn't but I was able to pick up some Thrive to apply to our new tree that we planted last year, as well as other plants. We then went to Petco where they did have 3 cats. They were asking $40 (normally $50) for an adoption fee but I just wasn't really liking the ones I saw. I know it's mostly going to be Nikki's cat but I want to get a cat that I'll like too so I'm being picky. And the thing is, these cats actually came from Pet Haven, which is the animal shelter for cats in Nampa. We tried stopping by there on the way home but apparently Pet Haven is remodeling and won't be open until at least this Tuesday. We at least got to see some cats in the window. 

When we finally got home I decided to look on craigslist again for any new cats. The week before we had found a cat that we were interested in but after getting no reply from email we find the ad was deleted so it must have been adopted already. Well, we found a cat yesterday that both Nikki and I fell in love with that would have been free but unfortunately I was too slow. When I called the lady said someone else was going to come look at the cat later and that she would call if they didn't want the cat. Well, she texted me an hour or so later and said they took the cat. We were so bummed!  I also forgot to mention that we did go look at a cat my friend Whitney was willing to give us but we weren't really sure and wanted to look around first after we went over there, which she was fine with.  So the search is on!  Waiting to find the right cat! I'm just a little picky. And yes we want them to be fixed and litter boxed trained so we won't have to do it. Honestly, I've waited this long to try having a cat again. It can wait a little longer if necessary.

Well, it made for a fun excursion Saturday morning with the kids. The only thing that could have made it better is if Curtis could have joined us. But alas, he was stuck at home doing homework. So proud of all of his hard work and dedication! At least Curtis and I were able to go on a date that night. We went to Pita Pit for dinner and then drove around the country side dreaming about our future home. Then went home and watched a movie with the kids. Fun times!

Student Awards

I'm proud to say that this year all three of my school aged children have received recognition awards. At the boy's school each class chooses 2 students each month to receive an award for whichever character trait the whole school was working on that month. In September Garrett won the Good Character Award for Respect. I was especially happy that he won this and at the beginning of the year because last year he did not get one but Nikki and Jack did. Last year I assumed that once a student received an award that that was it for them, so as to give other students a chance, but I found out that someone I know that was in Garrett's class had won awards on two separate months. So I was a little frustrated. What made it even better though was that he won this award in the month of his birthday. What a great gift!

And what a coincidence that Jack would also win an award in the month of his birthday, February! He earned the Good Character Award for Honesty. The funny thing was that on the way home after school the day he earned the award he asked "Mom, what is honesty?".  Well, I'm glad he was being honest even though he wasn't sure what it was!

He was also wearing a frog hat he made at school that day.

Lastly, a couple of days ago (March 4th) I received a phone call from Nikki in the morning when she was at school. At first I'm thinking oh great she's sick again because she's been sick quite a bit this year but then she tells me she's in the principal's office. What?!! Did she get hurt? Did she actually get into a fight with someone?  Not Nikki, she couldn't have!  She's not a trouble maker! 

With a little concern in my voice I ask "why?". Between her speaking softly and my bad phone signal I had to ask why several times because I couldn't understand what she had said. Finally, I hear "Mom, I got student of the week."  What a relief it was to hear those words and a proud moment at the same time! I think she had said that she got to go somewhere with the other winners and the principal to get food or something but I'm not sure. I forgot to ask her when she got home.  But I'm so proud of each of my kids and the good examples that they are to their peers and friends! 

I don't know if she brought home an actual certificate for the award so I just found a picture of her that I took recently so I have at least something to show for her.