Norton Pics and Vids

Emily's 8th Birthday

2008-09-13T11:32:00.003-04:00

The family had a good time on Emily's 8th Birthday Party. Highlights included:

Burning 4 racks of Baby Back Ribs (REALLY burnt - bone crumbling)
Walking into the pool with my cell in my pocket (it's toast)
Swimming
Eating
Modeling

Good times.

Coming Up

2008-05-18T12:17:00.001-04:00

Hopefully, once we got this moving thing under control and school finally lets out, I'll be able to post some more -

Coming up in....

Parties and Pictures:
Alec's 12th birthday party
Nicholas 12th birthday party
Bob's birtday
St. Mark Derby Day
Emily, Rebecca and Kathy at the Legends Game

Norton's News, Notes 'n' Nonsense:
Updates on the new house
Updates on my job hunt
Kids riding their bikes
Jim and Diane visit
St. Mark Middle School Play

My Catholic Reflections:
Emily's First Holy Communion
Gifts of the Holy Spirit Series
Fruits of the Holy Spirit Series
Favorite Catholic Podcasts and Videocasts

Principal's Pokes and Ponderings:
Family Fun Night II: Aloha Style
Reflection on my tenure at Madison County Alternative and Day Treatment Programs

St. Mark Christmas Program: 2007

2007-12-28T11:48:00.001-05:00

Videos From the Past: Stewart Family Reunion, August 9, 1997

2007-12-16T20:33:00.000-05:00

Videos From the Past: Christmas in Cincinnati 1997

2007-12-15T22:49:00.000-05:00

Kids in 2007 Christmas Parade

2007-12-01T12:38:00.000-05:00

Nicholas is running in front of the truck.
Rebecca is the "giant peanut butter pattie"
Emily is in the back of the truck.
Kathy makes an appearance at the very end.

Pics of Cold Kids

2007-02-21T15:09:00.000-05:00

Click here to see some pics of the kids playing in the snow.

Kids playing in the snow

2007-02-19T14:58:00.000-05:00

Bunch of small clips strung together of the kids playing in the snow.

2006 St. Mark Christmas Program

2006-12-22T09:06:00.000-05:00

Here's a short video of the kids in last night's school Christmas Program.

February is for Nicholas

2006-12-20T10:12:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Nicholas for having his artwork selected for the month of February on the 2007 Litter Calendar. Click here for the story in the Richmond Register.

The fact that his grandfather created and was in charge of the calendar had no bearing on his getting in. The artwork was judged by community leaders.

Happy Birthday!

2006-12-14T15:18:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my wife, Kathy. Today she celebrates four decades of being alive!

Holy Father, please bless Kathy. Help her to have a great year and grow in Your grace. Thank you for letting us know Kathy. Help us all grow in love and faith. Help us all to praise You and give You glory through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rebecca's Birthday Dinner and Party: YouTube Video

2006-11-25T15:26:00.000-05:00

Referee with a flare!

2006-10-03T17:13:00.000-04:00


Who did the fans REALLY come to see?

Kids' School Pictures

2006-10-03T16:50:00.000-04:00

Nicholas 2006-2007 School Picture - 5th grade

Rebecca 2006-2007 School Picture - 2nd grade

Emily 2006-2007 School Picture - 1st grade

Soccer Lessons

2006-09-01T16:15:00.000-04:00

I haven't been posting lately because the beginning of the school year has hit us like brick. With Kathy working as the cafeteria manager at the kiddos' school, and with me being at the beginning of the school year, we haven't had much time for anything but eating and sleeping (and not much time for those, either).

I have mentioned in past postings that Nicholas is playing soccer for his school's middle school this year, even though he is in 5th grade. Practice and games have taken up every other day and the weekends lately. However, this evening's game made me the most proud.

Keeping in mind that Nicholas is in the 5th grade and he's playing for a middle school team, he doesn't get much playing time. He averages 5 minutes at the end of each half if he is lucky. He doesn't seem to mind, and we have encouraged a "team player" mentality when it comes to sports. God bless him if he has inherited his dad's athletic ability.

Tonight's game was his crowning moment so far this season. And he didn't even play. There was anotherplayer who locked his uniform in the school today and was unable to play. Recognizing that this other player was an intergral part of the team, Nicholas offered his jersey and cleats to this other player so he could play. The coaches didn't ask him, the players didn't ask him. I truly believe that he knew that sacrificing himself would benefit the team. I actually was angry when I saw the other player with his jersey, until I found out it was a selfless act initiated by Nicholas himself.

Whay do we have our kids play sports? To learn teamwork? To learn sportsmanship? To learn empathy? Nicholas seems to have learned all that already. He didn't score a goal. He didn't block a goal. He didn't even play - but according to his coach, he was the hero of the game.

Techno Geek Collaboration with Bobby and Zoo's Icam

2006-08-08T14:43:00.000-04:00

Before we went to the Zoo, I was IMing Bobby and he said how much he wished he could go the zoo with us. I had found a Rhino and Gorilla Icam on the web when I was searching for zoo information. I told him about it, and in using it we found that you can zoom in on the observation deck at the rhino exhibit. So naturally.....

When we got to the rhino exhibit (about 4:30) I called Bobby. He got on the Rhino Icam and zoomed in on us, captured the page, and cropped the inamge in Photoshop. Pretty cool, eh? Anyway, here's a slideshow of what he took.

The Cincinnati Zoo: August 4, 2006

2006-08-08T14:28:00.000-04:00

Two slideshow sets:
Animals at the Cincinnati Zoo (28 pics about 2.5 MB)
Family pics at the Zoo (24 pics about 2 MB)

Newport Aquarium - August 3, 2006

2006-08-04T00:00:00.001-04:00

Check out this slideshow of the Newport Aquarium.

Wildwood Inn - August 2006

2006-08-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

Slideshow of Wildwood Inn "Tropical Dome".

Kings Island 2006

2006-06-22T11:38:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of our annual trip to Paramount Kings Island yesterday. Melissa, Papa and the boys were at Boomerang Bay when we got there, so they aren't in most of these pictures. We had great weather (90 with overcast, little humidity and no rain) and the lines were short (we walked on most rides). Great time!

RiverSweep

2006-06-19T13:06:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday, June 17, the family and I help my father-in-law, Bob Rasmusson, with this year's RiverSweep. It's an annual thing we do to help clean up the Kentucky River and its banks. The effort of so many volunteers has really paid off. Each year there seems to be less and less trash to pick up.

The kids have fun playing on the beach and getting a few rays, though.

Check out the slideshow with some more pictures.

Read the Richmond Register's newspaper article about the event.

Rebecca's New Brownie Picture

2006-06-14T08:26:00.000-04:00

Just received Rebecca's pictures from Brownies. Ain't she cute?

Alec makes front page

2006-06-11T14:06:00.000-04:00

Check out Alec on the front of the Richmond Register, August 9, 2006.

Pictures from the Past: Kings Island 2005

2006-06-09T11:26:00.000-04:00

Here is a slideshow of some pictures I took when we went to King's Island last summer.

The reason I post this is because Todd and his family are coming in this month, and we are all going to Kings Island on the 21st. More pictures to follow!

First Movie in 2 Years

2006-06-06T21:27:00.000-04:00

Kathy and I took the girls to see Over the Hedge this evening. Nicholas was spending th night at a friend's house and we had some movie bucks the kids got for Christmas in 2004....so...

Really a cute movie. Go see it.

Old Video

2006-06-03T18:25:00.000-04:00

Here's an old video I put together in 1998 of Nicholas when he was just two years old. I had an iMac and some digitizing equipment at my school, so I took some analog of Nicholas, put the clips together and added some titles. Much more work than it is now, eight years later.

A Day Out

Memorial Day 2006

2006-05-28T21:07:00.000-04:00

A slideshow (yes more Slip-n-Slide shots) from mom and dad's house on Memorial Day 2006. The SnS is Alec and Michael's (they got it for their birthday).

Here's some video:

Tryin' Out the Slip-n-Slide - May 27, 2006

2006-05-27T18:33:00.000-04:00

Here's a slideshow of the kids trying out the Slip-n-Slide Nicholas got for his birthday. As a bonus, I'm including a few videos as well.

Video #1

Video #2

Video #3

2006 Safety Fair

2006-05-13T14:31:00.000-04:00

Just posting these pictures from the 2006 Madison County Safety Fair. Here are some slideshows:

Nicholas on the rockwall

Rebecca on the rockwall

General Safety Fair pictures

Easter 2006

2006-04-24T17:00:00.000-04:00

Check out this slideshow of a few Easter pics

Dinosaur Museum!

2006-03-24T15:18:00.000-05:00

This is the 4th Dinosaur Museum I have been to at St. Mark School. Nicholas in Pre-K, Rebecca in Pre-K and Kinder, and now Emily in Kinder. It is such a great opportunity for those students to showcase what they know and for parents to share in the rich learning environment that is a Catholic school.

What are you - a carnivore, omnivore or herbivore? I think I have become more of an herbivore since the Episode! Here is a slideshow of Emily and her classmates ( I blurred the nametags to protect the innocent).

Emily Loses First Tooth

2006-03-23T17:18:00.000-05:00

Check it out here.

Papa's 64th Birthday!

2006-03-18T08:27:00.000-05:00

Everyone gathered at my folks' house last night for cake and ice cream to celebrate my dad's 64th birthday. That's right, he was born a leprechaun (or at least on St. Patrick's day). I cannot remember a birthday celebration of his that did not include green. For comparrison, see photos of the "Big Bash" mom had for him 4 years ago. Here's a slideshow with some more pics.

A Visit to the Animal Shelter

2006-03-17T12:28:00.000-05:00

St. Mark's Scouts visited the Madison County Animal Shelter yesterday as part of a service project they are doing. They were able to learn about the shelter and visit with the animals. Kathy helped chaperone and had the girls tagging along. You can see their pictures in this slideshow.

New Pet

2006-03-16T18:07:00.000-05:00

Rebecca and Benji look into the new critter's cage. We took a guinea pig from Rebecca's 1st grade teacher when she received all A+ on her report card this nine weeks. Rebecca named him Nibbles. I think Benji thinks he's Kibbles.

Father and Daughter Dance

2006-03-05T11:16:00.000-05:00

St. Mark School had its annual Father Daughter Dance on Saturday night, March 4, 2006. Emily, Rebecca and I had a great time spinning and dipping. Both at the same time! I think this is going to be an annual event for us! Click here for the slideshow.

Blue and Gold Banquet

2006-03-03T10:49:00.000-05:00

Some pictures of Pack 118's Blue and Gold Banquet on Wednesday, March 2, 2006 in St. Mark School's cafeteria. Click here for the slideshow.

Pictures From The Past: Papa's 60th Birthday Slideshow

2006-02-26T22:18:00.000-05:00

This Simpleviewer slideshow showcases my dad's 60th birthday party at his house in March, 2002.

All pictures taken by my uncle, Rick Norton.

Pictures From The Past: An Outing with Grandma and Papa

2006-02-26T21:19:00.000-05:00

This picture was actually taken by my mom. Nicholas and Rebecca went out with them to get some pumpkins and go sight-seeing around the county.

This picture was taken October 6, 2001 near Silver Creek.

Pictures From The Past: Double Exposre

2006-02-26T20:57:00.000-05:00

The left picture was taken April 2, 1999 when Rebecca was 4 months old. The right picture was taken in September, 1996 of Nicholas when he was 4 months old. Same bouncer. Boy, they wore that door frame out!

Pictures From The Past: Nicholas Climbing the Fridge

2006-02-26T20:35:00.000-05:00

New idea - in between current pictures and parties, I'll be posting pictures I took with a "real" camera (before I had a digital) and scanned in.

Today's Picture From The Past is from March 4, 1999, when we still lived in Hopkinsville. Nicholas is climbing the fridge, something he did regularly as is evident from all the "fridge stuff" on the freezer door where he couldn't reach them. Until he began to scale Mt. Fridge!

Snow Today

2006-02-11T12:17:00.000-05:00

Snow Today
Originally uploaded by dachano.

Pictures from Thanksgiving 2005

2006-01-26T09:27:00.000-05:00

I have decided to use Simple Viewer to post pictures on this site. It allows me to utilize Picassa and create a web slide show. Pretty neat.

Here's a sample from Thanksgiving 2005

Climbing Trees

2005-11-27T10:13:00.000-05:00

A friend and Nicholas in a tree.

Happy Halloween!

2005-11-01T15:54:00.000-05:00

Here are the pumpkins (Jack-O-Lanterns) the kids did on Halloween Eve and the costumes they wore last night:

Nicholas did Darth Maul to go with his costume as a Jedi Knight.

Rebecca did a cat to go with her costume as a Fashion Cat.

Emily did a butterfly because she liked it. She dressed as Strawberry Shortcake.

Stewart Family Reunion

2005-09-24T20:40:00.000-04:00

I have posted pictures on this blog before (thus the name of the blog), but I'd like to restrict the access to pictures now.

We went to a family reunion for my mom's side of the family today in Ohio. Nicholas and I took some really neat pictures. If you would like to see them, please leave a comment requesting the password to this folder. Or if you would like, you may email me at dnorton@teacher.com and I'll send the password to you.

Here's a slideshow

There are pictures of people who may not want strangers looking at them.

A Picture for Katrina Victims

2005-09-11T14:00:00.000-04:00

Rebecca drew this picture for the victims of Katrina because her 1st grade teacher, Ms. Bowes said she and the rest of the class should do something to make those people feel better. She wanted to photocopy 100's of pictures and send them, but I said I'd post it here so everyone in the world could see it. Click on it for a larger view.

Todd is 36!!!

2005-09-07T21:16:00.000-04:00

Today is Todd's birthday. He is 36 today. Todd is my 1st younger brother and is a Deputy in San Diego. Here is a picture of him "pulling over" Jimmie Johnson (of Lowe's NASCAR fame) and giving him a "ticket".

Todd said that Jimmie is really a great guy and was pomoting a Lowe's Grand Opening.

Pops in the Park

2005-09-02T21:55:00.000-04:00

Went to the annual Pops in the Park event at White Hall State Shrine on the August 26th. Not as good as years past; the music sounded off and the turnout was low initially. After a 3-4 weeks of heat and and no rain, people wondered if the off and on rain the previous three days was going to be enough to allow the finale firework display. It happened, though and the kids seemed to have fun. That's the important thing.

Emily's First Day Of School

2005-08-17T12:33:00.000-04:00

Today Was Emily's first day of school at St. Mark. She is in Mrs. Maupin's afternoon Kinder class and was very excited. We have had some separation problems with her in the past, the most notably being this summer at VBS. However, with her staying with my mom in the morning while Kathy is working in the school's kitchen twice a week, Emily seems to fair pretty well.

This is a milestone not only for her, but for us as a family. She is last of us to enter school (unless Kathy or I decide to take classes at EKU). "All out babies are in school."

Of all three, I think Emily is the best prepared and most advanced at this age. We thought Nicholas was a genius at four, but Emily, in keeping up with the other two is right up there.

Congrats to Emily! Have a great year!

Trailhead Cabin

2005-07-18T13:36:00.000-04:00

Our main vacation this summer was to a friend's cabin at Cliffview Resort. We had a great time being together for a week! Just being able to relax, go fishing and not be on a schedule was terrific. The kids want it to be an annual thing. I'd like to do that as well. Check out some of the pictures.

Celebrating Memorial Day

2005-05-31T16:40:00.000-04:00

My family celebrated Memorial Day yesterday by working in the yard, grilling and spending time together. We were thankful that we know no one fighting in the Middle East. I don't recall having any family who have died as a result of being in a war. We are very thankful.

I did spend some time ponderring how I would react if my son or daughters were killed while in the service. I know I cannot ever know the terrible loss a parent must feel when they lose a child - but it must be extremely horrendus.

Thank you to all those who have served and lived or given their lives for my freedom.

In the Sprinkler on Memorial Day

2005-05-30T16:22:00.000-04:00

Emily in Spinkler

Rebecca chillin

Kiddos getting wet

2005-05-30T16:16:00.000-04:00

Beer Can Chicken on Memorial Day

2005-05-10T17:57:00.001-04:00

Make a Wish!

2005-05-10T17:57:00.000-04:00

The Darth Cake

2005-05-10T17:56:00.001-04:00

Rebecca says, "Open Mine"

2005-05-10T17:56:00.000-04:00

Emily and Grandma (Gail)

2005-05-10T17:55:00.001-04:00

Rebecca

2005-05-10T17:55:00.000-04:00

Melissa, Alec and Uncle Randy

2005-05-10T17:53:00.000-04:00

Starting the opening

Nicholas 9th Birthday

2005-05-10T17:42:00.000-04:00

Nicholas celebrated his 9th birthday at home with family on April 30, 2005. His birthday, though is May 5th.

In attendance were his mom and me (Kathy and Darren), his sisters (Rebecca and Emily), Papa and Grandma (Charlie and Anne), Grandpa and Grandma (Bob and Gail), Uncle Randy and Aly, and Aunt Melissa and Alec.

The theme was "Star Wars" with a "dark side" cake from Dairy Queen.

We had cold cuts, snacks, chips, dip, etc.

Check out the pics. He got some really cool stuff.