Our boy is growing up

Kyle has been asking for several months if he could please get a suit. He has been looking forward to this so much. I can't believe how happy is was to get a suit, but more so the Jacket. He just beamed from ear to ear yesterday when he was able to wear it to church. In fact Saturday evening at bedtime I overheard him tell Nathan that he couldn't wait to go to church. Boy how times have changed. He was so proud to wear his new suit and he looked great in it. I think you can see by the picture that he was feeling pretty good lookin'. We only had a few moments to get a picture. I'll have to try next sunday to get a picture with just Kyle. I'm so proud of him.

The Cast

Well....Nathan went to the orthopedic doctor today and they put a cast on his hand. He is a little out of sorts right now. Concerned how he is going to write at school and do baths and things. I'm sure time will prove itself that it's really not all that bad. It's just going to take some getting used to. We have to go back in a week for another set of x-rays to make sure it's setting properly and if everything is still fine, then we will return in 4 or 5 more weeks for the removal.

Puppy Love

Back to Granny's we went this past Saturday. My sister's family was all there for my brother-in-law's grandfather's funeral. So we went up for it as well. My sister got a new puppy for their family and he is so cute. His name is Cooper. I think he's about 9 weeks old and was a lot bigger than I thought he'd be. He was still so much fun to play with. The kids had a blast. Now all we hear is...."When can we get a dog?" I think we'll just go visit Cooper more often.

Sticks & Stones may break my bones....and Nerf Footballs too

Well it's official. Nathan is the first Branch to have a broken bone. He was at school on Wednesday playing football with his friends. They were using a "Nerf" football, so you'd think everything would be okay. It must have just caught him right. He was trying to catch the ball and it hit him really hard and bent his finger back or jammed it or something. He was in a lot of pain and went to the nurses office at school. They gave him some ice and sent him back to class. It was at the end of the day, but by the time he got home his finger & hand was really swollen. I called the school nurse and she suggested getting a splint at the pharmacy for it. Robert and I both thought that it was just a really bad sprain, but the next day when I took Nathan back to school, the school nurse took a look at it and suggested that I take him to get some x-rays. I thought "you've got to be kidding". But I thought better safe than sorry. Sure enough after we got the x-rays it was confirmed. Nathan broke his pinky finger on his right hand. Was I ever glad that I took him in for x-rays. Now we have to wait until tomorrow (tuesday) to see the Orthopedic Dr. I don't think they will do anything more than what we've done and that is to splint the finger. We'll see though.

Another one "BITES" the dust

Well..... another tooth "BITES" the dust at our house. Last night Kayla's second baby tooth came out. She is so thrilled. She got up this morning showing me that she has gotten bigger(grown overnight) because of it. She is measuring herself up against everything. She is so sweet.

When she lost her first tooth she was so excited and kept holding it and holding it. We tried to warn her of the impending possibility of it becoming lost. We put it in a ziploc bag to try to protect it, but she knew better (right?). Well...within minutes of the happy event, there was complete sadness through the whole family as Kayla couldn't find her tooth to leave for the tooth fairy. We all searched and searched but no luck finding the tooth.

Nathan is so sweet. He quietly went into the kitchen and wrote the sweetest letter to the tooth fairy on behalf of Kayla.

This is what it said.....and no I didn't spell the words wrong. That's how he spelled them in the letter. I think it makes it all the more endearing.

Dear Tooth Fairy,
Kayla lost her tooth. She was going to put it under her pellow for you to come, but when she opened it, it was gone. So she is rilly sad that she lost her tooth and I was wondring if you could still leave something for her.
Thanks

Nathan is so sweet and so very thoughtful. He melts my heart on a daily basis with his kindness towards others.

Thanks Nathan for always being so thoughtful and kind.

SMORES

Who doesn't love a good smore on a cold day by a warm fire. Well at Granny's house we have them on cold days around a warm fire and even on hot summer days sometimes. But this trip was a cold winter day and a great fire in Papa's shed. My dad built a shed where he could keep his tools and things. He put a Pot Belly Stove in the shed and Granny has made it into our Marshmallow Roasting Stove. The kids absolutely love and look forward to making smores with Granny.

Nathan loves to help cut the wood for the fire and Kyle is so very helpful with starting the fire. Kyle reminds me that he is a "Boy Scout" and knows how to start a fire. And then of course they're all great helpers when it comes to eating the smores. Great childhood memories are made at Granny's house.

Thanks Granny, we all love you.

Thank Heaven the cousins have a Quad

This weekend Robert was gone out of town for work, so I decided to load up the kids and head to my mothers house to visit. Everytime I tell the kids that we are going to Granny's then Kyle has to ask "Can we go to Joy & Ladd's to ride their Quad?" He just about drives you crazy with the question over and over. He absolutely loves riding them. My cousin is always so nice to let him and Nathan take turns ridding it around by their house. The live on the top of a hill and have lots of room to ride it. Kayla also is not to be left out. She gets her turn in as well. Usually Robert takes her, but since he wasn't here, Kyle stepped in to help out. Mommy surely wasn't going to get on it. No thanks.






Nathan riding the Quad






Kyle and Kayla on the Quad. Kyle lives to be on a Quad. He lives and breaths these machines. He wants us to get one so he can ride around our backyard. I don't think so.....

FALL.......Finally?

I know for those of you who don't live in Arizona, your leaves probably fell long ago. But for us here, at least at my house, the leaves are just beginning to fall. There were finally enough to rake into a pile and have some fun with.

Never Mind....I think.....

I think after many, many hours (which probably could've been better spent) I've finally started to get the hang of this. I'm sure more changes will come later. I found a web sit that gives directions of how to do this. I'm working it out slowly but surely.


Be kind with any comments on the new design. Remember I've just started.

Can anyone help

I would really like to change the background on my blog page, but haven't been able to figure out how to do that. Can anyone give me a crash course in it?

Kayla's new friend.....Kisses

For Christmas Kayla got a trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop. Just the girls (Mom & Kayla) went Saturday and had a wonderful time. Kayla was so excited to bring a new friend home for Leopard. Although now I think i've really created a monster. Last night Leopard for the first time got kicked out of Kayla's bed because as Kayla said "Theres not enough room in my bed for all of us." I had to laugh. Kayla could literally sleep in a pillow case because she is so small and she sleeps in a full size bed, with a 9 inch leopard. Now because of "Kisses" her long time friend Leopard had to sleep with me. Hopefully over time there will be enough room in Kayla's bed for everyone to share and get along.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful.......

While we were at Grandma & Grandpa Branch's in Safford Robert and the kids took a trip to Mt. Graham to see the snow. They had a lot of fun, but it was very, very cold. The wind was blowing and they didn't last long, but just enough to get some pictures.

The main event....Christmas Day

Santa brought Kayla a new bike. She was in need of a bigger bike. We were so excited she finally outgrew her tricycle.


Kyle and Nathan both got Rip Sticks from Santa. Now they're having fun "ripping" the skin off their elbows and knees trying to learn how to ride them.



The boys both got digital cameras from Mom & Dad this year. They have been following their poor sister around like the paparazzi. I bet they both have taken a million pictures of her. We're glad they're enjoying them. At least we don't have to pay for developing the film. Just click, save or delete. That's the only way to go.


Kayla also wanted a lap top. So mom and dad bought her a lap top, and a pink one at that so the boys would leave it alone. I don't think it worked though. They don't seem to have a problem with it being pink. They still have fun playing with it also.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve we spent at our house decorating Gingerbread Men and having dinner with my mom and brother. The kids had a lot of fun. Granny let them open her presents to them. That really got them excited.


Granny made a cute apron for Kayla to wear when she helps me in the kitchen fixing dinner or other treats.

The boys got Binocular digital cameras. They magnify what you're looking at like binoculars, but then you can take a digital picture with them. They are having a lot of fun with them.

Pre Christmas Eve Party

We had our family Christmas Eve Party this year in Tucson at my sister's house. The $5.00 gift exchange was fun as always. We had lots of great laughs, great food and fun times and new memories for all.

Kayla and Emma. Granddaughter and Great-Granddaughter

Granny and her girls. Kayla and Emma

My brother-in-law Steve got a "Sugar Daddy" pillow case, and what do you know..... he just happened to have the matching pajama bottoms in his room.

Criag got a folding bucket.

John Wayne Toilet Paper. As it says on the wrapper.....It's rough, and tough and doesn't take CR#P off anyone. That was a favorite. This is actually it's second time around the $5.00 gift exchange. Someone saved it from past years to recycle this time.

Small World's Fair

This was the end of a long journey. All quarter Kyle has been working on this extensive project called Small World's Fair. Each kid is assigned a country and must research it, find artifacts, create a pamphlet, pictures, make a costume, and make the flag of that country. It has been a lot of hard, hard work. Kyle finally had the opportunity today to display his project along with everyone else in the 6th grade.

Kyle did an awesome job. I'm so proud of him. It was a lot of stress and frustration, but he hung in there and got it accomplished. Way to go Kyle. He looked so cute in his costume as well. He was dressed as a Traditional English Morris Dancer. It's actually called the Morris Tradition. It's kind of like our May Pole dance.

My friend Jake

This is my friend Jake. He has been such a joy to work with each day. I will truly miss him, as tomorrow will be my last day working with him on a regular basis. I am looking forward to being a sub when his regular teacher comes back though. Anytime she is absent I will be able to go in a sub for her. I secretly hope she's gone a lot, with a new baby and all, maybe she will be.

Jake has such a positive outlook on life. He is always smiling and just brightens the room when he's in it. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him.

Thanks Jake.

Just a Squeak

Not much new here....that is except for my brand new voice. I now have the voice of a mouse. I had a sore throat beginning on Sunday afternoon and by yesterday it was very raw. I called to try to get in to see a Doctor on Monday, but was told there wasn't anything available until Wednesday afternoon. Then this morning I woke up with no voice at all. I got back on the phone, with my squeaky little voice, and low and behold......what do you know....The doctor's office had an appointment time for me at 10:45 this morning. No questions asked. I guess it just depends on how sick you really sound when you call. I'll have to remember that next time I get the put off answer of.....oh we can see you a week from NEVER.

Don't mind me, I'm still grumpy. The medicine should kick in tonight and hopefully I will be feeling much better tomorrow.

On the up side though....this squeaky little voice sure does get a lot of great attention from the kidos. They are so quick to help and love and do anything they can to make mom feel better. It's really nice to know they can kick it into gear and get along when the going gets rough(for mom). I love them all and am grateful to be their mom.
Thanks kids.

Our Angel

Last night was our Ward Christmas Party and they did the story of Christmas. Kayla was asked to be an Angel in the production. She had so much fun. They have so many children each year that want to be in the story that they have finally had to start drawing names to be fair. We were luck enough to get one child in.

Then of course after it's all done and the closing prayer has been said, then in comes Jolly Old Santa.



Nathan wouldn't sit on Santa's lap but he would at least let me get a picture of him standing next to him with Kayla.....Kyle was no where to be found...you know, he's too old for that kind of stuf now. Even though he still does believe in Santa. I'm letting that one go as long as I can for the other kids sakes.

New Christmas Dress

We were out shopping yesterday and Kayla fell in love with this dress. It's hard to find her dresses that she likes. She definetly has her own opinion with clothing. I'm used to the boys who couldn't care less. Just had them something and they'll put it on. Not Kayla.....it has to be just so. I was just relieved to have found her a Christmas Dress. She loves to twirl in it. She always wants me to take lots of pictures of her twirling.

Oh yeah...don't pay any attention to the tree in the background. It's far from finished. I had a really bad day yesterday and the kids wanted to decorate it. So they had a blast doing it and then tomorrow while they're off to school, I'll have to finish it. There's still no garland or glass ball ornaments. I really didn't feel like having to dig glass out of anyones paws (hands) yesterday.