And the name is.......

Well.....I spoke to Granny yesterday and she said that Ben's grandson came to visit and they tossed around some names. One of the names was "Hugs". I had actually told Granny last Wednesday at Justin's graduation in Tucson that Ben should name the little horse Hugs so the two of them could be "Hugs & Kisses". I thought that was cute. So when Granny told me that it's one of the names under consideration, I had to laugh. I think it's cute. We'll see if it sticks or not. But for now, we're going to call them both Hugs & Kisses.

A horse with no name

Yes, that's right....a horse with no name. This weekend we went and spent some time with Granny while Robert was working out of town. Granny's neighbor, Ben, has these minature horses. The white one is named Kisses. Well Kisses had a baby last Saturday and so we were able to see it while we were there. He is such a cutie. He doesn't have a name yet. Ben is waiting for his grandson to come visit next week from New York. He told him that when he got here he could name the new baby. We're all anxious to hear what its name is going to be. He sure was fun to be with and get to pet. As you can see in some of the pictures the size of the minature horse and then the baby. He was so tiny. So much fun. The mama horse was really good with all of us in the pen with her. She just wanted to be petted and the baby stayed right by it's mom. What a fun experience for the kids. They loved every minute they spent with him.









This is Ben the owner of the horses. He's really nice to let us all have so much fun with his horses. Kayla was quite shy of the horses until we'd been in the pen for a while, and then she relaxed a little.

Dance Recital

Kayla has been taking a Dance class since January and she finally has her recital comming up in June. She is so excited, especially now that she has her costume. She puts it on at least once a day and dances around in it. She loves it and the class as a whole is so cute when they've all got on their outfits. Just a few more weeks and they'll all be ready for the big day.

Weekend Visitor

Say hello to Earl. This is our weekend visitor from Nathan's 4th grade classroom. Nathan was lucky enough to be able to bring him home for the weekend. We sure have had a good time with him. We have the kids go in our bathroom and block him in. Then he can hop around and everyone can get lots of petting time in. We sure will miss him when he has to go back to class on Monday.







Kayla keeps a blanket on her lap to keep Earl from scratching her legs. He has really long and sharp nails.

Hip Hip HOORAY !!!!

Okay,it's only been 10 days since the pinewood derby, but I knew I'd get around to it eventually.

Yes, I will say it loud, I will say it proud. I will also shout it from the rooftop. This was our last CUB SCOUT PINEWOOD DERBY. Six years in the making between Kyle and Nathan. We have enjoyed them all, but glad to see them go at the same time.

Nathan did a great job this year. We actually ended up combining with the other ward in our building. There were so many boys and it was a lot of fun. Nathan ended up doing really well. He finished 4th overall and came in 3rd in just our ward.






This was Nathan's first race of the evening. He was so excited to have won his first race. He had a great time.



It's also been so nice that our wards have taken away the competition of the whole thing. They don't award prizes or trophies for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. Everyone who participates gets an award. The boys just love it. That's what it's all about anyway. Making fun memories with your friends.

Miracles do still happen

Yes this is proof that miracles do still happen. Today Collin and Emma came to see me and let me take some pictures of them. We had a blast at the temple. Well....I did. Collin's mom and dad had fun chasing him when he wasn't like this. He is just a ball of energy and is just so much fun. This is just a wonderful shot of him. Thought I'd put it on, he's just the sweetest thing and his sister Emmas is every bit as sweet.

To pierce or not to pierce?

Grandma & Grandpa Branch came to visit this weekend and they brought Kayla a kit to make Jewlery. Kayla had the wonderful idea this morning to make earrings. She told me exactly how to do it and she has just been delighted with them. She has worn them all day long. They would have driven me crazy 5 hours ago, but she's still got them on. I hope you can see the red string around her ears. It is just the cutest thing. Everytime I look at her I just smile. She is just so pleased with them. It's just so funny. I hope she doesn't start asking me to get her ears pierced. I'm not ready for that yet.

The Princess & the Pea

What's the old story about the Princess & the Pea? This is how I found Kayla yesterday watching TV. I had to hurry and get my camera to record it. I just kept thinking about the Princess & the Pea. She's our little princess for sure.

A great day for a picnic

Well, it's Spring Break here in Gilbert this week and that of course equals children who are bored. So we decided to head up to Granny's for the day and take a picnic lunch to Rosevelt Lake. I had not been out there in years. They have redone the road and it is so much better. I used to hate going out there because it was just another trip that ended up with me being car sick. Those days are happily gone now. The new road is absolutely wonderful and it seems to make the trip so much shorter.

It was the perfect weather for a picnic. In the shade it was just a little bit cool and the sun was just nice and warm. The water level is really high. It's nice to see the lake so full. Last time I was there, you couldn't even see the lake, it was just all dried up. But as you can see from the pictures, the Dam is nearly at capacity.

We headed to the picnic area first and had a wonderful lunch with Granny. The kids has so much fun just throwing rocks and boulders in the lake. Why is it that they can spend literally hours and hours doing just that. Picking up a rock and throwing it as far as they can into the lake. Just so much fun and best yet, there was no cost for the rocks. They were all free. HA HA.

Of course you have to do the "Tourist" shots. We had a group ask us to take their picture for them. They asked us where we were all from. We said Gilbert, Az. They looked at us a little odd and said....Oh, so not very far. We said no, where are you from? They told us there were from Atlanta, Georgia. I guess they win for having come the farthest to see the lake.

And last, but not least, Granny pointed out his cactus on the side of the rock cliff. There it is, all by itself hanging on for its life. Who would think that a cacuts could grow and thrive in such harsh conditions. I mean, I know it's a desert plant, and they grow in harsh conditions all the time, but in solid rock. Wow !!

Look really close, it's kind of in the shade right in the middle.



Here's a closer look.



Thanks so much for letting us spend the day with you Granny. The kids had a blast and all was quiet on the ride home.

It's official

Yes....it's official. We have our first teenager living at our house. Kyle turned 13 on Wednesday. That went by rather fast. Kyle started the day, first thing in the morning with opening his gift. He had been not so patiently waiting for his birthday to arrive and the anticipation of his gift turned out to be almost more than he could stand. He tried everything in his power to get us to give him his birthday and gifts early, but being the loving parents that we are....we said "NO, YOU MUST WAIT" !!

Kyle got a PSP for his birthday and that was sufficient for him. As well is should be. The gifts for these kids get smaller and more expensive with each passing year. He was thrilled none the less.





After gifts then it was time for him to head off to school and face a Social Studies Test. He didn't think that was quite fair....especially since it was his birthday and all. However we must all learn those life lessons somewhere.

Kyle did survive his day at school, dreaming about his PSP and wishing that the school day would come to an end. Once home we had a nice dinner at home and then off to Scouts. After scouts then we had time to do ice cream cake. That was what he requested for his birthday.

I think you will see the same reaction on his face as he lights the candles as was on Nathan's face in his pictures. I think my boys really like lighting the candles way more than actually blowing them out.






Happy Birthday Kyle.

Happy Birthday Nathan

This is my small disclaimer on this post. I have been working on this post for about 30 minutes now, loaded and reloaded pictures to try to get them in the right order. Had it completely dissaper. Re-did it, time after time. Something is just up with Blogger today. I give up. So just enjoy the pictures, sorry they're not in the right order, but if this crashes again and I loose my post I'll just scream.




HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY NATHAN

The 24th was Nathan's 10th Birthday. I still can't believe how fast time is going by. The years just seem to keep going faster and faster. I can't believe that I have two children that are in the double digits of age. I can't be that old....right? Don't answer that. :)

Anyway, Nathan had a wonderful birthday. The only thing he asked for was a DS Lite. That was fine with us. Something that wouldn't be crammed under his bed two weeks after his birthday.

I did take the liberty of having fun with his present though. Since it came in such a small box I wrapped the original DS Lite box then put it in a slightly larger box filled with tissue paper. Wrapped that bos and put it in yet another larger box filled with tissue paper and wrapped it. He was so cute when he opened the first box. He just knew it was going to be his DS. But no, it was just another wrapped box. We had a lot of fun watching him open his presents. We also bought him 1 game for his DS so he'd have something to play with. I wrapped it in the same manner. Nathan is such a good sport about things like that. He had a lot of fun and was so pleased and excited about his gifts.

The other part to his birthday that he was really looking forward to was the "Magic relighting candles". He really wanted those this year. I think however that he had just as much fun lighting them with the lighter. Just something about my boys and fire. They get a wonderful ( or should I say frightening) twinkle in their eye when the have a lighter in their hands. Nathan was just so pleased to be able to light his own candles. Thankfully, because they did just relite on their own we didn't have to continue to use the lighter. Nathan blew out candles and blew out candles and blew out candles until the entire house was filled with a wonderfly smokey haze. He finally realized that the smoke detectors might go off at any moment and decided to end the candles. We had to open the doors to try to air out the house. I'm sure if you asked Nathan he would say it was all worth it. I think he had a lot of fun for his birthday.

Fun Day

Yes to everyone's amazement, I'm still alive and kicking. I just haven't had much reason to pull out my camera lately, since it's being such a touchy thing lately. It has a mind of it's own. And everytime I use it, it seems to get just a little bit worse. Oh well....

My visiting teaching partner asked me to take their family photos today. Her brother and his wife are moving to Chile soon and her mom wanted a photo with everyone in it. What a fun time. It was a challenge but well worth it. They all then wanted individual family shots. Some were better than others. Some kids were more cooperative than others. All in all though it was a great day.


This is my visiting teaching partner Sis. Ammon. She's got some cute kids






The whole gang!


All 10 Grandchildren


The cute Twins


It sure was a lot of fun to get to practice some of my skills. My camera is still flipping out on me and we're working on fixing that problem. Hopefully very soon!!!! Anyway, my thanks to Amy and her large family for letting me have this opportunity.

Life's tough when you're only 6

Just a cute picture of Kayla. I was trying to do her hair the other morning and she insisted on having to type on her laptop. What a rough life. I'd love for someone to do my hair while I was doing something else on the computer. Maybe I'd get more done that way.

Don't you just love freebies

I think this post should say.....Look.... we only spent x amount of money on this great shirt and got the braces for free! RIGHT. Not exactly how it works. It's more like we spent a bunch of money on the braces and got a free shirt to boot. What a deal. After Kyle got his braces last Tuesday the Dr's office gave him this free shirt. I came home and told Robert that it's the most expensive shirt that we have ever bought and it wasn't even for me.

Kyle is getting more and more used to them now. The first weeks was tough and eating with a sore mouth was even harder. He wasn't so happy the first day with the braces until he discovered that most of his friends at school have braces and that they have to wear them for about 2 years. Kyle only needs his for about 6 months. He's feeling much better about it now. He should be done by early to mid summer and then on to a retainer.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone. Well, I hate to admit it, but this was our first time ever as a family to actually stay up to celebrate New Years Eve. A good friend of ours invited us over for dinner and fun. Wouldn't you know it.....I didn't take my camera. So I'll have to ask her to send me some of the pictures. We had a wonderful time. Dinner was fabulous and the kids had fun playing with all the other kids at the party. Kayla started to fade on us around 11:40 p.m. but we got her up and moving and we all made it until midnight. What a night. It was a lot of fun.

Now the kids are back to school and I'm back to my normal daily routine. You know, cooking, cleaning, laundry, errands and then homework and study time. I love my life.

Hope you all enjoy the new look yet again on the blog. I'm not sure I'm completely in love with it. We'll see if it sticks around for a while or not.

Oh yeah, and by the way. My dear friend who had the goldfish competition with me earlier this year informed me that their last dear goldfish has passed away. So then it's official. Kyle is the winner of the goldfish competition. So sorry wendy for the loss in your family. But thanks all the same for the fun, fun competition.

Merry Christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

What we really mean

It wouldn’t be funny if it weren’t so true.

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE
(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' that will bring on a 'whatever').

(8) Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying (Fill In The Blank) YOU!

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.


Thanks go out to one of my best friends who posted this on her blog today. I just laughed and laughed. I thought I would share it with the rest of you. Hope you enjoy and get a good laugh out of it also.

Just trying to be festive

Hello everyone. I've decided yet again to change my blog background. These free downloadable ones are the way to go. It was a lot easier than I thought and so much fun for the holidays. Hope you all enjoy our new look.

My final Project

Okay, I hope I've figured out how to load up my final project video. I want to see what you all think about it before I have to turn it in next week. I haven't had much time to do anything else. I've really enjoyed my class, but things at home are getting ahead of me. I've got a to do list a mile long and christmas isn't helping any. Which by the way, for the rest of you, in case you haven't started counting yet.....it's only 22 days away. YIPEE

I also want to say Thank you for all those who let me photograph them for this project. It's harder than you think to always come up with people to take pictures of. Heaven knows my kids are fed up with me taking pictures of them. I think I've ruined them.

By the way.....the BIGGEST THANKS OF ALL goes out to Christi. I was sitting down this morning to work on my project and still needed the perfect song to go with my photos. The problem has been that all the music I like was way too long for the photo slide show. We were supposed to time our photos to music and have it fit. So I sat down and decided to look at Christi & Daniel's blog this morning first. Luckily I had my speakers on, and this song began to play. It was perfect in all the right ways. Thanks Christi, you were a life saver.

Watch and let me know what you think.

Baby Photos

I'm trying to get lots of pictures for my final project at school. So I asked my wonderful visiting teaching partner to bring her new baby over for a photo session. She was so cute. I was hoping to get some shots of her asleep, but she wasn't having anything to do with sleeping. They are cute none the less.