Ward Campout

We had a Ward Campout in mid-September at Dos Picos campground that was a lot of fun. It was fun to be with all of our Ward friends. We got to roast marshmellows, had a night program with funny skits, went on a hike and got to go fishing. My boys right now are OBSESSED with fishing. So just that one activity helped make the whole experience well worth it. For some reason the fishing experience was the only picture I took from the whole trip as well. It was a lot of fun!!

Pretty funny picture!! From left to right: Brayden, who is holding an actual fishing pole, Logan, who is holding one that he personally made, and Caden Fisher, also with a pole that he constructed.

Surfing with Bowdge

My good friend Bryan White aka Bowdge was over a few months back visiting a Dental conference for the weekend in San Diego so we hung out. He lives in Washington D.C. so I rarely get to see him and it was fun to hang out. What better activity to catch up and bond than some good surfing. We had a lot of fun!

Brayden Starts Flag Football

The time came for us to decide what sport Brayden was going to play next and so we asked him. Without hesitation he said football. We had recently attended a Rancho Bernardo High School football game and he really enjoyed it so I think that sparked the interest. So we signed him up. In his age range the only football they have here is flag football. So for the past several weeks Brayden has been practicing and playing games and has loved every minute of it. We signed up not knowing anyone on his team and it has turned out to be an awesome experience for Brayden. He has an awesome coach that I can tell has coached many times before. I decided to help coach to support Brayden so I am an assistant coach with him. I have loved being there with him during each practice and watching him develop in this sport. It is fun to see this little guy toughen up a bit :)

If you know Brayden you will know that he is quite the thinker. So during baseball season when throwing the ball to first was the most critical thinking he participated in it was obvious why it became mundane to him. But with football you have to know your position and think about what you will do, you have to think about what the play is and what direction you will run, block, and go. So it has been perfect for him. In fact after the first practice when the coach showed the team some plays that they would be running Brayden came home and drew up some plays of his own :). And at the next practice he presented them to the coach fully anticipating that they would use them for the game. Not only did he give a copy to the coach but then he got our whole family out in the backyard and wanted us to run these plays. He set each of us up in position and told us what to do and then we ran these plays to the best of our ability. They have played 4 games now and they have shut out every team they have played. He has a lot of talented kids on his team and it has been fun to watch then actually play football. I think the scores have been 30-0, 28-0, 30-0, and 22-0. I think the highlight for me was a few games ago when Brayden got to be the quarterback for the game. He did so well handing off to the running backs and throwing some passes. He even threw his first touchdown pass!! It was one of the proudest moments for me as a father!! So glad we are doing this right now.

Play Date's

Brayden, Logan and Connor have had a lot of play date's lately with their friends from school and the Ward. It is so fun to have their friends come over and to see what creative things they come up with to do. Both Brayden and Logan get so excited when they are going to have a play date with a friend. So the other day Gene Fuhriman came over and we caught him and Brayden rocking out. These two both love music so it was inevitable that they would start creating their own. Check out the pictures of them jamming out. I love the ukulele and the congo drum. That's my kind of music! I have a feeling they are going to create some sort of hawaiian band :)

80's Bash

A few weekends ago we celebrated a friends 30th birthday 80's style. It was so much fun to see all of the radical 80's clothing that was coming through the door. Everything from the decorations, the candy, and the music was ALL 80's. We also played Twister and got an 80's Mix Tape to enjoy for the ride home. It was fun to step back to the 80's with some good friends.

Thora Williams

I want to share a special experience I had recently with a woman I home teach. My hope is that our children will read of stories like this and it will help build their faith. This past Sunday my companion Mark Edmonson and I went to visit Thora Williams, a woman in an assisted living home. I always have loved visiting with her because of her sweet personality, her stories, and the faith that she has. This visit was no different except for at the very end of the conversation. We began reflecting on her husband and the fact that he had passed 17 years earlier and how she wanted to join him again on the other side of the veil. There was a peace that filled the room as we talked about that reunion and I felt as if his presence was in the room. At the end of our visit she asked that I say a prayer. During the prayer I had a very distinct impression to talk about her husband and ask Heavenly Father if he would watch over Thora and grant her hope that one day she would be with her husband again. Again there was a peace that came into the room. Two days after we visited her I found out that she passed away. I felt so happy for Thora that she was finally going to be able to be reunited with her husband after so many years and felt grateful that I was able to see her so close to this happening. She was such a joy to be around. I will miss her. But I received confirmation again at the reality that families are eternal. Heavenly Father allowed Mark and I to witness His peaceful assurance that all was in His hands. How grateful I am for opportunities like this that build our faith. Thora, God be with you til we meet again. -Justin

Funny Boys

Written by Camille... I am convinced that boys just want grow up and be funny. And I am NOT opposed to laughing. There are good days to come :) Here are a few instances where my boys made me LOL without any effort on their part. I think they are off to a good start. Connor Connor LOVES his Vitamins. When he asks for them it sounds like spider man or superman (thats not the funny part, although it was at one time, until this...) Well I let him have 3 at once this time and I guess he didn't want to pop them in all at once, so he stashed them. WHERE he stashed them is what gave me a good case of the giggles. check it out :)

Logan Logan logan logan. This kid is funny. So we are in the car, driving back from Utah and I think being in a car for many hours just made this more funny than it already was. Logan asked over and over if he could hold the tv so I finally crawled back to unhook it from the seat and let him. (thinking the light from outside must have been glaring on the screen.) Boy was I wrong. He had something else in mind :) He's stylin! Do you agree?

Brayden Today he was playing at the neighbors when he came home trying to get me to buy a NuWave oven. Well I've seen the infomercial before, and I WAS sold the first time. But I resisted it once and I can do it again. I hope ;) so we talked about how we have an oven...and a crock pot and a pan that you can put in the oven to let the grease drain (he kept trying to sell me on that one). Without going into too much detail that brought Brayden to the realization that I was not going to purchase it. He decided we could build one (Seriously kid, I don't build ovens?!). He has always dreamed big, and today is no different. But I wasn't going to tell him he couldn't do it!!! Just like I told him, YES! Absolutely you can build the next big theme park (he already has rides thought out and they are in the blueprints) or Yes with a couple more weeks of practice with Dad you can be the next Steve Nash. ANYWAY, So here we are Building a NuWave oven together. I told him to draw a picture and figure out what we need and I will help him. Not kidding, he just came in to me with scissors to cut out some of my hair, Apparently he needs hair for this oven to work. And not just one piece. So I gave him what was in my brush. Not only did he draw out the blueprint for this oven but he also built it. And when it didn't work he was SHOCKED!! Anyone interested in the New and IMPROVED NuWave oven? Chack it out