A.D.D.

This is our dog Nash when he was a puppy. Don't let this picture fool you..... Do you think dogs can have A.D.D.? When Nash was a puppy we didn't see any unusual behaviors. He was super sweet and really just wanted to lay right next to you. Well, he still wants to lay right next to you, when you are laying down and calm BUT if you are up and doing things he has to follow along right behind to check out what is going on. Nash can't stand to miss anything. Even as I sit here this morning he is outside, but not enjoying the grass or the somewhat cool morning we have from all the rain outside. NO....he is standing staring at me through the window. I have to admit it gets a little creepy at times.

Have you ever seen the movie UP? There is a dog in the movie (can't remember his name) that reminds us of how Nash would be if he could talk. This dog is not able to focus on one thing or finish a complete sentence because he gets distracted. We laugh so hard thinking and wondering what Nash would be saying if only he could talk.

We have this big tree in our front yard. I think it is home to at least 50 birds or more. Amazing how many birds you can see coming and going from this tree constantly and the noise...we won't get into that. This tree is large and makes for great nest building. Unfortunately, we have had some baby birds fall out of this tree. Sadly, some have not made while surprisingly some have. After walking my little girls to school yesterday I came back and let Nash out while I swept the front walk way. The minute Nash walked outside those birds starting going nuts. It dawned on me that I don't think those birds like Nash. The whole time he was out there they were flying around and chirping crazily. It was almost like they were taunting him... really....? Do animals have this same behavior as we do at times?

Protection

When we head out to swim in the summer time we are always conscious about making sure we put on sunscreen. When it rains outside we look for our umbrella's (a little protection from the rain). When a baseball player gets up to bat he puts on his hat to help protect his head.

As I think of my kids going back to school in the next couple of days I think they too need a little protection. It saddens me at how evil the world is and what they are faced with everyday when they leave the house. We have tried to provide a little protection for them... Marc gave each of our children blessings on Sunday. This is a sweet tradition we have in our home. It is a quiet time (those times don't happen too often in our home) where there isn't any fighting or teasing. This a time where there are smiles and sometimes tears. So, I guess we are ready to start school. School clothes and shoes have been purchased, school supplies have also been purchased, hair cuts have been given and most importantly each one of our kids has recieved their protection for the year.

A Happy Dad..

Looking back through all the pictures we took while in San Diego bring a smile to my face when I come across these. Doesn't Marc look so happy...? I love it!!!!! Even though, his trip was somewhat ruined due to things happening at work. Instead of sitting on the beach all day; relaxing, taking naps, boogie boarding and eating good food...he found himself sitting in our car on conference calls trying to get a situation taken care of. Even at night he didn't go right to bed. Once everyone settled down for the night he would work on his computer. Then first thing in the morning the phone calls would start. I was feeling so bad for him!!!!! Here we came on this vacation to relax and even though most of us were...he wasn't. He did actually a couple times put his phone away, say they could leave a message and go take some waves in. Marc LOVES the ocean and the waves. Me, not soo much...lol

Our second day at the beach Ellie had put some shorts on and because of the rubbing she had a rash on her thighs between her legs... This was the worse rash I have ever seen. Amazing because she had to have been in pain for quite sometime for it to get that bad. When Ellie came out of the water and showed me it was already bleeding that is how bad it was. At the time Nathan and Marc were in the ocean enjoying the waves and I mean there were waves!! These were big rolling waves. It was toward the end of the day so many of us were ready to go, especially Ellie. We were going to call in the men to pack up and take us home, but they were having such a good time I let Ellie suffer just a little bit there on the beach. Really, there isn't anything I could do for her and her dad was having such a good time. With the days that he had being on the phone I definitely did not want to interrupt the fun. Sadly, though we had to.... I seriously think they would have stayed out until the sun went down they were having some much fun. (and none of the kids were out there to hang on them)

I am glad you had a great time in San Diego!!

Cameron Come Home

Cameron would die if he knew I put this picture on.......

Cameron left Thursday morning for a campout with some of the boys in our ward. The house has been rather quiet. We don't have any of the goofyness like you see in the picture posted.

Cameron does bring a level of sillyness to our family. He, most of the time, can get everyone laughing at him and the funny thing about it....HE LOVES IT!!! My girls' have even mentioned how quiet our house is.... they even said they missed him... What?????? You mean my kids who seem to fight all of the time, might actually love and miss each other....... That is a very heartwarming thought that my kids do like having each other around. Maybe fighting and teasing is their way of showing love to each other. If that is the case, then they love each other tons!!!

Buried in the Sand

This explains how I feel right now.... buried alive.... or just up to my neck :) Kids starting school in most homes is a joyous thing. The mom's are tired of having the kids around and ready to get back on a schedule. Although, I am ready for the schedule thing, I am definitely NOT READY FOR SCHOOL!!!!!

Don't get me wrong, there have been days full of fighting that I was wishing they were back in school. When it really comes down to it though, I am just not ready!!!! I enjoy hanging out with my kids and not getting up first thing in the morning to be rushing around trying to get out the door. Maybe I am struggling a little more with it this year because Cameron will now be going to high school. Uggghhhh...... am I ready for this?

Heritage- Navajo Bridge

Every year that we make our drive to Boise Idaho for the Washburn family reunion we typically drive right by the Navajo Bridge. Every year that we drive by we remind the kids that their great grandpa Manson helped construct that bridge. Sad, that we never took the opportunity to stop and check it out.

On the way home this year as we drove by and once again reminded them of who built the bridge one of the kids asked why don't ever stop and see it. Marc and I looked at each other, not realizing this was the case. So, we stopped!! My only thought as to why we haven't ever stopped before is because by this point we have been in the car a long time with a long still to go. Once we get on the road we get the tunnel vision of just getting to our destination so we can be out of the car. This year was different. We actually stopped and stayed the night in St George, so our trip to the bridge was short and the way home was even shorter than usual.

Marc's grandfather Manson helped build this bridge many years ago. At one time vehicles use to drive over this bridge. If a semi wanted to come across it had to wait until there wasn't any cars for a couple reasons... the bridge was not wide enough for 2 cars much less a huge semi and the weight would be an issue. A new bridge has been built to make traveling much easier. The original bridge is there to walk on and observe the Colorado River below.

It is amazing how high the bridge stands. Our kids wanted to throw a rock over to see how long it would take to hit the water. Well, until they saw the signs saying you were not allowed to throw things over the edge. There must have been others who always wanted to conduct the same experiment. Not sure who it was, but they asked if they could spit. Gross....right? However, it was the only thing they could do. It looked as though the spit was floating through the air. Obviously, we couldn't ever see it hit the water, but we could watch it a while. Let me tell you....that river below is a LONG way down.

It was super fun!!! So glad we took the time to stop. Emersyn couldn't resist doing a cartwheel on the bridge. That is her new thing right now....she tries to do a cartwheel just about everywhere we go :)

San Diego Food

Why is it food is so appealing while on vacation. We have friends who seriously base their vacations around food. You always want to eat somewhere you don't normally get an opportunity to. While in San Diego we found a couple places we really enjoyed!!! The first night we were there we went to Hodad's. It is located in Ocean Beach and has been there since 1961 or something like that.... What a fun place.... I guess it was featured on the Food Network or something like that. Anyway, all over the walls are personalized license plates. Our food came in no time since we were able to entertain ourselves with all the license plates. The music was so loud it was a good thing there were things to look at since talking was difficult.

The next place we went was Phil's BBQ... (see pictures) The food here was super yummy. As you can see Emersyn definitely enjoyed her meal :) There is an app for iphones called Yelp.... This place has over 1,000 recommendations and has a sign saying if for whatever reason you couldn't recommend them they want to know to fix the problem.

Both nights we went to eat right after being at the beach for hours. Sun and waves make you hungry and these places did not disappoint. Would like to go back whenever we are in San Diego again. Although, we will be prepared to wait. Hodad's and Phil's BBQ had lines down and around the building.