Animal filled weekend!

Sometimes when we go to the lake house we see a deer or two...other times it feels like we see every kind of wildlife there is. That's what happened this last weekend! We felt like we saw everything that lives up there...eagle, moose, deer, raccoon, turtles, and all the other little creatures we usually see. This is the bald eagle that loves to be in one of the trees down by the water. He always lands on the same branch of the same tree. Sometimes we see his friend but usually he's alone.
Mom had seen the moose a couple of times before we got to the house. The first night we were there we thought we saw it so we went down by the water to get a better look and there was the mom and her two babies sitting in our neighbor's yard. Luckily there is a fence between us otherwise we probably wouldn't have felt very safe!
We watched them for quite awhile. They snacked on the neighbor's flowers while keeping an eye on us but didn't seem to be too concerned. Eliza's reaction was to say "oh, gosh" every couple of seconds as we watched them. I can only blame myself because I must have said it at one point for her to be repeating it for the next three days!
Darran and Dad had taken the canoe out for awhile when we saw the moose from the house. Then they come paddling up to the shore only to see the moose standing there! They took their time and watched as we watched from the house. Pretty awesome to see so many animals...we're proud to say they like our yard. Who knows if we'll see them again!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Another year come and gone...the day of my birthday was kind of busy but fun. We got to go out to lunch and watch Darran play softball that night. Eliza had a hard time with the temptation of presents sitting on the table all day but she only tried to open two of them! Her version of Happy Birthday is pretty cute so we took every opportunity to hear her sing it by having cake at home and then strawberry pie up at the lake house that weekend.
Here's to another good year! "Happy to you Mama!"

Time to do the dishes!

The other night Eliza was saying something that we couldn't quite make out. We finally figured out she was saying "dishes." So when she asked to do the dishes we happily obliged. Though we did discover that doing the dishes to Eliza really translates to playing with the bubbles. But at least she's giving it a try!

Swing Set!

After waiting what seemed like an eternity...our swing set finally arrived. And the first available Saturday we had Darran set to work. Thankfully Eliza has wonderful grandparents who helped us out. Grandpa and Grandma were there the WHOLE day and Papa came by for a few hours too. We are sooooo appreciative of their help!
Technically the slide is supposed to be the very last step but Darran had to at least put it on for Eliza to go down a couple of times when we had to come to a stopping point.

Darran put on the last few pieces last night so it's officially done. He and Eliza took their first swing ride together and broke them in. When she woke up this morning she only had 2 questions...Daddy? Swing? Sadly Daddy was already at work but we went out to swing anyway. I'm pretty sure he'll have his turn when he gets home from work! Thanks Daddy! This will make the summer lots of fun!

Moody Family Reunion Day #3

Day 3 (May 30th) we didn't take too many pictures...but we have A LOT of video! We spent the morning at church and then enjoyed the rest of the day watching family videos, visiting, playing games, and eating way to much! We were sad to leave on Monday but already look back on the reunion with fond memories and can't wait for the next one! We had such a wonderful time and loved seeing everyone and being together!We spent a few hours on Monday with Bekah and Mason...thanks for saving me Megan! I don't know if I would have made it back home in one piece!
These are a couple of pictures Aunt Missy took...and we love them! Doesn't she look like she's posing for her senior portraits!

Moody Family Reunion Day #2

Day 2 (May 29th) of our reunion started off on BYU campus near the duck pond so we could have some family pictures taken. All the Moody siblings with Papa and Nana.
Then all the grandkids with Papa and Nana...quite the group and only getting bigger!
Eliza loves her cousins...and luckily for us they enjoying being with her. Ducks are much more fun to watch with your cousins instead of mom and dad!

Eliza really seemed to connect with cousin Ethan this trip. He is such a sweetheart to her!

After pictures and lunch we went on campus to go bowling. Eliza liked to push the ball but didn't seem to really care where it ended up.

Daddy on the other hand was all about the strategy and helped her place the ball just right. I'll blame her competitive spirit on him!

After bowling we took a tour of Uncle Dallan's office. After Darran stopped coveting Dallan's job and came back to reality, we got ice cream and chocolate milk from the creamery. Which made me one happy pregnant lady! Then we went and saw Dallan and April's house in the process of being built and drove through Spanish Fork to see a couple of old Moody houses and memories. The rest of the evening again was spent playing games and reminiscing.

Moody Family Reunion Day #1

We spent Memorial weekend in Utah enjoying a Moody Family reunion! The night everyone arrived (May 27th) was of course worthy of a cousin (and Aunt Missy) dip in the hot tub. On Friday (May 28th) we started the day off with a tour of the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. Here are the cousins that were together before we met up with the rest of the family a bit later.
The weather that morning was beautiful but by afternoon it had turned stormy. But that didn't stop us from having a good time!

While some family went to the Joseph Smith movie the rest of us went to the Visitor's Center to see the Christus. Eliza liked the "big Jesus."

Then we headed over to the Church History Museum. Lucky for us they had a children's section with lots of hands on activities. Eliza loved it! She dressed up as if we were acting out the Nativity...we thought she was a pretty cute looking shepard.

Travis, Jack, Eliza, and Jarom all dressed up for a picture with Mary and Joseph in the background. Eliza couldn't get enough of the sheep puppets!

When we were leaving Salt Lake we drove through the cemetery where many prophets and other church leaders are buried. The last time we drove through there was the weekend that President Hinckley passed away so this time we actually got to see his tombstone.

We spent the rest of the evening as only Moodys can...playing games, eating, laughing, and enjoying one another's company...and probably not getting enough sleep!

Yard work...

When Daddy mows the lawn Eliza does too... Darran's goal was to start them young...and it's working so far. She LOVES mowing the lawn...we just kind of wish it really worked!
The very first time they mowed the lawn together she followed him the entire time! And if she can't mow outside the carpet works just as well.

Even our neighbors have noticed. At church on Sunday they said they didn't see Eliza out mowing the lawn on Saturday. I assured them it was only because we were out of town and she and Darran would most likely be out there this week. Here's to hoping she'll keep it up when she graduates to the real thing!

Swim Lessons...

Eliza and I have been taking swim lessons at the Court Club since the fall. The girl is a natural fish and has only grown more confident in the water. Her teacher would always joke that she could lead the class if she wasn't there to teach. Eliza is all about routine...she knew what we needed to do next and usually let the other kids know.


She's definitely her daddy's girl and enjoys her couple of minutes in the hot tub at the end of each lesson. Not that temperature has ever really affected her. All her little friends would have teeth chattering by the end of the lesson and Eliza would be ready to go for another half hour!

Her favorite thing to do...I'd have to say "Humpty Dumpty." We sing a little song, say ready, set, go and she jumps in the water. She could do this over and over. Take a look at the video if you really want to see her in action!

Mariner Game...

While the Mariners haven't done much this season to make us very proud of them we still enjoy going to a game (free tickets always make it worthwhile). We took mom and dad this time and Darran was thrilled that we all got free Griffey shirts. Too bad we didn't even see Griffey at all the entire game!
The Mariner's lost (surprise, surprise) but we enjoyed the atmosphere, the company, and stuffing ourselves silly. Who knows, maybe they'll turn things around this season!

Happy Mother's Day!

We had a nice, relaxed Mother's Day this year. We went to church in the morning, had naps in the afternoon (always makes the day better!), and dinner with Nana, Papa, and Uncle Derek. Eliza spent the majority of the time entertaining us...she's always good for a laugh. She and daddy gave me a new chair to use on the lake this summer. At least I can be comfy watching everyone else ski and tube...ahhhhh, summer pregnancies!

But the best part of the day is the time spent reflecting on how much I love being a mom. How could I not being around this sweet face all day? And of course makes me reflect on what a wonderful mom I have myself. Life just wouldn't be the same without her. And an amazing mother-in-law who raised one of the biggest blessings in my life. I couldn't be half the mom I am without his love and support. Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

We celebrated Grandpa's birthday on Sunday. Eliza helped blow out the candles as best she could. Happy Birthday Grandpa...we love you!