Hague Family Reunion

All my siblings were able to gather together in Cocolalla for a Hague family reunion. It was wonderful to have everyone together for a few days. We spent lots of time out on the water and relaxing...just how a vacation should be. There's always stiff competition on the tubes when we get together. I lived vicariously through their tubing and watched many jumps and spills. My siblings have always put on a good show when it comes to tubing!
Eliza relaxed in the hammock...or swing as she liked to call it.

And learned how to kayak! This picture cracks me up...not only can you see how serious Darran is about teaching Eliza what to do but it would appear she is being the perfect student!

We were so excited to finally get her to go on it...it's taken some time. But she enjoyed our little ride and even helped me paddle some of the time.

Our attempt at a family picture...this was the cutest one of Eliza.

The whole family together.

The "original" Hague family.

The brothers and sisters...maybe how we truly are?

...and then posed nicely!

Playing some cards while waiting for our foil dinners to cook. This was supposed to be a serious picture...as you can see, I'm not very good at that!

A beautiful picture of a beautiful time!

2 things Eliza can't get enough of...grandma and the boat!

We even had Grandpa and Grandma Great Hague join us for a few days and took them for a ride around the lake.

Dora's got nothing on this backpack...Eliza loved carrying her sand toys back and forth from the house. She was quite the trooper walking back and forth on her own.

If Eliza hadn't convinced someone to go in the water with her then you would most likely find her playing in the sand. She LOVES Cocolalla!

And we loved our reunion! Hope everyone had as good a time as we did. We love you all!

Fun in the sun!

We left town on this infamous boat race weekend (as we usually do...how long have we lived here and NEVER been to the races?) to soak up some sun and visit some family. My Aunt Tami and Uncle Pepe brought their girls to Washington for awhile so we met Grandpa and Grandma Great up at the house and spent two days on the water. Darran did some exploring on the kayak...
...and then let Eliza have a ride.

Later they went out together looking for fish...it took awhile but we think she finally saw some!

Eliza and Grandma spent some time making sand castles.

And our eagle friend enjoyed a fish up in one of the trees. He was literally right above us so Darran got some awesome close up pictures.

Eliza loves being on the boat...she spends her time telling Grandpa how to drive. Ready, set, go...and faster, faster! She also shows a lot of concern by asking those who have fallen in the water if they are ok...and keeps asking until there is a response!

And even though Daddy couldn't talk her in to braving a tube ride yet (much to my relief), they enjoyed riding on the boat until Daddy took his turn.

Elayna, Darran, and Courtney (Elayna's good friend) out for one last ride on the tubes before calling it a day.

Our little book worm...

This is where you can usually find Eliza when we're not running errands or swimming. She's decided that mom and dad's bed is the perfect place to read books. Notice the pile...she brings each book from her room (or from the floor right by the bed depending on if we put them away or not!) one at a time. When she has a sufficient amount (which she determines each day a little differently) she climbs up on the bed and starts to read...and yes, she "reads" ALL of them.
Most of the time she demands for mom to sit on the pillow next to her and read also. Fortunately, she lets me read my own book and so we read together...I love it. This has also caused us to make many more frequent trips to her favorite place...the library!

Family pictures...

These are the pictures that we had taken during our Moody family reunion in May. Seems funny to have pictures taken when our family dynamics will change soon but I'm really glad we have them...and really like them!

April Perry took the pictures. It was so nice already knowing the photographer and she did such a great job with Eliza. We were thrilled that she was able to capture a natural smile! If you want to check out more of her pictures go to her website http://aprylmayphotography.com/ she's very talented!

Happy 4th of July!

We spent a chilly, but enjoyable weekend up in Cocolalla. After attending Alissa's baptism we headed up to the house. Eliza was excited to "eat a flag." She keeps pointing them out wherever we go. I'm not sure where the cheesy posing came from?
This picture is just too cute of Eliza and Grandpa walking down to the water!

This was our attempt at a family picture...2 questions: 1. Again, what is Eliza doing with the cheesy posing? and 2. Why do pregnant women stand sideways to take a picture?...duh! At least we're patriotic...red, white, and blue!

Eliza's all about vacationing...relaxing in a chair...

...and eating yummy food. She took full advantage!

Though the moose didn't make an appearance this weekend we still had a good time watching the fireworks...and mother nature's fireworks!

Just before the fireworks were supposed to start a storm rolled in and there was a major downpour. It lasted about a half hour and then the fireworks picked back up. No stopping the celebration of our country's special day! Happy 4th of July!

Wedding chimes, bring happy times...

Dallin and Cassie were married Saturday, June 26th...my little brother married, crazy! Anyway, it was a beautiful day and a very fun weekend. All my siblings were home (yeah, I loved it!) by Friday so we had a family bbq that night. Saturday was the big day...the weather was amazing and the couple was gorgeous!

Don't they look blissfully happy?
The Hague family outside the temple...strange to believe we're only getting bigger. A new sister-in-law and two grandkids on the way! Time goes so fast!

This is the cutest picture (thanks Aunt Julie...I stole it from you)! Eliza loves her aunts and uncles...and they are so good to her! We can't wait to spend more time with them in August!

My cute bros...married bros...strange. But I love them!

Elayna was one of the bridesmaids...so beautiful. Aren't they the cutest siblings ever? (You're cute too Audrey...I just didn't get a good picture!)

Dad, mom, Cassie, and Dallin...two beautiful couples!

Eliza giving hugs and kisses all around. The photographer was taking these pictures so I'm hoping she got some really cute ones. It took a little coxing because really she was more interested in the water...surprise, surprise!

The best part...frosting on the cupcakes! The reception that night was outstanding! Great weather, family, friends, and food. Eliza was in heaven running around with her pretty dress on...needless to say she crashed on the way home but she had a fun day.

Sunday we had a family dinner with Cassie's family and watched them open gifts. They left the next morning for their honeymoon. A fast weekend but a great one. Congratulations guys...we love you both so much!

Happy Father's Day!

This is why I love my daddy: He lets me eat yummy treats...
He plays with me whenever he can...outside and inside. I really like to wrestle him...probably because I always win!...

He teaches me to work. If you come to my house I can give you a tour of the garden and flowers and show you exactly where everything is...from chives to daises. That's because my daddy and I go out to the yard to inspect things almost every day when he gets home from work. I learn lots from my daddy!...

He's made me a sports fan even though I'm not even 2 yet! We watch football, basketball, and baseball together. And I know who I'm supposed to root for...Go Cougars!...

I love to relax with my daddy...we kick up our feet and have a good time...

Daddy always makes me laugh. I like it when he tickles me!...

Daddy reads me good books...

And most importantly, I know daddy loves me. Not a day goes by when he doesn't tell me he loves me and gives me a big hug and kiss. Thank you daddy, for all you do for me. I love you so much! Love, Eliza

On a different note...we spent Father's day in Yakima to celebrate Great Grandpa Hague's 80th birthday and Father's day. We had a wonderful day at church and spending time with family. Aunt Sheila made an amazing dinner and we stuffed ourselves silly. We sure our grateful for the wonderful dads in our lives. We love each of you so much! Happy Father's Day!

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!"