Family camp out!

This weekend we had our very first BAADSGAARD FAMILY CAMP OUT! My parents live on 2 acres and they've turned their back acre into their own little forest. My dad planted each one of the pine trees when they were just a few inches tall, and now they tower over us all! In the clearing there is a fire pit and picnic table where we gathered for tin foil dinners and dutch oven cobbler! Then we all had a great time being pulled in the trailer by the 4 wheelers! Later in the evening, we all went to the pioneer cemetery where my parents told us some stories about our ancestors. My mom gave Josh a special book she wrote about one of our ancestors. She's planning to give one to all of the grand kids when they turn eight. She also gave a little bag of flour to each family so that we could see what a daily ration would have been like back then. When we returned to the yard, we had skits by the fire, then everyone settled down for the night. Dallan and I tucked Josh and Matthew in the tent. Then we took Caleb and Mitchell home since Caleb hasn't been feeling well and needs his equipment at night. We all had so much fun and we can't wait to do it again next year! Thanks Mom and Dad for a night to remember! This is going to be one of our favorite traditions!

Josh loved being by the fire...

Grandpa pulling us on the trailer!

The best "camp site" ever!

The "club house" is one of Matthew's favorite spots.

I am so blessed to have such great parents!

The pioneer cemetery

Mom and Dad telling us stories about our pioneer ancestors

It was a night to remember!

Pool party!

We spent a wonderful afternoon at a pool party with the Bishops. (Dallan's mom is a Bishop) We loved being together, enjoying good food, and swimming in Uncle John's pool! The boys swam for hours! The only way we convinced them to leave was to remind them we were headed to my parents for a family camp-out in their back yard! Now that's my idea of a SUPER Saturday!

School Daze!

We're back at school!

Josh and Matthew started school this week! The night before, we had Father's blessings, set out new clothes, and packed back packs. We all had a tug in our hearts, knowing that we weren't quite ready to go our separate ways in the morning. But even though the Summer seemed to go way too fast, I think it will be a great year at school! After all, you have to be a little bit excited when you have squeaky new shoes, brand new pointy top crayons, and pencils with unscuffed erasers!

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. ~Chinese Proverb

Last Hurrah

Twas' the day before school starts and all I could hear,
was moaning and groaning about starting a new year.
So we packed up a lunch and met friends at the park,
thinking that's a good way for the school year to start!

Dino-mite!

We went with Nana and Poppa to the Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point! There were lots of other families who took advantage of two dollar Tuesday, but we still had a great time! Caleb did well even though he has been sick, Mitchell loved seeing the bones and the real live fish in the display ponds, and Josh and Matthew loved the gift shop at the end because they got pick out some nifty rocks for their collections! We had a DINO-MITE time!

Moody Monopoly

We had a monopoly on Mom and Dad Today!
Literally.
They spent 4 hours playing Monopoly with Josh and Matthew today.
They were in Heaven!
We ended our day at the athletics building with Dallan. We ordered pizza, and sat on the balcony to watch the BYU football team practice! It was AWESOME! The highlight of our evening was watching Mitchell toddle down the hallway with Cosmo's head on! (if only I had my camera...)
Thanks for letting us have a Monopoly on you Mom and Dad! We loved getting you all to ourselves!

Moody Missionaries

Mom and Dad Moody recently returned from serving as mission presidents of the Baltimore Maryland Mission. They are visiting us this week, and we have loved every minute with them! Mitchell only saw them for a few hours on a quick trip into Maryland when he was 4 months old, so he hasn't known them in his life yet. However, after only spending a few hours with them when they arrived, he said, "I just love that Nana and Poppa!" I couldn't agree more! They attended our ward with us on Sunday, and spent the afternoon getting reacquainted with the boys. Poppa sang songs to Caleb, Nana learned all about Josh and Matthew's rocks, and Mitchell enjoyed snuggling up to them with his favorite stories. When they left on Sunday night, the boys could only fall asleep after I reassured them over and over that they could see them again tomorrow... We know that our family received some very specific blessings as a result of their faithful service. We are so thankful for their example and love. We love you Mom and Dad, and we're delighted to have you with us!

Home

With home, the home you call your own,
It really doesn't matter where,
There is no place, in all the world,
That ever will or can compare.
Peter Rabbit.

Perspective

Party Animals

Today it was so nice and cool outside that we decided to take the boys to the Zoo! We haven't been as a family since before Caleb was born, so it was a fun adventure!
Josh loved the tigers, Matthew is still wondering why they don't have beavers (Beaver is one of his nicknames because he loves to chew on things), and Mitchell's highlight of the day was watching the Elephant go potty!

Today my favorite attractions were my very own little Moody monkeys!

Yikes!

Potty Humor!

Caleb was a great sport!

Mitchell said he wanted to get in and take a bath with the bear!

Josh was such a close observer

I have always loved the giraffes! They even had a new baby!

Some of my favorite Moody monkeys

Friday Fun

What do you get when you make a trip to the BYU dinosaur museum, stop at the BYU waterfall to play, take a lunch break at Carls Jr, have shave ice for dessert, then end the day at Grandmas for a pizza movie night?
A Friday full of FRIENDS and FAMILY, and FUN, that's what!

What's on my nightstand?

If you know me, you know I love books. Really, I LOVE THEM! I'd rather buy a new book than a fancy purse any day of the week. Better yet, I'd rather get a stack of them from the library for FREE! Every time I go to the library I get giddy about the treasures I walk out with! I even have a trusty crate on wheels that I fill to the brim every time I go. I am often asked if I home school my kids because of the sheer volume I check out. "No, we're just book lovers at my house" I usually reply.

A few weeks ago I was able to go to a BYU "Books for Young Readers" symposium. It was the best day ever! I got to listen to top notch juvenile authors and illustrators for the whole day! On my lunch break I called my husband and could hardly contain my excitement! "Is it okay that I'm a nerd at heart?" I asked...
I listened to the head librarian speak about his favorite books of the year. I had Jessica day George sign her Dragon Slippers books for me. I was able to visit with the BYU children's librarian I used to work for while I was in college. I even got to catch up with a few of my favorite Elementary Ed professors. (One of which taught Children's Literature...surprise, surprise!)
I had such a delightful day, and I hope I can make it a tradition for myself to go every year!
One of my favorite thoughts of the day came from Jessica Day George. She made all our stomachs growl when she described her favorite dessert: triple chocolate cheese cake from the cheese cake factory! Other desserts were okay, some were even pretty good, but when she tried that cheese cake, it was a delectable experience.
She told us that though she was a high reader as a child, she didn't figure out how delicious a good book could be until she read The Hero and the Crown by Robin Mckinley. She found her triple chocolate cheese cake! Since then, she maintains that there is no such thing as a person who doesn't like to read. They just haven't found their triple chocolate cheese cake yet. I loved that!
My husband and I both devour books. My 9 year old is always engrossed in a book. He eats them up! My 7 year old is a superior reader, but hasn't quite found his triple chocolate cheese cake yet. I'm so lucky! I get to keep making trips to the library, and I get to help him sample lots of goodies every time we go!

(In a few days I'll post a list of the librarian's favorite books of the year on my book blog if you're interested in a few new ideas! Just click on the book picture on my side bar)

Brotherly love

There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother. ~Astrid Alauda

7 peaks

We had a great evening at 7 peaks with the BYU athletics department! We had a yummy dinner under a big white tent, and we ate until the boys just couldn't bear to be away from the water any longer! The older boys loved the tube slides with Dad, and Mitchell enjoyed the kiddie pool with Mom! It was one of our favorite days of the summer!

Tonight Matthew prayed that BYU would do another 7 peaks party next year!