The Moody Side of Life » just life

These Still January Days

Elisabeth Moody — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:35:13 +0000

Thankfulness grows in my heart during these quiet, sunny January days. We take Silas to the park, following him around as he discovers sticks and rocks, weeds and dirt. Watching him, I see his face light up with the wonder of ordinary things. I thank God for this life. It is a gift. One I’m incredibly thankful for. Thankful for:

God’s love for me. Unearned. I am accepted.

My hard-working man. Lovingly providing. Happily returning home.

Baby arms around my neck. Reaching up for me. Squeezing.

Freedom to live Biblically. Refusing to be a slave to fear or guilt.

Time. To learn. To relish life. To manage my house. To treasure family. To love others. To grow. To change.

Friends. Close and distant. Friends who turn my face towards Christ.

A home. A nest for family. A place of ministry.

I remember that all this has been given to me. I cannot act as though it were not a gift.

Proud as a Peacock

Elisabeth Moody — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:24 +0000

Hi! Welcome to my neighborhood! Don’t mind the peacocks on our roof. Meet Mavis. And her husband Henry.Mavis always did prefer a bird’s eye view of her community. That is, until Henry decided there were too many nosy neighbors around. “Come on, Mavis. Let’s find a quieter place away from the Peacock Paparazzi.” And so the two lovebirds strutted along the housetops in search of a place to call their own. Just another day in the neighborhood.

The Way We Feel about McIntosh Apples

Elisabeth Moody — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:49:32 +0000

A conversation Stephen and I frequently have goes like this.

Me: “Babe, what’s your favorite _______?”

Him: (pause) “Umm. Do I have to have a favorite?”

It’s so very frustrating (and sometimes hard to comprehend) that he doesn’t have favorites! Well, at least not as many favorites as I think he should. However, there are a few categories in which he has a strongly held favorite. Apples is one of those categories. His absolute favorite apple in the whole wide world is…yes, you guessed it…a McIntosh.

Unlike Stephen, I did not grow up loving fruit. I didn’t care to eat an apple, let alone have a favorite kind of apple. That’s all different now that I’ve met a McIntosh. (Stephen and I both agree that Red Delicious apples aren’t worth the effort to chew them.) I find myself wanting to eat an apple when we have McIntoshes in the house. That’s not normal for me! I not only want to eat it, I act as though it’s going to disappear if I don’t eat the entire apple in two seconds. They’re that good. The skin pops as you bite it—only to introduce you to the soft sweet/tangy inside that’s anything but mealy. Silas has decided that McIntosh is his favorite apple too. He sees them and begs to eat one.

Sadly, McIntosh apples are rarely sold in our local grocery stores. We’ve found them twice since moving to Phoenix, and we’ve bought a load of them both times. (Just this week I found them for sale at Basha’s and came home with two bags.) If you’ve not yet tried a McIntosh, you don’t know what a good apple tastes like!

From C to Shining C

Elisabeth Moody — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:19:40 +0000

C is for Climbing: Silas is growing up. Nooooooooooo! Actually he’s so much fun these days that I can’t be sad my baby is growing. His accomplishment this week was learning how to scale our leather ottoman all by his wittle self. After much tiptoe pushing, he wriggled himself on top of the ottoman—his favorite place to sit these days. Of course, it helps when he gets a running start and flings himself into the ottoman. He’s also learning to turn around and lay on his belly to gently let himself back down onto the carpet. The elliptical is another favorite climbing spot, and one day I caught him standing in a drawer in the bathroom trying to climb onto the counter!C is for Copycat: The number one lesson Silas has learned at church is that you are supposed to wave your hands when music plays. He’s such a copycat. We were at a Christmas party last week, and we were asked to raise our hands if we brought a gift. After taking a look around the room, Bitty Boy put both his hands in the air. He didn’t want to be left out! He constantly plays the Nodding Game and will imitate Peek-a-Boo, raising his hands, clapping. He even started signing “please” this week. I’ve worked on it with him just a few times, so I was shocked when he signed it for me one day.

C is for Cleaning House: Shoes are endlessly fascinating. The best part is that they have shoelaces which make them fun to drag around the house. Shoes are also great for putting inside of things. Apparently they don’t belong on the rack in the closet, but in either our laundry hamper or our tub.

C is for Classical Music: Yep, we’ve got one cultured little guy on our hands. Classical music is his favorite. Silas hates riding in the car at night. We’re not sure if it’s the dark or what, but we often ride with the dome light on and classical music playing to keep Baby calm. The other night we were out for some Christmas shopping, and Silas was complaining from his car seat. We turned the radio on to the classical station and literally—in one second—he went from crying to happily talking to himself. It was unbelievable!

C is for Car seat: And speaking of riding in the car, Silas is now outfitted with a brand new car seat. He is about 22 pounds which means that his infant seat is just barely big enough for him. We’ve been putting off this car seat purchase for about a month but finally bought one this week and had it installed yesterday. Silas Clark is loving being able to see over the back seat and watch the cars behind us. It’s rear facing for now, but it will convert to forward facing and then to a booster seat as our little man grows.

C is for Chillaxing: In an effort to keep Silas from standing 2 inches from the TV screen, I’ve been teaching him that “we have to relax when we watch TV.” Stephen and I have actually tried not to watch TV while he’s awake, and we just let him watch his baby DVD or a baby TV show occasionally as a special treat. Pushing the buttons on the TV is sometimes more entertaining for him than anything else. Here are a few pics of Silas “relaxing” in front of the TV (at our house and at a friend’s house).

C is for Clifford: I know I’ve mentioned this before, but Clifford has been life-changing for Bitty Boy. Clifford just lights up his world. Silas is in love and can’t help but smile and give the Big Red Dog a big baby squeeze when he sees him. Aunt Ruth Anna gave Clifford to Silas for his 1st birthday. Ruth Anna was worried that she might become “The Umbrella Aunt.” You know, the aunt who always gives practical gifts like umbrellas or socks that kids aren’t particularly excited about? I think it’s safe to say that Ruth Anna dodged that bullet when she picked out Clifford!

C is for Cuspid: I found another tooth making its entrance the other day—his first cuspid (between his front teeth and his molars). That makes a grand total of 13 teeth. Eating is more fun now that he can actually chew. Silas tried an Oreo the other day, and it looks like it got a good review.

C is for Chick: Hooded towels are some of the most adorable baby items. My little chickie is so kissable after a bath!

C is for Christmas: So many people have been good to Baby already this Christmas. Most of the presents under the tree are for Silas. He’s also been given several early Christmas presents—like this hand made wooden bench crafted by our friend Ruben. (If truth be told, I think Silas has Ruben wrapped around his little finger.) Every Sunday during the song service, Silas hangs out with Ruben and his family. Bitty Boy has so much fun with them that he doesn’t want to come back to mommy.

The other night Stephen commented, “Honey, I’m really going to miss this Oblivious Peanut stage.” I couldn’t agree more.

ABC’s

Elisabeth Moody — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:41:39 +0000

As soon as I saw an online tutorial for these plush magnetic letters, I knew I wanted to make them for Silas’s birthday present. Silas also got wooden alphabet blocks and a foam alphabet for bath time from Aunt Rebekah. He’ll be reading before he’s two!

October Scenes

Elisabeth Moody — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 04:52:58 +0000

As the only baby in the church nursery, Silas has all the toys and books to himself. However, a friend of ours had her baby this week, and another friend is due this month, so Silas won’t be alone for long.Our Little Biped prefers walking to crawling now that he’s a bit more practiced. Sometimes I’m amazed that he manages to stay on his feet, but his balance is improving.
Instead of walking to a specific piece of furniture, he’s walking around the house and can even do a 180 turn without falling.

Although Silas still fits in the kitchen sink, he prefers to stand for his bath, so we’ve switched to baths in Mommy and Daddy’s tub.Baby blew kisses to me for the first time this week. This little guy has a tight hold on my heart.

Of Autumn Days and Auntie “Visits”

Elisabeth Moody — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:43:16 +0000

These autumn days are too beautiful to stay indoors. Silas Clark and I have been going for strolls in the park and around our subdivision. Thursday, Baby and I spent the afternoon in our neighborhood park. I took a blanket, and we sat under a mesquite tree. Bitty Boy is walking like crazy now.

That afternoon Silas and I watched a live webcast from Bob Jones University’s Distance Learning staff, which included my close friend Rebekah. BJU’s Distance Learning department offers pre-recorded classroom lessons to families who home school their children. This webcast was an open house allowing students from across the country to call in or email to talk with their teachers. Rebekah teaches Jr. & Sr. High Literature, and it was cool to watch her in real time as she interacted with her students.Soon Silas will be able to show Aunt Bekah his Arizona since Rebekah will be coming to visit next month.

Friday Night Football

Elisabeth Moody — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 06:41:42 +0000

The Verrado Vipers and the Buckeye Hawks squared off last night at Buckeye Union High School’s football stadium. Between the NFL, Fantasy Football, and a TV series centered on a high school football team, we’ve definitely had football on the brain. Surprisingly, neither Stephen nor I had ever been to a high school football game until last night. It was perfect football weather! The only thing missing was a thermos of hot chocolate.

After an autumn supper featuring acorn squash, we drove over to Buckeye to join the action. Since our church meets in the Verrado Middle School, we sat with the VHS fans to cheer for the Vipers. I think we had the cutest Viper fans there.

Airplane Happiness

Elisabeth Moody — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:44:33 +0000

From my kitchen window, I can see a concrete wall six feet from my nose, literally. I also have a close up and personal view of my neighbor’s home. There’s just a tiny patch of blue that’s mine. Houses this close are the norm here in Arizona, so the view from my kitchen sink is nothing unusual—just unusual to me.

I’ve been surprised at how many animals I’ve seen from my window. Hawks soar high in the sky, and doves walk the roof of my neighbor’s house. Lizards scamper along the walls in the spring. Cats, domestic and feral, walk the concrete walls. I love to see the moon make his nightly ascent.

Recently I’ve concluded something. Airplanes make me happy. With the Goodyear Airport just five minutes from us, and the Sky Harbor Airport downtown, I can almost always see a commercial airliner or private cessna out my kitchen window. And it makes me happy. I guess I just like to know that there are people up there, and I’m happy that there’s something to see. Seeing an airplane so far above me gives me kind of a wistful feeling. Weird, huh? I think too much sometimes.

Fall tiptoed into the Valley Monday night and made a dramatic appearance this week. Temperatures on Tuesday were still in the high 90s, but we had a furious thunderstorm and downpour. The neighborhood kids were running back and forth across the street through the rushing water near the curbs.

Yesterday and today, the sun is hot, but the air is cool with temps in the 60s and 70s. Autumn is here! AND we have cold water flowing from our faucets! Silas and I took a walk yesterday morning and met our neighbors across the street who come down from Winnipeg, Manitoba for a few weeks/months out of the year.

Hopefully we’ll get to know more of our neighbors now that the weather is so beautiful. It’s weather like this that draws so many people to retire here.

Is It Over?

Elisabeth Moody — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:34:43 +0000

The news report last night said that today, October 3rd, is supposed to be our last day of triple digit temperatures for the year. Hooray! Maybe now we can enjoy being outside.

According to ABC 15 news, “monsoon 2011 will go down in the record books as the hottest ever in the Valley of the Sun.”

Two years ago, we moved to Arizona in September. As we hunted for an apartment, I noticed fall decorations in the offices of apartment complexes. There were scarecrows, autumn leaves and hay bales. I thought it was crazy to decorate for fall when it was still scorching hot outside! Now I realize that if you want autumn in Arizona, you have to make it happen yourself. Decorate, bake, and wear short-sleeved sweaters even when it feels like an oven outside.

Here’s hoping the weather forecast is right and cooler weather is waiting in the wings.