Way to go Adam!!

Adam finished his first semester at SCO with flying colors!! We are so glad finals are over and are so proud of what a great job he did! Not only did he get great grades, he did a really good job of balancing school and family. He is home every day by 5:00 (I know a lot of students who are at the school till 7:00 or later) and is so great to spend his evening playing and wrestling with Cameron. He even gives Cameron his bath every night (my little time to relax while the boys have a blast together playing with bath toys), and he helps me get Cameron to bed. Seriously, could a girl ask for a better husband? Yea for Christmas break - I love it when we just get to spend all day, everyday together!! Anyway, I am so lucky to have you babe! Thanks for all you do for our little family!

On being parents...

CAMERON ADAM RUDD

A few days before our lives changed forever.

Five days old. Was he really ever that tiny?

Have you ever seen such a cute and chubby baby?

I can't believe my baby is such a big boy!

Recently quite a few of our friends have announced that they will be having their first child. With that and of course our little girl joining us soon, I have been reminiscing a lot about the arrival of Cameron and the past two years. I was looking back at old pictures and just had to share - I am just so proud of my cute little boy! Being parents is absolutely the greatest blessing and we have enjoyed it so much!! And, as much fun as Cameron was at all these stages – Adam and I have been commenting a lot lately about how it just gets funner!

Cameron does/learns new things every day right now and it is so much fun to watch! Our favorite right now is his developing sense of humor. He is constantly saying, “That’s funny!” and he is always trying to make us laugh. The other day he was watching Sesame Street while I got ready and I heard him laughing so loud I had to go in and check it out. When I asked him what was so funny he said, “Noodle so funny!” Apparently he finds the character Mr. Noodle absolutely hilarious. Yesterday when we picked him up from nursery he had quite a list to share of all the great things he did and then started chuckling to himself and said, “Bubbles funny!” (They ended nursery by blowing bubbles.) This age is just too much fun!

Anyway, enough mom rambling! All you soon to be parents out there…get excited! The challenging/hard stuff is a small part and the fun stuff just gets better and better!

Super Easy Cookies

I got this recipe from a friend and it has been a lifesaver this Christmas. Between the two of us Adam and I somehow signed up to help with every ward event in the past few weeks, so I have been cooking and baking like crazy! It has been very busy and very fun. On Saturday our ward is hosting a community event that we have invited three of our neighbors to. One of them asked if our church was the big white one with Joseph Smith on top (the temple is next to our ward building). Pretty close I guess :) We hope a few of them stop by - yea for missionary work! Anyway, it has been nice to have one recipe that seriously takes five minutes and is still way tasty! I actually hate most everything pumpkin, and I really love these!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1 small can pumpkin
1 box spice cake mix
1 package chocolate chips

Mix together and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.
No really...that's it! Thanks Brynn for such a great recipe.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

This Christmas season has been so fun with Cameron old enough to be excited about everything! I don't think he understands it all yet, although he response with an excited "YES!" when anyone asks if Santa is going to visit him. But, he loves Santa, snowmen (he says "Noman!"), and all the Christmas lights. By snowmen I mean the fake plastic and blowup kind you find in Memphis. It is 73 degrees outside today and although we don't miss the biting Logan cold we are a little sad we won't get to build a snowman with him this year. Anyway, we are just having a wonderful time. Cameron walks around the house ringing a little silver bell and singing "Jingle Bells", which in his version goes like this..."Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells,..." you get the idea! :) And, as you can see, he even loved meeting Santa. Last year he was terrified, but this year he thought it was great - mostly because Santa gave him a sucker. We bought a few pictures that are better, but these are the ones we just took off to the side with our own camera.

One other really fun thing this year has been getting out our decorations again. Last year we spent the holiday at Adam's parents, so our decor just stayed in boxes and it has been fun to see it all again. My favorite part is our little tree covered in the ornaments we have collected throughout the years. I started the tradition of giving Adam an ornament in High School and we have kept it going ever since. It is so fun to look back at the ornaments...Our first Christmas as a couple (at age 17!), a computer for the year Adam was at Ricks and I was at USU (Oh the fun of an email relationship), a missionary bear I sent Adam on his mission, our wedding ornament, a little house for the year we bought our first home, Cameron's "First Christmas" ornament, and this year an SCO ornament - our first Christmas in Memphis! We have at least one ornament representing each year since 1999. As you can see, before too much longer we are going to have to get a bigger tree to hold them all!

Anyway, we are just enjoying our first Memphis Christmas! We will miss seeing all our friends and family, but are also looking forward to enjoying the time together as a little family. We hope you are enjoying the season as much as we are!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Advice Needed

Hey, this is a random post, but we are looking into a few big purchases right now and were wondering if any of you out there have any advice on the subject.

First, we want to buy a digital camcorder with the money my parents gave us for Christmas. It can't be too expensive ($100-$150 range), but we want something that will still be good. We were looking at something like the "flip", which gets good reviews online, but we were wondering if any of you have something like this and would be willing to share your opinion.

The other purchase we are looking at is a double stroller. We still use a stroller with Cameron constantly, so I don't think I could live without one after the new baby comes. Do any of you moms love your double stroller or have a friend that does? Especially now that we buy everything online, it is hard to know what you will get. I have looked in stores around here and haven't found anything so far, so it looks like this will probably be an online buy.

Anyway, any input you can give would be great! Thanks!

My Big Boy

I can't believe how fast Cameron is growing up! He is looking less like a baby and more like a little boy, talking like crazy, and last week he moved from the crib to his big boy bed and is doing great!! I have to say I was very worried about the transition. He is such a good sleeper and to be honest, I wasn't ready to give up any more of my sleep yet (the pregnancy steals enough!). But, I decided it would be easier to do it now than to wait till after the baby came. So I read everything about the subject that I could get my hands on, and so far it has been great. It has taken some teaching time, but he has gotten better and better each day and has continued to sleep through the night! For you moms who like me, way over stress stuff like this, here is the advice that I used. We started preparing for the move on Tuesday and then he slept in the bed for the first time on Thursday. I waited until Thursday night because Adam's last test for the week was on Thursday. If it didn't go well, I didn't want lack of sleep to affect his tests. Anyway, here it is...

• Grandma and Grandpa bought him sheets with cars, trucks, and airplanes on them. He was so excited and on Tuesday I had him help me wash them and put them on the bed.
  
• On Tuesday we moved our bedtime routine to the big bed, but put him to sleep in the crib. We continued doing our nap/bedtime routine in the big bed (prayers, reading, and singing a song) but putting him to sleep in the crib for a few days. I'm not sure I would do this again. He was so excited to sleep in the bed, he was sad to go to sleep in the crib. I would have just let him sleep in the bed that first night, except Adam had two big tests Wednesday and Thursday.
  
• After the routine we also put his favorite stuffed animal, his USU monkey, to sleep in the big bed. We tucked him in and said goodnight, etc. It was sad because each time we'd go to put him in the crib he'd say, "Go night-night monkey" wanting to stay in the bed. Like I said, next time I would plan on him sleeping there the first night.
• On Thursday, when he slept there the first time, he spent about 30 min. wandering around the room, knocking on the door and calling for us. We just went in every 5-10 minutes, put him back in bed and rubbed his back for a min. I had to do this for longer before his naps for a few days (the first day for more than an hour!!). But, for the past few nights/naps, we haven't had to go back in at all.
  
• Oh, I also took all the toys and books out of his room, so there is nothing in there to play with, except he still sleeps with the monkey. I also put the blanket from his crib on the bed - it is cuddly fabric and he has always slept on top of it.

Okay, so there is the advice. Overall it has been easier than I expected and actually pretty funny at times. One day right after I put him down for his nap I heard knocking on the door and him yelling, "Good Morning Mommy!" Nice try buddy! :) Also, last night he went down very well. We heard him talking in there for a little bit, but didn't think much of it. When we went in to check on him before we went to bed he was in the bed, although not quite the right direction, totally zonked, and stripped down to his diaper! His pj's were clear across the room! :) We just had to laugh!

Anyway, enough mommy talk! I know some of you other moms out there will get to do this before too much longer and I hope the advice helps! Also, here are a few pictures of Cameron's room as decorated so far. It is not my favorite room (the white walls are just too boring for me), but he seems to like it.

EGGNOG, it's what's for Christmas

You know, nothing helps me get into the holiday frame of mind more than a nice cold glass of eggnog. I find it strange that such a wonderful concoction could be produced simply from eggs, milk, whipped cream, and sugar. Alone, these ingredients are okay at best. But mix them together, and you get one of the best drinks on the face of the earth! The nog part of the name came from a middle English word noggin, which denoted a wooden, carved mug for serving alcohol. Whether taken with alcohol or not (I drink it virgin), eggnog is the perfect way to usher in the holiday season. So get to the store, and buy yourself a quart. Sit in front of your tree with your family, and enjoy a rich, creamy glass of eggnog. Not a fan? Just don't let Santa know. He checks his list twice. Once to see if you've earned Christmas presents via your good deeds, and twice to know if you are a "nog" household. So if you want the Jolly fat man in red to stop by your pad, learn to love it. I know I do!
-Adam

One more thing...

As I was cleaning this afternoon, I thought of one more pregnant necessity you have to try if you haven't already!

• Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. The "nesting" seems to have hit pretty early with this pregnancy and I was going nuts trying to get all the scuff marks off the walls from the move. I finally gave in and tried this and now I am totally addicted! The first time I tried it I completely trashed two of them in a few hours wiping down every surface of my house! Now I use them on everything...tile grout, tubs, finger prints on doors...everything! Seriously, you have to try it!

Pregnancy Necessities...

As I was laying awake last night waiting for our little girl to finish her 3:00am aerobics, I was thinking about how fast and easy this pregnancy has been so far. I know many of you with difficult pregnancies are cursing me out there...I'm sorry and I know I am very lucky! :) Don't get me wrong, pregnancy isn't all enjoyable, but I feel lucky that mine are really not too bad. Even the middle of the night kicking is a joy. Adam had his hand on my stomach the other night and was asking me how it feels. I couldn't explain it, but I do feel lucky to get to experience it. I love feeling a baby move and grow inside of me, even when it keeps me up. I know I will miss it one day! I was also thinking of a few things that I have loved and couldn't live without during this pregnancy, so I thought I would share.

• Motherhood Maternity - Belly Band. This is the greatest invention. It is basically a tube-top that you wear around your pregnant belly and over the top of your pants. You just undo the top button of your regular pants and this band holds them up. I think I have worn maternity pants once this pregnancy! It more than doubled my maternity wardrobe. I guess since I bought it they changed the name to "the tummy sleeve" - here is a picture. It comes in white, black, and nude.

• My jetted tub. I don't remember taking baths while pregnant with Cameron and now I take one every day! It makes such a difference. I have problems with my hips and my right leg and they are so much better after my bath. I swear some days I can't even walk until after I soak for a few minutes.

• A husband who spoils me. Adam is so great to rub my calves when I get charlie-horses (why do they call them that?), pick things up that I drop (since I am clumsy pregnant and it is getting harder to bend over), and he even ties my shoes sometimes (it gets harder when you can't see your feet :). Thanks babe! I love you!

WOW, I really look huge in this picture!! Hopefully the camera angle is partly to blame! :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! We are just enjoying spending the day together as a little family and wanted to wish you all a wonderful day. We had our official thanksgiving feast this weekend with Adam's parents - our first in our own home. It was delicious and we have been enjoying the leftovers all week! Here is a picture of our feast, I was pretty proud as it was my first (well, Kathy helped a lot too! :) And, obviously we ate too much - as you are supposed to!

I was of course thinking this morning of all the things I am thankful for and it would take pages to list them all, but I wanted to share a few...

• I am thankful for my knowledge of the true gospel. Living outside of Utah gives you a whole new perspective on how lucky we are! What a blessing it is to know the truth, to have an eternal family, and to be able to turn to a loving Heavenly Father for help.
• I am thankful for wonderful family and friends. We miss all our family and friends back home, but it has also been such a great experience to get away as a small family and just rely on each other. I feel so lucky to have such an incredible husband, a perfect little boy, and to have a little girl joining our family soon. What more could a girl ask for?

I could go on and on, but I guess that is the stuff that really matters. All the other many blessings we enjoy are just added bonus! Thanks to each of you for being such a special part of our lives! Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving day!!

Weekend Highlights

We had such a fun weekend with Adam's parents visiting! It was so great to show off all of the fun things Cameron has learned and how much he has grown, our home, and our city. Here are a few of the highlights.

Grandparents bring great gifts! They brought this horse to have us save and give Cameron for Christmas, but couldn't wait! :) He loves it! He pulls it all over the house and rides it while doing kissing noises, whipping the reigns, and kicking him to get him going!

Of course Adam had to show his parents his school and give them a quick eye exam. It was fun to see him show off his skills, and he even gave the Moosman traveling moose (Elmer) an exam. Everything checked out just fine. :)

We spent one day walking/driving around downtown. We saw the famous Peabody Hotel ducks (we also saw Kate Beckinsale in the lobby, she is here shooting a movie), we walked down Beale Street, and ate dinner at B.B. Kings. This may actually be our new favorite BBQ, it was so yummy!!

On Friday night we went to a ward bonfire at a members property out in the backwoods. We drove back the next day to see it in the daylight and it was so beautiful! It was fun to see a different part of Tennessee.

One afternoon we drove to Graceland to see where Elvis lived. People here are so obsessed with him! We didn't actually take a tour, but we got a few pictures from the road.

The best part was just getting to spend time together. Cameron absolutely adores his grandma and grandpa! He had so much fun playing with them. He has been walking around calling for them all day, poor little guy! Thanks for a great weekend Kathy and Barry! We can't wait to have you back in a few months when the baby comes. Maybe we can talk Aunt Holly and Sydney into coming too! :) Love and miss you guys!

A few finished projects...

We finally finished a few little projects around the house that I wanted to show off. Decorating is not easy for me so it is fun when we like the results. Now I just need to finish getting Cameron's room decorated and him moved into his "big bed" and the nursery decorated for our little girl! We are really loving our house!!

Adam and I saw a series of 3 paintings that looked almost exactly like this at a high-end furniture store for $400 and I decided to give it a try. These cost me $10 in stretched canvas from Michaels! They actually turned out pretty cool. I'll be taking orders at the discount price of only $200. :)

This is the kids/guest bathroom. One wall has the horizontal stripes and on the other I painted the two squares and hung pictures of Cameron in a bubble bath in the middle. I was going for a little kid feel without the disney characters. I'm not sure if it worked, but we like how it turned out.

In a few more months we will exchange one of the Cameron pictures for one of our baby girl in the tub!! I actually picked the blue thinking it would be a bathroom for my two little boys, but girls like blue too, right? :)

Well, I guess I had better get to work on my last two rooms! :) Hope you like these ones!

Shocked...

I was just getting the pizza crust going when Adam informed me that a few people have asked what Killer Bunnies is after my last entry. I am shocked and appalled!! :) Seriously though, it is one of the funnest card games ever! I randomly found it in a little game store in Logan and got it for Adam for his Birthday last year Now, everyone we have played it with is addicted! It is such a fun game to play with a group of friends. I can't really explain the whole game - mostly you kill other peoples bunny cards and try to get as many carrots as you can. Sounds crazy right? You just have to trust me and get it - you'll love it! It is a little tricky to learn at first, but not hard once to get the idea. If you buy it and need help - give me or Adam a call! :) Anyway, there is my plug for Killer Bunnies. Soon you'll all be thanking me for providing you with long, hilarious game nights! And, we would love to play with you all someday soon! :)

Quick Update...

I'm sure you have all been anxiously awaiting the results of my test today. Okay, not really, but I'll tell you anyway. It was about the most boring 3 hours of my life and everything turned out to be just fine. For those of you who haven't had the joy - you have to fast for 12 hours (doesn't sound too bad, except when you are pregnant) before you go in. First they prick your finger and test your blood sugar then make you drink a disgustingly sweet bottle of syrup. Then you have to sit in the waiting room for three hours - being tested again every hour. I thought I would enjoy the time to read, but I was so nauseous from drinking pure sugar on an empty stomach, it was hard to concentrate! Anyway, everything checked out just fine. Cameron had fun playing with the Henrickson kids and I'm glad it is over! I'm excited to have some friends over tonight for homemade pizza and Killer Bunnies - the day is looking up! :)

Baby Girl Update

I had another Dr. Appointment today to check up on our little girl and everything is going pretty well. She is growing right on schedule and kicking like crazy. Now that I am getting bigger I can tell that I am carrying her lower than I did Cameron, so I am enjoying not having her feet as close to my ribs as his were! :) I have been extremely tired lately, which I chalked up to not sleeping well at night because of the big belly, but found out today that I am a little bit anemic, which I'm sure has been part of it. My mom was not at all surprised because I guess she was anemic during all of her pregnancies. I'll take that from her, since I think the fact that pregnancy is so easy for me in general also came from her. :) Seriously, I can't really complain - for the most part I really enjoy being pregnant (crazy right?) The only bad news I got today was that my blood sugar was a little high. I had the glucose screening where you fast for 12 hours before and then have to spend an hour at the office for the tests. Well, she said it was just barely high enough that I have to go back in for more tests - yuck! This time I have to fast and then be in the office for 3 hours! The hardest part about this pregnancy has been finding babysitters. We are still new here so I hate imposing on all our new friends for all of these appointments. It really makes you miss grandparents! :) Anyway, hopefully the second screening comes out normal. One thing that really hit me today is how fast this pregnancy has gone! I am 29 weeks now and the Dr. said that if I haven't gone into labor already, he would start me a week early - which means this baby will be here in 10 weeks! Maybe that doesn't sound fast to you, but when I think of getting everything ready and preparing myself to be a mom of two - it seems very fast! And, of course, very exciting! Anyway, that is enough of a novel for today. It is 9:00 pm - way past my bedtime! :)

Just Thought I'd Share...

Tiff Moosman just called to ask for my homemade pizza recipe and I remembered what a good one it was! My sister gave it to me and it is always a hit, so I thought I would share. We have done quite a few game nights/family gatherings where we make the crust and have all the guests bring their favorite toppings. Hope you enjoy it as much as we have...

Rudd's Gourmet Pizza

4 1/2 tsp. yeast
2 Tbs. sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. cooking oil

Mix yeast, warm water and sugar. Let the yeast work for 5 or so minutes. Add flour, salt, and cooking oil. Knead for 6-8 minutes. Divide into two equal pieces. Press onto pizza stone (or baking sheet). Bake at 490 degrees for 5 minutes. Top crust with desired sauce, cheese, and toppings. Return to 490 degree oven for 5-7 minutes until cheese melts.

This recipe makes two crusts - when I make it for just our little family I will bake them both then do toppings on one and refrigerate/freeze the other. They keep well, so you can just add the sauce and toppings and bake again another day. Yummy!!

The Best Four Years

Today Adam and I have been married for four years!! I can't believe how fast time flies when you are having fun! It has been nine years since we started dating, can you believe it? Sometimes it still feels like we are teenagers playing house or something - we can't possibly be old enough to be married and be parents! I just had to get on quick and tell Adam how much I love being his wife! He is the greatest husband a girl could ask for and I feel so lucky to have him! To be honest, it hasn't been the best anniversary. Cameron and I both have colds. Plus his two ear infections, the flu shot he had on Thursday, and he is cutting two new teeth. He has been much better than he was on Thursday, but you can tell he doesn't feel good, and this cold has me feeling pretty yucky too. Poor Adam has had to deal with us both! I love you honey! Thanks for taking such good care of me!

My Sweet Boy & His Evil Twin

Cameron had the worst day EVER today! He has been a little off all week, but today my child was replaced by his evil twin!! Honestly, my sweet little angel cried/tantrumed from 6:30 am (two hours before he usually wakes up) until noon! By 9:00 I had called the doctor to get him seen ASAP. When she asked why I was in I actually asked her to please tell me he had an ear infection or something! :) Is it normal for a mom to wish for an ear infection? As it turns out - he has double ear infections! My poor baby, so sick and his mom threatening to throw him in the trash! :) Anyway, I had to get on and look at a few pictures to remind me how much I love him and thought I would share. He really is so great 99% of the time - I just hope he goes back to that Cameron tomorrow! :)

Hard to imagine this goofball as a terror right? :)

Happy Halloween Dude!

We had our ward Halloween Party on Saturday and Cameron dressed up as a Harley Biker. He looked so cute and everyone loved his costume! Grandpa and Grandma Rudd gave him the vest, so all we did was add a few dollars worth of accessories and it turned out really cute. He was a huge hit at the party giving all the young men and young women "knuckles" and showing off his tattoos. He carried around a little motorcycle and every time anyone asked about it he said, "Vroom-Vroom Grandpa!" We had to keep explaining that he doesn't think a motorcycle is called "Grandpa" he just has to tell everyone that his Grandpa has a Harley. :) He loved the hayride around the parking lot we went on and then spent most of the evening trying to kiss the princesses playing on the stage! :) Anyway, here are a bunch of pictures of my cute biker. I love the one of him sucking his thumb - are Harley bikers allowed to do that? :) I also added some pictures of Sunday morning. He took off his pj's first thing and it was too funny to see him cruise around with the tattoos still on! I love the one of him on the dump truck - my little tattooed trucker! :) So, here they are...enjoy!

Our Harley Biker the Next Morning...