The Sickies and Such

Since I'm feeling under the weather today and Ethan has some crustiness forming underneath his nose, both of us decided to forgo church this morning and quarantine ourselves in our home. Ben is starting to develop what seems to be what I have, but hopefully it'll come and go before we head out on Wednesday.

We're really living in a winter wonderland here. We've had some crazy storms recently, resulting in over a foot of snow making driving to work on Friday night pretty ridiculous. I couldn't believe that people were actually out and about shopping while the roads looked like ski resort parking lots. Lots of compact snow and no indication as to where the lanes were. Luckily the snow let up a little yesterday so that driving to work wasn't so treacherous. Ben ran some errands with Ethan and got him his first Christmas present that we didn't really wait for him to open since we won't be wrapping it to bring to Utah. Here he is enjoying it:

Last night we were able to enjoy a night out thanks to a babysitter so that we could go to my work party. When we got home around 9 pm I went right to bed and didn't wake up until 7 am. Ahh, nothing like having 8 hours of sleep. Unfortunately we have tons of snow on our driveway and it's not going to clear itself, which means there's no rest for the weary.

Our house on Friday night

Our backyard storm door today... yep the snow is well above it

Oh yeah, Ethan turned 7 months on Friday... he's a ham for the camera

Christmas Card

From our family to yours,
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Because we're too lazy/cheap to send out Christmas cards this year, we decided to dress Ethan up in his Uncle's baby sweater from Austria and take pictures in front of the Christmas tree. Ben and I were in our sweats, so there wasn't a chance we were getting in the picture with this little guy all dressed up. Since Ethan can't crawl yet, he hasn't shown much interest in the tree...that was until we propped him up right next to it and gave him an ornament. Our photo shoot had to end a little early since we had him sitting on a ottoman and he was leaning back to grab some ornaments. We're getting in the festive mood of Christmas, and we're excited for our trip out West to Utah in 10 days!

So in lieu of a Christmas card detailing all the events we've been up to, here is what has happened in the last year:
- Ethan had a big year. He was born in May.
- Ben got called to be in the bishopric. Has it been 3 years yet?!?!
- We bought our first house and a new car.
- Ben went to Utah for a Superbowl party, and I went to San Francisco to visit Lindsey.
- We traveled to Virginia for Easter & Thanksgiving and made a trip to Utah this summer.
- We went to Montreal, Canada with Uncle Tyler.
- Ethan and I went to Niagara Falls 3 times.
- We had lots of friends and family come to Rochester to visit. During the month of July, 32 people make the trek Northward and 17 were even able to spend the night at Chez Mudrick. Maybe our big purchase this year should be a guest bed (since the air mattress has sprung a leak).
- Ethan has blown out of about 200 diapers.
- We're expecting again! Just kidding. That's not even funny. I can't even imagine how my Mom felt finding out she was pregnant with me when Jordan was Ethan's age.

We have much to be grateful for with all that has happened this past year and we are looking forward to 2009 in hopes of it being just as rewarding. We hope you all enjoy this holiday season and find joy in being with the ones you love as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.

The Latest and Not So Greatest

Well there's nothing to really blog about, but there were a couple pictures we've taken recently that I wanted to post, so here's a post anyway.

This week has been real busy and yet nothing too exciting has gone on. It has been an expensive week for us since our VW Passat failed the state inspection for the third year straight. Two years ago it failed because of the headlight adjusters, last year it was a tie rod, and this year it was a tie rod as well as some pump thing that we ended up having to go to a dealer to get fixed. That cost a pretty penny of course.That car has become a money pit, but luckily Ben really only drives it to work and church. Since Ben has been driving around with an expired inspection tag it worries him a little bit, so we need to get the tie rod fixed and get another inspection pronto. For some reason it always seems that these type of expenses come during the holidays, our anniversary or birthdays so that we feel guilty spending money on presents. Take for instance last year when I got in a car accident, or the year that my tooth decided to have the bonding break off. Good times. It's reasons like this that I'm glad Ben has a job and that I still have my 2 jobs. You know, for a rainy day. We've decided that Ethan will be getting diapers for Christmas and a half-full bottle of Tums that he can shake. Lucky kid. Anyway, here are some recent pics of the star of our family.

How Ethan looks when Ben feeds him

Ethan loves to look outside, but can't really stand on his own

We're loving the old man sweater Grandma... thanks!

Thanksgiving '08

We just got back last night from a wonderful trip down to Northern VA for Thanksgiving. We ate a ton, got to spend lots of time with family and even some friends. We even celebrated Ben's Mom's birthday a little early since almost none of the kids will be in town for the actual day. It was a nice little break from work and the colder weather here, but surprisingly when we came home almost all the snow had melted off our lawn. Ethan was a champ while traveling and we can only hope for the same thing when we fly out to Utah in 3 weeks. Thanks Mudricks for once again a wonderful Thanksgiving! Now for the pictures...

We tried to feed Ethan some Thanksgiving food, but he was too pooped


All the family we spent Thanksgiving with


Ethan wants to start crawling... we think


Ethan with his cute cousin Naomi


Warm enough for no clothes, but cold enough for a hat

Saturday Happenings

This is what Ethan thought of the BYU vs. Utah game tonight.

Though we'd like to say that Ethan got to cheer on the Cougars while wearing his BYU shirt (it's a 12 month-old shirt, but what can we say, he's a big boy), hanging out with his Ugly Doll Jeero and wearing his new hat, we can't since we didn't get to watch a single minute of the game. I guess that's ok since they lost.

Ethan got to spend quality time with his pops today while I went to work at the good ol' Gap. We spent most of the day lounging around, hoping the snow would miraculously melt off of our driveway. No such luck. At least it did stop snowing, though it's unseasonably cold here making us anxious for our trip down South to Virginia for Thanksgiving. Wohoo!

In other Ethan news, at his last Dr.'s appointment Ethan weighed in at 20 lbs (in the 90th percentile), is 28 inches tall (90th percentile again) and his head is in the 75th percentile. He got 4 shots and didn't cry after any of them. I think it's probably due to his well-insulated thighs. We love our fat little guy!

Half a Year Old!

Here's the big boy on his half year birthday. Seriously, time has flown! Ethan is such a happy baby. He will smile at anyone who makes eye contact with him and has recently discovered his voice and the funny sounds that it can make. He continues to crack us up every day and we are so happy to have him in our family.

Ethan and I have been kicking it at home this afternoon since it's cold and a little snowy outside. We got a couple inches of snow last night which resulted in me having to buy this today:

So that I could shovel this:

Thank you Ethan for taking a nap so that we don't slip and slide the next time we have to get in the car.

2nd Round of Grandparents

My parents came to visit us on Sunday and what did we do? We put them to work! After they arrived on Sunday night we ate a delicious dinner and lounged around. On Monday we headed to Lowes to buy a bunch of insulation so that we could finish off the attic and be the energy conscious homeowners that we are. Since Ben was at work, I helped my Dad do the first half while my Mom watched Ethan and then when Ben came home he and my Dad did the second half. Thanks for the wonderful housewarming gift Mom and Dad!

Ethan loved hanging out with his grandparents and I think they've somehow transferred all the weight they've lost to Ethan. His double chin and thighs just keep on growin', while on the other hand, my Mom and Dad are looking fabulous! We got to join in on their diet by enjoying a steak dinner at home on Monday night... what a treat!

Ethan showed off all his tricks to Grandma and Grandpa and showed them what a great eater he is. Both he and we can't wait to be with both set of Grandparents for Christmas!

Not the best picture, but the only one I got of my Dad and Ethan


Ethan thinks he's big enough to feed himself

Yep, That Time of Year Again

This upcoming weekend, November 13-16th

It seems that every 6 months I have the exact same post to let you know about Gap Friends & Family. Yes, crazy I still work there, but it's for your benefit ok? This time is a little different since I have email invitations and paper invitations to give out.

So here's the deal... the invitation is good for all 4 Gap Inc. stores (Gap, BR, Old Navy & Piperlime). You get 30% off at ALL 4 stores with this one invitation AND you can reuse the invitation so you can use it at all 4 locations.

Now if you'd like one, please let me know. If you live far away (outside of Rochester) I'd rather email you an invitation, but you'll have to print it out to bring in to the store. If you don't have a printer and you live far away, let me know and I'll send a postcard your way. The only thing is, is that it's this upcoming weekend so I want to make sure I get it out in the mail in time.

So short of the story is, leave me a comment if you'd like one and if I don't have your email address leave it. Don't worry, I'll moderate these comments so that randoms aren't picking up on your email address.

Happy shopping!


**UPDATE** All the email invitations have been taken. If you still want one, you'll have to let me know ASAP to send you an invite via snail mail.

I Don't Think That's How it Works...

Oh Ethan. Some day you'll learn.

1st Round of Grandparents

The Mudricks came last week to visit and though our time with them was short we were happy to share Halloween, a lazy & yet somehow productive Saturday and half of Sunday with them. Ben and his Dad did some demo in our garage so that both cars could fit in there. It's a tight squeeze, we need electricity so we can eventually get garage door openers, Ben has already hit the trash can with one car and the bumper in the other while backing out, but at least the cars are covered!

We didn't take Ethan trick or treating, but I was able to take him to my work party where he lasted about 20 minutes in his costume. That night we decided to dress him up in his costume one last time for good measure.

Ethan workin' hard looking cute at my desk

Farewell cute pea pod costume

While the Mudricks were here we were able to enjoy this Cafe Rio copycat recipe that gave us a few days worth of leftovers. Mmmm... it was delicious!

Check it out and try it yourself

Thanks for all your love and support and for a great weekend! Can't wait to see you guys in 3 weeks for Thanksgiving!

Ethan with G-ma and G-pa Mud in front of the corn husk tepee

Our Little Pumpkin as a Pea Pod

Last night we went to our ward Carnival/Trunk or Treat. Ben and I ran the Prize Walk and Ethan just sat there and looked cute. We hadn't tried his costume on him until Sunday (it was for sizes 6-9 months so I just figured it would fit) and he practically busted out of the buttons on the costume. It's a good thing he's probably only going to wear it one more time tomorrow, but he sure was one cute lookin' pea pod. He did get mistaken for a caterpillar and a tadpole by a couple people.

Ben claimed his costume was a pumpkin

Farmer Mom and pea pod Ethan

After the party, we headed to our favorite burger joint that has finally arrived in Rochester! It was just as delicious as ever and now all we need is Chipotle up here to make our chain restaurant wants complete.

And last but not least, we need to bid farewell to Ben's pumpkin. It looks as if his tooth decay ultimately led to his death. Or maybe our postman kicked his teeth and eye in. He only lasted a little over 24 hours, but he had one great night and lived to see it snow in October. RIP creepy pumpkin with bad teeth. RIP.

Pumpkin Carving 2008

Ben and I carved our pumpkins tonight. They turned out pretty awesome. I am not one to freehand the face on my pumpkin, so I used a template while Ben used his artistic doodling skills to make the face on his.

The sweater was a bad idea while pulling out the seeds.

Ben being very meticulous with his carving.

Ethan got bored about mid-way through us carving since we made him kick it in his high chair, so we didn't get to officially carve our pumpkins together, but we still love the little guy.

Seriously Mom and Dad... playing with a plastic fish can only last so long.


I told you they were awesome. Ben's pumpkin has a serious case of plaque and tooth decay.


This picture is completely unrelated to this post, but I just think that Ethan is so cute when he's sleeping. He's cute when he's awake too I guess.

Just One More Reason...

Why we love Ethan. Check out those thighs.

This is the only time in his life where it is acceptable to have fat hanging over your knee caps. He enjoys his workouts though as he tries to burn off the fat.

Ethan no longer has to lean over at a 45 degree angle to be sitting up. He is bettering his posture daily and is liking the view a whole lot more from this position.

We've got some fun times ahead of us as both sets of Ethan's grandparents are coming out to visit this upcoming weekend and next weekend! What a lucky little dude.

Try, Try Again

Third time's the charm for Ethan. Since packing and moving we didn't try to feed him solids until we felt a little more settled and set up his high chair. I guess he had been mulling over how to eat from a spoon those few weeks because as soon as we attempted to feed him again, he loved it! He sits there with his mouth gaped open waiting for the spoon now. Yesterday we gave him a couple teaspoons of bananas and he was loving 'em. Our little boy is getting so big. No, seriously. He's like over 18 lbs now!

Like a little bird

Such a difference from his previous eating face

Tummy time is more enjoyable now too. He constantly rolls over to be on his tummy, though he still can't figure out how to roll back

So many attempts to roll over results in this


Ethan's latest form of entertainment... he's been hanging out in it for the last half hour or so and hasn't made a peep

Ethan's room is finally complete after we hung his shelves and pictures (which can't be seen)