Karate Training

This past Saturday, we had Kyoshi Richard Bonsteel and some of our karate kids over to our house to do some training.  We all learned a lot...as we always do when Kyoshi comes to town...and we finished the day off with some delicious food (mostly brought by the parents of our karate kids...THANKS!).  Can't wait to do it again!

Cakeballs!

Okay, if you've never had a cakeball, drop what you are doing, go to the store, buy the ingredients and make them.  They are really THAT good.  I got the recipe from a dear friend (thanks Emily Sorgius!!!) and decided to make some for Valentine's day for my TAs.  They were a huge hit!

Bake a cake, let it cool.  Crumble it up and blend with a canister of frosting until as smooth as possible.  I used a white cake + cream cheese frosting.  Roll into balls, freeze, dip in chocolate (or almond bark or the like...I used pre-colored almond bark chips from a party store).  I topped each one with a dark chocolate m-n-m...which made them look a little like breasts (the pink ones, anyway), but whatever...they tasted amazing!

I also tried this recipe with pineapple cake + strawberry frosting, dipped in white chocolate...tropical YUM!

February 2011

February was a fun month for us this year.  Here are some random shots of Sterling just hangin' out and having some good old fashioned fun!

 I absolutely ADORE little boys with their hair combed over (the "choir boy" look), but Jeremey quite despises it.  So I sneaked a couple pics before daddy cut his hair.  Tell me that isn't cute!

 Sterling loves this little wagon...even though a wheel is broken off.

 Sterling also loves the TV show The Electric Company.  He's got his hand up to his mouth here b/c he's shouting, "heeeeeey youuuuuu guuuuuys!"

We also got to hang out with some really good friends (Sarah, Amelia, Fritz, Carlie, Emily, and Ella) down in Tampa at the interactive children's museum.  We gave daddy the day off and Sterling and I had a blast.

 Sterling just loved hanging out with Amelia and Ella.  He may be 2 1/2-3 years their junior, but he wouldn't have it any other way.  He has so much fun with "big kids" and regularly talks about how he is getting bigger, growing up, and that he's a big guy now.  LOL!

  You can see the beautiful campus of Tampa University (I believe) in the background.  It was quite a stunning view.

Sterling and mommy posing as firefighters.  Sterling is really intrigued by firemen and firetrucks.  He is also a very compassionate little guy.  Whenever there is someone crying (usually a kid at the gym day care), he'll say, "oh no, they're sad."  And with such concern on his face.  :)  Makes me proud.

 Sterling loves music and loves to dance.  Here's a video of him at the children's museum dancing with some other kid-os.  He was having so much fun!  Listen closely, at the end of the video he says to the big girl, "I want to hold your hand."  That's my little ladie's man...Lord, help me!

The day after we played at the museum, Sterling and mommy had some fun outside with sidewalk chalk followed by a popsicle...mmmm.  Sterling kept touching his face and his nose was all green...which he thought was hilarious.

  Mommy gave a lesson on polysynaptic spinal reflexes...which Sterling LOVED...and I'm not being sarcastic in the least.  He was asking questions and everything.  Such a good student...melt my heart!

 Nothing like a good cherry popsicle to turn your lips, tongue, chin, etc. red.  :)

 Good to the last drop!

Sterling loves to get dirty outside, but he is a NEAT FREAK when it comes to food.  He just HAS to have a napkin and cannot stand to have any food on his hands and face.

November 2010 - January 2011

Jeremey and I were slightly negligent this past winter season. Not a whole lot of photographing (excluding cell phone photography, that is) in November, December, and January. We really do celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, we just don't really make a big "to do" about it. I like it that way, though.

The best part about our winter was having Grandmother stay with us for a month! It was so wonderful to have some childcare relief and for Sterling to get to hang with Grandmother and build a relationship with her. VBS, as Grandmother would say.

October 2010

For Jeremey's birthday, I got him some new ink. :) He really wanted something representing our marriage...and I would not allow a portrait of me. You think I'm joking...I'm dead serious, he mentioned that as an option he was seriously considering. Yikes! We finally settled on this tat...which turned out beautiful. It's a pelican, for those of you living more in-land. When we got engaged, there were hundreds of pelicans ALL OVER THE PLACE...and this bird symbolizes both loyalty and self-sacrifice in many cultures. What better to represent our union.

Sterling looks SoOOOOO much like Jeremey as a child in these next two pics.
We went to an "Art-tober Fest" with Uncle Jared. We thought it was an October fest, but realized our error when we got there...no beer, no music, no German anything. Oh well. We still had fun. Sterling really liked going down this giant inflatable slide with us.

Sterling was a pirate last Halloween. He and daddy both dressed up. It was ADORABLE!

September 2010

Here are some picture of Sterling playing on our back deck this past September. He adores being outside and putting the deck on the back of our house was the best investment EVER!

Sterling, his time out stool, and his helmet. He's not actually in time out here...if he were, there would be no helmet and very likely no smile.

Getting All Caught Up

Okay, so I've been super bad about updating the blog for the last 8 months or so. You all know us, so you know that it's because we keep pretty busy. Jeremey posts lots of pics and updates to his facebook page, though...so if you are interested in more frequent updates (especially regarding Sterling), friend request us.

The next few posts will attempt to cover the last 8 months. It is my goal to post monthly for the rest of the year. Here goes!