Merry Christmas

Dear friends and family,
We hope this year has been good to you and that this letter finds you as well and happy as can be.

Our 2010 started off with Claire in the hospital with pneumonia and it seemed the first several weeks of the year were spent recovering from that illness, watching her closely and administering a list of medicines and breathing treatments. It was an awful experience, but she recovered and we couldn’t ask for more.

Spring found us on a weeklong road trip up the coast and back. We stopped at Morro Bay, Monterrey, Big Sur, and then San Francisco and did everything we possibly could – hiking, museums, parks, great restaurants. Nobody wanted to come home, and we might just do the same thing again in 2011. Summer was short and the weather here was pretty cold. The girls and I spent every other week at my parents’ new house in Hemet where it was scorching hot and the pool was a blast. And being back in my hometown is so reassuring. We got to see my nephew, Josh, and my brother Adam and his wife, Joli (now expecting another granddaughter for my parents).

Fall rearranged life again and it was back to just one child at home during the day, except she wasn’t so content without sister. It’s a pattern of disruption and adjustment that is sure to repeat itself. We finally got the heat we were looking for during the summer and Los Angeles broke its all-time high temperature record. Our family has been busy this year just like everybody else. Once in awhile we have a weekend with no plans and no company and it feels so strange, but it’s nice either way.

Audrey finished kindergarten in June and we have been thrilled and amazed to watch her reading skills take off. She wasn’t sure she’d like her 1st grade as much as kindergarten, but, her team teachers, Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Bagley, have turned out to be more than acceptable. This fall Audrey was a Daisy Scout, played soccer, and took a one-week cheerleading clinic with the high school cheerleaders. At the end of the week they all cheered at the high school football game. It was adorable. We are trying not to overwhelm Audrey with activities but it is hard to say no to so many great programs and opportunities. Audrey turned 7 on December 11.

Claire has had a great time in her art class, not such a great time in ballet class, and generally enjoys story time at the library. She has a nice little day carved out with Mommy: take Audrey to school, get dressed, morning TV, bath time, snack time, errands and outings, lunch and then nap. We visit the park, the library and the farmer’s market once a week. Claire is really easygoing and plays by herself happily. She is always glad to see Audrey and they usually entertain each other quite well, when they are not fighting over toys and “rules” regarding their pretend games. We are still watching Claire closely. She has had more respiratory episodes and needs nebulizer treatments to get through colds. We hope this is an issue she will outgrow. Claire will be 4 in March 2011.

I am spending more and more time behind the wheel and at the computer. Freelance work still keeps me busy, and I volunteered to be Audrey’s classroom parent and team mom for soccer. It’s not that much work – just a lot of little things – but maybe I was a bit overambitious. I also joined the Torrance Civic Chorale which practices every week and performed four times in December and will perform again in April. The music was challenging, and I did not always felt sure I would be able to learn it all, but it came together beautifully.

Mark is hard at work while most of these events take place. His hours fluctuate but are often long. When he is home he is everybody’s favorite and also a little unsettled by the female drama that never stops. Whenever he can he gives me time to get away by myself and grow back some of the hair I tear out trying to raise our children. He’s been teaching Audrey to ride her bike and spending an hour here and there trying to eradicate the seedlings growing by the thousands in our backyard. We got a new driveway this year, but haven’t done much else to our house. We have a bathroom with ugly written all over it and that’s next on our list.

I keep a blog, you might have seen it before, www.beansandtaters.blogspot.com. I meant to do that 30-day November “thankful” list, but could not get myself organized. We have many things to be thankful for and it would seem like bragging to list them all. But really, there are days when survival, not gratitude, is my main approach to life. Here it is in a nutshell: we are thankful for an income when many are without work, we are thankful for good medical care, for food, clothing, shelter and running water, for hugs, kisses, laughter and bedtime, for each other, for our families, and for all the mundane and enjoyable parts of our lives. And for two little girls who make it all so stressful and so fun and so worthwhile.

Merry Christmas from the Sterzicks – Mark, Melissa, Audrey and Claire

Audrey is 7

Well don't get me started on that large number now attached to my little baby. I'm not sure how to take it in, but since I don't have a choice I'll try not to analyze too much.

Audrey is enjoying 1st grade. She says she would rather go to school than stay at home because school is more fun. She's reading well and loves to surprise us with new words she has picked out on signs and billboards. Halfway through the year we had to give up spelling words to keep secrets and she was so proud that she'd beaten us at our own game. Audrey loved her Kindergarten teacher, Ms. Schrank, who turned 80 and retired at the end of the school year. She likes her new teachers pretty well.



January


February


February


March

Audrey played soccer on the Purple Ponies this fall. She had a great coach who somehow herded 9 giggly girls around the field for months without ever losing his temper. He seemed to be grooming Audrey to be a goalkeeper and she played that position at least a quarter every game. She did so well - was so calm about it and so focused. We were impressed.

Audrey loves the Duggars so we Tivo them and she gets to watch when her homework is done. It's nice to have her idealize a family that is even more conservative than ours and it makes her more attentive when I talk about things they discuss on their show - things like modesty and respect and gratitude. Her other favorite TV show is America's Funniest Home Videos. We watch and laugh and Audrey asks a million questions about why did that happen and did they get hurt and I don't get it, but she really enjoys it. I am happy way down deep that she has inherited my tendency to laugh at other people falling down.

She loves pizza, hot dogs and Top Ramen and that doesn't reflect on my cooking repetoire. She is trying more and more new foods and will occasionally admit to liking them. She's learning to do more things for herself and helping around the house emptying trash cans and folding laundry and she does a great job cleaning her room. It is sometimes a shock to realize we have a child who is actually reasonable. She dresses herself, makes great toast and can vacuum a little. Any day now she will be able to cook us all dinner and drive me to the grocery store.

Some other thing she loves: pregnant women, getting toppings at the yogurt place, her rain boots, Souplantation, her scooter, her friend John's dog Mooshti, making a bounce house with the couch cushions, daddy tucking her in at night, drawing, getting money from the tooth fairy, and cupcakes.



April


April


May


May


May


May


May

Audrey is a good big sister. When she comes home from school she is often grumpy I know it's because they are all Lord of the Flies out there on the playground and in her class of 30. I have remind her that she is home now and she doesn't have to fight for status anymore, then she snaps out of it and plays with Claire for hours. Audrey offers Claire much instruction and is always setting up rules that Claire will break instantaneously, and that seems to be working out for both of them - Audrey is learning a little flexibility and Claire is learning to cooperate a little or lose her playmate. Audrey wants everything to be fair and especially fair in her own favor. So when Claire gets a treat for a successful potty maneuver, Audrey says she should get one too.

These days Audrey is 50 pounds and doesn't know her own strength or size. Doorways get dangerous and her head is the same height as our kitchen bar so there are many bumps and bruises to be kissed. She does know she can pick up Claire - a party trick they perform all the time. She is always moving and so many of my pictures of her are blurry because she won't stay still. Her dad is the only one who can still carry her for more than 30 seconds and he is still glad to do it.




June



June


July


July


August


August

Audrey is definitely entering the little kids stage and it looks to be a great time for all of us. If we can convince her that being the oldest is as good as being the baby we are all set.

We are so lucky with Audrey, she has a resilience that serves her well at home and at school. She makes friends easily and everyone we pass walking home from school seems to know her name. She likes to know the rules and is very conscientious about following them. She has a ton of enthusiasm, curiosity, and creativity always bubbling under the surface ready to be put to use. Audrey is very forgiving of her parents, and that is good because we make a lot of mistakes. She shows us all her love in the way she dashes around the house, asking questions, sharing artwork, and playing games, because spending time and interacting are her ways of loving. She loves a good long hug. Happy birthday Audrey, big hug, and kisses, too.


September


September


October


October

My concert

If you live nearby, here are the details on Torrance Civic Chorale performances - I'm in the group. If you like this kind of thing it's going to be beautiful. We are also singing at the Torrance Memorial Festival of Trees on Dec. 4 at 2 pm.

The Torrance Civic Chorale honors the 325th Anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthday with concerts Friday, December 10th and Saturday, December 11th at 8:00 PM in the James R. Armstrong Theatre in Torrance, California. Featured vocalists and the Chorale bring to the concert stage favorites such as, “Sheep May Safely Graze,” and “Jesu Joy of Man’s desiring” along with numerous other Bach compositions. In addition, five of John Rutter’s best for Christmas will balance the various Baroque Bachian sounds. Other seasonal Hanukkah and December favorites are also featured with selected soloists.

The 500 seat James R. Armstrong Theatre is located on the campus of the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance, CA 90503. Theatre Box Office is (310) 781-7171. Reserved seating is $14.00 plus $2.50 theatre handling fee.

Hallow-weenie

Claire not willing to smile and pose with her sister.


Audrey always full of energy and the perfect cheerleader.


Batclown and the witch.


Claire trying to overcome her fear of Batclown.


Audrey not willing to stop eating candy for 5 seconds to take a picture with her mommy. Love the look on her face!


This year we were a cheerleader, Cinderella, a half-hearted witch and the Batclown. Lots of fun including pumpkin carving, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, costume parade at school, and trick or treating. We let the kids eat all the candy they wanted that night - I was afraid they were going to puke. Now Mark and I are eating the rest, stealthily. I threw away all the non-sugar free gum and anything blue and have polished off my favorites (Almond Joy, Mounds, Milky Way). I'm not sure if Mark is really having any - maybe it's just me. I love that Halloween candy smell with all the chocolate and nuts and fruity flavors. We pulled it off pretty well considering my four days of unexplained vertigo and Claire's wheezing with major chest congestion the week before. So far we are on the mend and no one had to go to the hospital. Halloween is becoming my favorite holiday - it's all about fun and there's not as much pressure as on other holidays. My kids could not believe how much candy I let them eat. I like the idea of them enjoying that wonderful part of childhood (we are pretty stingy with candy, although very generous with ice cream).

Freaky fall

I'm not sure the scale of this spider web translates but it is about the size of a basketball - and the spider who made it is about the size of a quarter. I always know fall is here when these start appearing. I don't mind them, but sometimes they turn up places where you're likely to walk into them when it's dark out. That happened to Mark and he is still curled up in a ball in the corner. A few hours after I took this that spider started rebuilding and I actually filmed it. I am creeped out and interested at the same time. And glad it's only a few weeks out of the year they show up.

New scooters

We bought our girls new scooters - no holiday involved. They are on them every day so I think it was a good move.

That's one happy grandma

My mom loving life with a good portion of her grandchildren under one roof. That's Cashlyn, Claire, Chelsea, Courtney and Audrey. The Halls were on a family trip to Disneyland and came by for the day - we were beyond happy to see them and had a nice Sunday eating soup, napping and talking before they had to hit the road.

West High cheerleading clinic

I signed up Audrey for the cheer clinic at our high school. They practiced all week and then cheered at the Friday night football game. It was adorable. Audrey learned her cheers very well and absolutely loved the lifts - just smiled her head off the whole time. And we were so proud of her. It was an intense week for a 6 year old, however. She had a soccer game that Saturday and when I told her to get ready she said "I have already been to enough games!"

Early fall heat wave

We had a nice day at the beach at the end of September after a long, cold summer. When Mark comes we take the boogie board and drag the kids around the shoreline. They love that. It's a good thing this photo of Mark is backlit or you'd all be blinded by his whiteness.

Global warming is real

You might have heard about the day that broke the heat record on Los Angeles. That was the day we went to Disneyland with some good friends. This is the girls in the car on the way there - Bella, Angelina, Audrey and Claire. We had a good time but it was so hot Audrey actually asked me if pretty soon the whole place was going to catch on fire. It felt like it might. This might be the last Disneyland-related entry for awhile - our passes expired and we are sad sad people. It was fun while it lasted!

Deep thoughts

So far today:

1. What is going on with this apocalyptic weather? It must be the apocalypse.
2. I did a pretty good job trimming Claire's hair with safety scissors.
3. I can never drink carrot juice without thinking of my dad, who makes his own and is always glad to share. Carrot juice is delicious and disgusting at the same time - just like some other things my dad enjoys: near beer, buttermilk, plain yogurt, etc. I bought some carrot juice today because it sounded so good and it was good. I gave some to Claire and she loved it but didn't want seconds. I think she understands.
4. I was phoning in my parental duties this morning and got called on it (good pun there) by my 3 year old. She was trying to show me something and I was saying "Yes," "Uhm hum," and "I see," whenever needed but not really paying attention. So she said to me "I didn't know you could see without looking." Quite profound.

Me and Claire

It's quiet around here with Audrey in school. Claire is getting used to it again, but they make up for it when Audrey gets home, either playing or fighting and making lots of noise. I give her a bath some mornings because it's easier than rushing it in at night. One of these days she will be too big to take nekkid pictures so I have to get them while I can. The other picture is Claire hiding behind the laundry mountain (it's clean - someday I will put it away). I walked right past her and didn't see her until she started talking. Claire often disappears that way during the day. Once in awhile she's getting into trouble, but usually she's just playing happily.

Soccer is starting

We had soccer picture day and carnival and a few others activities over the weekend. My mom was here to help me out while Mark was in Idaho. There was so much going on I couldn't have done it alone. We made the most of it talking, shopping and eating out nonstop. Lots of girl time and many bitter tears when nanie had to leave. But we got to pick up Daddy at the airport and were very glad to have him home.

Audrey's first day in first grade

(Those are shorts, not her underwear.)





First grade is definitely an easier transition than kindergarten. There was much less crying this year. We walked to school with Audrey's best little friend Angelina, who is, sadly, not in our class again but, they made a plan to meet at the monkey bars.





Audrey was nervous, for sure, but felt a lot better when she saw so many kids she knew in her class. Her teachers, Mrs. Amin-Smith and Mrs. Bagley (team teachers) did not give us more than 10 minutes to take pictures and say goodbye and then we were dismissed. Audrey still looked nervous, but she waved and went back to her drawing.

Claire cried then because she wanted to go to school like Audrey. She was out of sorts most of the day, missing her sister. I wasn't sure what to do myself, but it's all coming back to me.

After school Audrey was happy to see us, asked if I could homeschool her, (NO!) and then told me how great her day had been. I'm not sure what was going on in her head, but I think she thinks if I homeschool her she just gets to stay home from school. She said "The playground is awesome!" and that recess, lunch and her teacher were all fine. We are 5 days in now and it's going well.

Disneyland redeemed

If you saw my last post about Disneyland, I must seem like quite a grouch. I am pretty grouchy, often completely overwhelmed by my children and other responsibilities. That's life, right? I have spoken to mothers who do not take their children to the Disneyland by themselves, and I think they are the smart ones. But you can't blame me for trying. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.

We snuck in a last visit before school started and it was a terrific day. Maybe our scars will heal after all. We packed light - just food, money, sweaters and lots of hand sanitizer. We arrived in style and even got to park on the bottom level and bypass the elevator. Once inside we immediately met up with Mary Poppins (the first of 4 times we would see her that day) and then proceeded to go on three rides without waiting: carousel, teacups, and the whale's mouth boat ride - who knows what it is called? Then to Small World, and the purchase of a new toy apiece, Audrey's funded my the tooth fairy and Claire's by grandma Renae. They were in heaven and could have gone home then. Hot and hungry, we found a shady spot and at the entrance to the castle. Ran into Cinderella and her fairy godmother and then Mary Poppins again. She informed us that her show would begin in a few minutes so we stayed there and had great seats. After that the jungle cruise, hot dogs, and we were done. It was a good day. Everybody used the bathroom as needed and maybe because we were eating the entire time, everybody seemed happy. Phew.