Merry Christmas

Dear Friends and Family,

The holidays are upon us again, and I am compelled to sum up my family’s year in one page. There’s so much to say that I run out of room for my jokes and sarcastic commentary, maybe I'll publish the unedited version next week. One thing I always feel when I write my Christmas letters is that it would be nice to have fewer people I love living far away and more of them close by – then I wouldn’t need to do this at all.



During the first few months of the year we kept pretty close to home. After the rush of the holidays we never need much to do but relax and sit at home with the TV on. We celebrated Claire’s birthday in March and had Easter with friends.



We spent Spring Break driving north up the coast – a drive we have made before and couldn’t wait to do again. We stopped in Santa Barbara, Morro Bay, Pismo Beach and turned around at Cambria. We enjoyed our time together, living out of the car with nothing to do but find the next beautiful hike, quaint little town or historic marker. My Mother’s Day gift was a weekend of free labor at the 20 by 20 foot community garden plot we’re leasing from the city. We don’t get enough sun in our backyard, and our weather is very mild, so I was excited to have a place to grow a real garden.



Summer was gorgeous. We thoroughly enjoyed the freedom of the season. I took the girls’ to my parent’s house in Hemet several times so we could swim and bake in the 100 degree weather. At home we went to the beach, played in the sprinklers and tended our garden – which produced pounds and pounds of tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, salad, chard, beets, carrots, peppers and much more. We wish Mark could have the summer off, too, but he did take us on a couple of camping trips and we experienced primitive life for a few days. When we are home I want everybody in their own rooms, but when we camp I love all of us sleeping together – I don’t exactly sleep well, but I like being close.



Fall was a bit of a rude awakening after such a fun-filled summer. Audrey started second grade and Claire started preschool. They are thriving, enjoying school and their activities, and I make the most of a few hours to myself. School brings many responsibilities and commitments, and we have a lot of busy days that are challenging, but that is just part of life.



Claire has grown four or five inches since her birthday – all her pants are high-waters. She is still our little fruit and vegetable fiend. She likes preschool and can’t wait for kindergarten so she can go to school every day like Audrey. She really wants to be able to read. Claire always likes to play with her sister, is currently having a love affair with scissors, tape and glue, and can’t stay out of the dirt.



Audrey finished first grade in June. She started reading chapter books in the spring and reads all the time now. We go to the library and she brings home 20 books and reads them all in two weeks. Now she’s in second grade and has a terrific teacher. She’s doing well in school, but complains a ton about her homework, especially the spelling tests. She’s in Girl Scouts and played AYSO again this fall. Audrey is really growing up, has more opinions about her clothes, her privacy, and the social and behavioral patterns of her classmates.



I (Melissa) stay busy with my freelance work, choir, my garden, keeping our home from looking like an episode of Hoarders: Buried Alive, running the kids’ schedules and a million other things. I got a new car this year and it is so nice to have four working doors. I’ve got a great winter crop going at the garden and pretty soon will harvest broccoli, cauliflower, peas, greens, cabbage and the last of the butternut squash. While Claire is at preschool I play tennis and go to the gym, pay bills, keep in touch with clients, and sometimes just make a cup of tea and read the news.



Mark is having a good year at work with success in his projects and a more normal schedule. The time difference between here and Korea keeps him at work until later in the day and that is unavoidable, but his total hours have decreased and we are happy having him home more. He traveled to San Francisco earlier in the year and Korea during the summer and fall. Mark’s liking his new basketball hoop and is a great help with the heavy lifting at our garden. He gets a king’s welcome from his two girls when he comes home from work every day. They scream and run for the door and nearly knock him over in their excitement. I am always happy to see him loved so well.



We are grateful for our family, and even though we don't say it often, we know we are blessed beyond measure. We hope the holiday season and year to come bring you joy.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Love, the Sterzicks

Audrey is 8

November 2011

We have an 8 year old! Like everybody else born in December, Audrey is a little cheated by the season, mainly because it's pretty hard to throw a birthday party this time of year. But she is definitely not hurting for gifts and happy attention. We love our birthdays in this house.

Last weekend we took Audrey to the American Girl store in Los Angeles where she got to buy her favorite doll, Molly, and have a lovely family dinner at the American Girl cafe with adorable fruit kebabs, cheese pizza, and a ultra-sweet trio of miniature desserts: cake, cookie and chocolate mousse. Her cake came with a candle and a song, and she was embarrassed and thrilled at the same time. She said it was the best birthday of her life and then said it was the best day of her life, so we felt pretty good about how it all turned out.

Audrey is in second grade. Her teacher is Mrs. Andersen, a very, kind, patient and organized woman who just the other day at parent-teacher conference put her hand on her heart and said "I absolutely love having Audrey in my class." We are not at all surprised at Audrey being loved because she is a sweet person, calm, polite and responsible, and friendly to all. She saves all her grumps for mom and dad, but we know that's normal so we try not to mind.


April 2004

August 2004

Audrey can't stop reading. We take her to the library and she checks out 20 books and reads one each day. She is so proud of herself. Audrey has tried everything from soccer to cheer leading, and still needs to find her passion. Reading might just be her passion, but we hope she finds a physical activity she likes, too. After the holidays she's going to start piano lessons, take tennis again, and try Tae Kwan Do if I can convince her. Audrey is an amazing climber. We can't keep her off the tree in the front yard even though it hardly looks strong enough to hold her weight. She can also climb our street sign like a monkey all the way to the top and touch the letters. She has an eye for colors and patterns that show in her school work and art projects.


August 2005

Maturity and obsessive reading have earned Audrey a later bedtime. She settles into her bed around 7:30 pm with an audience of stuffed animals and dolls and reads until 8:30. She has to be careful not to read anything suspenseful or scary because then she has a hard time falling asleep. She likes to sleep under at least 4 blankets and when I check on her it's just piles of bears and dolls and quilts with her head sticking out of the middle.


August 2006

August 2006

Audrey has started to eat more fruits and vegetables and has actually admitted to liking broccoli, green beans, apples, and watermelon. She does love her pizza and burritos, buttered pasta, white bread and most sweets. I guess the food update is a throwback from the days when eating habits were more of a concern, but I figure she might be interested in this information one day, especially when she becomes a mother. She's a great little bike rider now, and we've put every possible safety device on her purple beach cruiser, so we can almost relax when she's on it. Audrey is a Brownie. Her Girl Scout troop is busy planning camp outs and doing cookie sales and service projects.


August 2007

Audrey is a good big sister, but is often envious of her sister's free time and excursions with mom. Claire, of course, really wants to go to school and doesn't think grocery shopping with me is all that great, but Audrey wants to stay home and play and have samples at Trader Joe's. They still play well together, but spend a little too much time trying to boss each other and getting nowhere.


August 2008


March 2009


June 2009


August 2009

Audrey is really growing up. She's starting to become aware of her clothes and wants things to match. She calls out her parents when they break family rules and does it so sensibly all we can say is "Yes, you're right." She is learning to keep secrets - not bad ones, just easy things like what we bought dad for his birthday. She complains a lot about her homework and spelling tests. Audrey has started to enjoy showers and she can almost get all the soap out of her hair. Sometimes she tries to teach her sister new things, like letters and how to do cartwheels. She loves to tell jokes and play with words.


May 2010


August 2010

August 2010

I write something like this for Audrey every year, and every year I mention her prematurity. Eight weeks early is serious, and I can't help but think of the circumstances of her birth when her birthday comes. Of course, we hear of babies born much earlier than that surviving and living normal lives, so it becomes easy to think that having a premature baby is no big deal. If you have not experienced it you don't know what it's like: the moment when you realize your pregnancy is over and your baby is coming whether she's ready or not; that first 24 hours when your baby "forgets" to breathe and her monitors blare and the nurse who is at your baby's side constantly gives her a shake and then she remembers to breath again; the hole in her heart that might or might not close up as she grows; and the tiny tiny body, in a tangle of tubes and wires, that you hold in your palms because she's too small to cradle or put over your shoulder. We were blessed with a healthy daughter - no matter how unlikely that seemed on the day she was born, and for me that is always part of the celebration of her birthday.

Something new I thought I'd try this year was a few questions for the birthday girl herself.

What's your favorite subject? Reading
What's your favorite food? Pizza
Name your favorite book? Good question. I can't pick.
Who are your good friends? Abby
What's special about you? That I'm so good at reading. I'm good at swinging and playing.
If you could have one wish come true, what would it be? To get a puppy.
What do you want to be when you grow up? Good question. I don't know yet.
What is your favorite time of day? Recess and lunch!
What is your favorite thing to do with your family? Play Uno.
What's your best joke? Knock Knock, Who's There, Isobel, Isobel necessary on a bicycle?


August 2011


November 2011

We love Audrey so much and love watching her grow. We appreciate her kind heart, her honesty, energy and generosity. She's smart and beautiful, entertaining, curious, creative, and just the best kid in the world. We are so grateful she is our daughter.

Happy birthday, Audrey!

A few more from fall

Now that we have two cameras firing there are always pictures straggling in after I've posted. These are a few of the things we did this fall: Audrey in soccer; a weekend in Hemet with hiking in Idyllwild and climbing at Park Hill Chapel; more Halloween; jumping on the trampoline; and cozy nights at home. Happy Thanksgiving!

More birthday wishes

The big day is tomorrow - we wish we could be eating cake with you. Happy birthday, have a great trip, and give kisses to Laila.

Happy Birthday Nanie!

We're a couple of days early, but we know how much you enjoy our blog.
Happy Birthday Nanie! We love you!

Happy Haunting

Halloween was a blast. We were all set earlier in the month for Audrey to be a witch and Claire to be a bunny, but I found the Madeline costume and couldn't resist. The sale rack at Joann's yielded a dirt cheap nun's costume so I was Miss Clavel. Mark bought his goggle eyes in Korea. We went to the trunk or treat at church Saturday night. Sunday we carved our pumpkins. I used a knife and spoon; Mark used his power tools. Halloween morning we were off to school for the costume parade and Audrey's class party. The school looks so different crowded with adults and children in colorful costumes. Audrey's party was packed with activities and crafts, relay races and bingo.

Dinner was brown rice and vegetarian chili so I could feel good about letting the kids gorge on sweets for the rest of the night - which they did with enthusiasm. I found the wrapper of a full size Snickers bar in Audrey's bag. When I asked her if she'd eaten the whole thing she looked thrilled - her eyes lit up and she proudly said "YES!" I took the girls out first. We trick or treated with a group of kids and parents from our neighborhood. One of my friends commented that Claire was making pretty good time this year compared to last year. It's true, she had much more interest and much more stamina for trick or treating. She kept up with her sister and the other bigger kids, and I laughed so hard when she came tearing down somebody's driveway determinedly yelling "Next house, here I come!"

The girls ended up bringing home more candy than I bought to give away - not such a bargain for our teeth, but our stomachs are enjoying it. They emptied their bags out twice and went back for more. Mark took Audrey out for a last lap around the next block while Claire and I handed out our rapidly dwindling candy. I pilfered the cheap stuff from her bag to give away when we ran out. I can't stand the thought of her eating Nerds or Bazooka anyway.

Halloween is such a wonderful, selfish holiday. It's fun to carve pumpkins and give out candy, but that's not the best part. The best part was hearing Claire's gleeful charge and watching Audrey's silhouette against the orange light of the streetlamps - her skirts flying and her hand on her hat - dashing from house to house. It gives me a proud feeling deep inside because I know they understand what the holiday is really all about: free candy.