Christmas 2016

Dear friends and family,                                                                                                              December 2016

            Our family is growing up fast. Audrey and Claire are getting taller and taller and have become such great company. Mark and I are as fascinating and good looking as ever, but are experiencing a few of the joint and hair challenges that come with the middle 40s. Overall, it's a happy stage for our family.

            Audrey is our new teenager and she's just as sweet and funny as ever. She takes care of all of us in her quiet and sensible way. Audrey is a helpful and caring person, a good friend and sister, and has a great sense of humor and a lot of intelligence. She works hard and has made the principal's honor roll for every semester of middle school. Audrey takes piano lessons, which she tolerates; and ice skating lessons, which she loves. She also sings in two choirs, so the holiday season is a tour of concerts all around town. Audrey is in 7^th grade and each morning she gets herself up, makes her own breakfast and lunch and walks to school with her friends. We are impressed by and grateful for her self sufficiency every day. On weekends, she makes up for it by sleeping in, lounging in her pajamas as long as we let her and reading for hours at a time. When she's not reading, she's writing or drawing.  Audrey got contacts in October, and we love seeing her beautiful face without glasses.

            Claire is in 4^th grade and adapting to the higher expectations that come with being almost 10. She takes piano and sewing lessons and has a real interest in robots, Star Wars and Minecraft. She has made pillow cases, stuffed animals, tote bags and blankets, villages, sculptures, Zen gardens, jewelry and Lego structures of all kinds. She dabbles in every possible art and craft form, but seems to be looking for a specialty. She loves to read, make up games and activities for herself and anyone who will join her, and has a thing for plants. Claire is really energetic and wants to be busy and interacting pretty much all the time. Between her three family members and a few friends in the neighborhood, she manages to fill her hours. Claire has always been a very loving person, and we can still count on her for hugs and kisses and sensitivity, but she is emphatically grossed out by romantic displays of affection. Claire doesn't mind messes, sleeps in a tangle of blankets, and loves just about every kind of food except meat. She wants to do everything right, but mostly wants to be happy.

            Mark is busy at Western Digital. He has been traveling at least once a quarter - mostly to Asia. This year he has been to Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. He is a trooper about the long flights, exotic meals, and deadly jet lag. I know that if our family's financial success depended on me going three days without sleep and then eating chicken-feet soup out of a worn-out coconut shell, we'd be in trouble. We are lucky to have him. When Mark is home his womenfolk swarm him and make many demands on his time and energy. He does his best to accommodate us. Mark is always reading something interesting, often impresses us with his knowledge of geography, and tries hard to inspire his daughters to put down their books and throw a ball or ride a skateboard. When he has time he watches BYU sports, squeezes in some yard work or golf, and does a little painting.

            Now that our girls are growing up my job has really changed. They don't need me to do everything for them, but they need a mentor, a sounding board and a soft place to land. I try to help them sort out all the stuff going on in their worlds. I still do freelance writing and proofreading and am always hoping to widen my client base. My garden keeps me busy - this summer my tomato, zucchini and cucumber harvests were enormous. I was the only one happy about the zucchini. I've been sidelined from most sports for awhile because I can't seem to play without injuring myself. I'm keeping up with yoga and hope to be on the tennis court again soon – I might have to develop a slower speed, I guess. I don't volunteer at the school much anymore and can't say I miss it. I'm the last person Audrey wants to see on her campus, and Claire is pretty understanding about my lack of involvement. But I feel like I am as busy as ever and happily finding that, for me, teens and tweens are much easier than toddlers.

            Our kids filled their summer days with all the fun things we can't get enough of during the busy school season: camps and swimming, the beach and a lot of books. We've taken a few vacations this year: Phoenix and Sedona where we saw Taliesin West and some amazing ruins, rock formations and sunsets; Idaho where we visited family, toured Yellowstone, and survived a scary micro burst that struck while we were floating the Snake River; and camping in Santa Barbara. We love our trips, and I often see the parallel between a good vacation and life in general: sometimes it's terrible, sometimes it's wonderful and there's a lot of in between. I'm sure we have many adventures are ahead of us in 2017 and beyond. We are thankful.

                                                                        God bless you all, Mark, Melissa, Audrey, and Claire Sterzick

Things I love about my kids

Note: this is a post I started and never finished in 2010. I clicked publish and blogger moved it up to today's date and I can't seem to fix that.



We are out of the baby stage for sure and I miss it and am happy it's over at the same time. The stage we are at now is pretty great - our kids are 3 and 6 and they still like us, want to spend time with us, and are still innocent in their perspectives and behavior. Nobody's jaded, they still don't do sarcasm, there's minimla eye rolling. The whining, purposeless crying, and fighting over toys are annoying, but I feel every day how lucky I am to be in this stage with them - before they break away from me completely.

Audrey - I go into her room at night and she smells like kid sweat because she has so many blankets on her. Everyone of her dolls and stuffed animals is tucked in at bedtime. She dresses herself in the oddest combinations and loves how she looks. She sings all the time. She loves to entertain Claire. Lately she talks a mile a minute. She bursts into tears when Claire gets hurt, especially when she has had something to do with it. what is really fun about audrey right now is that she has no front teeth. they are coming in fast but for the last month she h as had this wonderful toothless smile and can't stop playing with that weurd gap. Occasionally she whistles unintentionally and I have been laughing in my mind, not wanting to make her self conscious but recently she noticed on her own and thinks it's pretty funny.

Claire - Claire is a little hot pocket when she sleeps - Mark calls it "baby Chernobyl" because she is so warm - and she refuses to use more than one blanket so around 5 am when she gets a little cold she cries. She tucks in her dolls and animals, too, but they get books for pillows and blankets.


Both my kids sing Mary Poppins songs WITH the accent. And sometimes they break into the accent for a few words here and there in regular conversation: like "strawburries" instead of strawberries.

Audrey Eden turns 12

Audrey is our December baby who should have been born in February. I'll never forget how hard it was to have her born so prematurely, but it's a nonissue for her - besides the obvious drawback of having a birthday so near Christmas.


Sixth grade has been a great year for Audrey. She was nervous to start middle school, but quickly found that there was a lot of fun to be had in a more independent environment. Audrey wakes up every morning, gets ready for school and makes her lunch (chips, applesauce, peanut butter sandwich) all on her own. She enjoys walking to and from school with her friends and is very responsible about her homework. She made the honor roll last term.

Audrey sings in two choirs - Jefferson Middle School Choir and Torrance Youth Chorale. She loves the moment when all the parts and accompaniment come together. She's not crazy about the performances, but they get easier every time. Next month she and her school choir perform at Knott's Berry Farm and she's excited about that.

Audrey takes piano lessons. She practices every day and is trying to challenge herself to learn more complicated music. I won't say she has learned to love it, because it is still something she does because we make her, but she has matured enough to know it's a worthwhile activity. She's proud of herself when she masters a new piece. I love to hear her play.

Audrey is still a Girl Scout - this is her 7th year with her troop. She also just started taking ice skating lessons. This summer, Audrey is going to Great Wolf Lodge with her troop and church girls camp in  Kern Valley. We've sent her away for a night here and there, but a whole week away is a new thing. I'm sure I will be more nervous about it than Audrey.

The pre-teen years can be tough, but Audrey does her best to be a sane pre-teen. She is smart and wise, she observes everything around her and tries to make life better for others. Audrey doesn't get too hung up on friend drama or fashion, though she has experience with both. She has always been a no-nonsense person, practical and careful. I know she wants to do the right thing but doesn't always know what that is. I am proud of her for the way she tries to be so mature - I know it can't be easy and hope that she will be as kind to herself as she is to others.

Audrey is funny, always looking for humor in the mundane. She especially likes to make fun of her parents. She loves a good pun or double entendre. She reads piles and piles of books and loves the fantasy genre. Sometimes we have to drag her away.

You don't always know what's going on in Audrey's head. I know the pre-teen brain is full of insecurities, questions, plans, dreams, and fears. I'd like to get in her head and share all the things I've learned about life, but I know she will have to learn in on her own. For now, I can tell she is uncertain, and addresses that by being reserved. So I love to hear her laugh or dance or get excited about any little thing. I love it when she gets goofy and plays like a little kid. I love it when she gives me a hug or sits quietly and talks to me about her life.

It isn't easy being the first born. Audrey has to put up with a lot of parental mistakes and her own perfectionist tendencies. We are happy to see her reach the age of 12 and know that she is an intelligent and responsible person. Now it seems like our job is changing and most of what we can give her is love and support as she starts making her own decisions. She is a wonderful daughter.

Miss Claire is 8

Claire turned 8 a few months ago - I hate to say how many months. The voice that wakes me up at 3 in the morning and lists all the things I didn't do that I need to do has been reminding me regularly that writing Claire's birthday post has been delayed way too long. I know Claire won't hold it against me.

I can say the same things about Claire every year. She is a sweetheart. She is creative. She is a loving person. The thing that is new this year is that she's just about a big kid. We pretend she is still our baby - and she makes that easy by being such a cuddle bunny - but she is not a baby at all.

It is wonderful to watch Claire grow. She is a person who looks for fun everywhere. She always wants to do the right thing - whether it is to be honest or generous or encouraging. She's always looking for tools and supplies for her next greatest creation. She loves the good things in life.

Claire finished second grade in June. She spent the year learning all the things that come with second grade: multiplication, book reports, classroom jobs. She's good at math, a great reader and needs improvement in her spelling and printing.

She's learning more responsibility at home. She has always wanted to be able to do things for herself and that makes it easy to inspire her to stretch herself. One day she got tired of waiting in the tub for me to come and wash her hair, so she did it herself. Sometime later I found she was putting on conditioner before shampoo and we made the correction. She's trying really hard to brush her own hair, too, but gets frustrated by how long her hair is compared with how short her arms are. She still needs a little help with her huge tangles.

Claire is an unbelievably flexible person. Yes, she's easy going emotionally, but I'm talking about her ability to do the splits and all the most advanced yoga positions I can show her. It's astounding. It's very entertaining to watch her contortions. She makes us laugh every day. One of her funny moves is to take the large T-shirt she sleeps in and put it on tail first, or sleeves as pants, or legs in the neck or any number of variations.

Claire's an earthy person, sensitive to smells and textures, flavors, temperatures and feelings. She's not prissy about it at all, quite the opposite. We're working on finding the balance between funny and gross. I have to admit I find it all hilarious.

You can always count on Claire for a hug and a kiss. As she grows, it's easy to see that she has become more guarded, but she still shares her love generously. She had a little heartbreak with a friendship gone bad and after she shed her tears, she took it bravely. She felt lonely, but made her apologies and moved on. I was proud of her.

It's not easy being the younger sister (or the older, I know) and Claire admires her sister but still has her own identity. She loves to play with Audrey and be involved in whatever Audrey is doing. She's a great audience for Audrey's Harry Potter quote sessions and tends to let her sister choose what to watch on TV. We will see how we weather the next few years as Audrey becomes a teen. I hope they will still have fun together.

I can't access recent photos right now, or I'd include a few. I just wanted to write a little to capture what Claire is like right now. I find her so delightful and warm. So unique and beautiful. I'm grateful.

Merry Christmas

Dear friends and family,

We hope 2014 has treated you well. We’ve been busy, but can’t complain. We try hard not to be busy, but with two kids, two jobs, and a really old house, there’s always something to do. 

We spent a part of our spring break this year “glamping” in Santa Barbara at El Capitan Canyon. We swam, hiked, played with the goats and llamas, and ate some delicious food – not goat or llama. Mark had a close encounter with a skunk and, after the terror dissipated, was very glad he hadn’t been sprayed, because he didn’t want to hitchhike home. 

In July we visited the Sequoias and loved our time boating, kayaking, paddle boarding and standing in awe under some mind-bogglingly-large trees. In August we went camping for real, and even though we all love camping, it was a far cry from the comfy days we enjoyed in Santa Barbara. I spent much of our last night feeling like things were crawling on me and woke to find it was not my imagination - there were ants in my sleeping bag. It wasn’t supposed to be our last night, but after that, I was more than ready to go home. 

Mark and I went to Provo, Utah in October to celebrate our 17^th wedding anniversary. It was all great fun except the anticipated highlight of our trip: watching BYU beat Utah State. BYU’s quarterback broke his leg during the first quarter and the team lost steadily for the rest of the game. I might have screamed a little, and Mark is now convinced he has some kind of curse that makes BYU lose every time he attends a game. We spent a couple of days there touring campus and Utah County, visiting our old apartments, eating at restaurants we knew and some we didn’t, riding the lift at Sundance, and admiring the beautiful mountains. Our dorms are gone and the field where we got engaged was torn up for construction, but everything else was so familiar, we felt like we’d never left. 

Claire is in 2nd grade. She’ll be 8 in March. She’s reading anything she can get her hands on and still crafting like it’s life or death. The crafting has led to a less positive hobby: the hoarding of crafts and crafting materials. Her room is pretty trashed. But she’s so sunny and delightful, we don’t scold too much. Claire’s always sharing her love in the form of hugs, kisses, impromptu dances, notes, acts of service and the crafts already mentioned. She’s getting very tall, but I still pretend she’s little.

Audrey is in 5^th grade and growing up fast. She just turned 11 this month, and even though it’s bittersweet, I’m finding it easy to accept her new maturity. It’s nice to have another responsible and conscientious person in the house. She’s got a fun sense of humor, too, and we are starting to have conversations that we both enjoy. Audrey still asks 110 questions a day, but now the questions are harder to answer and often reveal a hidden agenda. Sometimes we think she’s going to be a lawyer, but she says she’s going to be an artist.

I’m busy with my work as a stay-at-home mom and part-time freelancer. I’d like to do more freelance and less laundry, so we will see what the future brings. I still play a lot of tennis and do yoga several times a week. Tennis gives me something to whack at and yoga makes me slow down and breathe. I’d like to say I’m never stressed, and handle life with calmness and dignity, but that would be a huge lie. I enjoy my garden quite a bit and learned how to can my extra veggies this summer – our cupboards are full of good things I worked too hard to make to even consider eating.

Mark began his new job at Western Digital in March. His commute is long, but his hours are reasonable. We were fortunate because the position came along just when his freelance contract ended. It was a crazy time for us living on an income that fluctuated from a little to a lot every few months, but we made it work and are grateful everything worked out for our benefit. Mark just went to Taiwan and will be at the CES show in Vegas in January. When he’s not working or traveling he’s taking on the extra-exasperating jobs like bedtime, math homework, and the memorization of times tables.

It’s a wonderful time of year, and we are grateful for our home and health, friends and family. Our kids are getting older, but are still young enough to enjoy all of our traditions. They look forward to the holidays and trips and celebrations so much it makes all the hard work worthwhile. We are soaking in every moment. 

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  Love, the Sterzicks – Mark, Melissa, Audrey and Claire

Sequioa July 2014

 

April 2014

April 2014

Torrance Plunge August 2014

Camping at Crystal Cove August 2014

Camping at Crystal Cove August 2014

Big duck - Long Beach August 2014

Disney Hall January 2014

Disney Hall January 2014

Disney Hall January 2014

Disney Hall January 2014

Halloween 2014

Disney Hall January 2014

Sequoia July 2014

Hume Lake July 2014

Hume Lake July 2014

Hume Lake July 2014

Last day of school - June 2014

End of the year class party - June 2014

End of the year class party - June 2014

Knott's Berry Farm March 2014 (Claire's birthday)

Chelsea's wedding March 2014, Arizona

Chelsea's wedding March 2014, Arizona

Knott's Berry Farm March 2014 (Claire's birthday)

Anza Elementary open house June 2014

Anza Elementary open house June 2014

Mother's Day 2014

Halloween 2014

Shopping with mom

West High cheer clinic October 2014

First day of school September 2014

Torrance plunge summer 2014

Anza Elementary movie night September 2014