STRONGEST BABY COMPETITION

Our little man LOVES to push stuff around.

He started with this.




Moved on to this. (He works best with sweet mexi-music in the background.)



And his most recent! (He really puts his back into it.)


He would be happy to help you with any of your rearranging needs. He works for practically nothing and never complains!

WHERE WERE YOU LAST NIGHT?

I was WAITING...

Waiting some more...

and then finally watching.

LOVED IT!
THANKS FOR GOING GIRLS. I HAD THE TIME OF MY LIFE. THIS LOVELY LADY FLEW IN FROM UTAH TO GO WITH US!

A FEW THINGS I LOVE

I love that my son Sterling Henry still wears his muumuus to bed. I can't stop putting him in them! He has had them same ones (thanks Eliza) since he was born and they have somehow grown with him.


I love that my two boys love to hang out together. They love to chill when dad gets home from work.

I love FINALLY finishing projects that I started 4 years ago. I started these stalkings right after Sterling and I got married. I only had 2 finished but decided a month ago to buckle down and finish them all.
That's right.
There are eight.
We are aiming high!

TRAPPED INSIDE

For the last week, we have had the flu at our house and it hasn't been fun. Little Sterling Henry has had to take care of us since he has not gotten it yet. (Thank goodness!)

I luckily had some energy so I decided to start some new projects since we would be staying home trying not to contaminate anybody. I made a cute new bear hooded towel for Sterling Henry, finished a few baby quilts, and started on some Christmas presents.

I also made this cute turkey wall hanging. I don't have very many Thanksgiving Day decorations so I thought I would add something new to the few things I had. I am quite pleased with how it turned out.

Since we are staying here for both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, I feel much more motivated to get all of my holiday projects done.

Stay tuned!

ONE YEAR PICTURES

My favorite photographer Andrea took our family photos a couple of weeks ago. We also did Sterling Henry's one year shot at the same time. Here are just a few of them. She really does such a great job of capturing his little personality.




My stomach looks absolutely gigantic in this picture but I guess that is what happens when you have babies 15 months apart... I wouldn't have it any other way!

WE LOVE EXTENDED VISITS

We were lucky enough this last week to have Sterling's parents here. We had such a great time with them and were sad to see them go this morning. Little Sterling Henry especially loved having his grandparents around.

On Halloween we went to the Dulles Air and Space Museum.

We went on a beautiful walk through Arlington cemetery. (I love this picture of Sterling and his mom.)


We stopped by the Stonewall Jackson Shrine. We have stopped by this place three times and it is never open. We are determined to tour the house at some point. (Such a cute pic of my boys!)



Grandpa was a hit with little Sterling Henry. He was obsessed with his grandpa the whole time they were here.


We also attended Sterling's "swearing in" to the Virginia State Bar. It was down in Richmond so we spent the day down there and had a great time.
This is the worst picture ever but if you look really hard you can see Sterling standing on the far left. This was after they called his name.
It was great having mom and dad Fillmore here. We miss you already! Come back soon!!!

OUR LITTLE CUB

Sterling Henry was a little tiger cub for Halloween. He seemed to really like his costume and wasn't in too big of a hurry to take it off. We went out trick-or-treating and made it to two whole houses. He made a HAUL!

Me and my cubs.

Cub on the loose.

Sterling's parents are here visiting and they also love our little cub. We love having them here.

Halloween was a hit this year.

ARE YOU HAVING TWINS???

The painting guys that work at our complex are all really nice and friendly. For the second time in two weeks, one of them asked me if I was having twins. Last time he asked me, I convinced myself that that is not what he really meant. Yesterday, he made himself perfectly clear. He pointed to my stomach and said "One baby or two?" He even held up one finger and then two.

I love being pregnant. I love everything about it. I don't really even mind that my body is changing so much. So why do I want to karate chop that guy now every time I see him?!?

Here is a picture of my belly today, taken five minutes ago. Surely twins could not fit in there right???
The good news is, there is one healthy little boy in there that will be joining us in 3 months. We can't wait!

Nascar and New York

We have been pretty busy for the last two weeks. Now that Sterling is finally done with school and the bar we are taking advantage of our weekends.

One of the many things I love about Sterling is how much he loves to get out and do really fun things. Two weekends ago Sterling went to Nascar with a friend from our ward. They drove down to Charlotte, NC for the weekend and had a great time. I would have liked to have gone but was nervous it would have been way too loud for the babies.

Totally loving it.

We have some sweet video clips that won't load for some reason but I will try to post them later so you can see just how cool the race was.


We just got back yesterday from visiting Dave and Mel up in New York. It was a quick trip but we had a blast. Their kids are so much fun and little Sterling Henry loved playing with them.

The weather was pretty crazy on Saturday. This was about 10 minutes before is POURED rain. We were drenched in seconds. Dave and Sterling still took a dip in the water... it was cold.

Thanks Dave and Mel for showing us such a great time.

Sterling's parents are coming to town this weekend so we have lots more fun things to look forward to with them.

A LITTLE HELPS A LOT

Sterling Henry got his first haircut on Friday. Little boys like to wiggle so much that it makes cutting their hair VERY difficult. I am proud to say that he was a total angel. Probably my best client ever... if not my cutest!

BEFORE

AFTER

Don't be alarmed if you think I cut off all his cute curls. They are still there and curlier than ever!

AS REQUESTED

Warning: You will want this for every meal once you try it!

K’s Potato Leek Soup

3 tablespoons butter
3 leeks, thinly sliced*
1 medium or large onion, chopped
6 – 8 russet potatoes, thinly sliced**
3 1/2 cups chicken broth (or enough to barely cover potatoes)
1 cup heavy cream (I used light whipping cream and it was still rich and delicious!)
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste

1) Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat then add onions and leeks. Cook, stirring, until onions are limp and just slightly brown.

2) Add sliced potatoes to saucepan then pour in enough chicken broth to just barely cover the potatoes. Continue cooking over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Using a potato masher, mash and stir potatoes until desired consistency is reached. As you mash the potatoes and the soup thickens, turn down heat and stir frequently with a large spoon to prevent scorching on the bottom.

3) Add one cup of heavy cream (or more if you desire) and salt and black pepper to taste. Cook 15 minutes more over low heat, stirring frequently, then remove from heat and serve.

Notes: *Make sure to clean leeks thoroughly and slice only the white and light green part of the leeks. **You don’t need to peel the potatoes as the peels add to the rustic texture of the soup. But make sure to scrub them thoroughly and remove any obvious blemishes before slicing. Although we always make it with chicken broth, this can easily become a vegetarian soup by simply using vegetable broth instead.

I found the recipe here and they have lovely step-by-step pictures! Thanks K whoever you are.

And for the BERRY SPINACH SMOOTHIE, I don't really have a recipe. Here is about what I do most mornings.

1 cup berries (I use the frozen triple berries from Costco)

1/2 C. plain yogurt

1/2 C. milk (you might be more depending on how creamy you want it)

1 banana

handful of spinach. (however much you like)

I got the smoothie idea from my cousin Steph, who took this challenge, that I have now taken.

ENJOY.

HALLOWEEN IN THE BEST

I love the fall for so many reasons but mostly because it means all the holidays are around the corner. Halloween is probably one of my all-time favorites.

We went to a little Halloween party today with some friends and had a great time. The kiddos all dressed up and it was pretty difficult trying to get a picture of them all.
Sterling Henry looks super confused in every photo.
Honestly, a picture of them all looking at the camera and smiling would not be half as cute!


We also did lots of decorating and even more eating.
Thanks Taryn for hosting such a great party. I hope you were able to clean up all that frosting!

YUMMINESS

I have been living on two things this week.


Berry smoothies with spinach and...

Potato Leak soup!

I think I found my new fall menu.

BOWLING

We went bowling with a bunch of friends on Friday and had a blast. Sterling Henry really loved it!


I love this action shot of my boys. Sterling Henry is really getting into it here.

We will probably go bowling a lot more in the future since Sterling Henry loved it so much!

TIME TO CELEBRATE

We just found out that Sterling passed the Bar Exam for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Woo woo! He has worked so hard for the last three years and it was all worth it today when we got his results. Way to go babe!

GIRL'S TRIP TO ARIZONA

I met up with my sisters and mom in Arizona last weekend for a girl's trip. We had the best time. When we are together, we do lots of eating, talking, laughing, shopping, and breaking down how we can be better mothers and wives.

We stayed at Marilee's new house. She totally pampered us the whole time. Marilee made us the YUMMIEST food and took us to the best shops and restaurants. It was fun to spend time with her kids.

We all live in different states now so we all flew in. They waited for me for 3 hours at the airport!


The next day we relaxed all day and went to Tia Rosa's for dinner.

Saturday was our shopping day. We were gone ALL day and it was so fun to be out and about together.


We had an early birthday celebration for Jen.


We celebrated Sterling Henry's 1st birthday while we were there. Becky decorated this cute cupcake for Sterling. We need to work on his birthday excitement skills. This smile only lasted briefly.
Valerie happened to be in town the same weekend so we met up for a little bit. It was great seeing her. She is such a great friend.

The whole weekend was a success. Thanks Marilee for hosting us. I look forward to lots more girl's trips. I hope my sis-in-laws will all be able to make it next time. You were all missed!

OUR LITTLE MAN TURNS ONE!

Sterling Henry turned one on Friday. This last year has been the best of our lives. We can't imagine or even remember our lives without him.

He is a DREAM sleeper.
He eats everything and loves it.
He smiles all the time.
He has 8 teeth with a few on the way.
He LOVES his daddy but wants mommy to comfort him.
He has the cutest blond curls that pretty much stop traffic.
He loves Legos (his dad couldn't be happier).
He says lots of things and loves to copy sounds and words.
He loves music and even dances on a good day.
He is not yet walking but cruises around holding on to anything in sight.
He laughs at himself after he sneezes.
He loves to growl.
A few of his nicknames are: baby man, little lamb, little ram, little man, munchy, munch cake, little prince and bugsy malone. Little man has stuck and is the winner.
We think he is going to be the best big brother ever!

Current stats
Weight: 24lbs. 9 oz. (75%)
Height: 32.5 inches (99%)


This was on Sterling Henry's due date, Oct. 2nd. Just over a year ago from today. I basically look the same a year later.

First family photo.


We woke up to him looking at us the next day.

He started sleeping great from the first night and was sleeping through the night at 8 weeks.


I have so many pictures of these two sleeping together.
First Halloween.

First Thanksgiving. (Baby Ida and Sterling are just 3 days apart.)

Meeting Great Grandma Jean Erickson at Christmas.


Meeting Great Grandpa David Henry Hawkins.
Sterling's baby blessing. He was blessed the same day as his cousin Samuel.

Eating in his high chair.

Easter Sunday.
Mother's Day.

Making dad proud.

First Legos.

Hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa Fillmore.


Dad's graduation.

First real hat.

Strawberry picking.


Swinging at the park.

Hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa Hawkins.


First time in the sand and McCall.

Pushing a walker and loving it.

Sterling Henry had two birthday celebrations this year. One with dad before we left to AZ. He hated his cake, the frosting, and the candle. He loved his new truck and Legos when we finally got them opened.


He had another celebration in AZ with yummy cupcakes. This is the only smiling he did. He didn't like the cupcake there ether. (maybe next year???)

The most exciting thing about being one is facing forward in the car. He LOVES it! We waited until we got home from Arizona to turn him. This is on the way home from the airport after being up since 3:30am. Don't be fooled by the look on his face. He really does love it.
We love our sweet little Sterling Henry. We feel so blessed to be his parents. He has brought more joy to our lives than we could ever have imagined.

JUST WONDERING IF...

you thought that General Conference was as AMAZING as I did???

PS. I love this time of year!!!

OUR FUN LITTLE MAN

Here are some pictures of our little man from this last week. Although he has not been feeling well and had one major meltdown/tantrum, I look at these pictures and barely even remember it!

What is it with kids and boxes? We have only ever bought Sterling Henry a couple of toys because the boy is happier with boxes and shoes.


Sterling Henry has not been napping very well in the afternoon, but from this picture below you can see that he is clearly exhausted. He was in this chair for maybe two minutes before I looked over and saw this adorable bobbing head.


Dads are more fun than moms for lots of reasons. Case in point, a little diet rootbeer in the bottle. Why??? "Because he wanted it!"


Sterling Henry is not walking yet and is not really interested in doing so. We borrowed this walking toy from his pal Reese and he has been walking around like a madman behind it all day long!

Our little man turns one this next week and I can barely even handle it. Where did this last year go???

IT HAPPENED. I KNEW IT WOULD.

We had our first major tantrum/meltdown today. It happened at Costco, well outside of Costco. There were lots of tears from both of us.
Sterling Henry has not been acting like himself as of late. I thought he had ear infections, took him to the doctor and nothing, totally healthy. Maybe he is cutting a new seriously painful tooth? Maybe he is sad that he is not walking yet? I am not sure what it is but I am sad for him. I know he will snap out of it soon but until then, we might stay in the house, where I can give him millions of hugs and kisses so he knows just how much I love him!