Father's Day 2008

Well, I must say it's been about forever since I have updated this! It has been crazy around here!
So, since I did a Mother's Day post, I really need to do a Father's Day one as well.

Father's Day came and went quick here...can't believe it's already been 2 weeks! So, I'm not going to get all mushy mushy but I will brag on Heath a bit, since it was his day and all. :)

Sterling and I are so incredibly blessed to have Heath in our lives. He means the world to me and I feel like the luckiest woman in the world to have him. He knew what he was doing when he made Heath for me and has blessed me beyond belief with him! :)

Heath is the best Daddy to Sterling. He is the most patient, loving, self-less, caring, understanding (may the list go on) man I have ever met...seriously. I love to watch the two of them play and wrestle and just love each other. That is a fairly new thing for me since I grew up not knowing my dad. I love seeing it and it brings joy to my heart knowing Sterling has the best daddy ever!

Sterling bringing Heath his gift. He got flip flops and two rounds of golf at his favorite place to go.

Waiting for the Father's Day lunch at Nana and Papa's. (aka: Heath's parents)

Sterling trying to hug Owen!

Caiden, Sterling, Claire and Clayton
the kids watching Mawmaw put on a "show". (they were putting on a show earlier and now it was her turn...don't you love how they lined their chairs up to watch!)

Sterling being goofy...with a huge bite of apple in his mouth...nice manors Sterling!

Um can we say...Heath and Shane?? :)

(it really was just a coincidence that we dressed them a like...crazy huh!)

Heath and Keith

Keith is one of the best father-in-laws anyone could ask for. If you wonder where Heath gets his personality from...that would be Keith. They are almost one in the same. They both have the patient, sweet, loving, caring, self-less qualities that I thank God for. Keith is an amazing example of how a Christian man should be. So Keith...thank you so much for your constant Christian example and all the love you show your family.

Heath, Chad, Keith, and Shane (Heath's brothers and Dad)

(me, Sterling and my Dad...this picture was taken a year and a half ago at Christmas)

Every Father's Day it is almost surreal for me but I feel so incredibly blessed at the same time. The reason I say that is because I didn't meet my dad until I was 18! So I have known my dad for almost 9 years now and every Father's Day I just thank God for having the chance to know my dad now. He is an incredible man. He is so sweet, caring, patient, self-less and may his list go on. It is just amazing to me that everything has turned out the way it has. Ever since the first day we met, he has been an active part of my life...how many people can say that who have been in my position!?! Not many. So to Dad...thank you for being you. For loving me like you have known me since the day I was born. God has truly blessed me with you. Wish we could have been together on your special day but one day we will spend Father's Day together for the first time... :)

To close out the day Heath and Sterling did their usual wrestling around and were boxing each other. Sterling has learned to "bob and weave" as he calls it. He enjoys being able to wrestle with his Daddy and knock him down. I love to just watch and laugh.

Happy Father's Day 2008!!

Gentry Zoo...almost a week later!

Thursday our Mommy and Me group went to this little safari zoo that is about 15 miles from our house, in Gentry, AR. They have such a cute little set up. In the front you will find kangaroos, Shetland ponies, goats, and other various pets. They have it set up to where you can go feed or pet them.

We had two Dad's that joined our group that afternoon. That to say, when we went out to see the kangaroos someone saw a huge black snake.


Well, Mr. Steven Bowman (I know you're reading this too! :)) decided he wanted to try and pick it up to fling it over the fence. Very brave Mr. Bowman, but no such luck! ;) Right after this picture that snake turned around real quick as soon as he was touched. I have never seen anyone jump back so fast...it was pretty funny! (if you click on the picture you will be able to see how huge that snake was...ugh!)

Ok, here is the explanation for the next picture...

So the kids were feeding the Shetland ponies, right?!? (see above picture :))

Right.

Well, one of them dropped their bread on the outside of the fence and I went down to pick it up for them. This monster stuck it's head straight through and took a big ol' bite of my arm!!!

It let go immediately, but I of course screamed and probably scared it. I could have sworn I was going to look at my arm and there would be a chunk taken out of my skin, but it was just an instant hickey/bruise lookin thing with a HUGE knot under the skin.

Ok, you can stop laughing now!

Everyone seems to think that was so funny. I guess it's not everyday someone gets bit by a Shetland pony! LOL! :)

Sorry this is blurry, but this was my arm Sunday, three days after it happened. It looks like someone through a baseball at my arm or something.

These two little girls where Sterling's little mommies during our zoo trip. As you can see she was holding his hand guiding him where he needed to go! So cute!

Now we are ready for the drive through part!

Yes, for those of you who don't know this zoo, you get in your car and take about a 30 min tour behind those gates of all these wild animals. We had camels, ostriches, buffalo, zebras, etc looking in our windows...no joke!! It's really cute!

So we had quite the adventure at the last Mommy and Me! Stay tuned for the tribute to Heath for Father's Day...only two days late! :)

1 year ago today....

June 13, 2008 marks the one year anniversary of Sterling's first (and hopefully ONLY) surgery. He had to go in to be re-circumcised! It's ok you can say it,"OUCH"!!! Sterling was almost 21 months old when this dreaded day arrived. So thankfully he had no clue what was going on that morning when we had to be at the hospital at 6:30 in the A.M.!!

I think it was worse on his mom and dad than it was him. (that could probably be heavily debated by Sterling!) I dreaded that day for a long time. To have to wait in the room and have the doctors/anesthesiologist come in and tell you what's going to happen. Then watching him play with his goodies that G and G-momma (my dad and step mom) sent, not having the slightest clue what he was about to go through. It just broke my heart every moment sitting there.

Then, having the nurses come in and tell me "it's time" and having to walk down that short little hallway, which seemed to take like a whole 2 seconds, was the worst part of all. I had to hand my happy little baby boy over to people I didn't even know and trust them with his precious life for the next hour. That was the LONGEST hour of my life!! As I handed him over I made sure to compose myself long enough for him not to see me and just let it out. I knew that God was in control, and it was a minor surgery...it's still scary, I am human.

As we sat in that waiting room I could hardly move for the anticipation of how long it would take and what the doctor would say when he came back.


Finally, he came in and asked us to go to a separate room for a min because he needed to talk to us. My heart sunk down to my stomach. But the first words out of his mouth was like God talking to me because he said,"Sterling is doing great. The surgery went well." I was too busy praising God, I could barely pay attention to what he was saying after those wonderful words.

After a few instructions and what not, we were able to go back and wait in his little waiting room. When I saw them round the corner with him I was just so happy, just to see he was ok, very groggy, but ok.

What is funny (well not really funny, but just odd) was that he wanted his Daddy and his Daddy only after surgery. Poor Heath, his arms were about to fall off. We had to wait there until he peed to go home...well we ended up being there for about 9 hours or so. VERY long day!

But when we got home he acted like nothing ever happened. (I think there was still some numbing stuff that hadn't worn off yet, to be honest!) Here he is at dinner showing off his counting skills at almost 21 months. PLEASE EXCUSE THE HIGH SQUEEKY VOICE...SO EMBARRASSING!!!!

Everything is still fine to this day and no other surgery will be needed. But I really hope that is the only surgery he will ever have. I have never had surgery (unless you count getting my wisdom tooth (yes, I was born with only one wisdom tooth, that may explain a few things! ha ha) out as surgery) so maybe he will take after me on that!








THANK YOU LORD FOR KEEPING MY PRECIOUS LITTLE MAN SAFE IN YOUR HANDS EVERYDAY. PLEASE CONTINUE TO DO SO!

"summer, summer, summer, summer tiiime"

It is officially summer now for the Brown's! Some of our Mommy and Me group went swimming at the Bowman house (thanks again Christie~ I know you're reading this! ;)) Sterling had so much fun playing with his friends, but wasn't so much into swimming. He would much rather have played on the trampoline, which is where he could be found 99% of the time! Guess that is hereditary because my mother-in-law told me that Heath and his brother would be outside jumping on their big trampoline at age two, all the time.

Sterling you are blinding! :)

These didn't stay on long at all.

Sterling and Tucker

Sterling and Fletcher...one of Sterling's favorite people!

They were playing "kung fu" the whole time they were on there! It was so cute! Sterling had such a good time.

This is most of the kids that were there...missing a few that were in the pool still.

What's a pool party without a little slip-n-slide! Sterling had NO CLUE what to do! It was so funny. Macy ended up pushing Sterling down the slide...I think we might need to get one!

Abby and Sterling.

Summer is here!! YAY!!

~~ Oh, and Sterling is not burnt at all, but me on the other hand...yeah, I could hardly move last night and this morning. We were there for 3 hours and I didn't put any sunscreen on at all...stupid I know!!

going to "my gym"

I just have to blog about this because someday Sterling is going to look at this and he will be so embarrassed! That is a parents job, right?!

Yesterday I needed to run a quick errand and put Sterling in shorts and a little muscle shirt. I did not say a word but,"ok, let's go."

Sterling then says,"Mommy this is my gym outfit. I'm going to my gym."

So of course I start laughing because he doesn't even go to the gym when I go, but he sees me going all the time and hears me talking about it so I guess little ears hear everything!

Sterling showing off his muscles in his gym outfit!
Then he started being goofy because I started laughing.

So I told him to show my where his gym was....

His bathroom is "his gym"

Showing off in his gym! haha

A few hours later,"It's not my gym anymore Mommy, it's my bathroom."

Little imaginations...so sweet!

Sterling's last day of "school"

Wednesday was the last day of "school" for Sterling and me. YAY!! Summer break couldn't get here fast enough for me, but Sterling really enjoys his school and he will miss it for the summer but we have enough planned to keep him satisfied I'm sure.

Well, since Sterling started Sonshine School in September he has grown almost 4 inches and gained about 6 pounds. His face has matured a whole lot and his knowledge has more than doubled! If you want to take a look at the blog from his first day of school, click here.

First day of school...September 5, 2007

Last day of school...May 28, 2008
(Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed!)

first day...look where he stands at the handles on the door

Now look where he stands at the door.

(Sterling and his buddies from school/church...Tucker and Elijah)

Bubble fun in class...party day!!

Sterling had so much fun in his two year old class with Ms. Nita and Mrs. Jennifer. They were great teachers and he learned so much this year. He can't wait until next year...

...here's to hoping he will get to promote to the three year old class next year. That requires being POTTY TRAINED STERLING!!!