1st time at CHUCK-E-CHEESE'S!!!!!!!!!!

WOW! Sterling had an absolute blast at Chuck-E-Cheese's Saturday! We got there around 7 and it was completely packed. Actually that may be an understatement...they were making people stand outside, in the pouring rain I might add, because they were actually max capacity! Can you believe that! Thankfully when we got there the line had gone down and we got right in. But I think there were still just as many people. (If you want a good test to your patience, go to the new Chuck-E-Cheese at peek hours and you should get a good one!) Anyway, seeing as how it was a complete mad house, there was only one table open so we grabbed it and set all our stuff down. While we waited on the pizza we took him down front to see Chuck E.
Sterling didn't really know what to think at first. His face was very cautious, but then we went down front with him to see Chuck E and to our surprise, he wasn't afraid of him at all. He was actually so excited and you can tell by the picture! (I think he was more excited about the fact he was going to play the games soon, to be honest!)

What he wasn't so sure about was the robotic Chuck. The kids could actually get up on the stage with it, but as you can tell he didn't want to. He later warmed up to it the longer we were there.

Ok, now I don't know about you all, but when I was young and we would go to "Showbiz Pizza" (pretty sure Chuck-E-Cheese bought out Showbiz because it is the same exact thing) there was a big band with the huge gorilla, and all the rest of them. (can't remember what else was up there) It was so scary but I loved it at the same time! Well, this CEC didn't have such a thing. What's up with that!!! That was one of the best parts! So instead they have one and it's just not the same...very disappointing!

So we eat and then it's time for the FUN! Remember about the whole patience thing...insert that part here. It was so packed that most of the time we had to wait in line to play anything. But we had coupons and ended up getting 70 tokens. So by the time we were half way done, it had started to thin out. Sterling LOVED putting the tokens in the slots and tearing the tickets out.

Oh the looks of deep concentration!

He really liked this ride but was too short to reach the pedals, so Heath had to pedal for him and it went up and down. He really didn't know what to think!

This was by far his favorite game. He played this several times. Look at his face...he's so serious!

Here is the best game ever...in Sterling's mind! Mine favorite is the ski ball!! You better believe I had my turn on that game!

See ya Chuck E!

Breakfast Blues

I just have to blog about this real quick! I have been having trouble lately getting Sterling to eat breakfast. Any body who knows this child, knows that eating has never been an issue! Every morning I give him a choice of what he wants to eat. Usually this process takes forever because he can never make up his mind! Well this morning he decided he wanted blueberry pancakes. (no I don't make them from scratch. It's called already made frozen ones from WalMart!) So I make them (warm them up), sit him in his chair, and start to do other things. That is the beauty of them getting older...just let them eat by themselves but keep an eye on them. I look over at him a little later and this is what I see...

I don't know what that looks like to you, but to me it looks like he just at there and tore them into pieces. The closer I looked and the longer I sat there I saw that he was picking the blueberries out and squeezing them in his fingers...A.K.A PLAYING. He ate maybe two bites and the rest is spread out on his plate.

I don't know about you, but when I was little I would try to either smash things or spread it out on my plate to make it look like I had ate most of it. I thought my mom had no clue...wow how things come back to us! Ya think that's what he was trying to do or maybe he just thought it looked like something fun to play with. You take your pick, but my guess is a little of both!

some of it even made it to his face

That will be there for about a day! Miraculously he didn't get any of it on his pj's!

**Side note, we are going to attempt to take him to Chuck E. Cheese tomorrow for the first time...stayed tuned for those pictures probably Sunday!**

Valentine's Day fun... with lots of pictures

THE MANY GOODIES IN THE BAG

This was the first year that Sterling had an actual Valentine party. He actually had two this year...and he's not complaining believe me, the more candy the better in his mind! They had a party at Sonshine School and this is his bag from all his Valentine's. They didn't take the time to go through them all since there are 17 kids in his class, they just sent it home for us to go through. I think that is more fun to be honest. I was able to see his reactions to his first Valentine's. This was the face he made every time he pulled out a new card or candy.

peek-a-boo

everything from his friends at school

THE MANY POSES OF STERLING

Ok, so I wanted to get a picture of his shirt and told him to go over to the door and stand there. First thing he does is stand there like this until I take the picture...

it took me a while because I could not stop laughing. The thing that makes it really funny is that Heath has a picture of himself standing like this but he was a little older. Like father like son I guess! He really is becoming more and more like his Daddy everyday.

And of course, after every picture he has to see it. I told him to go stand back over there and just smile. You can't really tell, but I guess he thought he was being silly (which he was) and stuck his tongue out. I said, "Sterling just smile". He says, "No Mommy, like this" He was wiggling his tongue back and forth and insisted that I take a picture of him like this.

Then he told me to get a picture of his new shoes...so there ya go!

Finally the picture that I wanted! That's more like it goofy!

MOMMY AND ME PARTY

You better believe that this was Sterling's favorite part of the party...getting to decorate his own cookie. (and sitting next to Nora...what could be better! ha)

so proud of his cookie

HORRIBLE picture of me, but I wanted to get one with him since it is called MOMMY and me.

Then they made their own Valentine cards. Sterling made one just for Daddy. He picked out everything for it and place it everywhere all by himself. And YES he is left-handed. NOBODY in either one of our families are left handed. We have no clue where he got it from, but he has been like that ever since he could hold a spoon. It's going to be a challenge to teach him how to write!

Here's the card...there were other things on the front and back but the middle was the best!

VALENTINE'S FOR DADDY

So we made cookies for Heath this Valentine's Day. The picture is self explanatory. Sterling was sooo excited when Heath walked in the door from work...as you can tell he is showing him what he had made.

HMMM I wonder what you've been into young man! :) And it's not my lipstick although, it looks that way!
I would say that this was a much better Valentine's Day than last year. Sterling had to go to the urologist to find out that he was going to be recircumcised...YUCK! So much better!!

a typical two year old...I guess?

Ok, so I am learning that if I turn my back for about 2 seconds, something like this seems to happen. I had just taken a load of clothes out of the dryer and went to set the basket in the living room. The MOMENT I turned, he decided he would go exploring, head first, into the dryer! I immediately thought it was funny but knew it was something that could only be done once and this was it. At first he loved it and thought he was so funny then when the dryer started to turn he started freaking out. Hope you enjoyed it buddy because that is the last time that will happen!

the freaked out face

the difference a year makes

Well Sterling officially loves snow! Last year he was 16 months when we got a big snow. I guess he was too young and such a new walker because he made it very well known that he DID NOT enjoy it. He kept falling in the snow because he had just started walking at 14 months, so he was already not sure footed. Now in these pictures it looks like I am a bad mom letting him sit in it for a while, but I promise I didn't leave him sitting there long at all. (just long enough to get a picture!) Here are some pictures from last years snow...

He was liking it at first and then......

he fell and it all began

as long as I was holding his hand he was okay about the whole "situation". He liked looking but definitely not touching!

This year however, he was so excited about getting out there and getting in it. He could hardly eat his breakfast because he was just itchin to get out in that snow! So after breakfast (which by the way was at 10:00 because he loves to sleep in!) we got our many layers of clothes on and headed out. I told him before we go out we have to take a picture, so this is the picture in front of the garage door but it's hard to get a two year old to pose for a picture when he knows what's on the other side of that door!! When I lifted the garage he went straight into the snow and started making snow balls. Now, I don't know how he knows to do that because he has never been in snow other than last year and you saw how that went! Guess it's an instinct in kids....

don't you just love the outfit! ha We don't have snow boots for him so he was wearing some Justin boots...very slick on the bottom but it was all I had!

this is the first thing he did when that garage door opened...went straight to picking it up and making a snowballs
throwing it straight up in the air and watching it come down...I can see how that would be fun but not if it kept landing back on me!

This snow was perfect to make snow balls...light and dry so it packed very well but his hands were actually WARM when we went in and I took his gloves off. It never would melt in his hands...
Here's what happened to that snowball

Then I showed him how to make tracks in the snow
adventuring out to the front yard
This is his "dinosaur" snow ball...that is what he called it anyway!
Cheese!