Sterner Family | Made of Sterner Stuff

Easter

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Robert

We did Easter egg painting again this year at Evey’s house.

I think the attention spans may have been even shorter this year.

There were some neat results from the various 3 and 4 year old dyeing techniques.

Coloring at the table after dyeing.

On to the park to play some.

Levi did some egg hunting over at our house with Nana and Paw Paw

Here they are checking out the loot

Throwing one of the little foam missiles he got.

Checking out the caterpillars.

His Phineas and Ferb basket.

Easter supper at Mimi and Granddaddy’s house.

Olivia and William brought their family along to join us.

Grandma and Grandpa came over as well.

Uncle Mac and Aunt Danette were there as well as one of Kendra’s coworker’s Nancy and her son Nathaniel

Playing in the yard.

Frisbee

Time for the Easter Egg hunt.

Nathaniel looking on

Showing off some loot.

Posing with Grandma and Grandpa

Some fancy bath soaps from Lush. He likes bath time, so whatever we can do to keep that the case. I believe Grandma got these for him.

Family portrait.

More family.

With Mimi and Granddaddy.

Posted in Easter, egg hunt, Evey, Levi, Olivia

Spring Sprang Sprung

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Robert

Levi went to his first hockey game. Popcorn helped him make it. His attention span isn’t quite ready for hockey.

Here he is with Nana and Paw Paw at the game.

We went to Frobergs farm again this year to pick strawberries for canning and eating

Levi, ready to go.

Picking some strawberries

Quick self portrait

We had a berry good time.

They have a little play area near their parking lot that we hit afterwards.

Another yearly tradition is the livestock show with Olivia’s family.

Playing in some corn

A shot together

Mommy and Levi

Ready for the big slide. Levi was brave and wanted to go all by himself

He did well until about here. Notice the placement of his arms.

After the slide.

He recovered and we went for lots more fun. Merry go round. This year the kids were old enough to do a lot more of the fair stuff, so we checked it all out.

After the pig races they got their noses on.

Then another ride

In the petting zoo

Alpaca

Riding the longhorn

Fair games

After a while we got pretty good at it.

Fried S’mores

His prize we won on the last game we played with the last credits we had.

Before we were even out of the parking lot.

This is the results of the slide. He was trying to slow himself down and ended up getting some rub burns.

Levi loves music. He enjoys singing and dancing around. Here he is dancing around and singing to a new song from Imagination Movers. He’s swinging around some beads like a nunchuck and wearing his Mimi’s headband that he stole as a belt. I don’t know what his fascination is with belts.

Levi is doing soccer again this spring. He understands it better, but keeping him motivated isn’t always easy.

This is his buddy Stephen. We went to high school with Stephen’s mom.

We went on a Geocaching day with Nana and Paw Paw one day this spring and had a lot of fun. Here’s Levi with one he found.

When we were done we hit Dairy Queen.

On Opening Day for the Astros we went and got some gelato at Piccomolo. Levi liked it and decided he looked so cool in his Astros gear he needed more sun glasses.

I went old school with my stuff.

Levi got some butterflies for Easter (the next post).

4 of the 5 became butterflies and 3 of them were healthy enough to be released after a week. Another one has a damaged wing from when it hatched, so he’s stayed with us.

When we released them they took off immediately. We didn’t get to plan the release well because we wanted all the kids to see it, but we didn’t want it to be too windy. Around here that’s a tall order.

In a non-Levi related note Kendra and I went to Winter Jam this year in Houston. It was after winter really, but it had one of my favorite bands, Skillet.

There are a lot of bands at Winter Jam. Some have slow songs and result in the modern version of the lighter held in the air. The sea of cell phones.

Here was a unique one for me. Peter Furler, formerly of the Newsboys with his base guitarist Phil Joel, also formerly of the Newsboys and guitarist Dave from SuperChick. Interesting mix, but it was good.

You know a concert has good potential when they have fire jets on the stage.

That’s two rising stands and a rising and rotating drum stand. Good stuff.

More still to come, but we’re getting caught up.

BTW, just because a cat acts like he wants to be outside its not always true when he gets his way.

Posted in hockey, Levi, Olivia, rodeo, strawberries

Birthdays, Even 0th Ones

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Robert

At the zoo with Evey.

Riding the merry go round is always popular.

Another trip to the zoo drumming on the drums

The giraffes decided to walk right up to us. I could have easily touched it.

Playing in the piranha area.

And now for some puns. Please, bear with me.

You otter enjoy some of these.

I’d be lion if I said these weren’t cheese.

You may want to get in a Jaguar and drive off.

There’s an ocelot of these jokes.

If you leave and go to a club watch out for those cougars.

There’s no seal of approval on these, after all, those are sea lions.

A shot of all of us together at Levi’s birthday dinner.

Cake in the making. That’s strawberry filling, half vanilla half chocolate.

Levi’s birthday cake and cupcakes

Unfortunately Levi’s birthday ended up being the day a front came in. The weather in the morning wasn’t too cool, but then rain came in big and the temperature dropped 20 degrees. Luckily we had a pavilion rented at the park.

Unfortunately it wasn’t the best weather for playing.

Levi takes a swing at his pinata

Erica takes a shot

Brooklyn at bat

Mason’s turn

Noah’s turn.

Erik takes a shot

Olivia’s turn

Reagan has a go.

Wade has a go.

After everyone took a shot twice Uncle Matt went after it. Here he is cheating the blind fold.

Candy!

Everyone ready for cake.

Checking out some of his presents. He really loves this Disney Adventure book from Reagan and Brooklyn. It has the story of Hercules, Peter Pan, and two more Disney movies and he loves to read it and look at the pictures.

A map puzzle

Fighting robots.

Back to reading.

Balloons from his party

His new dresser he got around the same time.

Balloons we put hanging about his head level on his door while he was sleeping.

The castle at Olivia’s princess and prince birthday party

The boys got shields and swords. Levi was excited.

Time to vanquish the dragon.

Home run hitter. Obviously he’s played some baseball.

Cake!

Presents

Time to bounce.

Levi’s new cousin Wrigley.

In the hospital

Levi’s first time holding a baby.

He wasn’t so sure.

My turn

The next time they both looked a little worried.

But he’s going to have to get used to it in October.

Posted in babies, birthdays, Levi, Olivia, Zoo

Holidazed

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Robert

Here’s Thanksgiving.

We had Olivia’s family over with our family for Thanksgiving and we decided to setup a small bouncer we have in the back yard.

Here’s William Enjoying it

Levi passing some toys in. We actually heard a quote that brings fear into a father. Olivia whispered to Levi as he was trying to climb into the bouncer with her, “Hurry, before my mom sees you”. Wow, trouble.

Hanging out playing

Playing in the game room with Mimi and Granddaddy.

Hugging Paw Paw.

Eating dinner together.

Playing on the bouncer.

Jump!

As has become tradition we went to the Dickinson Festival of Lights.

My little angel.

Hook ’em!

He wasn’t doing the best posing, even after the popcorn bribe.

A good smile I guess.

Not too bad.

We also did the Polar Express train ride on the Texas State Railroad. Here is Levi in his PJs for the ride at Wendy’s where we ate dinner before hand.