Sibling Struggles

You'd never think these two buddies would ever have problems with each other....

....but believe me, they can be the meanest, most unloving, selfish children on the planet and two seconds later go back to playing nicely with each other. I've decided that my newest and most appropriate job title is definitely referee. These two spend a majority of the day fighting over toys, spots on the couch, and so many other things that a grown person would never consider worthy of an argument. And when I say fight, I don't mean verbally...it usually consists of Leah screaming, biting, or hitting and Caleb yelling, pushing, or shoving. I'm looking forward to the day when they both learn to communicate their needs/wants a little better, but I'm sure that won't make things that much different. They'll most likely use their communication skills to tattle instead of actually working out their issues alone. A mom can dream though, right?!?

Lovin' Lake Road

There are so many things to love about living on our street. I could make a list of about a thousand things, and at the top of that list would be the fact that we have wonderful neighbors. It's so cool to see a street filled with kids, bikes, balls, scooters, wagons....laughter, screaming, whining....you name it, we've got it. It's the kind of neighborhood I think every kid should grow up in. These are modest homes, where the kids will have a sense of reality and what it means to have enough without having too much. These are adults who love their kids, spend time with their kids, are home with their kids. These are kids, who go against what seems to be the norm these days, and are allowed to just be kids. No worrying about strangers, mud on your shoes, or playing too rough. We all have so much fun together and the friendships on this block will last for years. The younger kids look up to the older ones, and the older kids take care of and look after the little ones. We are blessed to be here. Truly blessed.

I need to be better about having my camera handy when we're outside playing. These pictures are just a snapshot of the fun we have. On this particular day, the sun was hot, the kids were crazy, and it was a great reason to bust out the slip-n-slides. There were about 15 kids ranging from age 1 to about 13 having an absolute blast together!

Already a Multitasker

There is a running joke in our house about the difference between men and women and their abilities to multitask. Tyler, who works incredibly hard when given one solitary task, absolutely cannot multitask. I, on the other hand, can rarely focus on one thing at a time. There is a constant running list in my head of all that needs to get done.

With many of the traits we find within our children, we love to discover who they are most similar to. When it comes to the trait of being a multitasker, Leah is a true girl and takes after her mommy! This girl has got her act together....cooking, golfing, and reading all at the same time. On top of it all, she manages to do it while looking completely stress-free and so dang cute. She did not inherit that from me!

A New Obsession

We have a new obsession in our house. Well, Caleb has a new obsession. And when a 3-year-old has an obsession, everyone within his/her immediate surroundings must be prepared to take part in that obsession. Believe me, I know. I've played the imaginary role of just about every pirate character and have sprinkled tons of pixie dust while solving the many problems of the pirate world with my little pirate friend.

This all started when a new show on Disney aired called Jake and the Neverland Pirates. The excitement compounded itself when Caleb got an entire pirate costume from our family friend for his birthday. Put the two together and you have an ordinary morning in the Sturm home.

Florida 2011

Last week, we made our 2nd trip to Ft. Walton Beach, Florida as a family. I used to spend Spring Break there as a kid/teenager and it is so great to go back with my own kids! The weather was perfect and we had plenty of sunshine all week long. Because Spring Break (my sister's break determined when we could all go) was so late, the place we stayed had very few people around, so we had plenty of peace and relaxation too. It was so nice to get away and spend time together!

We finally got some quality time in with our kiddos after a few months of Tyler working like crazy....his hard work paid off though, because he was able to relax and put work aside for 10 whole days!!!The kids had a blast hanging out at the pool....we now have 2 swimmers on our hands!

They also really enjoyed spending time with Grandpa Rob, Grandma Leslie, and TiTi.

We enjoyed celebrating Easter in the sunshine and warmth of Florida. Tyler and I even got to go to a sunrise service on the beach....it was AWESOME!

After many months of being stuck inside through our cold, long winter it was great to get outside so much! The kids were really in need of some fresh air and the freedom to run!

Although the place was pretty quiet, we managed to meet a wonderful family from Ohio with 3 little boys. Caleb had a blast playing with his new friends!

On the way home, we broke up the looooooooooong drive by stopping in Carmi for a couple days. The kids loved hanging out with Grandpa Ron, Grandma Sue, and Auntie Kalyn. They have so much fun when we visit and we can't wait to get back there soon!