A BIG Haircut

From the time Leah was a teeny, tiny baby, she was great about wearing headbands, bows, and other hair accessories. She always cooperated and let me do just about anything to her hair. Sadly, those days gradually came to an end. Ponytails bothered her, pigtails were annoying, headbands fell out, and bows didn't stay in either. After many mornings of battling, and many evenings of combing out knotted hair that had been left down all day, I finally gave in and let her get her hair cut "short like Mommy's". I guess I shouldn't be shocked to have a low maintenance kind of girl when I am pretty plain myself. Thankfully, my wonderful friend Jacalyn was up for the challenge and gave her an adorable new style. It fits her personality just right and it has definitely made things smoother (literally) around here!

Celebrating Seven

We had a great time celebrating Caleb's 7th birthday. This year, he chose an Illini themed birthday at a local pizza place. The kids all got to take a tour of the kitchen and made their own individual pizzas. After the kid party, we had family over for dinner and more cake, presents, and celebrating. It's hard to believe our biggest baby is already SEVEN!

Dear Caleb,

It's never easy to see another year pass and realize that you're growing up way faster than we're wanting you to. This year was one of those that I anxiously awaited for quite some time. When you were younger and our days were filled with endless hours together, the thought of you being at school full time, five days a week sounded so appealing. Yet, dropping you off for your first full day of school in August was not at all what was expected. For weeks, it felt like a part of me was missing. I still can't put that feeling into words. I'm not sure if I ever will be able to. All I know is that you're growing up. You're not the little boy that once spent hours with me at home - talking my ear off, putting puzzles together, coloring me pictures, reading me books. 

This year has become a year of independence. We know you love us, but you are pushing away and expanding your wings like never before. It began with the huge shift into full day school. From day one, you have loved every minute of it. You hit the jackpot with an amazingly talented teacher. You seem to love everything about being at school and (like most seven year old boys) claim that recess and lunch are your favorite parts of the day! You've amazed us with your academic and social success at school. At parent teacher conferences, your teacher actually stated that she wished you would loosen up and get in trouble once or twice. Oh the irony. Clearly you exhaust yourself of good behavior at school, because when 4:00 hits and you are finally home, the true colors show! In all seriousness, though, we are incredibly thankful that you choose to be on your best behavior at school. After all, you're the child of a former teacher...and those kids get in the worst kind of trouble at home when they misbehave at school! You have also done an amazing job with your schoolwork this year. You are a fluent reader and comprehend better than most kids your age. You catch on to math concepts incredibly fast and have most of your math facts memorized (thanks to the grueling math facts that Mom makes you do every morning). Homework is a breeze and we're incredibly thankful for that! Through it all, you remain humble. You tell us that you help other kids with work at school because they "struggle a bit". It's never done in a manner that makes other kids feel insignificant, but just as a way to show you care. Nothing makes us prouder than that. We hope you always use the talents God gives you to impact the lives of others.

Your independence has continued with your desire to spend more of your free time with friends and less with your siblings and parents. You've grown apart from your siblings and find that you have less in common than you used to. You watch different shows, play different games, read different books, talk about different things. After all, you are the kid who could sit and watch historical documentaries for hours. You clearly have no interest in playing birthday buckets at Leah's make-believe school! Yet, when all other options are exhausted, you will make do with spending time with your siblings. There is usually a lot of arguing and antagonizing on your part, but every so often, you play with them for hours without a single bit of strife. Thankfully, for our sake and your's, you have developed some wonderful friendships right here on our block. Your go-to people are either Ruby, who is right next door, or Alec, who is just three houses away. You and Alec spend an insane amount of time together, but it is absolutely delightful to watch such a great friendship forming. He is just the right person for you to pal around with....all boy....and stubborn enough to put your stubbornness in its place!

Independence has also made you much more aware of what other kids are watching, doing, talking about, and so forth. You have become much more concerned about things that might make you appear different from others. You are starting to care more about things like your hairstyle and what clothes you wear. You went through a phase this year where you really wanted to wear gel in your hair everyday. What?!? Weren't we just wiping baby food out of your hair yesterday? You make sure to let your siblings know that their shows and toys are "babyish" and if you get caught actually enjoying an episode of Jake and the Neverland Pirates, you are quick to play it off like you weren't really watching it. You have been known to explain in depth what you know about movies, shows, and toys that we've never heard of, but clearly are the hot topic of conversation at the lunch table. Thank you public school.

Through it all, there exists this paradox in which you still remain this innocent child stuck in a big body surrounded by kids who talk about big things. Maybe it's because you're our oldest and we are a bit more protective than most parents. Or maybe it's just who you are. You are the size of a ten year old, but still love to cuddle on our laps or sit on Daddy's back when he reads bedtime books. You read chapter books made for fourth graders, but still make cards with hearts on them that say "I love you Mommy". Someday, even those little reminders of your "littleness" will probably be gone. Yet, with each phase that we say goodbye to, we welcome new phases with new things to look forward to. True, these new phases aren't always easy. And there is always a bit of learning on both of our parts....just ask the librarian (Mom has checked out numerous books to try to figure out how to tackle this new phase called adolescence). Yet, we know that God is shaping you in amazing ways. We are thankful that as He grows and molds you, He also allows us to grow. Being your parent has always been a learning process with ups and downs, but it has also always been a joy. Thank you for putting up with us for another year as we try to do the best we can at this parenting thing. We can't wait to spend another year watching you (and us) grow!

Love,
Dad and Mom(my)

Final Field Trip

Leah had one last field trip with her Kids & Company Preschool friends. We went to a local nature center where the kids learned about how maple syrup is made. Learning about that process wouldn't be complete without a pancake and sausage breakfast. The kids also got to meet some of the animals that are kept at the nature center. Leah was okay with the turtles, but when the snake was taken out, she scooted far back and loudly exclaimed, "I am NOT touching that"! Being our most fearless child, I was quite shocked by her reaction. I guess she takes after her mom....who, by the way, touched the freaking snake in the hopes that her scared child would do the same! Didn't work. The morning ended with a nice hike through the melting snow.

Done!!! Well, sort of...

Yet again, the Sturm home underwent some changes! It feels like we always have some kind of renovation project going on around here....but I think after this one, there really isn't much left to do! The main reason for this big change was the cramped eating space we had in our kitchen and the very underutilized front room. We ended up knocking out part of the wall that separated the old living room from our kitchen. Then, the living room turned into a dining room (with a BEAUTIFUL farmhouse table made from reclaimed wood). The old eating area is now a small sitting area that reminds me of a sunroom. The space is completely transformed and we love it. There are a few small things left to figure out (window panels, a window seat, a few more decorations, etc.), but for the most part it is done!

This is a curio cabinet from my Grandpa and Grandma Lamont. I filled it with cool pieces of memorabilia - birth announcement pics of the kids, our wedding invite/flowers from my bouquet, our cake topper, baking gear from my Grandma Lamont, china from all of our Grandmas, and a military jacket from Tyler's Grandpa Whitsitt.

I would love to eventually do a cool, decorative door for our new pantry, but for now, these clipboards serve a great purpose!

I never knew how happy one little closet could make me!

This has become a favorite spot for everyone. The kids love to sit and read books in the chairs and the parents find them just perfect for a morning chat and cup of coffee!

Museum Fun

There are many absolutely wonderful things about living in Chicagoland. Two of those things are a little unknown holiday called Pulaski Day (celebrated on the first Monday of March) and the Museum of Science and Industry. Even better is when that museum offers a free day on that holiday! To celebrate the day off of school and the free day at the museum, we took a family trip there and spent almost the entire day having a blast together. Tyler took the day off of work, so we headed out around 8:30 and didn't get home until 3:00. The museum is awesome for kids and adults. There are tons of hands-on things to do and lots of very interesting exhibits. We all had a great time and were definitely worn out by bedtime that night!

First "REAL" Sleepover

Caleb had his first official sleepover! We've had friends sleep here before...more out of necessity than just for fun though. This time, though, was the REAL DEAL. Caleb and Alec (who are inseparable these days) have been saying for awhile that they want a sleepover. They spend almost every waking moment together, so it just makes sense to now be having sleepovers too! The boys had fun and you could hear little giggles and tiptoes for quite awhile after the door was shut. We couldn't be more blessed to have such a wonderful friend living a few houses down.

Feed My Starving Children

Caleb and I were lucky enough to have the chance to participate in a ministry that provides food for starving people all over the world. Feed My Starving Children hosts packing events where people young and old gather together and make packs of food using a simple mixture of ingredients (veggies, vitamins, soy, and rice to be exact). Groups of about 8 people work in an assembly line to make dozens of packets of food in just a little over an hour. At our event, there were probably 150 to 200 people altogether. It was amazing to be able to share in this experience with Caleb. It can be hard to make kids really aware of the need that other people near and far have. I hope that someday all of our kids have hearts full of compassion and love for the less fortunate. Until that day comes, we will continue to talk about, pray for, and serve in whatever ways we can.