Dear Joel,

Just one look at this picture says it all....you are all grown up. As much as we denied this day would come, another birthday is here and you're SIX! As the baby of the family, lots of things have always been easier with you. All-nighters as an infant weren't so bad because we knew they'd be our last. Toddler tantrums didn't phase us - we'd done those twice before. Leaving you crying on your first day of preschool wasn't hard because we knew you'd be just fine. Lately, though, the milestones you've hit are anything but easy for these sentimental parents.

This past year, you have done so many new and exciting things. We've cheered you on along the way, but inside our hearts ached just a bit as we knew these would be our last "firsts". Last summer, you became a total fish and began swimming fearlessly without floaties. Though it's so nice to be able to leave all the gear behind on a trip to the pool, something about that freedom feels so strange. 

Summer ended and you marched yourself right onto that bus to kindergarten without even a glance over your shoulder to say one last goodbye. Since that day, you've spent many months growing and learning so much each day at school. Sometime early in the year, your reading skyrocketed and before we knew it, you were reading real, actual books. We've traded bedtime readings of Goodnight Moon for listening to you read Star Wars books and Pete the Cat. It's always been a favorite milestone to watch you and your siblings read, but watching the dust collect on those worn and loved board books isn't easy.

This past fall, you had the chance to play on your first sports team. You took on flag football and loved every minute of it. Your little mouth could barely fit the giant mouthguard and those flags were just about as long as your little legs. Through it all, you smiled and anxiously awaited Saturdays to play one more game. You're already counting down the days until you finally get to play baseball in the spring!

There's been a ton of other steps taken towards the direction of "big kid" land, but thankfully you've still managed to hang onto some of our favorite "little kid"isms. You still wake every single morning and let us pick you up and give you a big "squeeze" and "smoochy face". You're a super cuddler and won't pass up the chance to snuggle with those you love. You're still incredibly obsessed with zebras and hang onto hope that someday you might actually be able to own one in your home. You're as curious as they come and are constantly asking questions and eager to learn more about the world around you.

What's hard to figure out about you is that, as a third child, you still haven't quite figured yourself out. You desperately want to be like both of your siblings and often struggle with letting that desire overtake the desire to just be you. Sometimes, it's just too hard to keep up with them, and you're slowly learning how to work through that frustration and accept yourself for who you are. Regardless, both of your siblings would say that you're their favorite sibling nine out of ten times. You're almost always tagging along with one of them and it's rare to see you choosing to just be left alone. And, when things are going well and you're letting your better qualities shine through, you're one of the most delightful people to be around. You know how to bring joy to anyone around you and it's one of our favorite things about you.

As we celebrate another year, we know there is so much to be thankful for with you. You're everything a dad and mom could ask for in a child - healthy, polite, smart, easygoing, funny, and (like all Sturm kids) strong-willed. We know that God is molding you into a person that can do amazing things and you won't let anything stop that. We pray that those amazing qualities continue to bless those that you cross paths with. The joy within your little body is contagious and the world definitely is a better place because you're here. Happy birthday buddy! 

Love,
Daddy and Mommy