Back to school means back to busy in the Sturm home! Thankfully, it does feel a little less hectic than in previous years. Having the kids participate in sports/activities that are part of the school means that most things happen in the after-school hours instead of the evening, so we at least get to have family dinners most nights!
Right as summer began to wind down, the boys got to take an extra special trip (on an EXTRA hot day) to watch a the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club. Despite the heat, they had a great time! I'd say it sparked more of an interest in golf, which definitely will make Grandpa happy!
School starting means more nights with homework and earlier bedtimes, so trips for ice cream don't happen nearly as often as they do during the summer. However, we make sure to get in a Ranch Frostie trip every once in awhile!
Leah is signed up for another year of Girl Scouts. It seems like most of their monthly meetings are just outings to various places, which is fun for her! This past time, they met at a wildflower farm just south of New Lenox. She picked a lovely bouquet and had fun with her gal pals!
It's hard to believe, but after so many years of hosting Slammers players, TiTi has declared that this season was her last. We've had so many great memories of nights spent at the ballpark and we will definitely miss interacting with the (mostly) wonderful guys that she has hosted.
Band has been up and running since early August when Leah and Joel had camp each morning. The junior high band was preparing to march in the Fall Fest parade and they did a great job. Joel was thrilled to get to hold the sign. Next year it'll be his turn to march and play! The junior high band also got to play at the high school game one evening. If it hadn't been so cold and rainy, we might have all enjoyed it a bit more, but Leah seemed to have fun despite the weather!
We took a quick day-trip down to Champaign to celebrate Nyla's 21st birthday. We had a great time going to the apple orchard and out to eat. It was definitely a quick trip and we wish we could've spent more time down there, but we will take what we can get!
Caleb had an awesome homecoming week. It started with Homecoming Olympics on Monday night where he and a team dressed as characters from Mario. The rest of the week was spent enjoying fun theme days and a football win on Friday night. He ended the week having a great time at the dance. He went with a group of friends...some of them came back to hang at our house afterwards and they were all SILENT and EXHAUSTED! I guess that means they had a good time!
Our annual chili cookoff was great this year. We had perfect weather and tons of yummy chili and desserts. The chili winner was cousin Rob and the dessert trophy went to Mitch Evans, who tackled the task of making his mom's famous chocolate chip cookies!
Youth group is back to normal after a summer of mostly fun/socializing. The kids are enjoying their small groups and Caleb seems to really enjoy being able to help with all of the tech jobs.
4H has begun and the Sturm kids are stepping up as leaders. Caleb handed over the President's gavel. He did a great job last year, but high school is just a bit too busy for him to commit to such a big leadership role. Leah will be taking on the role of Vice President this year and is also joining the county federation. She's looking forward to going away on an overnight trip in November with three other girls to a 4H Leadership Conference. I know she'll have a blast. Joel also stepped up as a leader this year. He is in charge of greeting and welcoming new members. He's done a great job already as he convinced two of his good friends, Laney and Ellie, to join!
We definitely don't have as many sports to juggle this Fall as we've had in the past, so that's a nice change! Leah is taking dance classes again and is loving the new instructor (who also happens to be one of my good friends).
Joel had an amazing cross country season. He continued to improve each week and set a PR at each race. Joel also became well known for his very unique style out on the course. You could count on him to ALWAYS have on his lucky, yellow zebra socks and his sweatband. If there was even a tiny bit of sun, he'd also sport his yellow shades. It was definitely a sight to see! His ultimate goal was to make the sectionals/state roster and he did! He was an alternate, so he didn't have to run, but he loved getting to experience all of the fun that goes along with participating in sectionals and state (pasta parties, school parades, and fun practices). I'd like to think that some of his success came from his awesome cheering section (AKA his sister....who lovingly came to just about every single meet - even the ones that were hours away)! She was such a great encourager and even took the time to make a few signs to show some love before he headed to state.
Caleb has been enjoying football. He began the season with a game one injury to his Achilles tendon, but a few weeks in a boot and a good ankle brace seem to be all that he needed to get back to business. He did miss out on getting to play in the game at the ISU stadium, but he handled that disappointment well. Its been fun watching him improve and gain confidence. He's come a long way in just two seasons of playing tackle football! Just as with cross country for Joel, Caleb should be thankful for his siblings, who come to just about every game. We've lucked out and had some great weather most of the time, but there have been a few games that were a bit cold and rainy. Leah and Joel are troopers, though, and they don't complain too much!
