Florida 2022

The Florida Spring Break tradition continued this year....with a slight twist! Instead of our usual trip to Ft. Walton Beach and a stay at Seaspray, we opted for Pensacola Beach, where we rented a house for the week. After a very relaxing and enjoyable week, we think it might be time to make this our new Spring Break spot. It was quiet, scenic, and perfect for a family vacation....even the fur babies could come! We missed some things about Seaspray, but the pros of this new location outweighed the cons for sure!

We broke up the drive down into two days, which was a great idea! It gave us a little bit of extra time for hitting up some tourist spots along the way. We decided to visit the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. It was a worthwhile detour, for sure!

We lucked out and had phenomenal weather all week....perfect for sunny days at the beach and by the pool. We took lots of walks along the beach and throughout the little beach neighborhood that we stayed in.

We loved getting to have a house where we could all stay together. We had lots of together time and enjoyed playing games....Sequence was the big hit this week!

We loved getting to bring Chief along! His favorite part, BY FAR, was getting to visit the dog beach. If we didn't have to keep him on a leash, he probably would've swam straight out into the deep, deep ocean. He couldn't get enough of it!

We definitely treasure the memories of these yearly trips to Florida. Our kids are so lucky to have grandparents and an aunt that want to be so involved and connected. Whether it's walks on the beach finding shells, games played, conversations under a beach umbrella, dinners altogether, or trips for ice cream, we know that each memory made is a true blessing!

Dear Caleb,

Today you are 14. You've got a whole year of teenaging under your belt. And what a year it's been. At this time last year, we thought we were nearing the end of a full year of life lived in a pandemic. The vaccine was out, cases were down, and hope was on the horizon. Some sense of normalcy returned. You were finally back at school in person....your first year of junior high. Sports and other extracurriculars were back. You could start to spend more time with a larger circle of friends. There was a sense of relief and a feeling that our new normal was here to stay. Unfortunately, we definitely weren't as far along as we thought, and we've had a couple more waves of Covid to get through. Despite the ups and downs, you've displayed such maturity throughout it all. It wasn't always easy to hear "no" more than "yes", or to have to go back to keeping our circle small, or to revert back to living as selflessly as possible in order to protect others, but you did it. All the while, you've gained more than you lost out on and we are so proud of you for seeing it that way.

You truly are becoming such a mature and well-rounded young man. You've started to shift into that teenage mentality where you want to be around your peers far more than you want to be around your family. Thankfully (for us....and for you) you've got a great group of friends surrounding you. We certainly hope that as you wrap up your crazy junior high years and head into high school, you'll continue to have the wisdom to choose your friends wisely. We also hope that your influence on your friends is equally as positive and meaningful as their influence is on you. We know that you'll continue to find common interests with so many different people, because you are a kid who wears so many different hats.

You are an insanely devoted sports lover. You love to play sports. You love to watch sports. You love to research sports. You love anything about sports. This year, you added volleyball to your list of favorite sports. It was so neat to see you try something new and love it! You also played one final season of flag football in the fall....next year you're going to give tackle football a try at the high school (and we are all just a bit nervous about that). You tried out for the 8th grade basketball team, and despite being pretty bummed about not making it, you picked yourself up off the floor and made lemonade out of lemons. You asked the coach if you could help by being a manager. This brave and humble ask was a great decision on your part because you loved everything about that role. You got to practice with the team and hone in on your skills. You got to serve as the biggest and loudest fan on the court while taking stats (a perfect job for the math lover in you). And you got to spend so much time with some of your closest friends. We were so proud of you for stepping up and taking on this role, and it was awesome to see how much joy it brought to you. When you're not playing sports, you're usually watching them. Sometimes it's just quick clips and videos, and sometimes its a whole game. No matter what it is, we can be sure you'll be cheering and screaming and watching as if the lives of every player depend upon that game's outcome. You were super thrilled to get to experience your first live NFL game this past November. However, that excitement was matched with complete disappointment when you discovered that your favorite player, Lamar Jackson, was sick and wouldn't be playing. Thankfully, you had an amazing experience despite the fact that he wasn't playing....it might have helped that your team pulled off a victory on the opposing team's turf!

When you're not hanging with friends or fixating on sports, you're busy with all sorts of other things. You still love video games, but now you often use those as a way to connect with others. Quite frequently, we think you're in the basement playing on the XBox and talking to yourself...only to realize that you're playing simultaneously with a friend and talking via FaceTime. You've continued to stay committed to band and are loving that. You've made some great friends through band and are becoming quite the percussionist. You also joined Mathletes this year (making your former Mathlete parents quite proud) and are involved in NJHS as well. You're still involved in 4H and took on the Vice President role for a second year. This year, you're planning to do a project about veterinary science....something you've started to think about more as a future career. Youth group and helping at church has also become a big part of your week. You've helped quite a bit with a tech crew for the youth ministry and you've learned that serving in the elementary room on Sunday mornings is actually pretty fun. You look forward to Sunday nights and are learning so much through your discussions with your small group. You're starting to ask big questions and it's neat to see you wanting to own your faith. You chose to get baptized this past fall and it was a joy to watch you do that with so many friends there cheering you on.

It's such a blessing to see how the various chapters of your life open and close. Raising you has had its challenges...you are still SO strong willed and are driven by the need for justice and fairness...but the gift of seeing beyond those hard times and focusing on all of the good moments is what parenting is all about! You absolutely bring so much goodness into our lives. We are forever grateful for that day when God made us parents and placed you into our loving care. We hope that we can continue to guide you into an even more amazing human than you already are. We are so proud of who you are becoming and cannot wait to see how this next chapter of your story plays out.

Love,

Dad and Mom

Wonderful, Wonderful Winter

Winter is definitely a much more enjoyable season with older kids! When they were younger, the days draggggggggggged on and we couldn't wait for warmer weather and a change to break free from our four walls. Now that the kids are older, though, we enjoy the slower pace and lazier moments. We've had more weeknights with long family dinners, games, and snuggles on the couch. We've had weekends with no schedule to answer to and endless time to do what we want. It has been wonderful and a much needed recharge before a busy spring!

The boys finally agreed to a fresh coat of paint before our new carpet was installed. Their sentimental sides left them quite upset about covering up Grandpa's mural. Thankfully he agreed to paint a smaller version of it on a canvas that they could treasure forever.

We enjoyed a super relaxing and enjoyable weekend in Grand Haven, Michigan. There was a lot of quality time together and a fun day of skiing for the kids (Leah and Joel were first timers....Caleb went once last year). They all surprised us with how well they did. Hopefully we can do it again next year!

We surprised the kids exactly 100 days before our Disney trip. They are definitely looking forward to when we go in May!

Leah had one request for her birthday celebration....a sleepover with her best friend. They had so much fun!

We loved the several good snowstorms. Chief was probably the most excited!

We enjoyed getting to go to Caleb's freshman open house. Its hard to believe that he's going to high school!

For their birthdays this year, the kids asked if they could skip getting presents and take a trip to a waterpark. We had a ton of fun on our overnight trip...and especially enjoyed the fact that our friends were there with us!

Band and choir have kept the kids quite busy. We love watching them explore their passion for music!

Joel and I got to enjoy a trip to Superstart (a 4th/5th grade overnight conference). It was so fun to connect with other people from our church. The best part was the bus ride home, where an EXHAUSTED ten year old snuggled up and fell asleep on my lap.

Tyler and Leah enjoyed their first daddy daughter dance. They had a lot of fun!

Joel was thrilled to be invited to the zoo with the Rojas family. We sure are thankful for such great neighbors!

Caleb had a blast celebrating his birthday with some of his closest buddies. We had such a great time overhearing their goofy conversations and were thrilled when they included us in their fun by challenging us to a game of Beat the Parents. We won't discuss who won!

Dear Joel,

You're officially into the double digits! It's hard to wrap our minds around the fact that ten years could go by as quickly as it did. So much of the past ten years can often feel like such a blur, but when we think back to all of the memories of life with our Roly Poly Joely, we definitely know that you've lived these first ten years of life to the fullest!

The fullness that you bring to each and every day is what makes our lives so much better with you in it. Sometimes your "all in" personality can be super challenging....which is probably why your toddler/preschool years are such a blur! You gave us a run for our money in those years, but we're incredibly thankful that you've shifted from having way more delightful moments than challenging ones. You still have BIG feelings and a BIG personality, but you also have one the the BIGGEST hearts and we adore that about you. 

You are so kind and so considerate. It is well known that when someone is down, you'll be one of the first ones to try to cheer them up. You rarely grumble when you're given a chore to do and are usually the first one to ask if help is needed. You serve and give with a genuinely cheerful heart. It brings you joy to lighten someone else's load and we hope that you never lose that quality. Your considerate heart is a direct reflection of your sensitive nature. You feel your feelings quite deeply. When you're happy, you're super happy. And with your fresh, new, braces-free smile, you have a smile that can melt the heart of anyone. When you're sad, though, you're super sad. You go from zero to ten in a heartbeat and we have all grown accustomed to the ear-piercing cry that accompanies just about any moment of frustration, disappointment, or sadness that you feel. You're most likely to be brought to tears as the recipient of an unfair game of football or chess with your brother or a pinch or punch by your sister. Sometimes, we definitely feel a bit of empathy for you as the youngest and most picked-on, but make no mistake....sometimes you've got it comin'! Regardless of how much distress your siblings cause, you are still their biggest fans. You love all three of them with all you've got. Nobody gets you better than Nyla. Caleb is the one you look up to more than anyone else in the world. And, every once in awhile, you and Leah rekindle that best friendship that you sustained for years when you were little. 

Though you are most often the most dedicated sibling, you are definitely fond of time by yourself. You have no problem finding things to do when nobody is around to entertain (or antagonize) you! You could spend hours outdoors. You love to fish....LOVE to fish! You've also found a new outdoor passion - running! You are happy to play just about any sport. This year, you tried soccer for the first time and it was a perfect fit for your level of energy! You also think just about any outdoor chore is fun. This past spring and summer, you were always in the garden with Dad. You loved when you got to help cut the grass. You even found it fun to help clean the pool. In the fall, you spent hours raking leaves and were especially thrilled to use the leaf blower. And in the winter, you're the first one outside to help shovel. Nothing makes you happier than a ton of snow to play in or build with and you could spend hours outside if your little hands don't freeze first! When you're not outside, you manage to find plenty of indoor things to do. You love puzzles and games and building and creating. If you're not doing one of those things, you're probably following one of us around like a shadow. If there's a lightbulb that needs changing, you jump at the chance to help and ask a million questions about the process. If there's a toy that needs fixing, you want to see exactly how it's done. If there's a meal that is being made, you want to be the one to prep or measure or mix. You will probably be the Sturm kid that is most prepared for adulthood simply because you watch every single move that we make! We love everything about your curious and inquisitive side. We never get tired of the endless questions you ask about the world around you. And we love the moments when time stands still as you stop and inspect the ins and outs of some of the most random and seemingly insignificant things. 

We hope that your curiosity for all things leads you down a lifelong path of discovery and wonder. This world is an amazing place and God knows we need more humans like you....the kind who appreciate even the simplest things. We hope that you continue to remain humble and in awe of what your Creator has done. We also hope that you continue to spread kindness and love to those along your path. You are such an amazing kid and God knew what he was doing when he added you as the caboose to our family. Sometimes you're like the glue that holds this crazy family together. You often know just what to say when we all need a laugh or you know just what to do when we've reached the end of our rope. Your wonderment and innocence are an inspiration to all of us. Keep being you, Joel. You're one wonderful, remarkable, amazing kid and we are so thankful that you belong to us!

Love,
Dad and Mom

Christmas 2021

We are glad we got to enjoy some sense of a "normal" December before the world kind of shut down again! It was fun to welcome back some of our old traditions on the weekends leading up to Christmas...like the 25 cent Christmas shop with Nana Pam and Ed and the neighborhood scavenger hunt and reindeer games with friends. We also enjoyed getting to attend a work party for Tyler (this was the first time spouses were included). Sprinkled in throughout the month were a lot of other sweet moments....

The first in-person band concert in over a year....it ended with an audience sing-along of some classic Christmas tunes. How fun!!!

Caleb's jazz band performed at a PTO meeting and it was so fun to watch!

I enjoyed serving at Morningstar Mission with some girls from my small group. We felt like little elves working hard in Santa's workshop. Those bags are all gifts that go to families in need. There were two stories in this building that were FILLED with bags!

Santa stopped by with the New Lenox Fire Department :)

Nyla got to squeeze in a trip home for part of her winter break (being a basketball manager keeps her quite busy)!

LOTS of baking happened!

We hit a major slowdown right before Christmas. Covid cases started to rise and we decided to hunker down and keep our circle pretty small. We enjoyed the extra time together and had a great Christmas. Unfortunately, sickness still hit our house right after Christmas and our time together became a bit less enjoyable!