Summer 2022

This was the first "normal" summer that we've had in a couple years, yet so much of it felt so different than ever before. We didn't take a big family road trip because we had just maxed out our travel budget with a magical trip to Disney in May. We didn't get to go on too many all day adventures because it seemed like there was always at least one kid heading to a practice, camp, or other activity. We didn't feel that glorious endless summer feeling because the days and nights just flew by and the months blurred together. We did, however, have a summer filled with the fun that summer should have! Memories were made and fun was had in little moments, last minute plans, slow mornings, and late nights. We are sad to see it end, but are definitely ready for some structure and routine to come back into our lives!

There were plenty of slow, relaxing days with nothing on the agenda...and we loved it!

We loved our visit from Aunt D!!!

4H projects took up an entire rainy Saturday, but they were DONE and ready for the show!

Tyler, Caleb, and Leah still had youth group on Sunday nights, so Joel and I used it as an excuse for some fun one-on-one time.

Caleb wrapped up his final baseball season with an invite to the All Star game. He had a blast!

We all had a blast at VBS. Joel enjoyed his last year as a participant. Tyler and I helped with games. Leah sang and danced with the worship team. Caleb was a very lively and spirited group leader!

We finally managed to get (most of) the Lamont family together for a long overdue gathering. The family was nice enough to throw in a surprise bday celebration for the newest 40 year olds!

The younger two made the most of their free days. Caleb rarely had a day without some sort of sports camp. They had get togethers with friends, played golf with Grandpa several times, and Leah enjoyed a special day date with TiTi.

We had a blast with our friends at "the bathtub"!

There weren't nearly as many trips to the Slammers games this year, but they managed to see a couple.

Summer wouldn't be complete without plenty of fun days at the lake. This year, we were lucky enough to have three total weeks down there! We spent most of our days relaxing by the water, but snuck out for lunch on the boat, ice cream, go karting, and a few shopping trips. We loved having time with Grandpa and Grandma for a few days and also had a fun visit from some of our favorite neighbors/friends.

7th Grade

It's time for junior high for this sweet girl! There have definitely been some nerves...leading to quite a few nights with disrupted sleep! Obviously, a lot will be different. Leah has been lucky enough to spend her last couple of years with pretty much the same group of kids in class. They've become almost like a family and have formed some of the coolest friendships. This past summer, most of the girls from her class took turns hosting get togethers on a (nearly) weekly basis. It will be interesting to watch how those friendships grow and change as they navigate the junior high years. Our hope is that Leah continues to keep and find wonderful friends and remains true to the lovely person that she is. She's going to do so well in junior high and we hope these two years don't go by too quickly!

What is your name? Leah

How old are you? 12

What do you want to be when you grow up? social worker

What is your favorite food? French onion casserole

What is your favorite drink? diet coke

What makes you happy? friends

What makes you sad? nothing

What is your favorite thing to do at home? hang out with friends

Who is your best friend? Bridget, Keeley, Keira

Where is your favorite place to go? Disney and Florida (the beach)

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? shopping and going to Starbucks

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? get donuts

What is the best part about Caleb (brother)? He plays outside with me.

What is the best part about Joel (brother)? everything

What is your favorite book? Words on Fire

What is your favorite movie? A Week Away

Where is your favorite place to eat? Pops

What is your favorite thing to wear? jean shorts and a t-shirt

5th Grade

Joel is back to being by himself at school for a couple of years! He is our last Bentley Lion and we cannot believe it. Bentley is such a phenomenal school with amazing teachers. It might be hard to top his teachers from last year, but he does have a Sturm family favorite - Mrs. Iaciancio, so that's good! This is the first time that all three kids ended up with the same teacher. We are looking forward to what's in store for Joel as he begins this first "normal" year since second grade. He still loves math the most and is insanely good at it. And perhaps the magic of Mrs. Iaciancio will help inspire a love for reading/writing like it did with the other two! No matter what, we know that Joel is going to have a great year!

What is your name? Joel...can you just type that basic stuff in? It's not like I'm going to ever forget my name!

How old are you? 11? No 10.

What do you want to be when you grow up? soccer player and electrical engineer

What is your favorite food? smoked chicken

What is your favorite drink? pink lemonade

What makes you happy? my dog, Chief

What makes you sad? when I'm grounded

What is your favorite thing to do at home? play Minecraft or go outside

Who is your best friend? Matthew

Where is your favorite place to go? Disney and Tennessee

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? cook

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? building stuff

What is the best part about Caleb (brother)? playing outside

What is the best part about Leah (sister)? doing crafts

What is your favorite book? Harry Potter

What is your favorite movie? Grown Ups

Where is your favorite place to eat? home

What is your favorite thing to wear? Underarmour

Freshman Year

The high school years are finally upon us with Caleb. There is definitely some truth to the thought that time flies by. It feels like we were just dropping him off for his first day of preschool and now he's ready to start four of the best years of his life! He is already getting involved with plenty of things. Football seems to take most of his attention for now. We didn't know what to expect since he's never played tackle football. However, he has impressed us so much by his dedication to this team and to himself as he pushed through weeks of camps, conditioning, and practices throughout the summer. He also participated in basketball and volleyball during the summer. He's continuing on with band and joining Mathletes too. On top of it all, he's taking a full load of accelerated classes. We definitely think he's up for the challenge are are excited to see how much he will accomplish this year!

What is your name? Caleb Sturm

How old are you? 14

What do you want to be when you grow up? a biologist or a veterinarian

What is your favorite food? chicken nachos or fettucine alfredo

What is your favorite drink? coke

What makes you happy? my friends and sports

What makes you sad? Shifts in relationships....like people drifting away from you.

What is your favorite thing to do at home? I don't really spend any time at home, so...sleep.

Who is your best friend? Micah Evans, Ruby Hillegass, and Carter Bruley

Where is your favorite place to go? the lake

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? watch tv

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? I like just generally hanging out with him...playing video games and sports.

What is the best part about Leah (sister)? She cheers for me in sports.

What is the best part about Joel (brother)? He's like a person that I can coach in life and teach how to do things.

What is your favorite book? Harry Potter

What is your favorite movie? any Marvel movie

Where is your favorite place to eat? Popeyes

What is your favorite thing to wear? a sweatshirt

Florida Friends Reunited

We were so sad that our Spring Break plans didn't bring us together for a yearly reunion with our "Florida friends", but we made sure to get our families together for some fun! After a trip up to see us last summer and a grand Chicago adventure, it was time for us to head to their adorable town just south of Indianapolis. We had a great time catching up with the Christoff family and seeing the town of Franklin. It was an extra special trip because it happened to fall over Memorial Day weekend when anyone and everyone near Indianapolis celebrates the infamous Indy500 race. We had a blast getting to hang out with their neighborhood friends while watching the race. By the time we left, we were already making plans to get together again sooner than later. We are so lucky to have crossed paths with this family so many years ago in Florida and treasure the friendships that we all have with one another!