Winter has come and gone faster than ever before in the Sturm home. We have learned to appreciate this season a lot more now that our kids are older and being cooped up inside isn't all that bad! We had plenty of slow paced, relaxing evenings and weekends, which was a welcomed change after such a hectic fall.
We enjoyed getting away for a long weekend in South Bend, Indiana. The trip was somewhat last minute and didn't require a ton of planning. It was just nice to have a change of scenery and time together with family. The kids enjoyed snow tubing one afternoon, we watched tons of football, played a lot of games, took a frigid walk on the Notre Dame campus, and spent a lot of time enjoying the fun house that we stayed in (with an entire game room in the basement). We were shocked to find two free days to get away between the busy wrestling and basketball schedules, but the stars aligned and we took advantage of it!
Caleb endured a long wrestling season and pushed through to the end. He spent a bit of time on the sidelines nursing a hip injury, but was back in time for the final matches of the season and then helped practice with one of the varsity boys who made it deep into the post-season. We really enjoyed watching him this season. After never having wrestled prior to high school, he has shown a ton of growth. Wrestling certainly isn't easy, but he has stuck it out. His coaches gave him the 3D award at the end of the season, which stands for determination, discipline, and dedication. We were super proud of him and felt that it was definitely deserved. Caleb also got an award for having the most escapes....not bad considering he often wrestled kids that had 30 to 40 pounds on him! With the season wrapping up, it was very clear that his body needed a break from the two intense seasons of football and wrestling. Somewhere along the way, he did some damage to his lower back. One MRI and several doc visits later, he is now spending the next few months doing physical therapy and hoping to heal before his senior year.
Leah jumped into basketball after initially thinking she wouldn't do it during high school. She knew a few girls on the team and decided she'd give it a try. The first month was a bit rough with a toe injury and then a concussion a couple weeks later, but she eventually got some consistent playing time. The season had more downs than ups, but she enjoyed it and they definitely improved as time went on.
Joel spent his winter enjoying his role as the junior high basketball manager. He got to take on this job with one of his best friends, so that made it extra fun. He definitely took a liking to seeing basketball from the standpoint of the coach/manager and even talks about someday wanting to be a basketball coach himself! When he wasn't busy with that, he had fun getting involved with the scholastic bowl team. They practice once a week and have a few competitions over the course of several months. All in all, Joel had the least busy and most relaxing winter, but that was not a disappointment for him at all. He loved having lazy afternoons and weekends that were wide open for fun.
Nyla got to celebrate the end of her four years as a manager with a lovely senior recognition ceremony. We had fun watching the game and seeing her in her element. It's not an easy job and she sacrifices a lot to do what she does, but we know that she absolutely loves it!
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