Dear Caleb,

It seems impossible that it's already time to celebrate another year of life for our first baby. Five. This year we celebrate five. For five years, you have been a part of our life. These five years have flown by, yet they seem filled with so many memories that we almost don't have room for memories we made before you were with us!

This year was yet another year in which we worked to figure out the boy that you are becoming. You've always been pretty easygoing and that makes the transition into boyhood a bit easier for us to handle. Gone are the days of testing the waters and creating trouble like typical toddlers/preschoolers do. You've grown up. You know your limits, you respect your authority, and you are such a people pleaser that you hardly ever disobey. You are thanked countless times during the day for your goodness, your willingness to help out, your understanding of your role in our family unit. We know we can count on you and you know you can count on us. You truly are a joy to have as our oldest child and you certainly have set the bar high for your siblings!

Now, speaking of siblings, this is where we often find fault in the behavior of our sweet firstborn. There are definitely times when you have fought for attention over the past year. With a toddler and baby to share the attention with, though, we weren't surprised. You also have your moments in which sibling rivalry hits full force. You and Leah go head to head in a lot of ways. You've also managed to figure out just what buttons to push with her and you aren't afraid to push when necessary! For the most part, though, you have an incredible amount of patience with Leah and Joel. You try very hard to work and talk through your problems, but every so often it just can't be done with a three year old. Countless times you've had lego masterpieces destroyed by your baby brother or beautiful drawings scribbled on by your sister and you handle it with more grace than most children would. For every ounce of frustration they create, you manage to love them in return times a thousand. You watch out for both of them and care for them like they're a part of your own body. When one of them cries, you are often the first one to ask if they're okay. If they are sick, you try your best to help "take care" of them.

Indeed, empathy is your strong suit. You have a unique way of being able to dig into the thoughts and feelings of others. It's not unlikely for you to be caught crying because you thought Mommy's feelings were hurt or because Daddy had a bad day. You have a genuine concern for the well-being of others and we are grateful for that. Along with being empathetic, you are also incredibly sensitive. Your feelings get hurt easily. You don't like to be left out. You don't like to lose. Your sensitivity and empathy make you such a wonderful friend and have molded you into the people-person that you are. Despite the fact that you have moments of just wanting to be alone (we don't blame you given the amount of noise in this home at any give moment) you typically love to be surrounded by other people. You greet any stranger with a friendly hello and sometimes we joke that you're our future "Walmart greeter"!

When you aren't surrounded by others or busy playing with friends, you are content to sit and watch tv (which you could do all day if we let you). You also love to play on the computer or with your handheld Leapster video game. You've grown very creative over the past year and are amazing at coloring. You also love to make "projects" (as you call them). We can turn you loose with some paper, crayons, glue, and scissors and you'll create all kinds of neat things. You've become a reader this year as well. Within a few short months you went from simply knowing all of your letters to knowing how to read low level books. Most of this accomplishment is from your own eagerness to learn and not from Mommy's scheduled "learning time" in the middle of the day. Some of your other favorite things include playing games, being outside, going to Grandma's, and taking a shower without any help.

The most exciting discovery over the past year is a deeper understanding of the seeds of faith that were planted in you from early on. Just recently you've begun to ask some very thought provoking questions. We can tell that you are closer and closer to understanding what it means to be a Christian and why choosing to live your life for Jesus is totally worth it! We hope and pray that the coming year will bring you even deeper into that understanding of God. May God bless you richly in your sixth year of life sweet boy. We love you so very much!

Love,
Daddy and Mommy

(Finally) SNOW

Living in Chicago, it is expected that we will have snow. Most adults complain about it, but I have such awesome memories of growing up and loving the snow. It is even more enjoyable now that I have kids who find the snow to be incredibly fascinating and fun....perhaps the fascination is because it has become a rare phenomenon to get snow....but hopefully these past couple years are a fluke and they'll get to have a childhood full of snow memories like I did.

Either way, we made the most of this past snowfall (it might have actually been the only decent one we've had this whole winter). The kids bundled up and played out back for almost an hour. Joel stayed inside where is was warm and watched from the back door :)

A Night Away

Lately, with the kids schedules, it seems like we don't get many days where there is absolutely nothing to do. It was a great surprise when the teachers reminded us that the kids wouldn't be in school on Friday because they were setting up for the spaghetti dinner fundraiser. Wanting to make the most of this day off, I decided it might be fun to do a night away at a waterpark. We went to one in Wisconsin when Caleb turned 3 and had a blast, so we figured it would be fun to try another one. After reading lots of reviews, we weren't so sure about the place we picked, but decided to give it a try anyhow. The resort is less than an hour away, so it was worth it to try since we didn't have to drive much to get there. 

To say we were pleasantly surprised is an understatement. The rooms were great and the waterpark itself was a ton of fun for the kids. There was also an indoor play area where the kids could play in giant inflatables. The evening was a blast and the kids had a lot of fun with Daddy, Mommy, and Grandma. Joel was a little unsure at first (mostly because he hardly napped....he doesn't sleep well in new surroundings) but he ended up enjoying the water too.

Everything went well until about midnight when Leah woke up throwing up. And then the fun began with a night full of Leah throwing up, which woke Caleb up a ton of times, and also kept Joel up for most of the night. By the morning, we were all pretty exhausted, but still tried to enjoy the time we had left. Caleb and Grandma had a breakfast date and then he went swimming for a couple hours and met a few new friends.

It should come as no surprise that there was a problem while we were there. It seems as though traveling with the Sturm family always has something worth writing home about....from major airport delays to lost luggage to high fevers to throwing up all night, we've spent more "vacations" having drama than relaxing!

First Birthday Fun

We had a lot of fun celebrating our last "first birthday" in the Sturm home. On his actual birthday, Joel was toughing out a nasty cold, so we just hung out at home for the day. Grandpa Rob, Grandma Leslie, and TiTi all came over for pizza and cake. Despite being sick, he sure loved eating the birthday cake!

The following weekend, we celebrated with friends and family. Joel was finally feeling better by then, so he really enjoyed all of the festivities. If he had to choose his favorite part of the party, it would be a dead tie between the balloons and the cake. He LOVED them both!

Dear Joel,

Today you are one. It's hard to wrap our minds around that. It seems like just yesterday we were praying for your very existence. Unlike your siblings, it took what seemed like forever for God to answer our prayers for another child. Though we know a few months is nothing compared to what other people face, we knew how desperately we wanted you - and that made the wait a difficult one. Now, we thank God for His timing because it was indeed perfect and you being born on the very day that you were, was just how it was meant to be.

I guess that's been the theme of your little life so far. Waiting. We waited for your creation, waited for you to be born (a week late), waited for you to sleep through the night, waited for you to get your first tooth, waited, waited, waited. In doing so, you, our precious third and last child, have reminded us that every moment is worth the wait. In waiting, we've learned to treasure everything just a bit more. And a treasure you are, sweet boy. 

Everything has seemed so different even though we've done this all before. Your birth was an amazing experience, your first cries were distinctly different, and we knew from the beginning that you were unique and God had yet again created another miracle. We've had to remind ourselves time and time again that it is important to slow down and savor this miracle of babyhood. Knowing that you're the last has made everything throughout the past year quite bittersweet. When we left the hospital, we thought about how we'd never again be carrying an infant out into the world for the first time. Tears. When we laid you in your crib for the first time, we knew there'd never be a body so tiny on that mattress again. Tears. When we packed away the newborn clothes, swing, bouncy seat, jumper, infant carrier, and everything else that you've outgrown it has reminded us that this phase is ending. Even those things that we dread more than anything....the sleepless nights, nursing around-the-clock, blowout diapers, eating meals in shifts because of a fussing baby....they all came to an end eventually, but not without a bit of sadness to see them go.

The tears of sadness have also come with an abundance of joy. You have won the hearts of every member of our family. Daddy and Mommy can't get enough of you and your siblings have taken you under their wings. We all have cheered through the milestones of your first year....rolling over, sitting up, clapping, waving bye-bye, and so much more. Caleb and Leah were your cheerleaders through it all. Daddy and Mommy just marveled at how quickly you were growing. Through it all, you've remained an incredibly easygoing and adorable little guy. Many times, you are so content to just sit back and observe that we forget you're even there. When you do, however, manage to grab our attention, you make it clear that you love to make us happy. You find so much satisfaction in hearing your siblings laugh or seeing Daddy and Mommy smile. You have completed our family and we like to joke that there aren't going to be any other kids because we've stopped at perfection! 

Truth be told, you have been our easiest baby by far and we are so thankful that is the case. By being such a pleasant baby, you've made this past year one that was filled with so many wonderful memories. You've allowed us to slow down and really enjoy the ups AND downs of raising a baby. So now, as you enter into the toddler years, we will yet again marvel at how quickly you continue to grow. Your puppy dog eyes and tiny curls will one day be a thing of the past, but you will always be our baby. We thank God for you, sweet baby Joel. And we pray that He will continue to watch over you each and every moment of your life.

Love,
Daddy and Mommy

Gingerbread Houses

It's been said many times before on this blog, but I love where we live. Even when I think I'd love to someday move to a bigger house, I find the thought of moving away from our great neighbors way too sad. We've been so blessed to find such wonderful families to raise our kids with.

This year, we decided to get together the kids on Lake Road for some gingerbread house fun. Though we planned to do it before Christmas, one of the many viruses our family has passed around this winter caused us to push back the fun until January. We met right before the kids headed back to school, so it was a nice wrap-up to their break.

Here's all the kids starting their fabulous creations.

This girl couldn't believe that I gave her a whole can of frosting with very little supervision...she was the first kid to attempt to just eat the frosting straight off of the knife!

Caleb had fun, but of course his perfectionism got the best of him and he had a couple meltdowns about the fact that his house wasn't quite what he had hoped it would be.

Joel, being the awesome baby that he is, just sat in his chair and watched the fun for over an hour.

Dear Leah,

It happened so quickly this year. You were two and then we blinked and you turned three. Two was still a baby number, but three is so old sounding. You have grown into that number just as most kids do. Your chubby baby legs are now long and thin. You little baby curls have grown into beautiful, long hair. You carry on conversations with us like you're talking to a good friend. You are growing up way.too.fast!

This year has been filled with so much change for you, but you've handled it all so well. At the beginning of the year, your baby brother joined the family. You were so loving and welcoming...sometimes a little too much. Oftentimes our biggest worry everyday was whether Joel would survive all the "love and care" you'd give him. There were times when we'd turn our back for a second and you were trying to pull him out of his swing to hold him, or you'd shove your dirty hands in his face trying to "gently" pat his head and calm his crying. Though there were many moments of worry, we also knew that you meant it all with the purest and kindest of hearts. You are such a little mommy and love caring for others.

Your world also changed when you were dropped off on your first day of preschool back in August. For a little girl who is used to spending (almost) every waking moment with her Mama, we were quite worried with how you'd react to preschool one morning a week. For the first few drop-offs you were fine, but after about a month, you started to rebel. By the second or third week of full on tantrums, we decided that bribery with suckers was the best solution. And it worked. And it's still working. You, though you're clearly not hesitant about leaving us anymore, know that you can still work the system and get yourself a sucker once a week!

The suckers are just once of the many ways in which we know that you are wise beyond your years. You definitely like to "work the system" as we call it. You can still whine, hold your arms up, and say "hold me" to Daddy and he'll pick you up without a second of hesitation. You are known to yell and scream "I can't do it", but then ten seconds later out of sheer determination, you accomplish whatever task you had started. You are fiercely independent and want to do EVERYTHING by yourself. Your token phrase for several months this year was "all by myself". Whatever you were doing from putting on shoes to going to the bathroom to getting dressed, you were so proud when you could tell us that you did it without our help.

You are definitely determined and perhaps our most strong willed child. You know what you like and you know how to get what you want. Disciplining you is a much different challenge than with your older brother. Fortunately, for your sake, having a baby around allows you some wiggle room to get away with a lot more than you should. But, on those occasions when we have picked and chosen our battle (which we have to do with you or else we'd ALWAYS be disciplining) and it comes time to address the issue, you get very upset knowing that you have let Daddy or Mommy down with your behavior. You seem genuinely saddened and need lots of hugs and reassurance to know that despite your bad choices, we still love you to pieces!

And we do. We love you to pieces. You are the kind of kid that is so easy to love. Even though you are a challenge and you rarely give us a moment of rest (we still can't get to you sit for more than 10 minutes at a time and live for those 2+ hour naps you still take), you are the most delightful little girl around! You are incredibly polite, saying please and thank you for everything...even meaningless tasks like helping you brush your teeth earn us a big thank you. You have a smile that lights up a room and eyes that twinkle beneath the most beautifully long eyelashes a girl could wish for. You always want to help around the house (unless of course it has to do with picking up your toys). You sing and dance as you go about your days that are filled with play, play, and more play. And perhaps your most wonderful characteristic is that you already have a love for Jesus and questions galore about the God who created you. You are a perfect example of the children that Jesus taught us about in Mark 10:15-16...

Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. 

You are just beginning to understand, but your faith is stronger than most grown adults. We pray that this strong faith and your sweet innocence grow more with each passing year. Happy third birthday little lady, lady bug, Leah Lee....we love you SO much!