Spring Break 2013

We had the chance to get away as a family for 10 whole days. It was WONDERFUL! As usual, the events are best told by the pictures:

Going away for 10 days takes lots and lots of packing and preparation. Much of it was done while Caleb was at preschool. These two sweeties kept occupied by playing together. Tea parties seem to be a favorite way to pass the time while Mommy is busy packing.

Our journey started on a Wednesday evening. We planned to drive about 5 or 6 hours and then stop for the night in a hotel. The kids did well during this part of the drive. The novelty of all the new toys, snacks, dvds, etc. kept them occupied until we got to the hotel.

After we camped in a hotel for the night, we were up bright and early on Thursday morning to continue the longer part of our trip. We spent about 9 hours that day traveling from Lexington, KY to Fayetteville, NC (where Great Aunt Denise lives). The weather was perfect for driving and the scenery along the route was breathtaking. We truly enjoyed the drive and the kids did fairly well. The two older kids had enough to keep them busy. Joel was a bit more demanding, but did quite well for his first very long trip. The end of the trip got a bit tougher because the kiddos were all quite tired, but thankfully they all ended up taking naps!

We enjoyed two days of time with Great Aunt Denise at her house. The kids loved playing outside on her beautiful wooded lot. It was their first time getting to run free outside after a long, cold winter stuck inside! While playing outside, the kids fell in love with Aunt D's cat, Pretty Kitty. They were heartbroken to realize that we will never have a cat due to Mommy's allergies. We also enjoyed plenty of yummy meals and treats....she sure wasn't going to let us leave hungry! When we weren't hanging out at Aunt D's house, we spent time visiting Great Grandma Ruth. It was so special to see the kids meet their Great Grandma. They also enjoyed visiting with Great Grandma Ruth's roommate, Miss King. At one point, Leah asked, "When are we going back to see Miss King and the Queen?"!

After two days of tearing apart Aunt Denise's house, we packed up and hit the road yet again. This time, the drive was only about 5 hours and the kids were so excited because they knew they were heading to the beach! When we got to Tybee Island (in Georgia) the kids immediately headed to the beach to play. Caleb loved it and Leah was absolutely wild. The last time she'd been to the beach was as a young toddler and she screamed the whole time, so it was a pleasant surprise to see her enjoying it so much!

We celebrated Easter morning with the kids. They checked out their Easter baskets and then hunted for eggs in the condo. We took the two older kids to a church service at one of the churches on the island. It was quite different from church at home, but still a great way to celebrate the holiday.

The weather during our first few days was much better than the last half of the trip. We squeezed in as much outside time as we could. They enjoyed swimming in the pool and playing at the awesome park across the street from our condo.

We also did quite a bit of sightseeing while we were on our trip. There is so much history in the Savannah area. One morning we walked to the historic lighthouse on the island. Caleb and Leah toughed it out and climbed all the way to the top with us. We also made a trip to Fort Pulaski. Caleb was especially fascinated by everything there. His only knowledge of a fort is the type made from blankets and chairs in the basement, so a giant fort with real cannons blew his mind! Another morning was spent touring Savannah. We walked around for a bit, took a carriage ride, ate a delicious lunch, and of course stopped at the most famous ice cream shop in Savannah. It is a beautiful city with so much charm and history. We were lucky enough to sneak out for a night and go on a date in Savannah (thank you Grandpa, Grandma, and TiTi). Our final adventures in Georgia included a trip to the marine animal museum on the island and also a trip to an Air Force museum (Caleb went with Grandpa, TiTi, and Daddy while the rest stayed back to pack). We managed to squeeze in a lot during our week there and made the most of the unseasonably cold, rainy weather!

Overall, it was a great trip filled with lots of memories. The kids are so lucky to have extended family that love them dearly. From the spoiling of Aunt Denise to the cuddles with Grandma to the quality time with TiTi and the fun with Grandpa, these kiddos had a blast. It was a long drive home, but after such a busy week, we all needed the trip to decompress and get ready for life returning to normal!

(this pic just sums up the joy the kids...and parents...felt by having so much extra attention all week)

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