Happy Half Birthday Calvin!

Calvin turned 4 1/2 on Feb 21st.  It is a Sturm tradition to celebrate 1/2 birthdays...you get 1/2 a cake and 1/2 the birthday song sung to you.  You also get 1 present and your age in dollars ($4.50 for Calvin).  Brad has been encouraging me for awhile to do this for our kids, but I kept forgetting...until I put it on the calendar.  It is amazing what you can remember on the calendar.  So, we started the tradition this year with the kids.

They were excited, the idea of a 1/2 birthday is different for them.  Calvin made the comment, "so tomorrow I turn 5".  Not quite, not quite.  But anything for celebration is fun! 

Yeah, I can't tell if that cake was good or not.  What do you think?

Construction Party!

We celebrated Asher's birthday last night.  The kids were so excited for the big day, they had been counting down to it from last week.  It was a construction party for the toughest worker.  They all loved it.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Asher!

Dearest Asher,

It's your special birthday!  You know, the birthday where your year is the same day you were born.  Happy 2nd birthday big boy!

It's been such a joy to watch you grow this past year.  You've matured by leaps and bounds.  Literally.  You love to leap and bound off any piece of furniture, regardless the height or what's below.  Daddy often comes home and asks where your new scrape or bruise comes from and we don't always have an answer.  The scrapes and bruises do not slow you down at all, they're just a formality to you.

One of your nicknames is Asher the Destroyer.  It is fitting, if there is a tall tower or a nicely organized playroom, it is your job to destroy that.  Happily.  Which, is probably very typical of a kid your age.  It can be rather frustrating for your older siblings, but thankfully they know you are in the toddler stage and they give you an extra measure of grace.  Secretly, they are probably hoping this stage will pass quickly.

You love to eat almost anything, but your absolute favorite food is ranch dip, if we can call that a food.  If there is dip, you are in heaven.  And you don't just dip fries or chicken, you dip everything...apples, crackers, even cookies have been dipped in ranch dressing.  Hey, maybe you are on to something new here?  One thing that delights us is how much you love your vegetables still.  If it is green, it's a hit!  Woohoo!!!

You are quickly progressing in speech.  You still struggle with certain letters, like c and l, so when you say Calvin, it comes out as Talvin.  And a cat is a "tat".  It's fun to watch you grow and learn.  You love to play with markers, crayons, glue and stickers.  Art is one of your favorite activities.  You also love to play with legos and puzzles, and of course trucks!  You can't get enough big trucks.

You are still a mama's boy and will accept no substitute sometimes.  Mama loves to sing you to sleep at naptime and nighttime.  Your favorite songs are Jingle Bells, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, You Are My Sunshine and Winnie the Pooh.  Usually after multiple rounds of each, you eventually close your eyes into a peaceful sleep.

We love you dearest son.  We are so grateful that God placed you in our family and we get to watch you grow and mature.  One of our favorite things is listening to you pray.  We can't always figure out what you are saying, but at the end you give us a nice, loud Amen.

Thank you Lord for this precious son!

Love, Always and Forever,
Mama, Daddy, Mia & Calvin