Ghouls in the Pool

Hattie and Kiersten swam in Mattoon this weekend and they did amazing. Hattie dropped three seconds off her back stroke. Kiersten dropped 6 seconds on her 50 fly. And cut time on her 25 breast too. Highlights of the day were A.) The Pumpkin Relay. They had kids from each age group put the pumpkin on a kickboard and swim it down the pool. We were doing great and slated to win the race except poor Simeon lost his kick board. It went over the ropes and into the lane next to him. It was comical to watch him manage the pumpkin while trying to retrieve his board. And B.) A coach told me how much he loves those Schultz girls...how motivated they are and determined. He said he sees them being great swimmers. I already know these things but it's fantastic to know that others see that in them too. We have been so fortunate by the adults who help mold our children. I'll even say blessed...beyond blessed to have these amazing people mentor our girls. I know we are lucky, and I think the girls know it too.

Pumpkin Carving 2018

This is Mitch's thing. He loves that he has this tradition with the girls. I think he's crazy for being ambitious enough to tackle three pumpkins, but he does it with a smile on his face. This year was different. Last year Leah tacked a majority of her pumpkin on her own. This year Leah and Kiersten both tackled a majority of their pumpkins on their own...AND Hattie was working a little more independently too. Makes me nervous for them to be playing with sharp tools. I mean we've already been to the ER once this month (more on that later). But they did great. They were thrilled with the Ghost, Skull and crossbones and spooky cat. Dad sure loves these traditions with his girls. And I love watching it all unfold.

El Skippito Friskito

Oh I am Skippy John Jones...

My Ears are too big for my head. My head is too big for my body...

Skippy John Jones was once a favorite for this kid. So when the library at her school started a literary pumpkin contest we had to think long and hard about what she wanted to do. Harry Potter seemed like the obvious choice. But she said everyone was making a character from Harry Potter. She wanted to stand out. She looked online and found lots of good options. We talked about Junie B. Jones, Charlotte's Web, Wonder, and then she saw Skippy. She new she had to do it. Mitch spray painted the pumpkin...because spray paint. I hot glued the ears on...because hot glue. But she did the rest all on her own. I think she did amazing. She is amazing!

A League of Their Own

A League of Their Own indeed!!! I never cared for Halloween much. I didn't enjoy dressing up as a kid. In fact, by the time I was 10 years old, I opted to stay home and handout candy instead of going out for treats of my own. Maybe it was just my introvert personality. Halloween as the mom is so different. I love helping my girls get into their costumes, transforming into characters so different from who they may really be. Every year we've had a theme and last year and this year are by far my favorites. Two classic Gary Marshall movies from my own youth, that are now  favorites of theirs, too. Hocus Pocus and A League of Their Own are on repeat in this house. It's so fantastic to listen to the girls quote these films.

Every year we do Boo at the Zoo. I know Leah will soon outgrow these traditions so I'm enjoying it while I still can. The past two years we've joined the Swim Team for Boo at the Zoo. It's a chance for the kids to socialize and have some fun outside of the pool deck. There was a family walking behind us this year. The girls were singing a song from Beetlejuice, quoting A Leage of Their Own, and I heard the mom say "I feel like those parents are doing it right!" And I had to laugh. I turned around and said "You should've seen them last year!" She asked what they were. So I pulled out my phone and showed her our Hocus Pocus, Sanderson sisters picture. She just looked at me, smiled, and said we should do that every year. At least I know I get Halloween right EVERY.SINGLE.YEAR! I'm gonna miss this.

Indian Knoll Pumpkins

The past few years we've loved exploring our trust Radar Farms Pumpkin Patch up in Bloomington-Normal. We almost always go after a swim meet. But this year the weather didn't cooperate. With October slowly winding down we needed to get to a Patch FAST! On Friday night we had family pictures in Springfield. As I was looking at the GPS I saw a nearby "patch" in Mechanicsburg. I knew it would be a quick drive so on Saturday morning after swim practive we jumped in the car and went in search of our pumpkins.

The girls enjoyed checking out a new place. They had a play area that did not disappoint. Leah played Tether ball with Mitch while Kiersten was climbing hay bales left and right...and Hattie loved the swing. They each painted their own pumpkins. Leah made Mike Wizowski from Monsters Inc. Kiersten made Harry Potter, and Hattie painted a black cat and some ghost on hers. We went out the field and picked three perfect pumpkins and even enjoyed some tasty baked goods. Before leaving the girls were learning to play Checkers on a giant homemade board with mini-pumpkins. We love being able to find adventures in our own backyard. Glad we tried something new this year.

STEM Sister

Well it finally happened. Mitch got to use power tools with one of his girls. Last week Kiersten came home with an assignment. They needed to create something using simple machines that would be useful in the home. She floated a few ideas around and then we decided to turn to Pinterest. We looked at lots of ideas. I thought we were set on an Archimedes screw...you'll have to google it, and then she jumped tracks and was determined to make a nutcracker. She and Dad looked at the webpage and went to Rural King. They got home and an hour later we had a functional, actual nutcracker. She was hands on. Drilling holes, tightening nuts and bolts. It was absolutely her project. This kid definitely has a thurst for knowledge.

With a Splash!

We kicked off our 2018-2019 swim season this weekend at the Rachel Dean Memorial Meet in Bloomington. First meet, first event and Leah's relay qualified for YMCA Illinois State meet. She's got some work to do to make sure that she stays on the relay. She came out and swam great in several of her events. She dropped 10.5 seconds in her 100 breast, and I'm really wishing we would have had her swim fly.

Kiersten continues to improve. She's kicking off her second year and took 4th place in the 50 breast, an event she's never swam before and 6th in the 100 free...it was the first time she swam either event. Looking forward to lots more fun at the pool this year!