Happy Halloween

Make your own slide shows and scrapbooks

Halloween Gift

A few times each year, Nana (regular) and Poppy send boxes filled with goodies for the girls. It's like mini-Christmas, they LOVE it.

Here they are opening their boxes.

Kate likes it!

Nana & Poppy always know just what they like!

Thank you Nana & Poppy!

Stella!

Here is Stella!

She is a Winx.

She's sort of a Fairy Superhero.

Stella is beautiful

and very into fashion.

She's a regular school girl,

until she has to 'winx' out and

save the world.

Here she is waiting for preschool to start.

Twas Thee Days Before Halloween

Twas three days before Halloween

When in Schultzville they say
The Schultz girls got bored
and wanted to play.

Supermom called some friends
Dad flew to the store
For a few bags of ice
and candy
and more . . .



They came in their costumes,

What a cute bunch,

For a spooky play date

today after lunch.

They hunted for treats

A good witch had misplaced.
Then they whacked a pinata

Sarah aimed for her face.

Kate took a swing.

And the kids whacked some more.

Soon all of the candy fell,

Plunk!

On the floor.

Then there was dancing.

Cha Cha Slide in the grass.

Macerena, then Limbo.
It all went by so fast.

All the kids had big fun
And we invited them back
Then the girls took a bath
And they both hit the sack.

Last year we had 3 different Halloween events, in addition to a party at preschool and trick-or-treating. This year, zippo.

We couldn't let Halloween go by without doing something extra fun. So we made our own fun. The girls made decorations from construction paper. Supermom called some friends (at the last minute) threw some cheetos, pretzls & popcorn in a bowl. Kate and I hit Super Target and Costco for some goodies. Superdad ran out for ice and chilled some juice boxes (and grown up beverages) and Viola - instant fun!!!!!

You Win Kate!

Look what I leanred how to do!!!
Oh yeah, it's video.

In Schultzville we don't talk about our day at the dinner table. We play silly games like 'Who can be quite the longest?' and this is Kate's response to winning . . .

All I can think is:

Hearing Aid: $3,000.00
Listening to my girls giggle: Priceless

Fall Has Finally Come to Arizona

Ahhhhh, fall has come to Arizona.

Our mornings are crisp and we even need jackets and tights.

Kate picked out her own outfit today.

Note the leopard shoes.

One of her favorites.

The sunglasses are also upside down.

That is Kate's signature look.

By the way, I've been informed that

her rock star name is Kate Bo-bate now.

Sarah even needed tights and a sweater.

Doesn't she look sweet?

Maybe someone could explain to me,

how we go from this (above)

to that (below)

in a fraction of a second . . . ?

Superstar!!!

Schnepf Farms

Today Grannie and Grandpa took us to Schnepf Farms. Sarah came to this farm last week with her class and had a great time so we went back with the whole family.

Sarah was our tour guide.

Schnepf is pronounced just as it's spelled.

In Schultzville we pronounce it Schnap!!

extra emphasis on the 'ap!!'

This is one of Sarah's really fun contributions

to the language we use in Schultzville.

We say Schnepf the way she use to sing the

song about the aligator 'schnaping'

the monkey right out of the tree.

Schnap!!

We could not have asked for better weather.
It was in the 80's, sunny and breezy.

We got off to a slow start. There were lots of photo ops when we first arrived and then daddy had to run back to the car for Kate's sunglasses (above, Sarah had given her glasses to Kate.) It was breezy and dusty so we all needed glasses.

While we waited for daddy we took some more pictures.

Then we found the carousel.

Kate likes the animals that go up and down.

Sarah prefers those that do not move!!

This is a hay maze. They had little John Deer trikes for the kids to ride through it. Sarah jumped on and took off, pig tails blowing behind her. When she ran into a traffic jam of empty trikes, she jumped off her bike and hurdled to the front of the line and took off again. What fun!!

Then we watch the pig races.

Here is Sarah doing her pig call.

Next we found the Honey Bees.

That is Jeff and Sarah in the back.

Today, Katie Grace went on her first roller coaster ride.

Grannie escorted her.
That's Kate in the center with her arms in the air.

Here they are after the big ride.

Kate is asking if she can go again.
Gran says they are the 'Wild Girls'

because no one else would ride with them.

Another photo op.

Here's Gramp with the girls.

Grandpa got the girls really cool lollipops.

Sarah enjoyed hers in line for the train.

Here are the boys on the train.

And Kate's other 'first' today.

Her first train ride.

Sarah coming off the big slide.

She came down as a chicken this time.
Note her wings.

And here are dad and Kate.

Poor Kate is too small to ride the swings.

Sarah rode the swings on Thursday with her class.

She HATED it and cried the whole time.

Kate wants to go really, really bad

but you have to be 42 inches to ride.

She's just 36.

Ah, a nice rest at the end of a wonderful but dusty day.




We took home three wonderful pumpkins,

several pounds of dust (in our lungs)

and two very tired little girls.

It was a great day!!

Banner Week!

Warning: This post is not intended to be a big brag session. I suppose dedicating a whole entry to one child's success is bragging, so for that I'm very sorry! But this has been quite a week - and truthfully we may never see so many wonderful things happen for one child again in the same week - so I felt it really needed to be documented.




Weeks like this don't happen very often for most people - if ever. This week, Sarah experienced a "banner" week:

• It started Monday when her teacher told me that she tested best in her entire class for reading. (clicksmart; it works.)



• Then Tuesday, Miss Y asked if Sarah would bring a book each Wednesday to read to the class, on her own - this is something only Sarah will be doing right now. Wow!!



• Wednesday Sarah brought a book and read it all by herself and did great.



• Thursday was the day she received her cheer uniform and pom poms and truly committed to being a West Gilbert Mountain Lion Cheerleader.



• And Friday, something happened that Sarah had been waiting for a very, very long time. Sarah received her first Principal Paw! Sarah's school teaches six pillars of character. Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Fairness, Trustworthiness and Citizenship. Principal paws are awarded to kids who best master the pillar being taught that month. Each time the paws have been awarded Sarah has been crushed that she did not receive one - she felt she has been respectful, responsible and caring. And she has - but not everyone can get a paw each month and the paws go to the student who MOST exhibits the pillar. Well, this month Sarah received a principal paw for Fairness. It is her favorite color - orange. As Sarah told the story, Miss Y said: Who never complains when she doesn't get a turn. Who never cries when she loses. It's Miss Sarah! Of course this made her day and topped off her wonderful week.

What a week! Go Sarah!!

Ready? Okay!

Sometimes doing the 'right thing' as a mommy pays off!

Over the summer, we put the girls in some classes through parks and rec. In the past I'd put Sarah and Kate in the same classes but after watching them compete with each other I finally realized they should each have their own things to do. So, Sarah took Hip-Hop and Kate took Cheer. Both girls love to watch each others classes and even teach one another moves. Why didn't I have the idea of separating them earlier . . . Seriously though, Sarah and Kate are best friends; they do everything together. And Sarah was really crushed that she could not do cheer.

Well, when Sarah started kindergarten we learned that she could take Cheer classes through the school and even perform for the whole school at the weekly assemblies. Sarah was thrilled to have the opportunity to join the team! Thrilled until the first day of practice.

Cheer class begins 30 minutes after the kindergartners are released - so the girls going to cheer sit in the hall until Miss Jennifer comes to escort them to class. The cheer squad consists of girls from grades K through 5, and the kindergartners are very small even compared to the first graders.

The first day of cheer I packed Sarah and extra big lunch, snack and even an extra snack she could have while waiting for Cheer to start. I arrived early to pick her up and waited anxiously for class to end. When class was finally over out came Miss Sarah, looking rather ravaged. As soon as her eyes met mine she burst into tears. She was so upset it took a trip to Target Cafe and a Pretzel an Icee to make her feel better.

Cheer class was not at all what she thought it would be - nope, this wasn't three-year old cheer (aka skip in a circle, do a freeze dance, and learn a few chants) like she'd seen little sister do. This was big girl cheer. The first thing the girls learned was Ready Position. Which has them standing with their feet a bit apart and their hands behind their back and elbows out a bit. The girls are expected to stand in 'Ready Position' when they aren't cheering. And even worse, they were expected to keep their arms straight. Sarah was stunned.

As we sat at Target Cafe she talked and I listened. She said she'd never, ever, ever go back to cheer and that it's too hard to keep her arms straight and she was just so tired. Woah, what a disappointment!! We all thought this would be right up Sarah's alley. She LOVES to perform, and being one of only three kindergartners who gets to be on the team - how special!! She didn't care. She was too tired and she wasn't going back. As a mom this is a hard thing. Instinct says - protect your kid - if she doesn't want to go, she's not going. On the other hand, reason says - she can't just quit because it was hard.

As we talked I told her that Cheer is meant to be fun for her and that she did not have to continue going if she really had such a bad time. I explained that we had paid for the whole month so she needed to finish out the classes she already committed to - and if she still wanted to stop going at the end of September it would be just fine. Sarah reluctantly agreed.

There weren't any tears week two, but she still was not thrilled with the whole process and her tears were replaced with a bad attitude. Concerned that Sarah might be showing that same attitude to the teacher I decided to call and talk it over with her - Miss Jennifer said, the classes should be fun for Sarah and that all the younger kids are tired but overall Sarah is doing very well. Torn, I told the teacher that I feel Sarah should fulfill her commitment to finish the month, but I also don't want her disrupting class. We agreed that Sarah would finish her commitment and that if she was rude or disruptive she would certainly let me know.

Week three Sarah missed class to attend a classmate's birthday party. By week four Sarah's friend Beth had joined the team. Having a friend would certainly make it more fun . . . right?? That afternoon Sarah came out with the same bad attitude she'd had week two. Uuuugh. Okay, two more classes and we're done. Sometimes being a good parent and making your kid do the right thing is a real pain.

For week five, thinking that Sarah might just need her emotional cup refilled, we decided that I would meet her after school and bring her a fresh snack and outfit and spend a few minutes with her between school and cheer. This time, as I escorted her to the classroom she was actually sort of excited to go. Woo hoo! When we picked her up she was tired and the bad attitude seemed to be suppressed. Sarah said - "Mom, I want to try cheer again next week. I think I will like it if you can meet me after school again!!" Okay, I can do that, we only have one more week of cheer and then she can drop off the team and move onto another activity that she will enjoy. The next week, class six, Sarah was sick and missed school and cheer. Supermom was stumped. What to do, that was the last class she had committed to take - if she wants to continue she had to commit to another month. So we talked again and Sarah committed to try another month of classes, she still was not convinced that cheer was for her but she wanted to try again - provided mom picks her up at the gate, gives lots of hugs and kisses and brings snack and a change of clothes.

Class seven went okay. No major attitude afterward. She was grumpy and tired but wanted to go again.

Today, class eight, tired ourselves, Kate and I drug our tails over to the school and met our little diva the gate. She changed her clothes, had her snack then Kate and I walked her to class. At the end of class the girls received their uniforms and pom poms. The uniform is a simple blue tank top with double white stripes down the side. The skirt matches and the stripes from the shirt line up with the stripes on the skirt. Pretty snazzy. The girls were released from class in groups of three to go to the ladies room and try on their uniforms. Sarah was looking a bit tired by the end of cheer, rightfully so since she'd been on a field trip to Schnepff Farms today. When she received her uniform she promptly ran down the hall to the girls room to try it on.

A few minutes later, almost like a scene in a teen movie, the classroom door opened and Sarah stood in the doorway in the glow of the sunlight behind her. She wore an ear to ear smile as she sashayed in to the room. Her uniform fit like a glove and you could tell she was feeling pretty good. Kate and I raved. Of course Sarah hammed it up and recited a few cheers for us as we left the school.

As we passed the playground on the way to the car Sarah saw a few friends from class who attend AfterCare. "Kaitlin, Marissa!" Sarah called. And the two girls and a few more kids ran to the gate to see Sarah. They chatted for a minute about the field trip and then said their goodbyes and we started to walk away. As we turned, Kaitlyn yelled "Sarah, you're a cheerleader?!?" Sarah turned back, her hair blowing the wind, again like a movie, and said proudly "Yes, I'm a West Gilbert Mountain Lion."

And now she's committed. Sarah's a cheerleader.




Sometimes doing the right thing as a mommy does pay off. Sometimes all that worrying about forcing your kid to finish what they start and have integrity and all the battles with their attitude are worth it. Most of the time the pay-off will come when our little ones are grown (at least I hope it will.) But sometimes the pay-off comes today and we can enjoy the smiles our little ones are so happy to share.

I had done probably too much worrying about Sarah on this one. I knew she would love cheer if she could get over having to work for it. What I didn't know, was that all she wanted was a uniform and some pom poms.

The West Gilbert Mountain Lion Cheerleaders will be performing at an assembly soon. Hopefully Supermom, seeker of perfection, won't forget to attend and she'll remember her trusty camera . . . I really wish I'd have had it today when she was glowing the doorway.

I Want Candy!

What can I tell you about three year olds?

They're really, really cute. There is still just a bit of baby left in them. But there's also a bit of big kid starting to come out. Nothing brings this fact to light better than CANDY.

Katie Grace loves candy. All kinds of candy but Dove dark chocolate is her favorite. Anyway, Saturday after a trip to the bookstore where she received three Scooby Doo books and Kat Kong, we popped into Linens & Things to look for mugs. We didn't find any that fit Jeff's specs so we started to leave. On the way out Kate noticed a whole bin full of lolly pops.

She shrieked. "Ooooooh Mom, look they have lolly pops!!" To which I replied something resembling, 'I see, come-on lets go.' Well, being three Kate is mature enough to inform me, in clear English, that the store has a huge bin of suckers. But her sweet little three year old mind never considered that mommy wouldn't let her have one. She stood in front of the lolly pop bin and screamed "Can I get a lolly pop mom?" I replied "No honey, the line is long and we're not getting anything else. Let's go." Still in front of the lolly pop bin she shrieked "but maaaaaawm why? Why can't I have a lolly pop? Why mommy, whyyyyyy? The poor little thing never got a lolly pop that day.

Today Kate woke up and wanted to try one of the rather large sized Tootsie Rolls we bought for Halloween. she'd eaten a healthy breakfast so she had one. Then later at Granie & Grandpas she had half a Hershey bar. When we got home she wanted a piece of toffee that Granie had sent home for her. Sadly, she was told No! And this was her response:

But why maaaaawm? Why!!!!

Maaaawm, I just want to try it. Maaaawmy please!!!!

Mommy you hurt my feelings and made me cry.

.

Today the Golden Teardrop award for best dramatic performance in a fit goes to:

(drum roll)

Katherine Grace

Sunday by the Pool

You know what makes the 115 degree Arizona summers worthwhile? Days like today. The weather was perfect. No humidity, eighty-some degrees, a nice breeze.

We spent the morning at Granie and Grandpa's house.

After an early lunch we all went outside to enjoy the wonderful day. The girls sat by the pool (it's waaaaaaaaay too cold to swim now, the water is probably 74 degrees. Yes, we're wimps.)

After a while the girls got bored and wanted to bring their barbies outside. Dad helped them get all their loot and reminded them "Stay out of the pool, girls! We didn't bring bathing suits or extra clothes for you."

Okay daddy. We'll just sit over here by the pool and play, wink, wink.

Within seconds the barbies were swimming.

(Technically, they didn't disobey Dad. Sarah and Kate weren't in the pool.

The Bratz were. )

Within minutes little Kate is laying in a puddle of water.

Thirty minutes later.

Well what did we expect them to do? Chelsea and Jade got hot.

Fall Break - Day at the Zoo

In Arizona the kids have "modified year round" school, so the kids get lots of breaks throughout the school year. This week was Fall Break. We have a zoo membership so on Monday Amanda (our babysitter) took the girls to the zoo. Then Tuesday and Wednesday both girls went to camp at Kate's preschool. Sarah had fun seeing all her old classmates who also graduated to kindergarten. Thursday we went to Pump-It-Up and indoor moon bounce place. That is always a blast. Then finally on Friday we met some friends at the zoo . . .

It was 80 degrees outside while we waited for our friend to arrive. Sarah was freezing. To a native Arizona girl 80 is COLD!!

Sarah left her favorite girly girls water bottle by the Jaguar exhibit (also her favorite) so we ran back to get it. On the way we ran into TWO peahens - for those of you who don't have baby einstein flashcard, a peahen is a female peacock. Sarah couldn't help but chase them. I think my mom has a picture of me just like this, chasing a Canadian goose . . .

Aaaah, the frog statue. The kids spent an hour climbing this thing. Poor little Kate, the youngest of the bunch finally got her turn on top. She paused to bask in the sun for a moment.

Cheers! (Those are granola bars) Here's to another wonderful day at the zoo!!