Swimming - Running - Lost

Your 2010 Leslie Beach Penguins... Jackson and Catie are on the far left...

We have been having some trouble with early evening thunderstorms ruining our swim meets. 2 out of 4 have been canceled due to thunder and rain... rats!


Catie was reunited with her old friend Samantha Feild at the last meet and had a ball waiting for the rain to stop.


We made our return to the annual Possum Trot this weekend. Jackson and Catie ran the 1 mile fun run while Ann pushed the Abster in the jogging stroller. While Jackson finished 3rd, Catie put in a good effort but only managed to bring up the end of the race. We have hired a private running coach to bring her up to speed! Just kidding...


We love Catie's never say die attitude and effort!

Catie and Dad held hands almost the whole run. They sure look happy to be finished. What's up with Stiv's hair? Looks like a major static electricity issue!!!

"Don't even think about trying a piece of my syrup soaked pancakes Dad!"


The local quack or chiropractor was offering free health screenings and a massage to the participants. After screening Jackson's neck with some kind of thermal imaging contraption, they decided that they could cure his migraines with adjustments and massage therapy...

Jackson was happy to receive his latest medal! Catie was real disappointed that she did not get one, but Jackson was very gracious by letting her wear it home.


Abster... maybe next year you will be old enough to run in the possum trot. She sure looks ready!

We have not had much opportunity to ride this year and decided to participate in a new Metric Century Ride southwest of Atlanta to lift our bike fitness... this was going to be a challenge. It was the inaugural event, which made us nervous because it is easy to get lost in these rides if the cue sheet or course markings are not clear. The ride went great for the first 45 miles, and then we started to fade a little. By mile 60, the never-ending long rolling hills were turning our legs to jello. No matter, we only had 4 miles to go. Oops, the course was not marked well, and we figured out that we were actually 25 miles out with little water left and the temp climbing above 90 degrees! Long story short, we were lucky enough to find a couple of local riders who could tell we were lost and had a pickup truck only 8 miles away. We jumped on the offer... or we still might be out riding somewhere. Talk about lucky!!!




Abby loves riding her trike and asks us every night to ride. This is an old video form April that we have been meaning to post.

Full Swing into Summer!!!

Memorial Day weekend was spent on our annual trip to visit the Somerset's in Tallahassee. The trip almost did not happen this year because they had relatives staying with them for the first part of the summer. Once we convinced them to give Josh's brother and sister the boot, our visit was back on!

Our kids love the Somerset kids and always look forward to the trip. Naomi described their friendship the best when trying to explain who we were to a friend. She said... "I think they are our cousins or something."

The kids loved the fact that they have a pool in their backyard. Here we caught Catie in the beginning stages of the belly flop.


Jackson enjoyed running on the treadmill in the workout room. I hope he is ready for the Possum Trot 1 mile fun run next week!

Usually Abster is not this cheerful in the morning. But, she is ready for a fun day at the park.

Jackson was engaged with the giant "Simon" light game. It looks easier than you think!

Naomi did a great job keeping the Schwartz kids balanced.

The week after Memorial Day was the annual Macon Rock and Roll triathlon. Stiv and Ann have not had much time to train, so decided on the sprint triathlon. John and Ann H. did the half-ironman race. As in previous years, it was about the hottest day of the summer so far... 96 degrees!!


Ann coming in on her sweet ride, looking excited to see the family cheering for her.


Stiv is looking strong heading out onto the run. Notice the high shoulders, a sure sign of someone about to struggle...

The two lion cubs waiting for John and Ann to finish the Half. The kids did fantastic waiting out in the sun for hours and hours.

We found a nice spot to watch the race in the shade. Once again, Grandma and Grandpa braved the heat and watched the kids during the race. Jackson took control of Stiv's new finisher's hat.

Here comes Uncle John ready to dismount his bike...

We are all patiently waiting for Ann H to come down the home stretch in the last leg of the race, a 13.1 mile run. Finishing was an accomplishment on a day like this one; the heat was stifling and most people ended up walking a portion of the run. Both John and Ann had great finishes.

And here she comes, looking strong with her signature wave. Only four more months to train before her first full Ironman!!!

Ann finished 2nd overall in the Master's Division and showing off her hardware.

After the race, we enjoyed a dip in the lake to cool off.

Sometimes miracles do happen!! Jackson has been hanging onto his training wheels like they were his last friend in the world. A new bike and some patience finally worked!

People always say not to put a pool in as you never get your money out of it when selling. But, we decided to go for it anyway... life is too short! And here it is... our new pool, $7.99 at Toys 'R Us. The kids loved hanging out in our new addition and the neighbors are very jealous! This is sure to improve our resale value.

No idea what this face is all about our or why it made its way onto the blog...


Swimming and silly karate could only happen at our house.


Abster and Jax have always had a special bond that is fun to watch.

Graduation Day

After years of intense study, Catherine Cooper Schwartz finally graduated from Oak Grove preschool today! She is excited to begin the next chapter of her life in Kindergarten at Midvale Elementary with her brother Jackson. Keep your fingers crossed for Ms. Aycock!

The 2010 graduating class! The future is so bright!!!

Someone stands out in their striped dress....

Catie walked up so fast to accept her diploma that the camera could not keep up. She sure seems proud of herself.

The quiet before the storm! Once the ceremony was over, the line for the cake formed quickly. Of course, the Schwartzes were near the front of the line.

Catie and our neighbor Harrison are proud of each other and ready to move on up to bigger things!

Season Opener

The swim season is here again! Practice or lessons almost everyday, with a meet each Tuesday night for the next six weeks. If you are looking at it from Ann's perspective... what fun! If you are looking at it from Stiv's perspective... what a drag! And if you are looking at it from the kid's perspective... we get to stay up until 10pm on Tuesdays!

Catie improved her swimming over the winter to the point that she has graduated from the Jr. Penguins to the regular swim team. She is the only 5 year old on the team and did a great job swimming freestyle and backstroke in the meet. She even scored a point for the team and earned the coveted Penguin of the Week Award! Above, Catie and the girls getting a pre-heat pep talk from Coach Steve.

Catie making a big splash as she "dives" in for the start of her 25yd freestyle.

Catie showed great determination in her quest to reach the wall.

After a hotly contested race, Catie shows her sportsmanship by congratulating the winner.

Coach Joel is obviously excited for Catie after her first event.

Let us not forget Jackson. He had probably his best meet yet, taking 2 seconds off of his 25 yd breaststroke PR and hitting for the cycle. He earned a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place ribbon for the meet.

The BIG Sleepover!

Before we get to the big sleepover, the prior week was the annual Tucker Days with a parade down Main Street. The kids love to go watch the parade and chase down all the candy from the floats.

Later in the day, Jackson and Catie decided to break out the Halloween costumes and play superheroes. Abby felt strongly that the Cat in the Hat qualified as a superhero... who are we to argue.

Jackson's last day of 2nd grade was Friday, and we took our annual picture in front of the house to compare with the one we always take on the first day. Unfortunately, we can't find the first day of school picture??? To celebrate the end of the school year, we agreed to have a sleepover for two of Jackson's friends and Catie's friend Bella. It was quite a night!

The boys had a great time playing the Wii and PS3 before settling in for a Lego movie.

As usual, we put food out for the animals and they showed up at their normal 8:30pm time. The kids were excited to see a giant raccoon and opossum, side by side, eating our leftovers. Several hours later and countless trips upstairs to settle them down, everyone finally fell asleep around 11:30pm.

Of course, the natives were up and ready to play at 6am. Stiv treated them to delicious warm cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

The sleepover finished up with a good run through the sprinkler as the temp rose quickly and everyone was ready to cool off. By this time, Catie's friend Bella had gone home, so we imported another friend (Issac) to fill in.

Shake your booty!