Soccer!!!

The Comets... a few peeps were missing.

Jackson decided to try soccer this fall after never having played. He is doing remarkably well and had a goal and an assist in his second game.  

Jax on the move

Jax loves to do the throw-ins and play forward.  Except the third game, he mostly played defender and kind of lost interest.

While his ball skills are a work in progress, Jackson loves running all over the field and does a nice job hustling.

Abby was trying out Halloween costumes and may have found a winner!

Abster was all over us to set up the jumpy house on Saturday. After we relented, Abster played on it for a total of 4 minutes and went on to something else!

Catie was all smiles at the father/daughter lunch. Dad tried to convince all her friends that the scoop of mashed potatoes was actually ice cream. He had many of the kids fooled but not Catie... she is used to his shenanigans.

The Big Sleepover

The crew is ready to bowl!

The kids had Lizzie and Jacob over for a sleepover last week. They requested that we go to Stars & Strikes, a huge bowling and gaming center.  

 We are not sure how Jax was able to hold the ball without falling over!

  

Ann was quite the bowler... who knew? Here she is trying to tutor Abster in the fine art.

 

Lizzie asked if she could use the "ramp" at  bowling. We had no idea what she was referring to and finally asked the attendant if we could have the "ramp" brought out to our lane. He stated that it was intended for the physically challenged, but "what the heck you can use it."  It was such a hit that the family next to us asked if there was another one that they could use!

Vampires are everywhere these days!

As you can see, Jackson was quite the ladies man as he kept winning on the wheel of fortune.

Off to school!

The kids love the virtual roller coaster ride!

We spent over 4.5 hrs in Stars & Strikes and even had a "delicious" pizza and nacho dinner.

Laser tag pregame instructions.

The girls were "too scared" to participate in laser tag but Jax and Jacob took on all comers!

Jackson and Jacob were the youngest players by about 15 years and were so small that they were difficult to shoot. They were like two little mice running around the playing field.

The crew even got to ride on the bumper cars and crashed into each other... they loved it!

The girls love to play dress up and try on all different kinds of outfits....even if they are a few sizes too small.

Lizzie likes to wear a tiara around town like it is an every day accessory. Of course Catie had to have one too.

Nothing beats a dip in the front yard family swimming pool or throwing water balloons at each other on a Sunday afternoon!

Lake Logan

"Yo peeps, we're going to the triathlon tomorrow... word!"

The end if summer is upon us and that means two things in the Schwartz household, the start of school and the Lake Logan triathlon! It was time to head up to Western NC to compete in our favorite race, enjoy cooler temperatures, and hang out with family, all in remembrance of Todd.

"Hello Americans..."

As you can see, we stayed at the "five star" Best Western again and spent our time in the world class Infinity pool overlooking the beautiful Smokey Mountains.

What a group!

Stiv prepping his goggles for the swim.

This picture was taken from the local newspaper! Stiv finally found his 15 seconds of fame...even if no one else in the world can tell it's him!

Just your average swim wave traffic.

Jax is always encouraging Mom to kick butt!

Ann is always so cool and collected as she heads out on her bike.  This is the best bike course anywhere! It has nice scenery, is super fast and just plan fun to ride. 

Who are the people in this photo? We don't know either but it does a nice job of showing the beauty of the locale!

Why does the camera always "lie" when taking Steve's race photos? The camera always "makes" him look so uncomfortable, while it always manages to catch Ann in her most graceful moments...see the difference below!

Stiv doing what he does best...snacking!

The race always provides a nice spread at the finish. However, they don't know who they are dealing with because the only selection is a bunch of  healthy food choices!

"Woof woof," said the dogs. Catie loves petting the dogs.

The girls had a blast chasing down all the dogs that seemed to be everywhere. Catie is becoming a big time animal lover and spent her day petting all the dogs. Abster followed the dogs too, but only pretended to pet them as she is still kind of scared.

Another race season completed. While we had our share of trouble this year with some weaker results than we would have liked, the goal from the start was to have fun and that was definitely accomplished!

Next year we plan to mix things up and try some new races!

 We drove straight back to ATL after the race so that we could attend the ice cream social at Jackson's new school.

Abby was looking very Hollywood wearing her sunglasses inside.

Jackson was making small talk about his love for Science with his new teacher Mrs Chalkley.

Ann took Catie to get her nails done as a special treat. She took to the pampering like a fish to water!

First Day of School 2011

Buddies

  

As it always does, summer went by in a flash! On the way to school, Steve asked Jackson what he thought of his summer and he replied, "Next summer I don't need to go to so many camps, I just want to chill out." Translated that means, " I just want to sit around and play video games." 

Excited for the first day at a new school.

 Jackson is starting at a new school this year and he was kind of nervous about the change but is settling in nicely after his first week. He was fortunate to have gotten into the magnet school for 4th - 6th grade.

The early bird gets the worm.

  

All ready for 4th grade to start.

"Hello Midvale, I am back!"

 We thought Catie would miss having her big brother at her school, but actually we think she likes going it alone and having more of the attention.

First Grader!

Catie is ready for Mrs. Schiltz to start class. "Mrs. Schiltz is strict when you don't listen, but I listen so it's not a problem."

Dolphins Here We Come!

The World's BIGGEST and BEST Aquarium!

Grandpa Jim and Grandma Sandye visited last weekend. The kids were excited to see them and had a great time playing with them and asking all kinds of question about their two Scotties. Our big activity for the weekend was a trip to the Georgia Aquarium...

"Look at the GIANT Manta Ray!"

Entering the underwater viewing tunnel...

Finally, Grandma Sandye was caught on "film"!!!

One of the best parts of the Aquarium is the giant viewing theater. The tank holds 6.3 million gallons and contains the only whale sharks displayed outside of Asia...along with hundreds of other species. You can sit and watch for hours.

Look, Look...

 

  

We were lucky enough show up at feeding time and witness the huge fish feeding frenzy. Jackson was sitting next to a GA Aquarium volunteer and of course was asking a long steady stream of questions.

This is what Catie and Abby look like to use when they get into one of their moods....

 

 The kids were excited to visit the new dolphin exhibit that opened late last Fall. The exhibit houses 11 dolphins and they perform three shows a day. We all enjoyed the show immensely!  It was a combination theater production with singing and storyline mixed with a very cool dolphin show. The kids were riveted to their seats and thought it was awesome!

Flying with the dolphin...

Super Trainer!

 

After the Aquarium, the kids changed into their suits and we walked over to Centennial Olympic Park to cool off in the fountains.

Abby having a blast!

The Catie Water Monster!

 

Abby pretending to fall asleep on the ride home from a fun-filled day.