Santa Sheets

"just one more sleep, mama!" ~summer

Morning after Halloween

If you're not having candy for breakfast on November 1st then I just don't know if we can be friends. It's a must. The end to a very fun Halloween.

Happy Halloween!

Summer: Little Red Riding Hood

"But grandmother! What big teeth you have!" 

Forrest: Ninja

Cape Cod

(all photos taken with my iPhone)

Back in February I received an invitation to attend one of my best friends' wedding on Cape Cod. Kristi Ann and I became friends when we both attended a private school in Massachusetts during middle school. On the first day of school she and I were in the same class and we were inseparable the whole school year. We went to different high schools and colleges but that didn't stop us. With the kids off from school I thought this would be the perfect summer vacation spot so we left a few days before the wedding. If you've been wanting to visit the island here are some highly recommended places:

If you're lucky like I am to be married to an avid sailor, go to Flyer's Rentals for a day of sailing in the Provincetown Harbor. Guarantee you will see seals.

On the way back to the hotel from Provincetown, we stopped at Moby Dick's for dinner. Hands down the best seafood and kid-friendly place. Then we spotted a drive-in movie in the town of Wellfleet. We watched the movie "Minions" - hilarious. I have memories of my Dad taking me to the drive-in movie theater while we were living in California. I may have missed 99% of the movie conversation without caption but to watch the movie outdoors made it more memorable.

The next day we rented bikes from Dennis Cycle Center. You ride straight out of the shop onto the Cape Cod Rail Trail. We rode a total of 26 miles, it was beautiful and almost all flat. In the middle of the bike ride we took a break and swam in the Seymour Pond.

 Before we knew it the wedding day came. The wedding was absolutely stunning. The wedding was held at a Catholic church on the island and then the reception at the Lighthouse Inn.  A friend of ours brought her nanny so she could babysit her and our kids that evening.

The next morning we packed the car and left the island for the long drive back home.

Cape Cod will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Summer-pie is 10!

My sweet Summer turned 10 on July 22nd.

Summer wanted to have breakfast on the beach so we brought treats and balloons with us. After a couple hours of boogie boarding we went to the Jungle Rapids water park. We stayed at the water park for hours until it closed for the day. For her birthday dinner, Summer requested grilled shrimp, steamed broccoli, and David's homemade mashed potatoes. It was a perfect day.

David and I are fortunate that we were able to take this day off from work to celebrate our girl's birthday. For years David has always taken the day off on all of our birthdays, and now that I'm working full time, I am joining him in this tradition. It makes my heart so happy.

Summer Randomness

Our summer is going by too fast. I wish I could slow it down somehow. A lot has happened since the kids' school got out. When I'm home and have free time (usually at night when everyone else has gone to bed!) I am always painting. Our ceilings, walls and trim are all getting painted in white. I am loving the transformation but it takes a lot of time. Lately I've been using Instagram which is like a quick version of blogging. So easy and so simple. I'm @joyschultz if you want to follow. Here are some random news to keep this blog up to date.

1. A big piece of my heart got dropped off at Camp Mary Atkinson's horse back riding camp for a week. 

2. Schultz Bunch is complete again. Picked up Summer from camp. These two have a special bond. I'm one lucky mama.

3. Father's Day. They ADORE their daddy. Summer: he can fix anything, is always funny and is sweet to me. Forrest: he is always happy, snuggles me every night and helps me have sweet dreams.

4. These two beg me to swim with them and the second I hop in, they take turns getting on my back and cruising around the pool. Tradition also requires that we play the Schultz version of Marco Polo game.

5. The kids' swim meet got postponed from Saturday to Sunday due to a thunderstorm. I then realized that this falls on the same day as their godmother's bridal shower. Summer's eyes welled up with tears when she saw that she would miss her swim meet for the second time (she missed the first one due to camp) but I promised that she would make it to the next one. This evening she finally got on the diving block, dove in and swam her little heart out. She flipped at the end of the lane, as she was heading back I saw that she quickly turned her head sideways and got excited that she was leading - a heat winner!

6. Happy 4th from our home to yours.

7. This day was a good one {and my Forrest has my heart forever}

8. {First day of work warrants a picture on the front steps} I left my full time job right before Summer was born. It was the best, hardest decision I've ever made and I would not trade those ten precious years for anything in the world. I became the kids' cheerleader, nurse, chauffeur, chef, and more than anything their MOM. David supported us 100% and for that I am forever thankful. When Forrest was almost 2 years old I started teaching part time at our local university. I learned so much in the classrooms through the students that I knew I wanted to continue down that path. With the kids now getting older and more independent I knew it was time for a change. I am excited to announce that I'm the Lead Instructor for the new interpreter education program at the local community college. I am SO grateful for my family's support otherwise I couldn't do this without them. Now they're my cheerleaders.

9. Saturday mornings now have a new meaning for me. With me working again, I find we carve family time more than ever.

5 Years & Counting

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015

Summer has been spending the majority of her summers on the diving block for the last 5 years. It is incredible for me as a parent to watch her grow up competing. When the gun goes off Summer dives in the pool gracefully and makes every stroke look effortless. Sure, she has had some bad days when she isn't happy with her time but she often says, "it is more about perseverance than winning." All her little swim friends give each other encouragement. I have a feeling in a few years when Summer looks back to her swim days she will find that she has learned beyond mastering the art of strokes.

Being a Mom is A+

My kids always beg me to come in school with them in the mornings to teach their friends ASL before the bell rings. The problem is I always look like his (am I alone in this??) So today I went up the driveway as I usually do to say good-bye but this time I was on my bike. I got out my helmet and pretended to proceed to ride as if I was riding to school with them. The kids' faces were horrified!! Priceless! I then started crying because I was laughing so hard, and then the kids' giggles started when they saw I was kidding.

Memorial Day

The kids and I potted flowers on our backyard deck and then played water games on the trampoline.

It was a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

Happy Heart

If I have three minutes I will stop by any 2nd hand store/thrift shop/consignment store I see. Yes, you can get a good deal but for me it's more about finding beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces. I have found the most beautiful antiques in both furniture and accessories for our home this way. Yesterday I literally ran into one shop and found this vintage ginger jar. Filled with hydrangeas from our backyard they make my heart happy.

Kure Beach

We spent three glorious days at Kure Beach with my in-laws, Grandma and Baba Schultz. They flew in from Seattle and stayed at a rental beach house for a long weekend. It was a welcome break from the constant house projects for a few days of relaxation.
Summer and Forrest spent most of their time in this little pool.
I love the ocean view but I love the kids more.

Mother's Day

We woke up to rain which was the best gift. I love the rain. Summer and Forrest wanted me to read their cards out loud but I kept crying. Their heartfelt words and drawings are treasures. Their little cards in their own writing said "my mom can smile as happy as a dolphin", "my mom is happiest when I get home from school", "my mom is special because she is deaf and teaches me sign language", "my mom is pretty as an unicorn". They know their mama well. Best day of the year.

Forrest is 8!

My Forrest turned 8 on May 5th {Cinco De Mayo}

With the recent move, Forrest wanted a simple party. He let me decide what theme this year. Since he's had Cars, Cars: the Movie, Pirate, Super Hero, and Legos themes, it was time to celebrate in the Cinco De Mayo style. He requested a lemon cake from the bakery at Whole Foods. We ate lots of homemade Mexican food and played pin the tail on the donkey game again and again. It was a perfect day.

Forrest is absolutely hilarious and always a good time. I am excited to watch his life unfold from the sidelines. I'm your #1 fan, sweet Forrest.

Laundry Room

Turning our old "new to us" home into something a little more special for my family. Here's a peek into the before and after of a hard working room - the laundry. The natural light in our laundry room yesterday afternoon was beautiful, I couldn't resist sharing. We're painting all the interior rooms in matte bright white by Behr Premium Plus (with no tint). It is a true white-white. When dealing with an older house with imperfections on the walls, matte paint is the way to go.

One room done, 12 more to go...

Home

We bought a house!

I woke up one Friday morning (February 2nd) and as I used to do every morning I checked the Realtor app on my iPhone. There it was, that feeling I had been waiting for the last 9 months that this was the right house. I immediately called our agent asking for more information about the house. The sellers were not having any showings until the following Monday. It was Super Bowl weekend after all.
Our agent scheduled a showing for Monday morning at 8. An hour later, our agent walked into David's office to get his signature to make an offer. We bought a house without him seeing it first!
Later that evening after David got off from work, he and the kids and I toured the house for almost two hours. We knew it was perfect for us. The house was built in 1990, has great bones and the floor plan we have been looking for. It is exactly half a mile from the kids' school. The neighborhood is awesome.
We have A LOT of work to do but we're already in love with this home we have found for our little family.

Easter

Happy Easter!
xoxo - The Schultz's

De Leon Springs State Park

When I was young, Christmas week meant going to my grandma and grandpa's in Florida with all of my cousins and aunts and uncles. We got together for an elaborate breakfast (restaurant far left) at the De Leon Springs State Park every year. On the way back home I took David and the kids there and we had breakfast for lunch. The best part is that I get to tell my kids all about their great grandma and grandpa and we get a little piece of them still here with us.

Legoland

The day after Disney World we surprised Forrest to Legoland. 

He was smiling from ear to ear ALL day long!

Disney World

The day after Christmas we loaded up the car and drove to Florida for our first family vacation. We had an amazingly fun time. We took down our Christmas tree on Christmas night. Yes, we did. All the ornaments and decorations were packed away. I didn't want to come back home with the floors full of fraser fir needles. And we knew we were coming back home after New Year's so it felt good to have a clean start.

Our first stop was St. Augustine where we stayed for two nights. Our hotel was right on the beach - heaven! We relaxed, walked on the beach and visited some friends. Our friends gave us a tour of St. Augustine then invited us to their house for dinner and a bonfire. The kids ate s'mores. So fun! The next morning, David said we were going to Daytona Beach but he drove right past the exit and we ended up at Disney World! The kids were BEYOND excited. The weather was perfect. It was crowded at Disney World but not as crowded as I thought it would be. We rode almost every ride. Forrest's favorite ride was Dumbo. It was very important to him that David rode with him on the elephant. Summer's number one ride choice was the Barnstormer. As we were making sure she was tall enough for the ride, Forrest realized that he too was tall enough. As soon as the ride was over Forrest was half-smiling, squeezing the life out of my hand and shaking a little. Summer on the other hand was yelling "again, again!" Too funny! Our family voted the best ride was the It's a Small World. The kids loved all the vibrant colors. We stayed at Disney World from the time the gates opened at 8am until 11pm! We saw lots of parades and the best of all was seeing Cinderella's Castle lit up with all the lights.

It was a magical day and I didn't want it to end.

Schultz Christmas Card 2014

photo credit: my camera & tripod

Gingerbread Houses & Random

Gingerbread houses in Forrest's 2nd grade class. The best part was having time with my sidekick. 

Love him.

The kids are growing up sooo fast. Forrest loves to sit on my lap right after we eat dinner. He loves building origamis and Legos, reading (he's been begging to read Harry Potter Book #4) and flying his remote control helicopter. Summer is almost 10 (!), is just a delight to be with. She's learning to navigate through 4th grade, she has made some really good friends and got in AIG. She still loves to be by my side and do whatever I am doing. These are the little things I don't want to forget. I have lots more the share and I'm sure I will get caught up in time. You can keep up with us by following me @joyschultz on Instagram.