Category Archives: Photos

Daniel’s Birthday

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On Saturday, Daniel officially turned eleven years old.  It was a busy day that included:

  • David’s team, the Rockets, winning a soccer game 3-2.  David played goalkeeper for the first half and scored three goals in the second half.  It was fun to watch.
  • Daniel’s team, the Wolverines, winning their soccer game 9-2.  Daniel scored three goals in the first half (the video clip below shows two of them).  His friend Nate had a beautiful goal on a header (plus four other goals).  This was the last of the games before they realign the division of teams.  Since the Wolverines are 5 and 0 with five extremely convincing wins, we believe they will be put in one of the tougher divisions; their games should get more and more interesting.
  • Dinner at Lalibela.  Ethiopian food is always a treat, so it was good to go on Daniel’s birthday.  We had a “cake sampler” at dinner.
  • Cake on Sunday night in front of the computer – Sarah and Sarita, her exchange student, were on Skype and helped with the singing.  Sary-Jo was out of town Thursday through Sunday morning (look for a post on her California trip), so we celebrated together Sunday night.

Click on the picture above to see more.  Watch a couple of Daniel’s birthday goals below.

Opening Birtday Gifts

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Daniel & David opened their gifts a bit early because Sary-Jo was headed to California for a visit with Janel.  The gift opening was a lot of fun and the boys were very grateful for each item.  We took some pictures and a fair amount of video.  Click the picture to see more.

Third Birthday Party

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On Sunday, we got together with friends and family to celebrate Daniel and David’s third birthdays (they turned 11 and 9, repsectively, but this is only their third actual birthday celebration).  We invited people to help us support the boys’ orphanage in Ethiopia, including their sister, who is being ministered to by Adoption Ministry and the orphanage.  We gathered at Bradley Lake Park and used the covered area, which turned out to be a really good thing when the skies opened up.  The kids, and some adults, kept the soccer game going throughout all types of weather we experienced – it started out very pleasant and sunny, but that did not last too long.  We don’t know exactly how many people attended, but we consumed over 10 dozen hot dogs.  We know there were many scheduling conflicts on a Sunday afternoon, and there were quite a few people unable to make it.  But the turnout was amazing and I think everyone had a great time – rain AND shine.  The generosity of our family and friends continues to touch our hearts; thank you to all!  You are truly making a difference in the lives of Ethiopian children.  Click the picture to see more.

The video below includes a little setup, some soccer, and the crowd underneath cover from the rain.

Soccer – October 1

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The soccer season continues to roll along.  On Saturday, Daniel’s team played in Steilacoom against a team that is fairly new and learning to play together.  The kids had fun, but were not presented with a serious challenge.  Daniel scored 4 or 5 goals, including a textbook header on a corner kick.  The opposing coach said, “it was just beautiful!”  David’s team played in Tacoma against a very formidable opponent.  It was a very tight game all the way with David scoring 3 goals in a 3-2 victory.  It’s obvious now that Fall is here, as evidenced by the umbrellas and coats.  Click the picture to see more.

Cross Country

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The boys competed in their first cross country meet, at Bellarmine Prep School.  They were in the same one-mile race, with a bunch (83 total) of other boys in third through fifth grades.  Daniel finished in first place, with David about 30 seconds behind him in fifth place – two of the top five!!  It was a very windy day with rain showers.  A few C-17’s flew overhead.  There was no rain during the race, and the course was not too slippery.  They enjoyed themselves very much and are looking forward to opportunities to do this again (hopefully in two weeks).  Randy was there talking with other parents and generally having a good time.  And, of course, taking some pictures – click on the picture shown to see more.

First Professional Soccer Game

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Kyle’s mother Margie, and her mother Ruli, treated the boys by taking them to the Seattle Sounders soccer game.  And in true Margie fashion, she spoiled them beyond belief.  There were team give-aways, and she bought them new team jerseys.  They went early to enjoy some of the amenities of the stadium.  Then they watched a great game with the Sounders beating D.C. United 3-0.

Click the picture above to see more from this great day.

Tigist Graduated

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Most of you know that Daniel and David have an older sister (1/2 sister, technically) in Ethiopia.  Tigist was just a girl when their parents passed away and she took on responsibility for looking after her younger brothers.  She managed to get them into the orphanage and came to meet us when we visited there.

The orphanage and its director – with support from Adoption Ministry – subsequently cared for her and got her into hair-styling school so that she could have an opportunity for a better life.  This week, we received word that she graduated!  We also received these two pictures of graduation.  We are so excited that she was able to receive this training.  The boys are having a birthday fundraiser to help with the cost of setting up her own business.   YWAM is investigating what it will take to make this happen.  Contact us if you’d like to help meet this need.

When we received these pictures, the boys’ faces lit up as they saw their sister.  The graduation cap reinforced the value of education that we are trying to instill in the boys.  Daniel immediately noticed how nice her hair looked!  She is a beautiful young woman who has worked hard to overcome some very difficult circumstances.  Though geographically distant, she is very much in our hearts and a part of our family.  We are very proud of you, Tigist!!

Soccer 2011

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For Daniel and David it is not surprising that soccer is their first love when it comes to sports.  They are both very good players and so much fun to watch!  Their soccer skills are dramatically better than last year – it’s hard to comprehend how much they’ve improved!  Daniel’s team, the Wolverines, has been practicing all summer and the coaches have been so gracious in allowing David to practice with them.  David’s team, the Rockets, began practicing a few weeks ago.

Preseason tournaments have been fun:

  • Daniel played as a guest with the Diamondbacks.  They won their bracket and he had a great time playing with them.
  • David’s team played in a tournament in August.  David scored 14 goals!!  You can tell he’s been playing all summer with the older boys.
  • Labor Day weekend featured the Puyallup Valley Kick-Off tournament, in which Daniel’s team participated.  The team played very well and won their bracket!  I think Daniel scored more goals in this tournament than he did all last season.  His coaches have encouraged him to be a bit more aggressive and he’s got amazing footwork.

Mom loves cheering and loses her voice each time.  She is not looking forward to those cold, rainy, muddy, stinky games, which the regular season is sure to bring…but she’ll be loving on her boys regardless!!

The video below includes a bunch of scoring – first, David’s 14 tournament goals are shown (late update: due to a technical problem, one was omitted).  Then, Daniel’s goals are shown.  We also included a couple of his assists – one with some nifty footwork and another off a corner kick.  We think you’ll enjoy the video, which also highlights the weather and the beautiful view of the soccer venue in the Puyallup Valley!  Click on the picture of David, above, for more photos.

Seahawks Preseason Game

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Our neighbor Mark came over and offered us his tickets to the Seahawks-Raiders game. None of us had ever been to the stadium. Neither the boys nor Sary-Jo had ever been to an NFL game. What fantastic seats! Plus, the Seahawks beat the Raiders. We all had a great time and, of course, took a few pictures.

First Day of School – 2011

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Our home was a flurry of excitement on September 1, 2011!  Happy boys woke early with huge smiles.  The noise level was high and full of positive energy as they pondered in great anticipation what their classrooms would be like.  At Karshner, each classroom adopts a university.  The students are all college bound!  David has the same teacher Daniel did in 3rd grade, so Daniel, of course, was telling David all about 3rd grade, including the classroom cheer!  Go Cowboys!!  David can’t wait to wear his cowboy hat when his class does the University of Wyoming cheer!  Daniel’s classroom is the University of Washington (UW Huskies).  Daniel was sporting his Huskies wrist band and is excited to learn the cheer and wear his new UW t-shirt.  In the midst of the excitement, mom struggled to keep them focused on chores, breakfast, etc. while trying to get ready herself, all the while lamenting the end of a simply wonderfully balanced summer filled with great moments and memories.  By the way, we did get out the door in time…. and the boys looked so handsome and happy sporting their new backpacks! (see pictures)