A couple weeks ago, the boys were invited to a birthday party on Lake Tapps, complete with plenty of water activity. This was their first opportunity to go “tubing” and they had a blast! Click the picture above to see some more, and watch the video below.
On Friday, August 19, the boys attended a baseball clinic sponsored by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni association. We learned of this event because Randy’s dad is one of the alumni asked to participate. The clinic included various stations, such as fielding, base-running, hitting & throwing. The boys had a great time meeting and learning from former MLB players, even though the only one they’d heard of is their grandpa. Their cousin Mason was also there, and it was great to see all the boys having fun. Click the photo above to see more pictures; watch the 5 minute video montage below.
While we were at Disneyland, Sarah & Kyle took Daniel & David to Ridermakerz for an early birthday present. They were able to build their own cars. Daniel chose to build Mater, from Cars. It is an awesome model. David built a green Dodge Viper and tricked it out (within reasonable limits imposed by Kyle).
As busy as these boys are, they find plenty of time to play with their cars. As you can see in the video, they are quite capable of multi-tasking (notice David’s skates).
Daniel & David got to participate in the Puyallup H.S. water polo camp – four weeks on Mondays and Wednesdays to learn a new sport. The camp was structured with basics of the game, drills, practice and scrimmage. The last day was a full scrimmage with Daniel’s team edging out David’s for the win. They both had a lot of fun, but we think David is a bit more serious about scoring than Daniel. David can be quite aggressive for a little guy. They are already asking to do it again next summer. Click the photo to see a few more; watch the video.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays for the same four weeks, they had swim team camp. Here they learned – first – that swimming can kick your tail even if you’re in good shape. They received very good teaching and became much better swimmers in all aspects. A swim meet was held on the last day of this camp, including individual and relay events in all strokes. The electronic timing system was used, and they got the feel of swimming competitively. Although the first week was rough, they’d like to do this one again next summer also. Click the photo to see a few more and, of course, watch the video.
Mason & Kenzie came for a visit, and the four cousins went to open swim at the PHS pool (one of Daniel & David’s favorite activities this summer). Sary-Jo was there, with the camera of course, and got some good pictures and video. We selected the best pictures and edited the video down to provide just a sampling. Click on the picture above to see more, and watch the video below.
Daniel & Randy
The weather this year has been somewhat short (as in, the opposite) of fantastic. However, we finally got a beautiful weekend so we decided to spend some time at Point Defiance / Owen Beach. We rented a kayak and both Daniel and David enjoyed it quite a bit. David went swimming in Puget Sound and personally discovered that the temperature in this deep, ocean-fed body of water stays in the low 50’s year-round! Click on the picture above to see more, and enjoy the brief video.
We’ve long known that Daniel and David are extremely athletic. They took on basketball and baseball this year, and they both excelled (to put it mildly) against other kids, many of whom have played the games before. They also had a season of soccer, experiencing their first team and season in a sport they have loved since a very young age. They are stars in that sport and they enjoy working hard to remain that way. This Spring we had an opportunity to see them compete in track and field, and it too was an eye-opener for us.
Daniel, especially, was able to demonstrate his ability. As a 4th grader, he was able to compete in the Puyallup School District’s elementary track meet (open to 4th grade and up). His coach placed him in the 800 meter, the 4×100 relay, and the softball throw. The 800 meter run was an amazing event – there was a mass of humanity at the starting line (probably 60 to 70 kids) and Daniel got tripped up – twice. He went down briefly and then came up limping and in last place. After a few steps limping, he got moving to try to make up his 100+ meter deficit. Watch this (somewhat shaky) video as he proceeds to pass almost everybody in the remaining 700 meters. He finishes in 2nd place!
The next week, both boys competed in the local Hershey Invitational meet. This meet allows kids to compete, by age group, with other athletes for an opportunity (top 2 in each event) to advance to the state meet. Winners from state then have their times compared to the winners from other states to see who advances to the Nationals in Hershey, Pennsylvania. This attracts the most talented runners across the nation.
David competed in the 400 and the 200 meter runs, finishing 3rd in each. He was in the 9-10 age category because he turns 9 this October. We have video of the 4oo meter (below). He ran a good race and I think the top 4 times of the meet were in his heat, so his third place finish held up. Unfortunately, this did not qualify him for state.
Daniel ran the 800 and the 200 in the 11-12 age group. We did not realize that those events are back-to-back, since very few athletes attempt the two, very different, races. He did well in the 800, finishing 2nd and qualifying for state – watch the video below. But he was out of gas for the 200 and finished in the middle of the pack.
In the Hershey state-meet, Daniel ran into a bit of trouble at the start. There were two slower runners than unintentionally boxed him in. By the time he broke free, he was well back of the leaders, and his third-place finish is quite impressive! The video is here.
In May, a group of us from Lighthouse Christian Center spent a few hours at Adoption Ministry’s headquarters. We completed a few projects, got to know each other a little better, and generally just tried to glorify God with the time we had together. Sary-Jo, Daniel and David snapped photos and took some video, which will give you a quick overview. Click the photo to see more, and click on the video to play it. Enjoy.
This was quite a year for sports in our household, as Daniel and David each wanted to try just about everything. The challenge for us is that they seem to excel in every sport they try, now including baseball. Daniel proved to be quite a fielder, pitcher (left handed) and a hitter (right handed), while David is also extremely talented and a student of the game. Both teams finished in first place, and both boys made great friends, had fun and were among the best players in their leagues.
Click the picture above to see a few more (just a few, really). David has a grey uniform jersey (Volcanoes) and Daniel is in the red (Diamondbacks).
And we had to include one video. This one shows Daniel absolutely crushing the ball for a home run. You should understand that few balls were hit out of the infield in this league, making this hit all the more impressive. He hit this ball over the outfielder’s head and into the game on the next diamond. He is crossing home plate as the left fielder reaches the ball. Enjoy (suggestion: watch it full screen).
And here’s a quick video of David’s coach commenting on him after the last game. The audio is a little rough because of the wind, but you can make it out.
Here’s a bit of video that shows a bit of the neighborhood play that is typical around here. Kids of all ages tend to gather in front of our house, or one of the others, and play. This video shows some street hockey and baskbetball – there’s always something going on. In the street hockey portion, you can see Daniel and David on skates while the rest of the kids run. After this video was shot we added a second goal so they don’t use the cones now, but the scene plays out much the same. We enjoy just watching the interaction and innocent fun!
