Our weather turned nice a bit early this year, and we went out to take advantage of it. Of course, the yard had been neglected over the winter and was in desperate need of some attention. The day before Easter was a good day to begin to tackle it. David wanted to learn to use the mower, so Sary-Jo took a bit of video. Daniel, meanwhile, was busy pulling weeds. It was a great day to work together as a family and improve the house. Feel free to watch a couple minutes of video below.
St. Patrick’s Day 5K
Daniel & David
Last year, Daniel ran the St. Paddy’s Day race in Tacoma for his first ever 5K. We thought David was probably too young to run that far so he ran the 1K. We had told Daniel to take it easy and not to feel bad if he had to pause or walk for a while. Then he went out and amazed us, even though the weather was horrible (slushy snow & rain mixture). This year, we signed both boys up for the 5K with confidence that they’d run (and run hard) the whole way. The weather was much better than last year, although still typical for March in the beautiful Pacific Northwest (cold and wet).
The race always draws a huge crowd – this year there were 1,582 people in the 5K. The boys started up front with the rest of the fairly-serious runners. They took off strong and kept going. Daniel’s goal was to finish faster than last year’s 19:43. David wanted to finish within two minutes of Daniel’s time. Both boys achieved their goals as Daniel took a full minute off his previous time on the same course. He finished in 18:43 and in first place in the 14 and under age group. David came in at 20:26 and third in the age group. Overall, Daniel was the 12th finisher and David the 31st. We continue to be amazed.
2013 Basketball Season
Daniel and David
David played up a couple years because of his size and athleticism. After tryouts, both boys ended up on the same team. We could sure get used to the idea of taking both kids to the same practices and the same games! Not only that, but they also played very well and won their league. They were undefeated until the last game (Daniel missed the last game to play a soccer game; the basketball team had already clinched first place).
During the course of the season, individual and team progress was very apparent. Both of our boys learned to see the court and pass the ball well, and they were relentless on defense. They also learned to make shots. Early on, almost all shots were an adventure; but by the end of the season, lay-ups were a sure thing and other field goals had a good chance of going in! We had a lot of fun watching and cheering on the whole team. Special thanks to the coaches for keeping the kids well grounded and emphasizing sportsmanship and teamwork.
We were disappointed with most of the pictures, but you can see the best of them by clicking the one above. We also put together a 3-minute montage of video highlights, below. David is number 11; Daniel is number 15 (and left-handed).
Christmas at Home
David & Daniel
We had such a great vacation, and it extended through the entire school break, that there was no real time left for exchanging gifts at home. We arrived home late at night with school the next morning. We allowed the boys a quick peek at the gifts, but left them wrapped until the next night. David was quick to predict what was in each package (and was nearly 100% as revealed in the video). Both boys were thrilled with their gifts and expressed gratitude. Since this is being written so far after the fact, I can say that the Go-Pro video camera and the Wii U are both huge hits. So are the Ethiopia Soccer T-Shirts pictured above.
Speaking of the picture above… yes, David really is taller than Daniel now (but not by as much as the photo seems to show). I’m not sure if it’ll stay that way because I think Daniel has another growth spurt left in him, but David has not slowed down.
Atlanta
We spent our final day of vacation in Atlanta. We toured the World of Coca Cola, a permanent exhibit featuring the history of Coca Cola as well as various advertising campaigns and product samples. The tasting room has samples of 95 different soft drink products from around the world. The Coke polar bear was one of the highlights that comes across well on video. We did a little shopping at the end (came home with a soccer ball, and an international bottle that included Amharic, among other items).
We also spent some time (and ate lunch) in the CNN center. The CNN center was also interesting, although we did not actually do a tour. When we were all done, it was time to head to the airport for the long trip home.
We cannot describe how awesome the vacation was, nor can we properly express our gratitude to Kyle and Sarah. We are truly blessed parents.
Visiting With Lele
On January 1st, we drove to Marietta, GA to visit with Sary-Jo’s aunt Lele. We don’t often get to see her and she was unable to make it to San Diego last summer. She prepared dinner for us and we watched football (Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl) while catching up. It was really good to see her!
New Year’s Eve
David, Sarah, Daniel & Kyle
At home, New Year’s Eve is a cold-weather occasion. We’re not big on partying, so it usually ends with us watching the ball drop on TV, celebrating quietly and going to bed. This year, we were blessed with a beautiful day in Charleston. We went to the beach on Sullivan’s Island. To be clear, David was the only one who ventured into the water and we started out wearing coats (those came off when we tossed the football around), but it was a fantastic day. David was particularly playful and really had a good time. We captured some of his fun spirit on video.
Daniel after 4 miles
After the beach, the boys (Kyle, Daniel & David) ran across the Arthur Ravenel bridge. The bridge itself is quite a sight. It is 2 1/2 miles long; the boys ran round trip. Sary-Jo, Sarah and I packed a lunch and ate on the bridge while the runners did their thing. Daniel was the first to run past us on his return trip, with David only a few seconds behind him. Kyle stopped at the top of the bridge to enjoy the view, but apparently the boys didn’t understand that was supposed to be part of the adventure. When they think “run” they think “run hard and don’t stop – this is a race.” We all had a great time (I can say that because I didn’t try to run it)!
David & Daniel
We finished the day in the park in downtown Charleston. Now this is my kind of New Year’s Eve party – it ended at 10:30 pm! They had some incredible food booths, great entertainment, beautiful lights, and activities for the kids. Sary-Jo even got Daniel and David to dance a bit (watch the video).
Southern Cookin’
We enjoyed (that word is way to mild) Sunday Brunch at Charleston’s famous Hominy Grill. Authentic southern food including she-crab soup, ginger pumpkin bread, sweet potato waffles, fried green tomatoes, and more (a lot more). The relaxed setting allowed us to take our time, share our food with each other, and basically enjoy our meal thoroughly. We can’t get that kind of food in Puyallup.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing. Dinner (yes, we actually found a way to eat again that same day) consisted of home made pizza, some cooked in the oven and some cooked on the barbecue. Awesome!
Charleston Tour – 12/29/12
Waiting for the carriage tour
We took an actual tour of Charleston – horse and carriage style! We were so blessed with mild weather this whole trip, and the day of our city tour was no exception. We saw historic homes, heard stories about the seedy past of parts of the city (some of the stories are quite similar to stories we’ve heard of the early days of Seattle). After the carriage tour, we walked around and did a bit of shopping. A great relaxing day.
The first video includes the carriage tour, complete with a couple of the guide’s stories.
The second video includes snippets from the waterfront.
Anniversary Dinner
Charleston is loaded with great food! I don’t think that average restaurants stand a chance of survival – there are too many excellent options. Sarah & Kyle picked out a great restaurant for Sary-Jo and I to celebrate our 34th anniversary dinner. All the kids chipped in to pay for it and the boys stayed with Kyle and Sarah while we enjoyed a first-class meal at Cypress. We had a good opportunity for grown-up conversation and the food was amazing.