First Day of School

Last Thursday was Jayden's first day of Kindergarten. He was a tad bit nervous but excited at the same time. He is in Mrs. Pennington's class(the best kindergarten teacher there is)! There are about 6 kids from Jayden's pre-k class that are in his kindergarten class too. (pictured above with Brynn, his friend from pre-k)

Jayden had a great first day of school and said that he absolutely loves his teacher and his class!

Joshua also had a great first day of school and is excited to be in Mrs. Taxara's 3rd grade class.

My "babies" are growing up so fast!

Anyway, here's to a super academic school year for both Joshua and Jayden!

Happy 37th Birthday!

On Saturday, August 11th, we celebrated Lance's 37th birthday. First he coached Joshua's team, the Warriors to a great victory! Joshua had an awesome game that included, 8 points, 2 steals, and 3 rebounds. All of that and we were short 2 players so Joshua needed to step it up and play the whole entire game as point guard. Our great friends, Ry, Annmarie and little Toby took a drive out to Rocklin (from Dublin) to watch Joshie in action. Then, we headed home for a day of hanging out, laughing and lots of fun. We had a delicious dinner, and a yummy ice cream cake too. On Sunday, the guys got to go golfing together (something that both of them haven't done in a very very looooong time!!) So, the mommies got to hang out and then when the daddies came home we all went to lunch.

It was a fun-filled weekend! Best of all we got to spend it together along with our dear friends. Actually, it was also great because this was the very first time in forever that Lance didn't have to work at the bazaar. The bazaar always falls on his birthday weekend and we never get to celebrate his real birthday...poor guy!!! He too was relieved that for once he got to fully enjoy his special day!

Thank you Ry, Annmarie, and Toby for making the trip out to spend with us and for staying over so that the guys could golf. Can't wait to see you again soon!

Happy birthday to the best husband and daddy ever! We love you! Here's to more celebrations for one person who definitely deserves to celebrate!

"Most Outstanding Player"

Last week, Joshua took yet another week long basketball camp. This time it was the Lincoln High School bball camp. Knowing that it was not going to be nearly as exciting as the Bibby camp, Joshua was not as enthusiastic. However, he ended up having an awesome time. It was a camp for 7-15 yr.olds. The head coach of the h.s. team, ran the camp while the JV coach and a handful of highschool players helped out. Even after the very first day, Joshua was definitely feeling the love from the coaches. They were pretty amazed at his "skills". He was "droppin' dimes" like Bibby. The coaches said that "he can't miss" and that "he has range" and were excited to see him crossing over, being smart, and handling the ball well. In fact, throughout the camp, the younger coaches would take Joshua aside to teach him things and to their surprise, he would do exactly as they said and would make the shot as well! He won the knockout competitions each day. And,on the last day of camp, he beat out the last coach! Joshua's fellow campers were also very positive and would come up to him and say, "you're GOOOOD!!" Each day, the kids were allowed to pick their own teams for games, and everyone wanted Joshua! I witnessed this on a couple of days, they'd literally run to him and pull him, poor thing, thought they were going to yank his arms out of his sockets!

Two awards were given out at the end of the camp, one for "sportsmanship" and one for the "most outstanding player". The coach was about to announce the award and said, "I'm sure you all know who I chose for the "most outstanding player", the kids yelled out "JOSHUA!!!"

Again, a great experience for Joshua. A definite confidence booster as well. I talked to the coaches and they all had wonderful things to say. We as parents are always proud of our children...but when we hear things from other people, it really makes us step back and take it all in. The JV coach told me that Joshua will go really far and that he can't wait until he gets to the h.s level. The other coaches were saying how amazing he was. The head coach commended Joshua on his humble and positive attitude. He is confident, but not cocky! It was wonderful to hear all of these guys talking about Joshie the way that they did. Obviously, they know how much hard work and dedication it takes to play at a highschool level and they see Joshua's potential. Even Lance was taken aback by their comments! Basketball has always been Lance's passion and now that his sons are right there with him, he's soaking it in too!

Congrats to our little "Baller"!

Baby Sarah Update...

Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes. Sarah is at home now. She was taken off IV and is eating, gaining weight, and getting stronger. Please continue to pray for her, my brother and his family. Thank you!

Mike Bibby's 1st Annual Basketball Camp Part 2...by, Cyndee

I personally thought that Mike Bibby's camp was EXCELLENT! Joshua has taken several basketball camps in the past and Bibby's camp was by far the best camp he's taken. Not only did he receive quality instruction but come on...it was Mike Bibby's camp! Like Lance said, he was there everyday for the whole entire camp from beginning to end. Most importantly, Bibby was GREAT with the kids! He played with the kids, had one on one time with each group, and was always open to signing autographs. I also thought that he was a positive role model and he truly felt like a very warm, sincere, genuine guy!

There was a lot of talk about how Bibby's camps in the past were not that great and how he wasn't personable, how he was "stand-offish", shy, and somewhat unapproachable. In my opinion, he was the complete opposite of what was said about him.

Each day that Jayden and I were there, Mike Bibby gave us some special attention. One day, while we were sitting on the bleachers watching Joshie's group, Bibby walked over to us and sat by us for a little while (and this was when Jayden was being really shy so I told Bibby that, he just laughed and told him not to be shy). On another day, while Bibby was taking individual pictures with each camper, Jayden and I stood by the door to watch while he took one with Joshie. At that moment, Mike looked up, smiled and motioned to me...he then pointed to Jayden and gave a thumbs up because Jayden was wearing his Jordan jersey. (Bibby idolizes MJ, and is a part of "Team Jordan"). On another day, we took a photo with Bibby and he would've carried Jayden, but Jayden didn't want him to think he was a baby. Another time, Bibby came up behind us and he tapped Jayden and ran and hid behind a post, so he was actually playing with Jayden which I thought was really cute. Then, we took another photo with Bibby. Jayden also drew a picture of Bibby and gave it to him and he asked Jayden all kinds of questions and thanked him for it. On another day, Bibby was signing a bunch of autographs and as we were passing through, (I didn't even think he'd notice us because there were so many people around him)and heading to the restroom, Bibby ran up to us and was totally tickling Jayden. Throughout the days at the camp, we'd run into Bibby here and there and he'd always acknowledge us, throwing Jayden a peace sign or saying "wassup Little man", and so on.

So, I figured that Mike Bibby was just a friendly guy, until I talked to some of the parents who said that he wasn't very friendly or social and that he didn't talk to them as much or some not at all.

I guess Bibby's entourage, "Team Dime" has somewhat of a bad reputation....but, all the guys were really cool and friendly too. They'd come up to us and give Jayden high fives and knuckles all day!

All in all, this was an unforgettable experience. I've always liked Bibby, but after this camp, and the overall experience, I'm officially a HUGE Bibby fan, it's definitely all about Bibby! Actually, midweek, Lance was getting pretty tired of hearing about Bibby this and Bibby that. I told Lance that I was going to blow up the photos we took with him and hang them up around the house! Lance just rolled his eyes and said, "yah, yah, yah". So, this is the reason why Lance wrote in his entry that we made a "new friend".

Can't wait until the next one! I don't know who's more excited about next year's camp, Joshua or me?! I think I may just have to join his fan club...hehe.

Check out Mike Bibby's website where you can see photos from each day of the camp. Mikebibby.com

Mike Bibby's 1st Annual Basketball Camp Part 1...by Lance

Joshua attended the 1st Annual Mike Bibby Fantasy Basketball Camp in Rocklin.

A word to parents: We pulled Joshua out of a city camp that was the same week (and already paid for), not with the expectation that he would get better instruction at the Bibby camp, but to give him the "experience". Bibby is his favorite Kings player, and there were other pros scheduled to attend. So, we did not expect him to get much "teaching and/or coaching", but we did want to create a memory for him.

Thank you to grandma and Bumpa for making a contribution to creating this memory for Joshua.

Now...onto the camp...first off, props to Bibby. I heard this was the first camp Bibby has done that he actually had a hand in organizing. I had also heard he typically would show up late and leave early, and would not be "approachable". Not wanting to pass judgement, I let everything just fall into place.

Props to Bibby for putting together an agenda that really worked the kids. Props to Bibby for putting together a staff that had "credentials"...coaches and players from all levels were present (from high school coaches, to WNBA players...) to coach the kids. And the kids did work...8 stations, 20 minutes at each station. The kids worked on dribbling, endurance, "core" strength training, footwork, shooting, passing, and many, many other drills including Defense (ironic at a Bibby camp, isn't it?) Each day Joshua came home exhausted...a sign of a great camp.

I spent a couple hours at the camp one day, and Cyndee and Jayden were at the camp each day for basically the entire time. I was truly impressed.

Bibby showed up at 9AM, the beginning of camp, and stayed until 230 - each day. He did not turn down a autograph request, or a picture request. He mingled with the parents, plyed with the kids. Jayden and Cyndee even made a new friend (I'll let Cyn tell you about that).

Kings strength trainer Al Bianchi was there and talked to the kids about nutrition, conditioning, and more importantly..."burnout".

About the "other" pros scheduled to show...first let me say this: If you send your child to a Bibby camp to see Amare Stodumire...save your money. You never know who will show up...but you have to admire the ones that do. Names scheduled to appear (but subject to change) were Baron Davis, Amare, Kevin Garnett, Drew Gooden, Bobby Jackson, other Kings players, and other pros. It was a good lineup.

Who showed? BJax, Francisco Garcia, Bonzi Wells, Quincy Douby, Justin Williams and Ruthie Bolton-Holyfield. Was Joshua disappointed? Nope. He enjoyed the camp, got an autographed picture with Bibby, and got his autograph on a basketball card...he didn't care.

Was I disappointed? Not really. I understand that some guys just don't want to make the time...I was glad Bibby was there all day, every day. I was also told that Bibby was overheard on the phone with Amare, giving him an earful because he didn't show. Again, props to Bibby.

Bibby's "team" gave back...each camper got a bag, a uniform (jersey and shorts), lunch each day (Burger King and Pizza), and they won various prizes (jordan headbands, etc.) Each coach was given Team Jordan shirts, as well as the newly released Jordan shoes.

Closing words: I would recommend the camp to anyone who likes not only Bibby, but basketball as well. The $399.99 price tag is a lot, but the memories it created are priceless (do you hear Mastercard calling?). And it is my belief that one responsibility we have as parents is to create memories for our children. Joshie has already asked to go next year.

Please Pray for Baby Sarah

On the morning of August 3rd, brand new baby Sarah was admitted to the hospital. Apparently, she wasn't taking any milk and had a low temperature. Once at the hospital, the staff ran a number of tests from MRI's, EEG, etc., poking, prodding etc. to this little tiny baby! They found swelling in her brain and concluded that she was having seizures of some sort.

Today is Monday, and Sarah is still in the hospital. She is doing better, actually taking a bottle and off the IV. She is more alert and the seizures have seemed to stop. The doctor gave her B6 and since then, she hasn't been having any other complications.

The latest news is that she may be able to go home soon.

The doctors are still administering other tests and keeping a close watch on her.

Please pray for Sarah, my brother, and the rest of their family.