Joshua's 9th Birthday Celebration

Last weekend, Joshua celebrated his 9th birthday with 3 great friends, Bryson, Jackson, and Alex.

First we took the boys to Skyzone. It's a really fun place that has wall to wall trampolines...trampolines on the walls, literally! For an hour, they bounced up and down, on and off the trampoline walls, played dodgeball, attempted flips, fell a few times, and then bounced around some more. Back at the house,they opened presents, played basketball, golf/putting games, traded basketball cards, ran around, watched a movie, acted goofy, danced around, and even sang karaoke! They ate pizza for dinner and then instead of a birthday cake, Joshua requested to go to Top This. All four boys had a terrific time, stayed up late, made a lot of noise, and filled the house with hysterical laughter! Another great celebration!

RTOC/Allstar Weekend

On Saturday, Joshua's championship team, the Celtics participated in the Regional Tournament of Champions in Elk Grove. They ended up losing to a CYBL team by 1 point in overtime. All I can say, is that they were robbed, due to unfair calls by the ref! With 4 seconds left and the score tied up, our guy went up for a last second 3-pointer and was fouled! He should've been given the opportunity to shoot 3 freethrows to win the game, but the ref did not honor that! Boooooo!!! Pretty unfair, but what can you do? Apparently, absolutely nothing. Well, the main thing is that the Celtics played hard and had fun.

On Sunday, Joshua and Bryson competed in the Allstar Sunday game. Each team in the division were allowed to send 2 players to represent their team and form the Allstar team. The Celtics got to send two players and a coach's pick. The parents voted to send both Joshua and Bryson, and the coach's pick was Kovey.

I'm happy to announce that the Hotshots Allstars defeated the CYBL Allstars! Woohoo!!! It was a great game and a great experience.

Congratulations to the Celtics and the Hotshots Allstars!!

Happy 9th Birthday Joshua!

Today is Joshua's 9th birthday. We can hardly believe it.

We'll be having a small celebration this weekend, due to the RTOC (recreational tournament of champions). Next weekend, he'll be celebrating his day with his good friends, Bryson, Jackson, and Alex. This year, we'll be taking them to Skyzone and then the boys will be spending the night...fun, fun, fun!

Happy birthday to our "little Joshie" who isn't little anymore! May your 9th year be filled with happiness, fun, laughter and good times! We love you!!

We're Officially In Business!

We are the proud owners of our own youth basketball training business. Our business name is, Next Level Basketball Trainng. All of you who know Lance and have kept up with the blog know what an awesome basketball coach he is. He's got it all: passion for the game and coaching, heart, knowledge, patience, experience, and a positive attitude. I've encouraged him all along and put the vision in his head of one day being a full-time coach. Within the last year, he's had so many people give him praise and positive feedback on his coaching ability and style.

After seriously talking about it, drawing up plans, goals and so forth, we took a step forward and followed through with our ideas. In a matter of just a couple of weeks of planning, calling, etc. we came up with the business name, a website, and a schedule. While Lance of course will be doing all the coaching, I will be the "Co-CEO". I'll handle the details of making the calls, coming up with ideas, follow-ups, marketing/advertising, and getting clients.

Last night, was our first training session. Lance trained a 5th grade boy who signed up for 10 sessions. It was a great first session for sure!

We're really excited about this and know that it will be fulfilling and well worth the time and effort that it will take. We'd love for it to become a full-time position where Lance can go to "work" in his basketball gear and help the kids get to their "next level"! In the very near future, we are also planning to start up an afterschool program and have camps and clinics year round.

What's in YOUR drink?

Joshua came home from his best friend, Bryson's house one day a while back and asked if we could make a fresh fruit smoothie. Apparently, Bryson's Mom made one for them, and Joshua loved it! And us, never being ones to deny our children a request to eat fresh fruits – agreed to make a stop at the store to get the ingredients. Frozen strawberries (unsweetened), blueberries, bananas and some apple juice (we add less than a cup of juice to make 4 glasses of the smoothie).

First off, in 1998, the FDA confirmed that frozen fruits and vegetables provide the same essential nutrients and health benefits as fresh…just in case you were wondering (Man, how does he know this stuff???). Moving on…

“Get to the point will ya’!?!?!” Ok, Ok…for the past couple of months, we’ve been having the smoothies regularly (not every night, but at least three times a week) and we add a tablespoon of milled flaxseed to each cup. The point is, our kids (and adults included) are having a healthy “snack/dessert”. Most know of all the nutritional benefits of the ingredients (the vitamins, the fiber, the antioxidants, omega 3’s, etc.), but in case you didn’t here’s some references.

Strawberries
Blueberries
Bananas
Flaxseed

So, if your kids won’t eat fruits and/or veggies but will eat the fruit popsicles, this might be an alternative.

Just FYI – we buy frozen strawberries (about $6-$7 for a big bag, and frozen blueberries). Easy to store, easy to make. Enjoy!!!

CHAMPIONS!!

Last weekend, Joshua's team, the Celtics played in their final game of the season. The Celtics beat their opponents once before this season, but we all knew that it was for championship and that this would be a very exciting game. I'm happy and proud to say that the Celtics won!

It was a very close game in the first 4 periods (they play 5). The other team was playing very good defense, especially on Joshua! Because they remembered that Joshua was our sharp shooter,their coach was prepared. Although Joshua is the smallest kid on the team, the opponents had him on lock-down! He was double-teamed and at times, triple teamed for the whole entire game! Basically, Lance said Joshua was the "decoy" for that game. Since the other team was focused so much on shutting Joshua down, they left 2 or 3 players wide open.

The Celtics ended up winning the game by 15 points! It was a great game! Congratulations to Coach Lance and his 3rd/4th grade Celtics, summer champions!

Next up, the Recreational Tournament of Champions!

Bumpa the Builder...

For the past (almost) 6 years, we've had a hole in our wall. No, we didn't bust our wall out or anything like that. Most newer homes have these niches in the wall in the family room area where the t.v.s would go. A lot of people hire someone to custom build a entertainment center for that niche. Well, we finally have a beautiful custom, hand made entertainment center. It's a solid piece of furniture with cabinets and pull out drawers for me to keep everything nice, neat, and organized!

This great handcrafted piece of artwork was built from scratch by Lance's Dad, aka Bumpa! Yes, Bumpa is definitely creative and crafty with his precision and fancy tools. If you have forgotten, he also built Joshie a great train table when he was one (now passed on to cousin, Marley in L.A.). Bumpa also built Joshie and Jayden's famous 2 story castle/loft complete with a full sized slide which is in the playroom. And, he also built a smaller entertainment center for Joshie and Jayden's entertainment area upstairs.

We're so lucky that Bumpa built us all of these wonderful things that are original, of high quality, and custom made with "TLC"! He can build pretty much anything...I bet he can even build a house! I don't think there are any limits to what he can build.

Thank you Bumpa for your latest creation. We love it! Everyone who comes over and sees the entertainment center are amazed at the overall craftmenship and quality. They all assume that we paid thousands for it...it definitely looks like it!

Now, all we need is to go out and buy a new BIG t.v.!

No More Floaties!

Right before Jayden's 6th birthday, he was using floaties to help him swim. At that point, he refused to put his face in the water.

Then, the day before he turned 6, for some reason, he started to hold his breath and stuck his head under water. He did that several times until he was able to hold it longer and eventually swam with his head under water! The funny thing was the fact that he did this while his floaties were still on. He worked so hard by forcefully pushing his head under while his floaties were trying to keep the rest of him afloat. It was very entertaining to watch.

I believe it was the following weekend, when he decided to try it without his floaties. To all of our amazement, he did it! He was actually swimming on his own, under water, with no floaties! Jayden literally taught himself how to swim. Pretty amazing.

No more floaties for Jayden! Great job to our little self-taught swimmer!

Where Did The Summer Go?

Summer came and went and today was the first day of school! Joshua and Jayden both got the teachers that they wanted.

Jayden is now in 1st grade which meant that he was in school for a full day. No more half days for him. It's a big transition going from the kindergarten zone to the campus shared with the 1st through 5th graders. He got to play on the "big kids" playground, eat lunch in the cafeteria, and stay in school as long as his big brother.

Both boys had a great first day of school and we're all looking forward to another successful and fulfilling academic school year!

What Dreams May Come...

Couldn't resist blogging this...This is what a child looks like when one of their dreams is to play in the NBA, and they have the opportunity to be (all alone) on an NBA court. Just imagine what's going through his head...

Don't ever tell them they can't do it, because they just might believe you.

Happy Birthday To You!!!

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful husband and father in the world! We love you Daddy!

Joshua Ballin' at Arco Arena

Joshua was personally invited to participate in the the first ever Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Discover Card Homecourt Skills Challenge at ARCO Arena. The Hotshots organization teamed up with Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA. There were over 100 kids participating from the ages of 7-14. It was a free event for all particiapants.

Rebekkah Brunson and Laura Harper from the Sacramento Monarchs were there running a small clinic and helping out with the challenge.

The participants were required to complete a series of challenges in the fastest time. They were given 3 chances to make the free throw shot. They were given penalties (2 seconds added onto their time) for each mistake made, i.e. traveling, double dribbling, not going around the cones correctly, etc.

At the end, the judges tallied up the points/times and announced the winners in each division. Guess who received the fastest time in the boys 7-11 division? JOSHUA did!!! Woohoo!!(there were 3 winners in each category). Joshua won a brand new basketball and also came home with a ton of gifts including a jersey, t-shirts, snacks, a water bottle, a certificate, a mini basketball, and a Monarchs bag.

It was so exciting! Joshua's goal was to win it, and he did! He kept his cool and stayed focused. It was pure enjoyment for the kids and parents as well. This was an experience that we'll never forget. We're so very proud of Joshua!!

Please view Joshua's video below...we've also added it to our "video bar" directly on the blog, and the actual link to the youtube video is:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shSJ2OYC7kg

Overnight Camping Trip

On August 3rd, we went on our first family camping trip. At the time of planning, the fires and smoke were overtaking the central valley, so I booked a campsite at Gerstle Cove, located in Salt Point State Park along the Sonoma Coast. For those of you unfamiliar with it (as I was), it is about 30 minutes North on Highway 1 from Bodega Bay.

Although it was "just an overnight trip", there seems to be so much to tell.

First question...how big of a car does it take to go on an overnight camping trip with a family of four? Hmmm...

We left our hometown at 10:00am (right on schedule). We stopped at Shell Beach along the coast (around 12:30 or so), just past Bodega Bay to have lunch.

The air was crisp, temperature - around 60 degrees. About a half hour more up the coast, and we arrived at Gerstle Cove - our destination (around 2:00pm). The campground was clean, and small (30 sites) - we chose site #9, close to the (flush) restrooms, on the ocean side (no view - but could hear the waves), the tent area was guarded by trees (good -since we were on the coast and it was a little windy - 15 mph).

Upon arrival, Jayden and Joshua were amped up! Both running around the site, getting dirty, exploring things...all while dad got the tent set up and mom carefully watching the boys (being a mom) saying "Don't touch that","Be careful", "you're gonna get all dirty"...Once Jayden's white sweatshirt was dirty, and fingernails full of dirt - I think it hit Cyn - that it was crazy to think they'd stay clean.

We took a short walk (less than .5 mi) to Gerstle Cove - known for tide pooling and snorkeling - and the boys had a blast exploring the small pools, marveling at the anemones, the small crabs and starfish and the huge pieces of nori - err - seaweed.

The good thing, it was out of the wind - so the temperature was pleasant. After a couple of hours there, we went back to the site and started the fire (it started to cool down, and the wind picked up a little), The boys roasted roasted hot dogs and apple sausages over the fire, then of course...smores.

Night came, and we retreated into the tent - where we stayed up for a bit then, it was lights out. Cyn and the boys claimed they were cold, but dad was hot. The family attributed my warmth to my natural "coat of fur" as they call it (I personally, don't get the joke).

We woke up to a marine layer of fog, but not too cold, started another fire with the LOG we had left and proceeded to clean up and get ready to travel home. On the way home we stopped at Portuguese Beach - had lunch, flew a kite and spent a short time on the beach. We were home by 4:00pm Monday afternoon.

My final thoughts:
-Great family fun. Because of no TV's or other "distractions", the focus is on the family.
-Kids loved it. They got to get dirty, be outdoors, not take a bath (they did brush their teeth) and basically just be kids and not have to worry about breaking anything.

-You only need to bring five large marshmallows, as the kids will roast and eat two(each), then only want the chocolate bar. Oh, and forget the graham crackers.
-It was great to see their fascination with the small tide pools and creatures near the ocean. The wonder and smile on their faces were priceless.
-I'd do it again. It was definitely work for one night, but for what it meant to the kids - I'd do it all over again.
-Because it was the coast, there were no flying bugs (good for Cyn's sake) - I think I saw 1 fly.
-Cheetos get stale quickly because of the humidity - so, it's better to seal them up REAL good.
-I think Bear Gryllis of Man vs. Wild should carry those "quick lite" log thingys, they work great, are small, cost less than a dollar, and just a small piece can start a fire.
-It is something the kids will look back on and remember. We're here to create memories for them...remember.

A new look!

We've changed the look of our blog...hope you like it!! Make sure you click on the maroon colored text - they're web links, and also click where it says "COMMENTS" to leave us a comment...ENJOY!

Kristi, Scott, & Zoie's Visit...

Last weekend, Kristi, Scott, and Zoie came down from Reno for a visit! It's been a long time since our last get together, so of course as always, it was great spending time with them.

We met at John's Incredible Pizza for lunch and some game time fun. Then they came over to hang out for a bit.

I can't believe Zoie is almost 4! She's such a cutie!

Thanks for coming into town to visit us...hopefully, we'll see you guys again SOON!

Lance's Summer Skillz Camp

Lance put on his second "Skillz Basketball Camp". Again, it was a private camp consisting mostly of his current players, their older brothers and one of Joshua's good friends from school. Like his first camp, it was a complete SUCCESS! It was a 4 day camp from 9-noon. It was very well organized from start to finish. He had daily drills, skills, fundamentals, contests, and so on. On the first day, he handed each camper a 4 page homework assignment. All pertaining to basketball of course. The kids had fun learning new things and finding out the answers to the trivia questions. Lance also had very cool tshirts made, passed out prizes, certificates, did a lot of personal and team recognition and at the end of the camp did a 2 page personalized evaluation for each camper.

The kids raved about Lance's camp and fully enjoyed each and every day of it even though they were sweating, sore, and tired. Bryson even said that he wished Lance's camp was longer, from 9-5! The parents also were very pleased with the camp and were impressed with all of the things Lance did for their kids.

A funny thing was that there was a very big youth camp going on during the same week on the other courts. I noticed that a lot of the kids and their parents were watching Lance and his small group of 12 kids. They were paying more attention to Lance's camp than their own! Some of the parents showed a lot of interest in Lance's camp and inquired about him. They wanted to know who he was and if he had flyers for more camps. One Dad from the other camp said that he was watching Lance for 2 days and said he was GREAT and said he learned some things from Lance by just observing! What can I say other than Lance is the best youth basketball coach around!

Lance receives more positive feedback from parents, players, and onlookers for his coaching style, knowledge, and ability. His passion for basketball is felt by all those around him. In addition to his passion and knowledge of basketball, Lance is very patient, positive, enthusiastic, encouraging, organized, thorough, and respectful. In return, his players respect him and take him seriously and most importantly, they learn a great deal from him. He has only good intentions for the kids he coaches. He wants to teach them and help them get to the next level. He wants them to be focused, disciplined, and always be a student.

Joshua said that of all the camps he's attended in the past, that his Dad's is by far the BEST camp! I asked some of the other campers and they too said that Lance's was the most fun and challenging.

Hmmm....this may be the start of something new for Lance (and us). Lance just may have to create and run a successful youth basketball training academy/camp! I know a ton of parents who are already ready to sign up! If any one person can do this...Lance is definitely that ONE!!

The "Big Three"....3 on 3 tournament champions...Jackson, Joshua, and Bryson

Seiji's Successful Business

Here's my cousin Seiji (the owner of CCH -Courier Corp. of Hawaii). The company that Uncle Bill built from the ground up. We're all so proud of Seiji. This is so awesome and another cool thing about it is that Seiji isn't even 30 years old yet!!! We all miss Uncle Bill and know how extremely proud he would have been to see his son shining in their business!

I remember like it was just yesterday, baby-sitting Seiji, picking him up from the Hawaii Kai pre-school, watching him play with his teenage mutant ninja turtles, and He-Man action figures, playing hide and seek at the Koko Isle Circle house, and so many other memories. And now,here he is a very smart and successful business owner!

To read the whole article, click here:

http://starbulletin.com/2008/07/27/business/story01.html

"A lot of small businesses have the mentality that they need to do everything themselves, but if they ever want to be larger, they have to get past that kind of mentality."
Seiji AspengrenOwner of Courier Corp. of Hawaii, shown inside the warehouse of his company

Another Basketball Camp

(Kai-Jayden's friend/kindergarten classmate)

(Head Coach Aaron)

(Coach Jamie)

A couple of weeks ago, Jayden attended the William Jessup University Jr. Skills Basketball Camp. This was the first time that Jayden attended this camp.

It was a 3 hour long, 4 day camp. Ages ranged from 5-12 years old. So again, Jayden was one of the smallest and youngest campers.

Jayden always has positive experiences in his camps and does extremely well. This camp was no different. On the very first day, Jayden was given an award for hustling/listening (something that is difficult for most youngsters). The head coach and the other coaches approached me after camp and said how awesome Jayden is. They said he was not only a great little player but very disciplined, focused, and could see his passion for basketball even at his young age!

On the last day of camp, Jayden was awarded 2 trophies! One trophy was for "Best Hustle". The other trophy was for "Hot Shot Champion" (he won the shooting contest for the week). Again, he racked up a lot of prizes. He was so proud of himself and of course, we were too!

His coach had to write an evaluation on Jayden and said he was a great ball handler with good court sense. He said he had the BEST shot and best attitude. He also said that Jayden worked harder than all of the other players in his age group and loved his work ethic. Wow! Great comments!

This was another great basketball camp for Jayden!

13 Wonderfully Happy Years...

13 years ago, Lance and I said our "I Dos"... I love the life that Lance and I have built together. I love our marriage and commitment to each other. I love the beautiful family that we created. I love the foundation we set, the dreams that we share, and the goals we have accomplished. I love our little inside jokes that only we get. I love the laughter in our household. I love the "I love yous" we say and hear each and everyday. I love planning for our future and knowing that together we can accomplish any and everything we want to.

I am truly blessed and thankful! Everyday is a blessing!

Happy 6th Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Jayden who just turned 6 years old! He brings joy, laughter, and smiles to us all.

This year, he chose to have a small celebration. He didn't want a big party like last year. He wanted to go miniature golfing at Monster Mini Golf. We've never been there before but heard all about it. It was pretty cool. It's an indoor, glow-in-the-dark place with tons of monsters. We had a great time.

Jayden had a few celebrations this year. An early one with Ami and Papa, a Spaghetti Factory dinner/cupcakes with Grandma, Bumpa, Kim, Dylan, Bachan, Ryan, Cheryl, and Alexis, and finally his Monster Golfing day. After golfing, the boys played in the arcade and of course they had to play the basketball game. It was funny because the highest score before Jayden was 40 points. Jayden got on there and ended up with 72 points! The maximum tickets you could receive was 10 for 48 points or more and he definitely exceeded that!

We love you Jayden ("The Shooting Machine")...our cute, funny, smart, rambunctious, 6 year old!

Reading Brings Rewards!!

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.

~ Joseph Addison ~

Cyndee and I both came to the agreement that when summer started and the boys were out of school, that we wanted them to keep their brains working. One study found that when students return to school after a long summer vacation, they've lost one to three months worth of learning (more here).

We also understand that (our) kids work best on a "rewards system", and with their love (borderline infatuation) for basketball, we decided to bring the two together. We eventually came up with the " Summer Bucks Program".

It works like this:

(1) They read.

(2) They get "points" for difficulty of book (determined by mommy), and Jayden gets points for reading out loud. We've also thrown in points for a book report for Joshua as well.

(3) Based on the number of points, they get either "Lebron Bucks" (for Joshua) or "Jumpman Bucks" (for Jayden).

(4) They accumulate bucks to be able to pick a prize - usually in the form of basketball cards of their favorite players.

So far, it's worked out nicely. They've got their own library cards, and they each probably read close to twenty to twenty five books each (and more on the way). And of course, along the way they've accumulated some "summer bucks" and also have gotten a chance to pick from a bag of basketball cards - handpicked initially by them (but paid for by mom and dad).

Just one fun way we thought of to keep the reading interest and comprehension up during the summer months! If they have "bucks" left at the end of the month, we'll probably reward them with something on a bigger scale for their efforts to read! We are very proud of our "little readers"!!

Wisdom for FREE!!!!

Did you know you have the wisdom of the world available to you? You do, and have since 1803. And, it's FREE!!!

And for the past (probably) 15 years or so, I never took advantage of it.

I'm talking about the public library. The first free public library in the United States, was established in 1803.

My last memory of the public library was a small place and bunch of shelves lined with books and smelling funny and dusty.

My how things have changed...

This is a snapshot of the inside of the newest library in Lincoln,CA.

You can now checkout DVD's (all kinds and genres), audio CD's (music, and audio books), there's self-checkout, computers for internet browsing, they even have protable DVD players w/headphones to sit and watch the movies, online renewal and OH SO MUCH MORE!! Oh, and then there's the books...

About a month ago, we took the kids to get their very own library card and check out some books, since we were starting our own summer reading program at home (more on that later). To set the example (and because we were required to), Cyndee and I both got our own card.
After Joshua and Jayden chose some books (I think 8 or 9 between them), the librarian showed them how they could check out their own books. Of course, they were excited about that - and to have their very own card too!! It was a neat process and a great indication of how times have changed.

I was amazed at the things they have and do at the libraries these days, and made me wonder "how long has this been going on? "and "How did I miss this (as a parent)?" The library in Lincoln also offers story time for the young ones, as well as movie nights for the youg kids and teens.

I even perused the audio book section and know I will be back to checkout either a book or audio book. Joshua and Jayden have already been back and have checked out another 10 or so books.

I encourage all to look into the library in your area and the things they have to offer. It doesn't cost a thing - and you move into the 3% of people that have a library card (the key is using it).

Welcome Baby Lexi!

Sorry I'm a little late but I wanted to make sure I announced the birth of Marc, Linda, and Micah's new edition to their family...

Baby Lexi Hideko was born on June 21st and measured, 8lbs., 7oz., 20.5 inches long.

Congratulations to Marc, Linda, and Micah! Hopefully we'll be able to make it back "home" to see you this fall. We miss you guys and can't wait to meet Lexi!

Placer Youth Basketball Camp

The Placer Youth Basketall Camp was the 3rd camp in 3 weeks that Joshua attended. It was a 2-day camp from 11am-6pm. Although Joshua was a little apprehensive about the length of the camp, he definitely ended up enjoying it.

This camp was different from the highschool camps in the previous weeks. The focus was primarily on fundamentals and discipline. This camp was also well organized. In addition to the fundamentals, they did have contests and games.

Joshua is and always has been very disciplined and focused, especially when it comes to things he enjoys doing such as basketball, art, math and in the past, Taekwondo. He thrives on working hard, learning new skills, and perfecting whatever it is he wants to be the best at. He never gives up and continues to hustle and give it his all. He has a lot of drive, determination, and a winning, positive attitude.

On the first day, Joshua won the "Mr. Hustle" Award. The coach said he was one who kept pushing himself and never slacked off. On the last day, he won the "Team Shooting Champ" award, and the "Camp Shooting Champ" award.

So, another positive experience at another basketball camp. Sorry, no pictures were taken on this day.

Zebra Camp

After the week long Rocklin camp, the following week was the Lincoln High "Zebra" basketball camp.

Joshua took this camp last year and was the MVP. This year, although they didn't award an "MVP", he definitely shined. His best friend, Bryson took this camp with him this year and they had a lot of fun.

The head coach along with some of his highschool players remembered Joshua from last year and were excited to see his skills being even better than last year. His basketball sense, footwork, shooting, ball handling, and offensive/defensive skills were obvious. They were mostly impressed with his shooting and his quickness driving to the basket.

Joshua and Bryson stood out at the camp and by day 2, the coaches had to separate them because they said it wasn't fair for the two of them to be on the same team during scrimmages. Joshua and Bryson pretty much dominated the camp!

Next up, I'll be posting details to the Placer Youth Basketball Camp (another camp that was taken the week after the Zebra camp!)

Rocklin Thunder Basketball Camp

This was the second year for our boys attending the Rocklin Highschool summer basketball camp. They both fully enjoyed the camp again.

Both boys received awards. The funny thing was that Jayden (again being the smallest kid out there), won a ton of awards! He is afterall the "shooting machine". He rarely missed a shot in all of the drills and contests. His efforts and skills definitely paid off. He won the "superman layup" contest, the knockout contest, and was also awarded the "hustle" award. His coach and the other coaches said he had the best shot and great ball handling skills. They were very impressed with his level of play and attentiveness. He came home with a Rocklin bag, a nice hooded sweatshirt, and other goodies. He was a star!

Joshua also came home with some new gear, including a tshirt, sweatbands, and 'hustle' socks. He too won the "hustle" award in his division and his team were the champions in the 4th grade division.

We're proud of them both but most of all we're happy that they had such a super time at this great basketball camp!

Spring Season of Hotshots

Here's Jayden and his Kindergarten team, the Pistons. (they were missing 3 players on this day).

Jayden is playing in the non-competitive league so they do not keep score. Even so, Jayden keeps a record of his own stats and he was consistent in this second season of playing. He had 8-10 points per game!

He has a great shot like his big bro and good ball handling skills so just like Joshie he can play the shooting guard and the pointguard.



Here are the "Celtics", Joshua's Hotshots team and Lance's 5th season coaching. The team did well with 7 wins and 1 loss!

This was Joshua's best season by far. His confidence has increased and so has his aggressiveness. He's our sharp shooter for sure!

School's Out....Summer's In...

The year came and went. It was a terrific year for the boys academically and socially.

As usual, both boys received amazing grades for the year. We're very proud of them both!! They made great friends and had the most awesome teachers.

They have a full schedule of activities for the summer to keep them busy from basketball camps, art classes, summer session of Hotshots, weekly trips to the library, possible swim lessons, and GATE enrichment programs. In addition to all of that, of course they'll have plenty of playing time with their friends.

Soon I'll be writing how the summer is over! 1st grade and 4th grade will be here in a blink of an eye.

Here's wishing everyone a happy, fun, safe, exciting summer vacation.

Jayden's Kindergarten Graduation

On June 5th, we attended Jayden's kindergarten graduation It was a very cute program. I can't believe how quickly this year went by!

Here he is pictured with Mrs. Pennington, the best kindergarten teacher we could ever hope for. After over 35 years of teaching, Mrs. Pennington retired. We were so blessed to have both of our boys be a part of her class. She is definitely one of those teachers whom we will always remember and think so highly of. She put in more than her share of teaching and all of her students and their parents are extremely thankful and grateful for her kind, loving, patient, genuine, and gentle teaching methods. What a wonderful experience Jayden had in kindergarten!

Congratulations to our little graduate and his memorable and successful first year of elementary school!

The Dynamic Duo

"The Dynamic Duo" or "BFF", whatever you call them one thing is for sure...Joshua and Bryson have a special friendship.

We always strive for our boys to be happy, loving, thankful, intelligent, respectful, responsible, talented, polite, well behaved, good decision-makers( even if we're not with them), confident and social. Along with all of the above, we would only wish good things on our children just as any parent would. With that, it includes the right friends, peers, and influences.

I'm happy to say that Joshua has made a friend for life with Bryson. They met last winter in their basketball league. Over the past year, they have become really great friends. Bryson is a super kid and comes from a great family. We welcome Bryson into our family/home with open arms just as Bryson's family welcomes Joshua with open arms.

Joshua is somewhat shy. He makes friends easily but is and always has been very particular in whom he chooses to be friends with. He's always been intimidated by rowdy, loud, "get into trouble a lot" type of kids and would always stay away from them. He's just very conscientious about people in general.

Bryson is an awesome kid! He's kind, funny, smart,mature, fun, responsible, has an infectious laugh, and is a terrific basketball player. Joshua and Bryson get along so well and they truly complement each other. They like the same things, but are very different in personality. They just "get" each other. And, it's so nice to see at this young age the genuine friendship and respect they have for one another. I know that their bond is a special one and it is one I see growing and being life long.

So, this is dedicated to the best buds: Joshua and Bryson. May your friendship be as special together as the two of you are individually!

#1 Coach and his #1 Boys

Here's Coach Lance with his best boys. Joshua and Jayden are so lucky that their Daddy is not only a great dad, but also a super duper, outstanding, one-of-a-kind, best coach ever!

This is Lance's 5th season coaching Joshua and his 2nd season coaching Jayden. Lance is in it for the long haul since both boys are planning on playing basketball from here on out!

Each season Lance's players and player's parents rave about his coaching skills: patience, positive attitude, knowledge of the game, and so on.

Each season he has more and more kids (and their parents) requesting to get back on his team. You can say that Lance is definitely in high demand and that demand increases with each new season he coaches.

Way to go Coach!! You are the best!

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

To all the moms and grandmoms out there...thank you. To my mom, thank you. For bringing me into this world. For keeping food in my belly, a roof over my head and clothes on my back. Noone can underestimate the power of the feeling of clean underwear! For doing the laundry, for cleaning the house, for paying my insurance (when I was at home), for putting me through college. For being at my basketball games (even when I sat the bench), and baseball games, and standing in the rain at my soccer games. I realize (now with kids of my own) that it was hard work (and with three kids - 3 times the work), so I do appreciate everything about you and what you have done (and still do) for me and us. Thank you & I love you.

To my wife,

There's not enough words to express my appreciation and love for you and what you do for our family. For being small in stature, you have BIG shoulders to carry this family on your back like you have. You do so much for us that you often times forget to take care of yourself. Our two boys are your number one priority and anyone who knows them can tell what an unbelieveable job you have done in raising them. I say you, because you are home with them while I am away. You help them with their homework (probably best, for their sake), cook for them, get them ready for school, take them to school, pick them up from school, volunteer in the classroom, keep the house clean, keep our clothes clean (underwear too!) and too many other things to list. And you do it with a smile and more often than not, an encouraging word. I love you.

I have never been happier or more excited about our future! Often times, I feel I am living a dream life, because our life is what I had always pictured...a happy, loving family with goals for the future. Seems simple...but I can honestly say, I am surrounded by a truly "happy to the core" family. Our two boys are courteous, well-mannered, well behaved kids that are always expressing their happiness - whether it be through happy drawings and words written, or through their singing and jumping around the house (while shooting a basketball, of course), or just their constant laughing, giggling and smiling! What more could I ask for?? And I attribute it to you. You encourage them to go for their dreams, never tell them they can't do this or that, you stretch their imagination and their minds, but the biggest thing of all you do for them? You love them. Unconditionally. Period.

Ask them "who runs the house?" and it's "mommy". Ask them "who's always right?" and it's "mommy". Ask them the most important person in their lives (that doesn't play basketball) and it's "mommy". The words "I Love You" are spoken EVERY DAY in our house, most importantly it is the last thing they (and we) hear before they (and we) go to bed. And that is one BIG thing you are responsible for in our family - love.

While I am sure there are MANY, MANY things I have not thanked you for - just know that I appreciate you each day and EVERYTHING you do. I am eternally thankful to have you in our lives, and please know I am working each day to become a better person, partner and father - though I need a lot of work to get to your level. Thank you for our 12 years of wonderful marriage - and I am lookig foward to an incredible future!!! Thank you for fulfilling my life emotionally and spiritually. I love you to the moon and back...

- Lance

Hard Work Pays Off & Practice Is The Key...

It was hours before tipoff, and on TV...there was Lebron James hitting 10-for-10 against the Bulls in the first period. As every shot dropped, Joshua would yell "Oh my gosh!!!!!". It was a sign of things to come.

As a coach, I can see the potential in every child. The sad thing is, they have to practice and work hard to unleash it or that potential is wasted. Also as a coach, I want to see that potential come out...with each game I think "will this be the game?". As a parent, I want to see my kids succeed at EVERYTHING. When it comes to sports, I want them to be competitive. They don't have to BE the best, just DO their best. The one challenge Joshua has had in his (a little over a) year of playing basketball has been being aggressive - on offense and defense. As a parent, I wondered if it would ever happen. As a coach, I was waiting for it to happen.

From our previous blog entries, you know about Joshua's (and Jayden's) desire for basketball, and Joshua has practiced a lot since first starting in the winter of 2007.

Friday evening was our spring session opener. Just coming off of a "O-fer" and another not-so aggressive winter session, there was a lot to be desired.

"I am going to dominate" were Joshua's words. We had heard them before, and always encourage him to set goals and be confident. But would this be the game? Joshua has always been a good "student", so I preach defense and how the other player cannot score without the ball, and how easy layups come from steals, and how broken up passes that lead to baskets for his team are just as good as him scoring the basket. Did it sink in? Only have we seen glimpses of aggressiveness - until now.

From the tipoff, Joshua was on his man like "white on rice", "like a bad smell", like he was his shadow. He did not let his man breathe. With that he caused turnovers, which led to baskets. Aggressivenss on defense was looking good - how about offense? Two shots - normally ones he makes - two misses. Coach (that's me) calls him over on a dead ball. The advice? "Take a breath, stay agressive on defense, the shots will fall. Relax."

First half - 0 points.

• Second half begins, and again Joshua puts his man on "lockdown", so much so you could see fear in his (the opposing players) face...steal...open layup...and bucket.
• Set up off the free throw line extended, a step inside of the three-point line, jumper...swish! (Dad's getting a little excited at this point)
• Set up in the same corner, closer in from the last shot, jumper...swish. Will someone guard this guy?
• Missed shot, Joshua makes his way to grab the rebound, puts it right back up...another bucket. Smallest guy on the court, playing amongst the trees!!!
• Set up in the deep corner -again a step inside three point territory, man flying at him...jumper...knocked over, foul called...SWISH!!! AND ONE!!!!!! (At this point, dad wanted to chest bump everyone in sight, but I am the coach and had to maintain some sort of integrity).

Joshua swishes the free throw, but refs don't count it on account of him hitting 5 shots in a row, us being up by 20 and the game totally in our control (which means I don't know why they didn't count it, because they should have, but didn't).

Joshua's final line: 5-7 shots, 10 points, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 rebounds and a whole game of agressiveness!!!!

Of course Joshua couldn't stop talking about his game (and still can't), and neither could mom and dad. Even Jayden was clapping for his big brother! What excitement!! Congratulations to Joshua on his "breakout" game - we're all proud of him!!!

Now, let's go out and do it again!!!! (That's the coach in me.)