We're Going To The Championship Game!

Left to Right: Gideon, Michael, Gus, Tariq, Thomas, Harmit, Noah, and Evan.

Coaches: Dad and Coach Ki.

What a fun season! I coached for the first time, and Noah's team made it all the way through all the playoffs, and we are playing Saturday for the Title! We started the season 1-3, and over our last 9 games, we are 8-1 (year-to-date record is 9-4). Just shows that when you are down, don't ever count yourself out!!!

Congrats Noah! You have had a GREAT season!!!

I hope we win Saturday!

==== (update) ====

We ended up taking second place in the tournament. Great season though! And great final game of the year. We were down 12-1 at half, and came back in the 3rd quarter to make it 12-11. They scored again, making it 14-11. Than, with about 1 minute left on the clock, Noah scored his first basket of the year! HUGE CLUTCH SHOT!!! Made it 14-13! The excitement was so intense!!! However, we didn't make another basket, and they did. We lost 16-13, but it was a GREAT game and a GREAT season!!!

And all the Angels rejoiced ...



Today Sammy asked about inviting Jesus into his heart. After talking, he decided he wanted to talk to Jesus about it when we got home. Later that night, I asked Sammy if he still was wanting to talk to Jesus and ask Him to live in his heart. Sammy said yes, but said he wanted to do it by himself. I left the room (except to sneak in and take this photo) and Sammy committed his heart to Jesus, telling Him that he believed in Him, he wanted to obey Him, he wanted to listen to His voice when He spoke, he wanted his sins forgiven, and He wanted to someday go to Heaven!

HUGE DAY FOR SAMUEL ROBERT SCHMIDGALL!

Congrats! Today is your spiritual birthday!

March 19, 2006 (3/19/06)

I could not be more proud, happy, and filled with love for God than I am today!

We Won!!!

What a fun weekend! Busy Busy Busy! One of the highlights was the basketball game on Saturday. We played the number one team in the league, and pulled of an upset. Noah played killer-D on the best player in the league, and helped ensure victory.

One of the things that was so great was having Uncle Joel and Aunt Nina come out for the game. They made a sign for the game, too!

I know I've told you this before, but friends come and go, and family lasts forever! Thanks to Uncle Joel and Aunt Nina for coming out! You made the game even more special.

A couple other highlights from this weekend: both of you helped me stain the deck (and did an awesome job), we went to the Grand Opening of the Coffee House, Ebenezers, we went to the park with Parker, Summer and Siah, Taylor slept over Friday night, and you went to Alex's bday party as The Little Gym on Sunday (you gave him a Darth Vader helmet)! Fun times!

ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET Thanks boys! This is a picture of the all you can eat buffet that you put together for me for my bday! SWEET! You can't see the food real well b/c it's behind you, but we had steak, mashed potatos, fried, fruit salad, dinner salad, fresh strawberries, doritos, bread, apples, and a homemade bday cake (that you guys made). Thanks for showin' the love! I love you!!!

ROCK ON!!!

I love my new bday gift from you boys! Ping Pong Rocks!!! We are going to have so much fun playing this thing for a long time! You guys are going to be the best ping pong players b/f it's all said and done!

I stayed up until about 10:30 pm last night getting this thing put together, so you didn't get to play it last night. But, you woke up at 6:30 am this morning (which is about 90 minutes earlier than normal) and went downstairs to get in your first official game of Ping Pong on our new table.

You guys are just as excited as I am. The good thing about you waking up so early is that I got to play for about 10 minutes with each of you before I left for work! THAT WAS A BLAST!

Well, thank you Noah and Sam, for my birthday present! This is one of the best birthday's ever! I sure do you love you boys!!!

But once I get that Ping Pong paddle in my hands ... GAME ON!!!!!!!!! SHOW NO MERCY! YES SENSI!!! (Karate Kid quote)

I Love You More ...

I am so lucky and blessed! For some reason, I just feel a desire to blog today to tell you boys how much I love you! I really really really love you both soooo much!

Noah and Sammy - you both have such sweet and tender hearts. God has blessed your mom and me with the two boys that are perfect for our family.

In fact, if they took all the kids in the world and lined them up, and they told me I could pick any two for my kids, I would pick you two EVERY TIME!

I love playing with you, talking with you, laughing with you, watching TV with you, playing PS2 with you, and just being with you. We definitely have times where things aren't perfect, but that's because we aren't perfect! I definitely make mistakes at times, but I am trying my best! And there is nothing more important to me than for you both to know that you are loved. You were put on this earth by God with a special purpose. It's something that God needs to reveal to you, and that you need to spend time searching for and praying about, but don't ever doubt that you were hand-made by God for a specific reason!

I'm cheering for you guys! I want to see you boys happy! I want to see you enjoy life. I want you to find and enjoy the good things that come your way. Life is a journey, and at every juncture on this journey, you will be able to look around and see beauty and blessing, and also see ugliness and cursing. In every place there are both! Choose to focus on the good! Notice that beauty and blessing in life. Focus on what's good and right and just. Focus on how fortunate we are!

Just like the Master Jedi in Star Wars taught his apprentice with these words, "Young Jedi, your focus determines your reality." FOCUS ON WHAT IS GOOD and that will become your reality. Focus on what is kind, and gentle, and patient, and blessed, and that will become your reality!

We are BLESSED! We are CHOSEN by God! We are DESTINED for heaven! We are FAMILY!

I love you boys! I love you! I love you! I love you!

I can't say it enough or do enough to express my love for you, and how blessed I feel to have you as my boys!

Anyway, I hope this all makes sense some day.

Dad