Race Did It Again!!!

Haley Elementary had another Running Club Race today held at Tarwater Elementary. There were 5 schools and almost 600 children participating! It was insane. Once again, the children were divided into groups of girls and boys by grade. Even though the 6 grade boys and girls had about a 30 second lead on the 5th grade boys, Race came in 11th overall AND 1st among the 5th grade boys! When the PE coach of Tarwater was announcing the winners, just as she was announcing the 5th grade boys' first place winner, she said that the winner had the perfect name for winning - RACE! Way to go Race!!! He did an amazing job! We are so proud of him!

Off to Columbus Ohio!

We all got up before dawn and drove with morning rush hour traffic to the airport to see Patrick off on his mission. It was good for all the younger boys to see the great example Patrick is setting by going on a mission. Lots of tears and hugs, but all in all, a great experience!

Patrick Ordained an Elder

Here's the "fam" at Patrick's ordination to an Elder. It's hard to believe he grew up so fast! I love the pictures of all the boy cousins together. It's a great group of future missionaries!

Patrick's Farewell

My nephew had his farewell today. He is the first of the grandchildren/nephews to go on a mission. He's headed for the Columbus Ohio mission and he leaves early this Wednesday. We are so proud of him! So many family members were going to come to the family dinner afterward that my sister-in-law called Saturday night and asked if the dinner could be held at our house. No problem! Thank goodness I didn't have to cook for everyone! It was a great time being together. The kids and the adults all had a fun time. This is just a warm up for us - Chance will be leaving for his mission in just a year and a half. Keaton will follow behind just a year later! Man, they sure grow up fast!

Race's First Band Concert - 1/19/10

Race decided to join the band this year! He is playing the alto saxophone, and so far is having a blast. Several of his good friends play in the band as well, which makes it a lot of fun! The 5th grade band did a great job and Mike and I were pleasantly impressed! Great job Race!

Coyotes Game - 1/16/10

The Bloom/Pierce clan is experimenting this year. Mike and I decided that we would take the kids to at least one of all the "pro" games here in town. We lucked out because Mike scored 20 free tickets to the Phoenix Coyotes hockey game. We had never been to a hockey game before and it was a ton of fun. We invited all the cousins to come along. The Coyotes won which means we get to go again for free! This time Mike was able to get 18 tickets all in a row, so, this time we can all sit together!

Haley Running Club - Track Meet 1/14/2010

Race had his first track meet with his school's running club on January 14, 2010. It was great fun! We had never been to a meet like this and didn't know what to expect. They had the kids run in groups of girls and boys by grade level, 1 1/2 miles. Race did amazing! He came in 3rd overall and 2nd in his grade level! Way to go Race! (He definately fits his name!)

Rylie's 10th Birthday!

Happy 10th Birthday to Rylie! I can't believe my baby is in the double digits! She had an amazing birthday party! The girls started out making their own pizzas and decorating their own heart cakes. They next had a great time breaking open the pinata. The girls had a great time with that! Let me tell you, you don't want to mess with some of these girls! Next, it was time for games, games, games. The girls played for hours! After games, they watched the movie, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs." By that time (1:00 am), most of the girls had fallen asleep - thank goodness. I thought they'd be up all night! The next morning, after a breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausage, the girls had fun sliding down the stairs. What a way to end the party!

New Year's Eve 2009

One of the great traditions that we love is New Year's Eve at the cousins. This year we missed having Chance and Keaton there, because they were visiting their friend, Shaun, in Albuquerque for the week. But, Race and Rylie had a great time! We spend the evening snacking and playing games (Bunco is the favorite!) and as soon as the clock strikes 12:00 am, the real fun begins! All of the neighborhood children (and adults) come out loaded with silly string. This year each kid had 12 cans to use. As you can see, it gets pretty intense! The kids also have boxes of poppers to make noise with, as well. All in all, a pretty great way to ring in a new year!

Christmas 2009

Christmas Day with all the family - how fun! We have a tradition in our family; we have a huge 'breakfast for dinner' and then we open up all our gifts on Christmas Eve! We actually used to do this when I was a child too. The kids love this and mom and dad get to sleep in on Christmas morning. A total win-win for us!