Happy Birthday, Nick!!

yes, it was "totes" awesome...

Well, the first annual Bloom sibling Weekend O' Fun was a rousing success!! Jungle Jim's, Ikea, Trader Joe's, the MEAL OF THE CENTURY, and much brotherly/sisterly love! Luckily, between Sam, Ellen, and I the WHOLE weekend was documented. We'll let the photos speak for themselves...

Stick to plumbing, Chad...

"Just what the doctor ordered..."

We are quickly approaching the three year anniversary of the Bloom's and Summers' starting their lives together. And it really wasn't our best year... This was "The Year of the Discipline Problems" such as the "Linson Debacle" and "the Night Chad Almost Had a Heart Attack Due to the Bad Behavior" which spurred us to write the Handbook. It was also the year we had the vacation from hell and MANY problems with the glorious ex-husband and ex-wife, not to mention a certain sister/sister-in-law. (This is where the phrase "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" really comes into play.) BUT...of course it wasn't all bad... There were so many moments when I was having a conversation with Mitch or Nick, or watching Chad with Ian and Samantha and thought "This really is the BEST! Whatever did we do when we weren't a family?" And so, we'll end the year with photos from a wonderful family night we just had - probably the most fun we've had as a family all year. And we have high hopes that the coming year will be better. And if not, we know that no matter what comes we'll get through it because we really have finally become a true family. Photos and videos from a fun-filled Komets hockey game!

Braces x 2

Well, we now have two with braces... And next month, Ian has an appointment to see if it's time to start Phase 2 of his orthodontia work. I'm imagining the following conversation with a friend, coworker, whoever...

other person: "So when do you and Chad leave for Mexico?"
me: "We're not going this year."
other person: "Oh, are you going somewhere else?"
me: "No, 3/4 of our children got braces in the last six months..."
other person: "Ohhhh...so the ORTHODONTIST will be going on vacation..."

Enjoy a vacation on us, Dr. Hoagburg...at least have a slushy drink and think of me... (sigh)

A Ski Trip With Dad

And this time, no broken bones! Hurray!

A fancy dinner out...and learning to use the timer on the camera...

Chad and I decided to celebrate the new year with a fancy, kid-free night out! Since no one was here to take our picture I decided it was time to learn how to use the timer on the camera. Here is the final picture after MANY outtakes...

And here we have some photos during the "learning" process...I was having WAY too much fun!

Samantha's fried chicken...

Made with a little help from Mom and Chad!