Elista's Birthday

Elista is 9 years old. I can't believe it. Anyway we celebrated her birthday last Tuesday at our favorite eating establishment The Golden Corral (or the feeding trough as mom calls it). We eat there almost every Tuesday because kids eat for 99 cents and my Brian can't refuse a good buffet especially one that serves steaks.
We usually go there with our neighbor's Rob and Karen and their kids Collin, Conner, and Mackenzie. Here is a picture of all six kids.
This is Rob and Karen.


I hate pictures of myself but here is one anyway along with Brian. Someone made the comment that we have been married long enough now we are starting to look like eachother. Does anyone agree with that?

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share PhotosHere is video of Elista opening her presents. She got some jewelry since she is all about accessories and The Littlest Pet Shop game. She also thanks her Grandma Bear for $5 and Grandma Donnelly for sending her a card.
So I'll end with a huge smile from my 9 year old daughter.

Auditions, Camp Thunderbird, and Elista Haas the Racing Wonder

It has been a busy week in the Land of Haas starting with Tuesday March 27th. In Rock Hill there is a festival every spring called the Come See Me Festival with lots of fun stuff. This year they are doing something new called Be A Broadway Star that we had Brandon audition for last Tuesday. He sang Any Dream Will Do from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. According to the judges last week he did very well but they ended up not selecting him for one of the fifteen spots they had. Bummer! If any of you have heard Brandon sing you know how talented he is. I guess it was a good experience for him but we are still disappointed that he can't share his talent with Rock Hill.
The next morning Wednesday the 28th Brandon journeyed to Camp Thunderbird for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning. This was his first trip away from home so I was a bit nervous about how he would do. His whole fifth grade class went.

This is him loaded down with all the stuff he had to take.

Friday he returned and he'd had an awesome time. They had ziplines, canoing, hiking, basketball, and cabins to stay in. His first words to me were I want to go back. I am so happy he had a good time.

Now on to the racing champion. On Saturday we went to mini-racing. These guys race around in go-karts with race car bodies over them. It is called stadium racing because they set up these cool banked tracks in stadiums. It was pretty neat and as with all racing in gets the Donnelly blood boiling in my veins.

Some Donnelly blood must have filtered down to Elista as well. Before the race the kids were down in the pits getting autographs from the drivers and an official aproached me and asked if Elista wanted to compete in a Big Wheel challenge. She said yes. They had two heats and then one main event with the top two from each heat moving up. In her heat their were four kids racing and the announcer went over to all of the kids and asked all of their names and where their were from. Well the other kids just kind of mumbled into the micorphone and Elista very perikly said I'm Elista Haas and I am from Rock Hill, Sc. So they raced all the way across the stadium and Elista won! The announcer came over to talk to her since she had won and he asked how she had won the race and she said clear as day, "Its because my Grandpa Bear used to race." She raced again in the main event and got second place and she got to keep her big wheel and a cool trophy. She also picked the no. 20 bike because her daddy likes Tony Stewart.

Of course we can't leave Corbin out. He didn't have quite the week the other two had but we did get a picture of him with his baseball and glove. So that is the end of this long blog.