for real.

toaster strudel's

2012-01-27T10:07:00.001-08:00

breakfast with ava and eden.

we like to label our food around here...just in case we forget who's is who's.

and it's fun ;)

gamers

2012-01-25T21:47:00.001-08:00

there isn't a day that goes by that i don't find these two sprawled out on the floor playing a game together.

except, sometimes they are forced to move their game to higher ground

if they find that jonah is using their game pieces as chew toys.

i think they got this game playing trait from their parents.

we are quite the gamers ourselves and i feel as if we are rubbing off onto our kids.

once upon a time, we used to play games with our friends and family into the wee hours of the morning...

(like 3 or 4 in the morning).

this was once upon a time when we were minus three or four kids.

nonetheless, this family loves games :)

chinese new year

2012-01-24T10:55:00.000-08:00

ava goes to this cute little montessori preschool where they celebrate all of these holidays from around the world. yesterday was the first day of the chinese new year. so, ava got to learn all about their new year's traditions. she even learned how to say "happy new year" in chinese but, at the moment she has forgotten how it goes. oh, well.

happy chinese new year!... (yesterday)

the breinholt's go to disneyland

2012-01-22T12:57:00.002-08:00

so i guess i was just kidding when i said that i was posting my last of disneyland because here is yet another post of disneyland...only video style :)

hope you enjoyed the show!

*music by outasight "tonight is the night"

*video recorded by the 8mm vintage camera iphone app

disneyland: part III

2012-01-20T11:04:00.001-08:00

just a few more pictures from you know what....

the end.

disneyland: part II

2012-01-19T08:24:00.000-08:00

i'm afraid to say, but here are a lot more pictures from our disney weekend.....

(can you spot tinkerbell?)

disneyland: part I

2012-01-18T10:13:00.001-08:00

DISNEYLAND

M*L*K weekend 2012

pre-warning: there are a lot of pictures ahead.

i tried to narrow them down as much as i could but i just love disneyland so much...(and my little family :))

we braved the long lines, the freezing rain, the meltdowns from lots of sugar and lack of sleep, the stroller pushing and the rides that kept breaking down. (i'm talking about you, pirates of the caribbean.)

but it didn't matter.

when we are disneyland, we can't help but smile.

jack was finally tall enough for indiana jones, ava was tall enough to ride splash mountain and others, big thunder mountain became a favorite, eden met her idol, best day ever (rapunzel), jonah got initiated with his first mouse ears, and the kids met a new friend, erin, who was the sweetest disney cast member ever.

(jack would also describe her as "pretty" and "hot".)

disneyland arrival

2012-01-13T20:44:00.000-08:00

we made it...(along with buzz and jessie) to disneyland, california without car sickness and without jack throwing up. yay!

(between me and him, we have the weakest stomachs.)

and i'm not sure if disneyland is a city, but if it isn't, it should be.

so, here we are, enjoying our friday the 13th with mickey mouse and friends.

the kids are going bonkers and can't wait to hit the park in the morning.

it's going to be one rockin weekend.

jonah and the outdoors

2012-01-12T12:58:00.000-08:00

jonah is such a sucker for an afternoon outside.

actually, make that any time of the day.

he would probably play outside all day if i'd let him.

crawling around, eating leaves, tasting rocks, sucking on screwdrivers, watching cars go by, seeing kids play...

there's just so much to do.

jonah+outside=happy baby :)

dress-up

2012-01-11T12:44:00.000-08:00

these girls love to dress up.

they also, love to have dance parties while dressed up.

however, i think this particular dress up dance party may have had to do with the fact that we are headed for disneyland...in two days!

my kids have been counting down for the last two weeks.

we sure do love us a good trip to disneyland.

and we are very excited to show jonah what the" happiest place on earth" is all about.

it will be the little mister's first time down main street.

can't wait.

(oh man, i can just taste one of those soft mickey mouse pretzels now. they are sooo good.)

sunday: post church

2012-01-10T11:16:00.000-08:00

our sunday afternoons are filled with a variety of activities. some may be taking a bean bag nap (jason), sliding down the banister (ava and eden), bonding with siblings (sometimes in a good way and sometimes in not so good way), browsing the internet for things that make you wish christmas wasn't just two weeks ago (me), eating snacks for meals (all of us), and/or watching the kiddos reinvent the same sunday past times from my childhood (me, again).

scenes from a warm january saturday afternoon

2012-01-09T11:12:00.001-08:00

it was such a perfect weekend to be outside with the amazing 70 degree weather we've been having.

so, we took full advantage of it and did just that.

everyone except for jack, that is, who was inside playing with his friend, the computer.

oh, that boy.

*can you tell that my kids prefer to wear as little clothes as possible.

good thing we live in arizona.

it's over

2012-01-06T11:53:00.001-08:00

{what my kitchen counter looks like when jack get's home from school. taken a few months back.}

my life of no schedules is over.

christmas break has officially ended (boo).

jack returned back to school yesterday.

this means that schedules, carpools, homework, making lunches, and getting up early (ugh) are back on.

and things like getting all the way to school to find out that jack has forgotten his backpack but remembered his nintendo dsi are going to happen.

and it did.

this morning.

it also means, that in a short week and a half, i will be returning to school myself (double ugh).

that's right. school. me.

i have two more classes to take before i begin nursing school in the fall.

{well that is the plan-i have been on wait list for almost two years now, so i should get in the fall}

needless to say, it's going to be a very interesting four months since i will be in school, ava in swimming and ballet, jack in karate, eden is swimming and jason working full time.

sometimes, i just like to make my life as complicated as possible....{and since i can't run marathons for now, i will find other ways to complicate it :)}

jonah's new love

2012-01-05T09:10:00.000-08:00

jonah has found there is more in life than cheerios and bland baby food in suck pouch.

he has found frozen gogurts.

and he loves them.

eden thinks they're pretty good too.

dave and busters

2012-01-03T19:27:00.001-08:00

last week we went to dave and busters (think of a peter piper just for adults) for a date night with jason's cousin and wife. we like to go and have contests to see which couple can win the most tickets with the same amount of money. the very first game that i played, i spun a wheel and won a thousand tickets. i was so shocked. jason wasn't even around. he was off playing some other game. so, there i was high fiving a bunch of strangers and celebrating without him. i did finally get him to come over to where i was so i could show him my lucky winnings.

{piles and piles of tickets}

new year's day dinner

2012-01-02T16:03:00.001-08:00

new year's day: January 1, 2012

we started a new little thing this year where we have a new year's day dinner and we talk about the things that we want to do and accomplish throughout the new year.

jack through a fit most of dinner because we didn't have any rolls for him to eat, ava thought everything was so fancy and so lovely, eden cried every time she tried to eat something because her mouth was hurting her and jonah was quite content with smothering his face with mashed potatoes.

the girlies kept cheersing with everyone to the new year.

they think that is such a grown up thing to do so when they are doing it i think it makes them feel so sophisticated.

(because after all, that is what we are. sophisticated. didn't you know?)

finally, we got around to asking the kids what their goals are for the year.

(except we had to explain to them what goals where first.)

jack: to learn karate so he can beat up his emenies. yes, emenies.

ava: wants to learn how to jump rope.

eden: disneyland. (i guess she just wants to get really good at going disneyland but that was all we could get out of her)

then, the parents said a few things that they wanted to work on...

jason: say family prayer together every night.

me: try to be more patient with my kiddos :)

(i really wish i could say to run a couple of marathons too but thanks to an overactive thyroid that won't be happening any time soonish. blasted thyroids!)

anyways, cheers to a new year!

christmas 2011

2011-12-30T12:48:00.001-08:00

**the breinholt's**

christmas morning

2011

what a day christmas is. it is such a thrill to watch my kids in pure delight.

this christmas i happened to wake up before my kids (around 7:30ish) and i went into their rooms to wake them up so i could be the first to see their surprised little faces when they walked into the family room to see what santa had brought them this year.

jonah who celebrated his first christmas, found a rocking horse, eden a tricycle, ava a shiny new bike, and jack an electric guitar that he has been asking santa for for a long time.

jason and i just sat back and watched the kids tear through their presents and stockings.

if only i could freeze christmas day for a whole week.

there is so much joy and happiness.

but most importantly, we are all together, healthy and well.

temple lights on christmas eve

2011-12-28T19:10:00.000-08:00

every christmas eve since i was 6 or 7, we would go see the lights at the mesa, az temple as a family. we would all pile in the car and sing christmas songs the whole way there. being at the temple would always put me in the right spirit of christmas.

this year, we headed over to the temple, just like in years past, with my parents and my brothers and sisters. i love seeing how they have changed the lights from year to year and what new things they have added to the already astonishing light display. the temple grounds are so beautiful and festive at christmas time. i'm so glad that i am getting to share this tradition with my little family and i hope that my kids will grow up remembering the true meaning of christmas.

making/decorating cookies for santa

2011-12-27T21:54:00.001-08:00

1. first we made them.

2. then, we decorated them.

3. then, we picked out our most favorite ones to give to the big man in red.

*my kids look forward to decorating sugar cookies for santa every year and this year was no exception.

school is out

2011-12-23T10:06:00.000-08:00

jack had a little program at school on wednesday which was also his last day before christmas break. the kids sang a few christmas songs including mele kalikimaka dressed in hawaiian getup, feliz navidad accompanied with homemade maraca shakers, santa clause is comin to town neil diamond style, and the dradle song. afterwards, they served donuts, hot chocolate (which i think is a common combo at christmas time) and smores. i also collected a bunch of crafts that jack had been working on all december before heading out the door for a two week long break.

i have been looking forward to christmas break for a little while now (kids aren't the only ones who look forward to those breaks). i am not a morning person so the thought of not having to get up in a panic (because i woke up late) to get jack ready, make his lunch, make him breakfast, get him dressed, wake up ava, plead with her to brush her hair, wake her up again because she fell back asleep, change jonah's diaper, get jack off the computer because his ride is here, quickly comb his hair, make jonah happy since he is crying and eden is dragging him around the house, stop to make eden breakfast because she thinks she is starving to death, try to force ava to eat breakfast, blah, blah, blah... and do all this in about 15 minutes. not having to do all of this sound great. plus, if i'm lucky, i might even get to sleep in. and by sleep in, i mean lying in my bed awake and being interrupted every 2 minutes while listening to kids fight and make messes in the nearby rooms. but, hey, i'll take it over rushed morning schedules :)

wishing

2011-12-22T10:02:00.000-08:00

something tells me jonah wishes he could go outside and play.

i bet if he could talk, it would sound something like this: "mom, please let me go outside and play. i promise i won't eat dirt and rocks and crawl through the mud puddles. pleeease."

christmas caroling with the breinholts

2011-12-20T08:56:00.000-08:00

every year we go to jason's uncle's house for a night of dinner, caroling, mingling, and donuts with hot chocolate. as soon as we arrive, the kids go crazy running around with all their cousins from this to that. i can never find them or get them to eat dinner. when the time comes, we all load up on a trailer (a very large semi sized trailer) full of hay and even a santa clause in his sleigh. we ride through neighborhoods snuggled together singing carols and waving to all the people who come out of their houses wondering what the heck is going on. it is quite a sight to see. when we get back, its donuts and hot chocolate and warm fires. the kids go even more crazy and play and play. we literally have to yank them by their ears (not really) and force them into the car when it's time to leave. it is truly a wonderful tradition that we look forward to every christmas season.

christmas card rough draft

2011-12-19T08:48:00.000-08:00

it's always interesting to see what happens when i put my four kids in front of a camera...together.

this is what you get.

(i sure do love these goofballs.)

merry christmas!

love,

the breinholts

saturday bribery

2011-12-17T15:13:00.000-08:00

i promised the kids today that if they got their saturday chores done (clean up the toy room, clean their bedrooms, and put away their laundry), then i would take them to a movie.

with a few reminders of what they would get if they hurried and got their chores done, they were able to complete their tasks much faster than a normal saturday.

it's amazing what a little bribery can do.

of course, the movie they chose was chipmunks chipwrecked.

my kids will watch those chipmunk movies over and over and over again.

so, i wasn't surprised when they all voted for that movie.

all three of them did very well (jason and jonah stayed home) except for eden, who had to go to the bathroom five times... no joke.

(note to self: don't let eden drink a large amount of liquid at the beginning of any movie)

afterwards, we visited the disney store because it is impossible to go to san tan village without stopping by that place.

jason and jonah met up with us for lunch of hamburgers and french fries at johnny rockets.

i love saturdays ;)

a cold morning bike ride

2011-12-15T22:14:00.000-08:00

this morning, i went to take ava to preschool and i couldn't find my car keys anywhere. i assumed jason took them with him to work on accident. i tried to to get a hold of several times but had no luck. so, i piled my kids in the bike trailer. bundled them as good as i could. and headed out into the cold morning. luckily, ava's school is right in the neighborhood so, we didn't have to go too far. come to find out, my keys were under my couch cushion the whole time! at least i can say i got a little morning exercise session in :)

our elf on the shelf

2011-12-14T18:52:00.001-08:00

i think my kids have been acting a little naughty lately because yesterday morning this tiny elf dressed in red was hiding up on our crown molding.

santa was sending my kids a message: you better straighten up because i'm watching you.

our new little elf friend has been doing his job quite nicely.

my kids have been acting much better and are so excited by the presence of this little north polean in our home.

we read the book that he left for us with all his rules and stuff and after much deliberation, decided on a name.

the name they agreed upon is..... (drummer roll)

charlie red.

i guess they like the name charlie and since he's dressed in red, he acquired a second name.

we are so thrilled that charlie red has come to stay with us and look forward to him visiting us in christmases to come.

ward christmas party

2011-12-13T21:02:00.000-08:00

we had a cute little ward christmas party this past weekend.

there was a dinner followed by a nativity where the girls dressed up as angels and the boys dressed up as shepherds.

they sang some christmas hymns and showed off their sweet faces on the big stage.

eden was not one bit shy.

ava tried to blend in.

and jack was bored.

the night was not complete without a well-known visitor from the north pole.... saaanta!

(exclaimed in the same enthusiastic way as buddy the elf)

the kids were overjoyed. i mean, what can i say, after all it was santa but ava was pretty sure it wasn't the real santa because she said that his beard was almost falling off.

i guess we'll never know.

it's my birthday (yesterday) and free food

2011-12-12T08:52:00.001-08:00

(my free breakfast and dinner)

it' true. i celebrated another birthday. so, if you are wondering, that makes me a 31 year old. it's so crazy to think that i am that old. i still think i am a teenager in high school who just watches a bunch of kids everyday and waits for her boyfriend to get home from work so they can hang out and stuff. one day i will realize that none of that is so and that i am really this old woman who pretends she is a lot younger than she is. but until then, i will just continue living in my own little dream world.

however, one benefit to celebrating a birthday here in gilbert, az is the free food from our very own joe's farm grill (also associated with joe's real bbq and liberty market). all three of these unique little eateries give you a free $10 meal on your birthday. and if you play it right (and have a stomach the size of a dinosaur) you could get a total of 9 meals free (and counting if you go back for dessert or something). i'm not sure if this is how it's supposed to work but, nobody is telling you you can't. hmmm. so, if you are celebrating your birthday and you live you here and you didn't already know about this, head on over to joe's and get your free meal(s).

9 month old jonah

2011-12-08T13:06:00.001-08:00

dear jonah,

it's crazy to think you are already 9 months old.

that means you have been out of my belly as long as you were in my belly.

you are such a sweet baby and i get excited each day knowing i get to hang out with you.

you love playing with your brother and sisters.

you love seeing your dad come in through the door and hearing his voice when he gets home from work.

a big smile appears on your face.

you have the prettiest blue eyes and the longest lashes.

most girls are jealous of you because of this.

you are crawling around now and love to explore your house from a whole new perspective.

more like a hands on perspective.

you love big people food and hate formula.

your favorites are cheerios, gold fish, fruit loops and gerber puffs.

anyways, i just wanted to let you know that you are are such a joy to have around and i can already tell you are going to be quite the charmer.

love,

your mommy

eden turns 3

2011-12-05T09:42:00.001-08:00

eden began her third year of life on december 1, 2011. she celebrated by having a couple of her friends over to play and decorate chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting and sprinkles. our neighbor, mia, who we have adopted as our children's other grandma, got eden dora jammies for her birthday. she insisted on wearing them all day. and why not? after all, it is her birthday.

at night time, she made a wish and blew out candles on her "best day everrrrrr" cake. (aka Tangled) she then opened her present from me and her dad which was a rapunzel doll and pascal the cameleon. she was in heaven.

eden is hilarious. jason and i laugh every day at that girl. she can be very stubborn and strongwilled but she makes life interesting and keeps us on our toes. she loves tangled, dora, babies (especially the real one, jonah, who she thinks is actually her own baby), she loves dairy foods, playing outside, iphones, ipads, playing with ava, singing, dancing, her 2 pink blankies, her dad, and being around her family. we are so blessed to have eden in our lives.

happy birthday eden.

we hope you had the best day everrrrrr.

decorating the christmas tree

2011-12-02T09:44:00.001-08:00

it's the most wonderful time of the year. it really is. there is nothing like getting ready for christmas and decorating the tree while listening to some christmas tunes. the kids are so giddy and full of christmas spirit. i love seeing all the ornaments that my kids have made throughout the past years and the ones they have received on christmas morning. (every year they get a new one in their stocking). they get so excited seeing them too. our tree is just a hodge podge of this and that but when its all done (and after i have moved the majority of the ornaments from the lower third up to the remaining two thirds since my kids can't reach very high) it looks better than any old fancy tree adorned with matchy matchy ornaments. i love it. it feels like christmas to me :)

what jack and ava are thankful for

2011-11-30T10:49:00.000-08:00

i love to see what my kids are thinking via their school work.

especially when they are expressing what they are thankful for.

{goodbye november and hello december}

thanksgiving in show low, az

2011-11-28T15:15:00.000-08:00

we spent thanksgiving with jason's family this year in a cabin in show low, az. there were kids everywhere. 27, to be exact. i think the adults felt a little out numbered at times. but it was fun to see all the cousins together having a good time.

we played tennis, watched lots of modern family, played games, my kids cheeks turned red as they always do when the weather gets dry and cold (i call them my little santa clause babies), drank hot chocolate, made some food crafts, took naps, ate lots of food, watched some football, jack tagged the forest, we had no bedtimes and pretty much did whatever sounded good at the time. it was chill and low key. it was also nice to be cold :) (except in the middle of the night when an extra blanket would've come in handy)

thanksgiving dinner was wonderful and delicious and of course, filling. jack was so funny. the night before thanksgiving he was so excited that he couldn't fall asleep. he kept telling me that he couldn't wait until he got to eat turkey and mash potatoes and pumpkin pie. he seemed just as excited for thanksgiving as he is on christmas eve. strange kid.

we are so thankful that we got to spend thanksgiving with our family. we are so thankful for each other and for our knowledge of an eternal family. we are most thankful for a loving heavenly father and for his plan for us. it's such a great time of year and it's always nice to sit and reflect on all the things that we are thankful for. (because there are so many.....)

to the mountains

2011-11-22T10:35:00.000-08:00

we are off to the mountains to spend thanksgiving in a cozy cabin.

we are hoping that we get to wear some winter-y clothes and some winter-y hats.

we're pretty excited.

hope everyone has a lovely thanksgiving.

gilbert days 5k

2011-11-21T14:35:00.000-08:00

jack and i ran in a local 5k this past weekend. i thought i would be good motivator for jack and that i would run along side of him to keep him going if he got tired or discouraged. well, i was wrong. this kid can run. just a couple of minutes into the run, i told jack if he wanted to go ahead he could. so, he did. he ended up finishing about 3 minutes faster than me. i am pretty out of shape but still, my 7 year old beat me in his first 5k ever. and he was the first to let me know. although, after he got done bragging to me about how he beat me, he preceded to tell me that i still did a good job. (ahh, thanks jack)

*jack finished 5th in the 8 under division and we were so surprised at his skills but yet so proud.

(thanks to the fam for cheering us on)

afternoon time

2011-11-19T12:16:00.000-08:00

whenever jack gets home from school, we love to head outside and wait for our dad to get home.

(that is after i force jack to do his homework and he repeatedly tells me he wishes there never was homework)

but when our dad does arrive home, there is pure excitement and maybe even some kids being launched high into the air.

this never happens

2011-11-17T13:22:00.001-08:00

my 16 year old sister stayed with us for a couple of nights. so, we took full advantage of it. we went out for ice cream... on a tuesday night. which is completely unheard of when you are parents to four small kids. we felt such like rebels.

we went to one of our favorite ice cream places, nielson's frozen custard. luckily, we got there right before they were closing. i, of course, got a banana split. they are my absolute fav. i switched it up a bit, though. i got it with chocolate, vanilla, and pumpkin custard topped with fudge and marshmallow cream. it was pretty dang good. jason always gets the same too, a concrete, which for him is chocolate custard with brownies. it was such a nice treat to get to sneak out on a weeknight for some dessert and some one on one with my husband :)

ava ties her shoes

2011-11-16T14:01:00.000-08:00

ava can officially tie her shoes all by herself.

(thanks to a handy teaching tool at her school)

and she officially passed her older brother up on this one.

(jack just has his friends tie his shoes for him at school if they do come untied)

jack is also not bothered by the fact that his sister can tie her shoes and he cannot.

i was hoping this would have motivated him to learn, but nope.

i guess ava will just have to tie their shoes for the both of them... since she's so good at it ;)

a cinnamon roll weekend

2011-11-15T09:39:00.001-08:00

this past weekend i decided to sell cinnamon rolls since we have been having some much anticipated cooler weather. (because who doesn't appreciate a yummy warm cinnamon roll on a cool morning?) i used to sell lots of cinnamon rolls every weekend with my sister in law but since she has moved away, i don't do it as often. but the autumn season sure does bring out the baker in me. the best part about baking cinnamon rolls is the way my house smells all day long. my kids sure do reap the benefits as well. they get to eat cinnamon rolls for breakfast, lunch, and dinner whether i like it or not. they literally go crazy for them.

i thought i was done baking on saturday but eden snuck up on the counter and decided to eat somebody's ordered cinnamon rolls so i had to bake some more on sunday. which is why it was a cinnamon roll weekend and the reason for eating these little guys for every meal. they sure are a treat. i also want to thank my sweet husband for waking up with me at 5 am on saturday morning to help me bake :) he is such a good sport.

veteran's day at the zoo

2011-11-11T20:36:00.001-08:00

jack wanted to go to a veteran's day parade today but that wasn't going to happen so, we settled for the phoenix zoo instead. we went with our friends and the kids had a blast. however, i think the whole state of arizona had the same idea. everyone and their dog was there but the day couldn't have been anymore perfect. the weather was a little overcast with a slight breeze. a perfect arizona autumn day. i can't blame everyone for wanting to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. surprisingly, all four of my kids where pretty well behaved. i only lost eden once and the fit throwing was to a minimum. if only there was a compact four kid stroller. i think that would solve all my problems. and if there wasn't overpriced zoo rides that entice my children to the point that they almost can't control themselves.

funny face

2011-11-10T16:04:00.001-08:00

*getting eden to smile for the camera is not working out so great these days. this seems to be her only camera face.

i want candy

2011-11-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

halloween 2011

imagine a skeleton, rapunzel, princess tiana, and indiana jones (with a real scar)....

images from our halloween night...

(tangled hair that really gets tangled and a very painful smile)

(my beautiful blue eyed skeleton)

jack calls these "man size candybars".

yes, he made that up all on his own.

it was a happy halloween.

jack-o-lanterns

2011-11-07T11:42:00.000-08:00

our annual jack-o-lantern carving on the back porch.

we found our perfect pumpkins, we cleaned them out, and we carved them up.

as usual, ava couldn't wait to get her hands all slimy and dirty while jack just stood by and watched until it was time to carve.

eden and jonah were the spectators.

(jack's right, ava's left)

our newly carved jack-o-lantern friends ready for halloween night.

taylor swift-er concert

2011-10-24T12:55:00.001-07:00

a friday night with just the girls....

this past weekend, my sister in law flew in from texas with her two girls.

the reason for this visit, and the only reason for this visit: taylor swift.

she was here, in phoenix, with her gazillion semi's full of who knows what, performing at jobing.com arena.

and we were there too.

(we, meaning, me and 4 of my sister in law's and there girls.)

we grabbed some dinner and then headed out to glendale for a thrilling night.

the girls were beyond excited and i think the mom's may have been a tiny bit too.

the cousins at nypd pizza before the show.

(bailey, chancey, mckenna, addi, ava, and lucy)

one excited little monkey.

still excited, but getting impatient for taylor swift to make her appearance.

there she is... taylor swift herself during the opening number: mine.

she closed out the show with a fan favorite, love story, as she sang from a moving balcony that hovered over the audience followed by a mass of confetti.

it was a quite a show.

way more than i expected, for sure.

ava was so cute as she sang along to the songs.

although, i think she may be the only human being whose biological clock still works during a taylor swift concert. 9:15 hit and she was out. mind you, not only was the music and crowd extremely loud but there was also fireworks going off and she just snoozed through it all.

she did finally wake back up for the last couple of songs.

my favorite thing ava said all night was when we were in the car riding home.

ava: " mom, how does taylor swift know our names?"

me: " well, she doesn't."

ava: " then who invited us to her concert?"

if only she knew that those tickets cost us a pretty penny.

but, it was worth it.

fall break-e

2011-10-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

we vacationed in mexico for fall break.

surprise, surprise. (it probably always seems like we are going to mexico)

but, this time was different.

we did mexico resort style.

which was awesome and amazing and super relaxing.

thanks to our awesome friends (adam and carolyn) who invited us but then left early cause their sweet baby fell off the bed and hit his head on the tile floor (ouchie) and since nobody wants to take their kid to a mexican hospital.... back to az they went.

luckily, they have awesome parents who were willing to still hang out with us and didn't make us feel like we were then imposing on their vacay :)

no trip to mexico is complete without an ice cream from thrify's. ,.÷

playdoh creations on the patio which got everywhere and was whole lot of fun to clean up.

no, it really wasn't.

we did everything you would normally do on a beachy/pool vacation just with a mexican flare

(think hair braiding and pool aerobic instructors tweeting a whistle every 5 seconds followed by their signature chant: ooah ooah..... oh, and of course lots of mexican food.)

unfortunately, our vacationado had to come to an end but not without chowing down on some fresh tortillas at the border.

a night at the ballpark

2011-09-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

friday night

diamondbacks vs giants

playoff clincher

we went to the diamondbacks game this last weekend.

we took the transit system and it was unbelievably crowded.

i had no idea that that many people used that thing.

people were everywhere.

jonah cried the whole time. (45 min)

he decided to cut four teeth at one time and was spiking fevers.

when we got into the ball park it was just like the transit: unbelievably crowded.

it was a sold out game.

i have never been to a sold out diamondbacks game.

i didn't know it could sell out minus when they were in the world series.

but this was not the world series.

just a playoff clincher.

our seats were close, to the outfield that is but still cool.

(thanks dad for getting the seats.)

jonah still cried most the time.

our kids didn't sit still for not even a minute.

we must have made 50 trips to the bathroom.

eden wouldn't wear her shoes (which is pretty normal, even in public)

from the 20 minutes of what i saw, it seemed to be a good game.

they won but we booked it out of there before we could see them win in order to make a less crowded train home. (and our kids were being horrible)

we were literally running for our lives to make the train and we did... by seconds.

phew.

jonah cried the whole time, again.

but at least this time our family was together and we weren't all smashed up against perfect strangers.

(just in case you were wondering what it would be like to take 4 kids, 7 and under to a baseball game.)

what can i say?, good times.

it's always an adventure whenever we go further than 50 ft from our house.

(ava staring out the window while jack plays games on jason's phone)

the end to that adventure.

ava turns 5

2011-09-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

ava's birth-day

9.21.11

our traditional birthday breakfast: a pancake man.

birthday dinner at "migamigos" (mi amigos).

checking out her present.

being sung happy birthday while wearing a giant sombrero.

posing with the giant sombrero.

and more posing with the giant sombrero.

at last, making a final birthday wish as the day comes to a close.

ava is officially five.

she can fill up a whole a hand.

she is pretty excited about it, too.

sweet ava, we love you so much.

you are a breath of fresh air.

you are the one i know i can trust.

so loving, so nurturing, so sweet, so full of life.

everyone loves to be around you because of your infectious personality.

i am so lucky to have you as my daughter.

happy birthday.

our front yard

2011-09-15T14:17:00.000-07:00

dear front yard,

it's nice too see ya again.

it feels like forever since we've hung out.

what? like 3 months.

anyways, we are really looking forward to getting to spend more time with you.

we enjoy being outside and watching the kids play and the cars go by.

jonah especially loves the change of scenery and the fresh air.

thanks for the lovely afternoon.

p.s. if you could make the ants go away, that would be great.

never forgot

2011-09-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

(ava and eden playing in the rain from this past weekend)

its hard to believe it's been 10 years since 9-11. i was living in connecticut and going to college at the university of bridgeport which was 45 minutes from new york city. i was sitting in my soccer coaches office and he had the radio on in the background. he said, "did you here that?" "they said a plane just ran into the world trade center." i didn't know what to think at the time and so we just sat there and kept and talking. then it came across the radio again that a second plane hit again. At this time, i booked it across campus back to my dorm where i flipped on the the tv to see the burning towers. it was so strange. like watching a movie on tv but only it was the real thing. i could see and hear people crying in the nearby dorms. many of the people who attended my college were from the tri-state area and they knew people who worked in the world trade centers. the whole thing was so bizarre at the time. and then the first tower fell and shock just came over everyone's faces. and then the second. around that time we were starting to get word that our school was being evacuated. our school was an international school and there were many people from many places who attended. so, for precautionary reasons we had to leave. my whole soccer team ended up at my coach's house where we glued to the television for the next couple of hours. everyone was just in such disbelief.

i can only speak for the east coast since that was where i was living, but i have never in my life seen and felt such a unification in our nation that lasted for the next couple of weeks. you would be driving down the highway and you would see hundreds of signs referring to our country and standing together as one. american flags where everywhere. i think i had goosebumps for three weeks straight. i didn't want it to end.

at the time, it was the middle of our soccer season and many of our games were played near new york city such as in queens and long island. i remember driving to one of our games and we were crossing a bridge looking over new york city about a week after the attacks and we could see the tip of manhattan which was still covered in smoke. we all just sat there in the van staring with our mouths hanging open. it was silent. reality hit all of us. it was so surreal. i think some were crying. i will never forget that moment.

this day will always bring back a flood of memories and emotions. i am grateful that i was living where i was at the time and got to experience a nation really pulling together in a time of distress. it makes me thankful for my country.

the breinholts go camping

2011-09-07T13:38:00.000-07:00

labor day weekend 2011

forest lakes, az

(ava 5 minutes after we had arrived)

normally, i am not a camper.

but if it means escaping this dreadful record breaking heat for a couple of days,

then, yes, i am totally a camper.

and i actually had so much fun that i might actually become a real camper.

(minus the sleepless night due to ava having some major stomach issues.)

ahh, the weather was incredible.

the kids were dirty as ever but were happy as larks.

as night began to fall, the dancing was just getting started....

crawdad fishing with homemade fishing poles.... a stick, some fishing line, and bacon for bait.

what we did:

quad rides

dancing

card games

limbo

paintball shooting

bocce ball

four wheeling

watched a movie in the outdoors

ate yummy authentic mexican food

got dirty... real dirty

crawdad fishing

dirt biked

peed in the outdoors

laughed

puzzles

camp fires

bonded with cousins

enjoyed mother nature

the end.

new chompers

2011-08-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

fussy baby + runny nose = 3 new teeth... all in one week.

don't let this face fool you.

this boy has been an emotional wreck.

oh...and he is sitting like a pro.

a bloody accident

2011-08-25T12:55:00.001-07:00

warning: if you are a bit squeamish, don't look.

there is nothing like running on the treadmill at the gym and looking down at your phone to see that your child's school as calling.

come to find out, jack had a little accident at school.

while he was going into the boys bathroom another kids was coming out.

the door smacked him in the chin leaving a massive cut on his chin that was gushing blood.

the school receptionist forgot to mention that he had a gaping hole on his face and that he would most definitely need stitches.

she thought a bandaid would to the trick.

i didn't rush over to his school as quickly as i should've from the lack of urgency in the receptionists voice.

when i got there, it took everything i had not to break out into total shock.

i was expecting to see a minor cut, not a mile long gash down to the bone.

not to mention, there was blood everywhere.

a quick trip to the ER, and he was all better.

i mean, at least the cut was all better.

(before)

(watching phineas and ferb while waiting for the sewing doctor.)

(after: 7 stitches on the outside and 2 on the inside)

his stitched up chin reminds me of a football.

first week of school

2011-08-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

first day of school.

jack

1st grade

ms. matthew

ava

2nd year pre-school

ms. sheri

***

3rd day of school.

jack's 7th birthday.

(jack's favorite: banana cake)

the first week of school is always crazy for me. not only do i have to make sure all the school supplies are bought and ready to go but i also have to plan birthday party. (whatever happened to starting to school after labor day? dumb year round school.) i can always start to breathe again once the second week of school rolls around.

it's hard to believe my first born is already 7. in just a short year, he will be getting baptized. that is so crazy. now i know what parents mean when they say their kids grow up too fast. i wish i could start freezing time. jack is such a sweet boy (minus when he is playing toontown) and i love him to pieces. he is so smart and is great at carrying on a conversation with just about anyone. people can't believe he's only seven. i love that he still has the same chubby cheeks and squinty eyes from 7 years ago. it reminds me of my baby boy. he is my little buddy and forever will be. Happy one more year jack.

life's a beach

2011-08-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

newport beach,ca 2011.

our annual trip to the beach started out with a 7 hour turned 11 hour car ride when we were held up for four hours somewhere in between blythe and indio,ca due to a semi carrying hay going up in flames.

the kids had fun climbing all around the car, building forts (yes, in side the car), drawing pictures and holding them up to the window for the semi drivers to see, watching movies, and, at last, sleeping.

jason trying to find an alternative route but no such luck.

we arrived at 1 in the morning.

the beach.

jason putting on a juggling show for the girls.

(hannah, jack, aubrie, kayday, and david)

we celebrated 5 birthdays that all happen to fall within a couple weeks of each other.

lifeguard stand jumping.

my sweet sweet jonah boy.

playing dsi's with cousins was a big part of this trip.

some days i had to force jack to go out to the beach.

digging holes in the sand.

speaking of digging holes in the sand, about 20 minutes after this picture was taken,

a 17 year old boy about 10 blocks down from us, was digging holes and tunnels in the sand with his friends when the sand collapsed on him while he was in one of the tunnels.

he was under the sand for 26 min and survived.

(maybe you saw it on the Today show)

it was a huge story and we were there.

ava and dani were even on t.v. for a split second.

moral of the story: don't dig tunnels in the sand and then go in them. duh.

jonah enjoying the sand and sunshine.

all the cousins.

riding the ferry to balboa island for the delicious and famous frozen bananas.

highlights:

bike riding

bean bag throwing game

the two drunk guys who broke into our house at 2am looking for a place to crash

shark week

balboa island scavenger hunt

frozen bananas

morning runs on the boardwalk

the frigid ocean water

suntanning

hanging out with family

the end.

swim team

2011-07-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

we survived another summer of swim team.

(which actually ended about a month ago, but since i am running on SST (summer standard time), i am just getting around to post about it.)

and when i say "survived" i mean literally because for some reason the swim meets were always on thursday nights at 5:30 pm which happens to be the hottest time of the day.

imagine sitting in an oven that's set at 350*.

jack hated going to swim practice in the morning, mostly because it would infringe on his "toontown" time and if you don't know what toontown is, it's an addicting computer game that turns your 4-7 year olds into monsters.

however, he did like going to the swim meets and getting those ribbons.

it was so exciting to watch him this year because as opposed to last year, he actually seemed to know what he was doing.

he had improved tremendously and we were so proud him.

red face.

jonah and nana getting their cheer on.

way to go jack.

lake powell 2011

2011-07-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

lake powell 2011

(water running off the canyon walls from an afternoon thunderstorm.)

(jason and jack riding tandem on the wakeboard.)

(me, water skiing.)

(our whole houseboat community climbed the big sandy hill during the thunderstorm to get a better look at the waterfalls coming off the canyon walls.)

(jonah, who is four months old now, by the way, catching some rays of his own.)

(ava, the lone ranger, feeding her ice cream to the carp.)

(thank goodness for iphones... they keep the kids busy on long boat rides.)

(ava posing for me after she got done riding the water/sand slide that her dad built.)

jason built a giant water slide with a tarp that he bought at the home depot.

the rain helped make it a "natural" water slide and kids from every nearby houseboat

came running to take a ride on it.

it was a huge hit.

however, the wet sand got all over and stained my kids swimsuits a lovely orange.

we had a blast and it was hard to come back home, back to reality.

there is no place like lake powell and it will forever be a place of good memories :)

(especially of my late brother-in-law, who's most favorite place in the world was lake powell)

father's day photo shoot

2011-06-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

take 1...

take 2...

take 3...

take 246...

...and after many candy bribes, this was the best we could do.

bottom line: we love our dad.

he rocks.

he is the bombsta.

he is the best hide and seeker.

he is the best rocket launcher in the pool.

he is the best snuggler.

he is the best story teller.

he is the best fort builder.

he is the best at turning a frown upside down.

he is the best dad.

p.s. my dad is pretty much the best too.

i love you, dad.

happy father's day

bathtime

2011-06-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

if only we lived in whoville.

(ava lou who and eden lou who.)

a visit to papa's work

2011-06-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

open wide... i told my kids that it was time to get their teeth cleaned which meant it was time to go visit their papa at work.

lucky for them, their dentist happens to also be their grandpa.

there are some definite perks to this.

for instance, you get to suck the spit out of your sister's mouth.

you get to play with the latex gloves and pretend you are the dentist.

and you get to push the button to snap the xrays.

ava showing off her freshly polished pearly whites.

my dad going to town on eden's teeth.

she didn't even budge.

after we left, jack said it was weird and he didn't like.

ava said the magic toothpaste tasted like it had sand in it and that it was gross.

eden had no comment.

good news: No cavities!

bad news: jack probably won't lose his first tooth until he's 8 years old.

summer is really here

2011-06-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

(ava at her pre-school graduation)

For some reason, it hasn't fully hit me yet that summer is here.

i feel like its just spring break or something and that the kids will be back in school next week.

jack brought home a bag full of stuff that he collected over the school year and it still sits on the counter untouched.

i guess i feel like if i put all his school stuff away than that will mean summer is really here.

it's not that i don't like summer because i do. i love it.

i love the heat. i love swimming. i love the long days. i love schedule free days.

i love it all.

buuuut jack had an amazing kindergarten year and i am really going to miss that.

especially his teacher, mrs. peluso.

i was secretly hoping that she would move to first grade next year so jack could have her again.

now, my only hope is that ava gets her for kindergarten too.

regardless, summer is here and i better embrace it or it will be over before i know it.

and we have lots to do... that is, whenever we get around to it because after all, it is summer.

and summer is the season of laziness.

(jack with his cousin carter at their kindergarten graduation.)

(jack receiving his kindergarten diploma.)

(jack and mrs. peluso)

3 months old

2011-06-06T13:51:00.001-07:00

it's hard to believe that this little monkey is already 3 months old...today.

he is growing up so fast.

all of his siblings love and adore him especially ava {a.k.a. his second mom}.

he has the longest eyelashes that curl up just perfectly.

he has the most scrumptious sausage arms.

he laughs and giggles and coos.

he loves his binky, chewing on his fists and could quite possibly be a vampire baby

since it appears that his k9's may pop through before any of his other teeth.

(that would be one awesome halloween picture.)

his dad also frequently calls him jonah-ba-bonah which absolutely has no meaning whatsoever.

jason is notorious for making up the most random nicknames.

it's great.

one more thing about 3 month old jonah,

he is one stellar baby who sleeps 8-9 hours straight at night ;)

i la-la-la loooove this baby.

mexican retreat

2011-05-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

rocky point, mexico: the vacation before summer vacation.

i give you our top ten:

(the kids playing in the water as the tide rises to the steps of the cabin)

10. riding on the golf cart over rocks and through the sand and dirt.

9. digging for clams.

(ava washing the sand off her feet in the oldest sink ever)

8. all day dance parties on the patio.

(eden gazing out to sea, planning her next adventure)

(apparently, you are only cool if you're wearing orange)

7. eating thrifty ice cream in the fist market.

(for some reason thrifty ice cream just tastes better in mexico)

6. building sand castles.

5. eden's curly hair from the warm ocean air.

4. high tide.

(jonah showing off his cuteness)

3. eating cereal for lunch.

(jack and ava proving they really do love each other)

2. playing on the rocks.

hence the name, rocky point.

(jack and ava making sand angels)

and last but not least...

1. sparklers on the beach.

we will be back for more.... soon. very soon.

jonah's baby blessing

2011-05-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

jonah was blessed on mother's day.

which is so fitting, since that is what mother's day is all about.

being a mother to the children we care for and love to pieces.

through the good and the bad.

so, what better way to celebrate it than blessing my newest little being.

another reason this particular weekend was so special, was that it was the first time in a long time that my entire husband's family was at the same place at the same time.

all of his seven siblings were there with all of their children.

it was pretty amazing to see everyone all together.

i bet his parents were thrilled while watching from up above.

getting prepared for the group picture.

the whole gang. (i could list everyone but that could get lengthy and confusing.)

where's jonah?

jack with the sun shining in his eyes.

eden being carted around on her dad's back.

my little family.

i am so blessed.

another late easter post

2011-05-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

what: easter sunday post church pictures

Where: the backyard

when: april 24, 2011

approximately 11:26 am

(ava took a spill on her bike the previous day, which explains her road rash)

and last but not least, some snapshots of the kids and their favorite easter basket items.

we had a fabulous easter weekend, spending it with family

and enjoying the beautiful spring weather.

easter morning

2011-05-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

Easter 2011

before...

...after.

easter treats.

backyard hunt.

the aftermath.

and jonah slept through it all :)

triathlon

2011-05-05T15:36:00.001-07:00

Agritopia kids triathlon.

jack participated in his first triathlon.

it was so cute to watch him compete.

he was so nervous the night before that he could hardly sleep.

he was more worried about what place he would get than the actual race.

the kids swam, biked, and ran their little butts off throughout the neighborhood.

age group: 6 and 7 year olds

{to the lady asking out loud, yes, he may be little, but he is 6 (almost 7), since you were wondering}

swim (4 laps)

bike (1.5 miles)

run (1/2 mile)

jack listening to the results with 2 of his biggest fans... sisters, ava and eden.

they cheered him on the whole entire time.

he placed 3rd... and got a medal!

(however, there were only 3 boys in his age group. but nobody has to know that.)

favorite quotes of the day:

me: "hey jack, wasn't that so much fun?"

jack: "yeah (with a big smile on his face), it was fun beating people."

{he is totally not competitive. can you tell?}

jack: "mom, i know i got my medal for the running part. i definitely got first in running. can i run it again just for fun?"

jack you are a rockstar.

a good friday

2011-05-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

this year, good friday was full of events.

it was earth day, my mom's birthday, and the annual daley easter egg hunt.

in the morning, the kids searched my parents backyard, high and low, for easter eggs.

it was quite the hunt.

following the search, a massive delicious breakfast was served.

we then celebrated my mom's ??th birthday that evening with an outdoor bbq.

the kids swam in the frigid water while the adults stood by.

we had an "egg"celent day.

so cheesy, i know. just couldn't resist.

here is the egg hunt in pictures.

eden getting some help from cousin lexi and aunt kayda.

eden only liked the fake eggs. she would shake the eggs to hear if they had candy in them.

bottom line, she ended up throwing all the real eggs back.

counting the eggs to make sure they are all accounted for.

ava using her easter bag as a hat.

the end.

coloring eggs

2011-05-03T15:56:00.001-07:00

easter egg coloring/decorating 2011

(artist #1: ava)

(artist #2: jack)

the finished product of dyed, sparkled, stickered, and doodled on eggs.

wah-la.

eden strikes again

2011-04-14T16:38:00.001-07:00

i have decided that eden is a sour patch kid.

first she is sour.

then she is sweet.

she can also be very sweet to her baby brother.

that is, when she isn't trying to poke his eye out with a bobby pin.

oh, yes she did.

(p.s. i feel like ava has been MIA from my past posts. this could be because she is practically

living at my neighbor's house, mia, who lives across the street. mia is an empty nester and ava

is taking full advantage of that. i bet mia thinks that ava has a bad home life and she would rather be there than hanging out with her crazy mom. if i ever see ava, i will try to take picture of her and post it, just so we don't forget what she looks like.)

distracted

2011-03-23T14:00:00.001-07:00

this is my distraction.

i have been paying a little too much attention this little guy and not enough to....

this little gal. (eden)

while i was taking care of jonah, eden decided she would paint her "toes".

i guess she missed the memo saying to only paint the toenail and not the entire toe.

this girl is a wild child.

when people ask how many kids i have, i really want to say 6 instead of 4.

that being, because eden is like having three kids.

two thumbs way up

2011-03-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

jack graduated from sea lion to porpoise.

hip hip hooray!

he was pretty excited and has been working really hard.

he is so focused and determined....

even when the kid next to him is sucking up water and spitting it at him.

gross.

they get to ring a giant bell when they pass their class... so here is jack ringing that bell.

a little embarrassed, i might add.

jack and his instructor karen.

great job, jack-a-roo.

you are well on your way to becoming the next michael phelps :)

hello, my name is...

2011-03-11T14:13:00.001-08:00

jonah keith breinholt

march 6, 2011

8lbs 4oz

nice to meet ya.

identity crisis

2011-03-04T08:17:00.000-08:00

here is eden in a nutshell.

a little bit sporty, a little bit imaginative, and little bit girly.

oh... and a lot cuuutte.

(she came up stairs in this outfit and began twirling around while saying "i'm cute.")

jason and i laughed a lot.

i can see the finish line

2011-02-28T14:55:00.000-08:00

(somewhere around 36 or 37 weeks, i think - the doc keeps changing my due date so who knows)

(up close and personal)

i'm not too fond of these of photos but for documentation purposes i decided to post them anyway.

it's hard to believe the end is here... actually it's not.

scratch that.

the end of this pregnancy has seemed like 20 billion years.

what is hard to believe is that i'm going to have 4 stinkin' kids!

i'd like to say that i'm ready for the challenge but my mind knows better.

i guess it's just going to be even crazier around here for a while.

the exciting part is i won't be pregnant anymore and i will have a precious new baby to make me smile :)

i know ava is getting more than excited and that she will be my little helper whether i like it or not; jack is realizing his days as the only boy are numbered, and eden... oh little eden.

i'm just going to have make sure that she doesn't poke his eyes out.

i am due in a week or two but have been dilated to a 4 and 80% effaced for about a week now.

so, i guess anytime.

but my luck, this little tease will make me wait till my due date.

either way, this bun is done.

(just ask my massive protruding belly button)

"valentime's" week/day

2011-02-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

here is our valentine's week in pictures...

{a note that jack made for his dad.}

{jack working on his class valentines.}

{jacks's valentine loot.}

{the beautiful red roses that the mr. left for me before leaving for work. what a charmer.}

{eden showing off her cookie valentine post nap.}

{ava's artistic valentine bag which is so 4 year old precious.}

we have been enjoying making valentines and sharing them with those we like and love.

also, eating lots of junk.

i feel like we have had a sugar overload for some reason.

like almost worse than halloween.

what's up with that??

tangled

2011-02-10T10:16:00.001-08:00

ever since this cute thang saw the movie tangled, she has wanted long locks just like rapunzel.

only problem is that her hair fits the title: TANGLED.

she has the most tangled knotted hair and would hate to have it brushed it out.

it was a constant fight.

so, i finally convinced her to let me cut off some of those tangles or "tingles" as she would say.

3 or so inches to be exact.

hallelujah.

she still puts up a fight when it comes to brushing out her hair

but it only takes half the time to brush out now.

(and she looks pretty darn cute)

even if she has ketchup all over her face from eating her mickey mouse chicken nuggets

which she has to have every day for lunch.

if you remember, rapunzel cut her too...in the end... but try telling an obsessed 4 year old that.

although, i think she secretly likes it better now :)

all we need is love

2011-02-02T12:39:00.001-08:00

happy february

since february is supposed to be a month of love, i wanted to do something that would bring a

little love inside our home. hopefully.

so, i came up with a love chart for each kid.

all throughout the month, i will be closely watching each of my children to see what acts of love they can show towards one another.

for each unintentional act of love they do, they receive a sticker on their chart.

5 stickers = a toy from the treasure basket.

if they make it to 40 stickers, they get to go to peter piper pizza.

i just hope i can make it through the month without my kids driving me crazy and asking

me if they get a sticker for every single little thing they do.

for instance, ava gave me a kiss as she left for pre-school and then asked if she would

get a sticker for giving me kiss.

what!?!

you should want to give me kiss anyway. silly girl.

in the end, i really hope we have love-ly month.

here, their charts will hang all month long.

time that doesn't fly

2011-01-25T12:18:00.000-08:00

i know i mentioned that this year seems to be flying by. However, it does not seem to be flying by in pregnancy time. the last 6-8 weeks of being pregnant last forever. it's hard to convince myself that this baby who is taking up my entire torso is easier to take care of inside the womb than outside the womb. especially, that i have began to feel nauseous again, i get bad RLS (restless leg syndrome) at night, i have to pee all the time, i can't breathe, i'm anemic so i have to take iron which increases constipation (bring on the dried apricots).... and the list goes on. i'm such a complainer, i know. but, really i am so thankful to be able to be pregnant and i know it really is a blessing. i just wish it didn't have to be so darn uncomfortable and last for what seems like an eternity.

meanwhile, i let the time pass by watching my girls spin each other over and over again in an office chair that seems to keep them laughing uncontrollably.

what sweet kids i have :)

a new year

2011-01-13T13:54:00.000-08:00

it's hard to believe that january is already about half over.

it seems like we were just toasting to a new year.

like yesterday.

if the rest of this year is going to fly by, i don't know what i'm going to do.

i have a bunch of goals i want to achieve

(obviously, blogging on a regular basis isn't one of them)

and who knows if i will get around to achieving them.

life just seems to take up so much time.

although, some of my goals i can't really start working on until after childbirth....

for instance, running more marathons and stuff.

but, most of them i can start on and i better get to it or else the year

will be over before i know it.

regardless, i am excited for 2011 and can't wait to see what adventures it will bring us.

hopefully good ones :)

(ava crashing before the official arizona new year.)

christmas was here

2011-01-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

santa did come.

he left some pretty great stuff.

not one was said to be disappointed.

eden: a new dog she can walk, more toy story guys, and books.

ava: baby "olive" (baby alive) in a high chair, books, make up, silly bands and lots of candy.

jack: toy story train legos, cars, junie b. jones books, silly bands, and candy.

mom: a lap top computer.

dad: a long board with a rowing stick.

it was a jolly morning in the breinholt home.

(mom and dad gave some pretty good presents, too)

merry be-lated christmas to all.

christmas eve festivities

2010-12-30T12:04:00.000-08:00

the kids had opened the last door on their chocolate filled advent calendar which meant only

one thing.... christmas eve had finally arrived.

although, i had felt it had come pretty fast.

but, to a kid, that day can seem like an eternity away.

that afternoon we went to lunch/dinner at mi amigos and then ventured over to uncle garin

and aunt lisa's house where we celebrated the coming day with various activities.

there was the coin game.

a christmas present handoff game.

cookie decorating for santa.

eden swinging with her cousin caden.

my handsome husband with my baby girl.

and, of course, the nativity.

jack and ava were mary and joseph.

a perfect role for a brother and sister.

caleb, playing the glorified role of the donkey.

we got back home just in time to catch the elves leaving christmas pajamas for the kids.

they always ring the door bell and run but leave behind cozy pj's at the door.

jack and ava were so excited but couldn't go to bed until they knew exactly where santa was.

i think he was somewhere in south america by the time they did go to bed,

which only left a couple of hours to fall into a deep sleep before he arrived at the

breinholt house.

and the children were nestled all snug in their beds....