A Tale of Two Riders

Todd on his dirtbike about to land a jump...

Brian in the air in mid-jump...

I decided to post a blog entry about this because one of my favorite things in life is seeing Todd enjoy himself and have a hobby. Recenlty, Todd and his long-time friend Brian Brock rode their bikes at Brian's house and one of their other friends took some awesome pictures. The above two shots are just a couple of them.

I suppose Todd's interest in riding dirt bikes is part of the reason why we met...

Brian's sister Kirsten has been a best friend of mine for almost 12 years. One day (in the summer of 1998) I went over to hang out with her after work. Brian was there and we were talking. He said "My friend Todd Breinholt is coming over you have to meet him... he is cool...he likes to ride dirt bikes" Apparently, they had recently become reaquainted after Todd got home from his mission and together began the hobby of owning and riding dirt bikes. So, that day, Todd came over, we met, I thought he was awesome, and the rest is history!

When we were dating and first married, Todd and Brian used to go riding together a lot! I remember spending a lot of time sitting in the desert with Kirsten while they rode around. We would take pictures and just hang out. We lived in an upstairs apartment when we first got married and Todd kept his bike on the patio. So, we would wheel it up and down the stairs every time they went riding... now those were fun times!!

Much to everyone's disbelief, it does not scare me that Todd has chosen this as a hobby. He is pretty safe (I think :) and like I said before, I love watching him enjoy himself. Also, I love seeing him in his riding gear!

Memories...

Since I just started my blog in January, I decided to go backwards a little bit and journal some fun memories that our family has from the last few months. I went through the pictures that I recently downloaded from my camera and chose a few to post here. The story at the end of my post tells about the picture above... I posted the pictures in the wrong order! oops!

This was one of those "Kodak moments" that I will never forget... Spencer was just about 5 weeks old and he was sitting in his swing. He started to fuss, so I asked Eathan if he would get him while I finished up what I was doing in the other room. (My kids really are so helpful with the baby :) Anyway, he quieted down pretty quickly so I went ahead and finished what I was doing. When I came to get the baby so I could feed him, this is what I found (see pic above) Eathan was cuddling with him and he had gone back to sleep. Eathan had his eyes closed at first also, but he opened them when he heard my messing with the camera trying to snap a picture. So, no one can tell me that boys aren't sweet and tender hearted... at least not my Eathan. He really has a knack for calming Spencer down. Thanks buddy!

There is a funny story behind this picture... This year before Christmas, Todd took Eathan Christmas shopping and I took Chansey. We decided to let them buy something for each other and Bella and the other parent. So, we came across the Phoenix Suns jerseys in a store and Chansey stopped dead in her tracks and said... "I want to get that for Dad, he'll love it! He loves Steve Nash!" So, I couldn't resist, I had to let her get it even though I wasn't sure Todd would love it. I knew it wasn't really his style even though we all love the Suns. Then we found out that Eathan was dying to have a Steve Nash jersey, so when Todd and I were Christmas shopping alone, we decided to buy him one and give it to him for Christmas. I decided to ask Todd if he would ever want a Suns jersey (even though I already bought him one) just to see what he would say. He answered me with a definite "No!" I just bit my tongue... I didn't know if I should take it back, or what. So, I waited until Christmas morning to see what his reaction would be. I figured he could take it back if he wanted to. Anway, Christmas morning, he opened it and got really excited so that Chansey knew he was glad to have a gift from her and he made a big deal out of the fact that him and Eathan had the same shirt. He didn't have the heart to take it back so as you can see by the picture, they both wore their shirts that day and it really was cute. What a good daddy!

To the left is a picture of Todd and the kids on their way up South Mountain. (some nice tourist took the picture for them) Above is a picture of the kids at the top of the mountain. A couple days before Christmas, Todd decided to take them to hike South Mountain. They had a blast!! It was a much needed break for me at the time, because I had a few last minute errands to run before Christmas so I took Bella to my mom's to take a nap and I went out for a little while with just Spencer and I. The kids were really tough and didn't complain or have a hard time at all. Then a few days after Christmas Todd took them hiking again. Only this time, they went early in the morning so they could see the sun rise. They woke up at 4:30 and got to the top just in time to see it! Todd even packed hot chocolate in his backpack so they could attempt to stay a little bit warm. The picture at the very top of the post is right after the sun came up that morning. It is fun to have an adventurous dad!

Batter Up!! ... We Brought in a Ringer!

Our family had a fun morning yesterday as we attended Eathan's first baseball game of the season. I snapped the picture above about a millisecond after he got his third hit! He has played baseball several seasons before, but until now, it was more like a whole bunch of kids standing aroung waiting to hit the ball or sit down. There are still some players who aren't into it like Eathan, but it is fun to finally see them learn how to play and show some skills.

In the league we play in, 5 and 6 year olds play coach-pitch. There are no strike-outs at this age, but if they can't hit the ball after several pitches, they are allowed to use the tee. They had four innings, so Eathan was up to bat four times. He got a hit every time! Only once did he not hit the ball on the first pitch.

Also, they do not have outs in the field, they are still just learning to field the ball and throw it to first base. So, the first baseman really has the most work to do. And this time, Eathan played first base... he did AWESOME!!! He caught a lot of the balls that were thrown at him and really did a good job covering the base. I tried to catch a shot of him throwing the ball, but I snapped it a little early. So, the first picture is of him getting the ball out of his glove about 1 second before throwing it. We were all very proud of him. All of the hours playing baseball in the backyard with his dad have finally payed off :) We hope he continues to focus and get better so he can play when he is older!! Eathan we are so proud of you!!!

Tag!!... You're it!

I've been tagged by my friend Lindsey who I have known longer than anyone else in my life (besides my family of course.) So, even though this is embarassing, here goes...





1.) Where were you 10 years ago? In March of 1998 I lived at home with my parents and worked at Arizona Federal Credit Union. 1998 was eventful...I was dating a guy who I soon became engaged to in April then soon after that I broke it off. (Thank goodness!) I met Todd in August of 1998 and we were engaged in October! (love that guy!)





2.) Five things on my to-do list...

Play with Bella (everyday)

Finish my taxes (today)

Clean my house (today)

Go to the Temple (every week)

Finish the Book of Mormon as a family (this year)




3.) Five snacks I enjoy...
Cheese and Crackers
Wheat Thins baked Veggie Chips
French Fries
Bread
Homemade Cookies



4.) Three of my bad habits... (It's hard to only list three :)

Procrastination

Eating late at night

Not washing my face at night







5.) Five places I've lived...
There's only two... Mesa, AZ & Gilbert, AZ. I have lived in a total of 8 different houses though... 7 of which were in the last 10 years.





6.) Five jobs I've had...

Paper Route

Tempe $ Cinemas

Desert Schools Federal Credit Union (yuck!)

Arizona Federal Credit Union (yea!)

Dazzle Me Up Jewelry :)

7.) Five things you don't know about me...
I love beets.
I can type 65 words per minute.
I have 14 nieces and 14 nephews.
I want to run a marathon.
I hate shopping.

Tag 5 people:
Sarah Wright, Aften Wright, Amy Gooch, Coartney Wright, Laurie Ray



YOU'RE IT!!

"We Have Derailed!"

My first intention with starting a blog was to keep a journal... to me that means writing down all of the things that I want to remember when I grow old. When I was uploading all of the pictures from my camera onto my computer and I came across this shot, it reminded me of one of my better moments as a mom and this is one of those times I never want to forget.

So, while you were all huggin' and kissin' and getting special gifts on Valentine's Day, here's what we were doing... We received a large package by Fedex late in the afternoon on Valentine's Day. We opened the box and it was a suprise gift for Spencer from a dear friend of the family. We had to dig through about 8 inches of styrofoam peanuts to even get to the present. So, after the excitement wore off of getting a new canvas toybox (with Spencers name embroidered on it) the kids went about their business and Todd and I started doing a little bit of work on the computer. Before we knew it, the kids were back in the office with us and Bella started playing with the styro peanuts. Eathan began to put Bella in the box and try to bury her with the peanuts. My initial instinct was to tell them to stop and get out of the room so we could get back to work. I didn't want to have to clean up a big mess. But, I refrained from scolding them and let them play. Bella proceded to break the box apart and before we knew it,... it was raining styrofoam peanuts!!! The kids played and burried themselves and threw the peanuts around and had the most fun ever!!! As you can see by the picture,... our office was covered with peanuts!!! They were everywhere!!! Todd stood up and wittingly said "we have derailed"! That made me laugh out loud. And, the trouble of cleaning up the mess was worth it for me to see the joy on my kids faces as they played their hearts out.

I guess the moral of the story is... sometimes I have to take off my "Mom hat" and put on my "Kid Hat" and let the fun candid, moments bring a little bit of extra happiness into our home! (Especially when it really isn't hurting anybody or anything)So, Happy Valentine's Day to us this year!

P.S. - We all hugged and kissed too! ;)

All Dressed Up With Nowhere To Go!

Everyone keeps telling me to put more pictures of Spencer on here, so... here is a fun one! The angle is a little weird,... sorry. This is Spencer all dressed up to go to church! He was smiling at me so I thought I'd grab a shot. He has only worn pajamas or little one piece outfits every day since he was born. This was the first time (at two and a half months old) that we put real clothes on him! He looks like a little man... all dressed up!

The Men In My Life

Ok, I know this picture looks totally posed, but I promise it wasn't. A couple weeks ago, we had an amazing weekend! We had a lot of spiritual things happen in our family (more to come on that later). At the end of the day (after my Sunday nap of course) the whole family was hanging out in our room. Spencer starting fussing and so Eathan laid down by him. Then, Todd came in and laid down by both of them. I looked over and got teary eyed because it was such an adorable moment. I knew I better grab this shot or I would be forever regretful. Anyway, I just want to take a moment to make a tribute to the men in my life... Todd (besides being brutally handsome :) is truly one of the most amazing people I have ever met in my whole life. I love him more than words can say. After years of thinking I knew what life was about, I met Todd and quickly learned so much more. From the day I met him, I started to figure out what I really wanted in a husband... because he was it!!! He is so down to earth and so real. He is so strong and determined that he makes me look like a lazy bum! He is such a wonderful father also! I am so lucky to have him as my counterpart as we try to raise our four children. The second of whom is Eathan.... can anyone say CRAZY!!! He is crazy and I am crazy about him!! He is as strong-willed as they come. I truly believe that he has taught me more than any of my other children have to-date. He is ever-so friendly and kind. He is helpful and thoughtful and quite the little social butterfly. (Lock up your daughters folks!) With his killer smile and those bright blue eyes, I happen to think he's pretty cute too! Speaking of cute, and last but not least, is Spencer. At two months old, he has already stolen my heart. The bond between mother and child doesn't get any less powerful as the years go by. He has made our home a happier place to be by bringing us a little closer to our Heavenly Father. Even though I can't tell what is personality will be yet, let me just say he is very calm and a very good baby... he even sleeps through the night!!! And he handles the madness around here very well. And, boy is he cute too... I think we finally got the brown hair/blue eyes combo... yea!!!

Ok, I'll stop now... I hope no one minds my bragging. Like I said in my very first post... I am so very thankful for my wonderful family. I am really overwhelmed by how blessed I am to have them...and these boys are only part of it... I'll have to take some time to write more about my girls later!