Terrible Two's

Da da da .....(dramatic drum sound) it happened.  I knew it was inevitable, but I had hoped somehow I would be the exception and Ryder would stay a little bundle of joy forever.  But instead she went and turned 2.  And when she turned 2, she got even more of an attitude.  Which if you know Ryder is hard to wrap your mind around since she's always been a bit of a diva.  I'd say on a diva scale she went from a Beyonce to an Elton John.  Lord help me when she becomes a teenager...

On her birthday she was mostly her normal self.  She was happy to open presents that included a new tricycle, 2 new baby dolls, lots of baby accessories, clothes, lots of crayons and coloring books, and some other girlie things that she loved.



We did the usual cake and ice cream, which is always a big hit!







Don't worry, you don't need to call child protective services on me. That is not Ryder's beer in the picture.  While we do find her to be very mature for her age, we did not let her have a birthday Budweiser with her cake.  Please remain calm.

All in all it was a good birthday and she seemed happy and like the old days when she used to be 1.  And then she woke up like this...



Major attitude.  This is her smiling.



This is her wearing her cowboy boots on the wrong feet with pajamas while trying to hide from me when I told her it was time to get dressed.  This is how most of our morning start now.



This is Roxy also trying to hide and also not doing a very good job of it.

Some other special memories include the day that she spilled salt all over the table and when I walked in the kitchen she quickly yelled "dammit Ryder!".  Ok, that was funny.  I tried to keep a straight face and show that I was not amused by her and sent her on her way while I cleaned up the whole salt shaker that she poured out.  Upon completion of cleaning that I up I realized she was being suspiciously quiet.  Silence is NEVER a good sign when it comes to Ryder. (and sometimes Mike, but that's another story for another day...)

I quickly ran upstairs to discover this.



Roxy covered in Desitin.  Ok, still kind of funny.  Now if you're familiar with Desitin you know it is a thick cream (for diaper rash) that does not wipe off easy.  Turns out it's even harder to get off dog hair.  It actually took a couple of weeks for all signs of it to absorb into her skin.

Now I'm not finding it as hard to keep a straight face while I'm wrestling with Roxy, trying to wipe her down in the bathroom.  Just as I'm concluding that this is not going to come off I think "Hey, what's that baby fresh scent I suddenly smell"...

...Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.  But fool me three times and you're grounded.



You'll never guess who exploded an entire bottle of baby powder all over herself and her room while I was cleaning up her dog.

You'll probably also not be able to guess who immediately took off running into my bedroom and threw her powder covered self onto my dark brown bed spread leaving a print of her body and hands.



What do we have here?  Footprints in the baby powder all across the rug and carpet in her room?



On the bright side, her room did smell like the baby fresh out of the bath tub.  On the down side, within a 30 minute time span I had to clean salt in the kitchen, Desitin off the dog and baby powder off of pretty much everything.

These photos are for documentation when she is old enough to appreciate being grounded.  I'm thinking that will make a great birthday present around 10.  I'll be all like "Happy Birthday!! Now you're grounded until your 12."  And she'll be all "But Mom (probably really whiny)!" And I'll be like" Here's some pictures you can look at and think about what you've done."

I should write a book on parenting or something.  So yeah, it's never too late to plan for the future!

Only 11 months to go until we're past this stage.  It ends exactly when they turn 3.  Right?  Right?!

Xoxo,

Emily

Charley's Blessing

I don't have anything clever to say this time.  Just wanted to share a few pictures of my little angel on her big day!







Xoxo,

Emily

This Little Piggy...

Did you know that I have always wanted to have a cute little pig as a pet?  It's true.  There's something about that pink (and often spotted skin) that just melts my heart.

Did you know pigs are very intelligent and learn quickly? They pick up tricks faster than dogs. Pigs rank #4 in animal intelligence behind chimpanzees, dolphins and elephants. Piglets learn their names by two to three weeks of age and respond when called.





Pigs are very social animals. They form close bonds with each other and other species. Pigs enjoy close contact and will lie close together when resting. Pigs use their grunts to communicate with each other.





Pigs have a great sense of smell. Their powerful but sensitive snout is a highly developed sense organ. Pigs also have a great field of vision, because their eyes are on the sides of their heads.



Pigs have four toes on each hoof, but only walk on two toes per foot.


A mature pig has 44 teeth.


A pig can run a 7 minute mile.


Fascinating right?!  





Just look at my little piggy Sugar.  Isn't she precious?  It took me years to fatten her up and get her just right, but I think it was worth all the time and effort!






Don't tell her she's not really a pig though, because I've been calling her that for quite some time now and if she found out otherwise it might hurt her feelings. She's kind of sensitive.




Xoxo,

Emily

Sisters

I'm on a roll here people!  Look how amazing I am at updating my blog.  Feel free to shower me with praises and gifts as you see fit...

...anyways.  Where was I?  Ah yes.  Sisters.



I worried how these 2 would do together.  You see Ryder is a little... shall we say... high maintenance.  I was afraid she would never forgive me for ruining her life by bringing home this thing that would take attention away from her.  And at first I was right.  She was mad.  I don't blame her.  I remember how I felt when my mom went and messed up a perfectly good thing by bringing home a sister.  But as was the case with me, Ryder has come to accept her fate.  In fact, she might even like her a little now.  Just a little.



They're already sharing secrets.



And fashion advice.  Here Ryder is telling Charley she thinks this bow is a little oversized for her head.  She's very opinionated.

Look how much fun we're all having together now.  I can hardly wait until they're teenagers.  It'll be every mothers dream come true I'm sure.

Until next time.


Xoxo,

Emily

Much Ado About Charley Boo.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a smiler on our hands.



And who can resist those chubby cheeks.  And when I say chubby I mean chubby.  My little 6 lb baby is now 11 lbs at 2 months old.



But she's more than just a pretty face... she's a deep thinker and surprisingly insightful for her age.  Trust me.


Xoxo,

Emily

Vive El Futbol!

So... am I the only one that has to watch out for deer playing soccer in their neighborhood?

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Just wondering.

Xoxo,

Emily

Introducing Charley Malinda Mendenhall

I know this is almost 6 weeks late, but on January 19th at 2:12 pm Charley Malinda finally got out of my belly and entered the world.  She weighed 6 lbs 9 oz and was 19 inches long.

Initially fresh out of the womb when she was all squishy and still kind of had a smashed face I thought she looked just like Ryder, but I was wrong.  She looks exactly like her dad.  Not only that but I think she might have blue eyes.  People on the street might think I'm kidnapping somebody else's kid because she looks nothing like me.  But that's ok, I think I'll keep her anyways...













I'll be back soon...ish and post more updated pics.  Turns out having 2 kids under 2 takes makes it a little difficult to do things like update your blog...and function as a normal member or society.

Xoxo,

Emily