Life is Good

Ridley and I have been busy doing all kinds of fun Christmas activities this month. She will not come near Santa with a 10 ft. pole so you won't see any pictures of her, screaming or happy, on his lap (I just couldn't do that to her) but you will see pictures of us having lots of Christmas fun! Merry Christmas!

Her favorite instrument, the drums!

Well, it's official we have a big girl now. I just cannot believe how fast these past 2 years have flown by. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital and cooing over her every move. It seems funny to us now that we got so excited about such little things as smiling, making cute noises, even pooping! Ridley does so much now, she is really becoming quite the helper around the house (thank you Martha for the broom), and wants to be a little mommy taking care of her dolls and making coffee in her coffee pot. She follows directions which just blows me away. I can tell her to go get me something or let Dixie in or out of a room and she will do it! Amazing! I am relishing in the fact that she doesn't yet protest. I just imagine the days when she's a teenager and I ask her to do something for me and she rolls her eyes and tells me I'm lame. :)

So I've been anxiously awaiting the day I could put Ridley's hair in pigtails, jealous that all my friends with 1 1/2 and 2 year olds are able to put their little girls' hair in pigtails. Ridley definitely has my hair, I was practically bald until I was 2 and she seems to be following right in my footsteps! Her hair is growing quite quickly now and it's coming in just like mine did, similar color, texture and loose curls in the back. Well, it finally seems long enough to try some pigtails so I experimented with them yesterday. Here is the result. They aren't my best work but you try pulling a toddler's hair into pigtails as she's squirming around trying to play. Surprisingly, after she pulled them out a few times and I had to re-do them, she ended up leaving them in most of the day! As cute as they are, I am a little sad, it sort of makes her toddlerhood official. She's not my baby anymore! :( Enjoy these pictures of our almost 2-year-old!

Bathing Beauties: Aunt Allison, Christie, Aunt MB and Brenda on the boat
                             Relaxing at Coconuts on the Lake, looks more like the beach doesn't it???
                                               Ridley and I enjoying some fun at Coconuts
                                Ridley and her cousins saddling up to the bar for a drink!
                                              Is this a girl who enjoys a boat ride or what???

She saw me painting my toenails and wanted hers done as well. I got through 7 of them before she decided that was quite enough of her pedicure! I can't wait for the day we can get real pedicures together!

Hmmm...how would it feel to go to work like daddy?

This is just one example of what a tolerant dog Dixie is. The other day I walked into the room to find Dixie wearing Bill's Master's cap and Ridley standing in front of her assessing how she looked. I was cracking up needless to say! Sorry it's sideways, I'm still figuring out this blogging thing!

Disclaimer: No animals were harmed during the filming of this video :)