Mendoza Mania!

Idina: Hey, everybody! Remember me? I was Riley Cohen's college roomate? If you need to go back and refresh your memory go ahead-I don't mind. We haven't crossed paths in awhile. Anyway...

Me: Idina, what are you doing? I'm supposed to do the introduction, remember?

Well, I just couldn't wait. I'm so excited about our family is finally getting a blog. Look, I've got Scott and all the kids here to help out.

All the kids? You have like...

Four, I know. What's the problem?

Well that means we've got six people narrating this blog. That is going to get...oh, all right. Hold on and I'll assign you all a color.

Scott: Hello
Jesse: What's up?
Reagan: Hi!
Ryan: Hey.
Samantha: Hi.

Ok, well, I'll let you guys get to it. Good luck.

Ok, let's get these pictures rolling.

Oh, look honey! Our wedding picture.

You look beautiful, Mom.

Thanks, honey.
Hey, look. It's Grandma, Grandpa, and uncle Malcom.

Uncle Malcom didn't get the memo about wardrobe, did he?

He came right from work. We were just glad he made it at all.



And look, here's our wedding night...

Mom, did you have to include this?

Jesse, if this picture didn't happen you would not have been born.

Too much information.....



See? We were so thrilled about your mother being pregnant...

You don't look too thrilled in this picture, Dad.



Nice diaper there, Jesse.

Very funny Ryan. Just wait untill we get to your baby pictures.


Wait a minute. Who's that lady holding you? That's not Mom.

That's your aunt Mackenzie, Sam.

After Jesse was born she was over at our house all the time.

Didn't she have her own kids to worry about?

Well, at the time she only had one. Funny, after she got pregnant the second time she stopped leaving her house much.

Didn't she have twins?

Well, that's what I've...

Ok, I need to interrupt you guys. We've already dealt with this story here, and I promise I will let all 6 of you read it later if you drop the subject right now.

Ok....next picture
Aww, you were cute Jesse!

He was. And he was smart, too. We had him walking and talking in one day.
You grew up really fast, son. Your toddler years just whizzed by.

Well, it doesn't look like you guys were going to be bored. Look at Mom's belly!



Did you guys know you were having twins?

Nope. Not in the least.

Well, I had a few hunches along the way.
Here's your first picture, Ryan...
And there's Reagan!

Our first little girl.
How come you only took a picture of one of us?

Well, one of us had to be holding the camera.


Having two toddlers at the same time was an experience.

But luckily, you also had an experienced older child to help out, right?

Feeling ignored, Jesse?

No...

Yeah, this was pretty much our lives.



This birthday could not come fast enough...


Aww. How cute is that?

Yeah, that was back when you two actually got along.

That didn't last long, did it?

And we were finally able to take a family picture.

And then came your first day of school...

You both look so happy...


Hey, look! It's my birthday!

Yup. It was hard for us to believe you were already a teenager.

And the twins' birthday wasn't far behind.

Yeah, it just got so...

Wait a minute. Let me guess. It got so quiet with all of us growing up that you and dad decided to have just one more kid.

Yeah, how did you guess?

I don't know...maybe the fact that that kid is sitting next to me?

Yeah, Sammy...Sammy!

....Huh? What's going on?

We're getting to your part. Pay attention.

Eww. Sammy was born in the kitchen?

So what? You two were born in the dining room...

And as if the new baby excitement wasn't enough...
Wow, we attracted quite a crowd.

Yeah, Grandpa, Riley...Riley's mother and uncle, for some reason...

I didn't really know why they were there, either.



And now you have three teenagers and a baby.

Actually, it wasn't as bad as it sounds.


You guys made really great babysitters.


Sammy's first birthday!


What about having three teenagers and a toddler? Was that hard?

You mean two. As I recall, Jesse conveinently left for college right after Sammy grew into a toddler.

What can I say? It was just my time.


I was really cute, wasn't I?

Yeah, you were.
Our last baby...

Dad...



So what comes next?

It looks like we're out of pictures, hon.

What? Come on, that's not fair. Jesse, Ryan and Reagan got to see themselves grow up all the way.

I could have sworn we took some...

Hey, everyone! How did it go?

Hey, mysterious voice?

Yes Sammy?

Do you know what happened to all my pictures?

........No. Of course not. Anyway, our thanks to the Mendoza family for sharing their stories...

Evcn though it wasn't the whole story...

Ok, Sammy. We get it.