Happy (35th) Birthday Daddy!!!

I'm not very good at birthdays.  

At least birthdays for anyone but my kids.  But, considering we had only 2-3 hours of preparation for it this little family party turned out pretty great but mostly because of the company!

 We had my fairly new trusty birthday chalkboard table cloth that came in handy for decorations.  

The kids got to personalize their own "placemat".  Here's Georgies' (with my help...requested by throwing a small tantrum).

 We had Daddy's favorite Dinner:

Garlic Chicken Teriyaki Pasta

 We had the last minute genius idea to put our "Why We Love Daddy" messages inside of 4 helium balloons.  We went outside and he started popping.

Brace yourselves kiddos!!

Isaacs message:  "I love Daddy because he's funny"

Georgies' message:  

Juliet's Message:  "Daddy, Isit, Geogie

My Message:  " 

 The deliciously decadent, very sinful, 

oh so yummy chocolate birthday cake that Daddy requested!

 Make a wish!

That cake stared back at us in the fridge for almost a week, dwindling, dwindling, sliver by sliver eaten mostly by moia!  And boy was it worth it;)

Happy Birthday, Joey!  I am glad that you're in the world and that you are mine!!

xoxo

Ash

Joey's Tri Weekend

Our 2/3 Iron-Man

Last year, Joey did his first half Iron Man at an event called the RedMan in Oklahoma City.  He was made aware while there that doing a full distance Aqua Bike is also an option at this event.  Baring a hatred for running as he does Joey knew that he had to sieze this oh so rare opportunity and sign himself up.  So here we are, late September one year later for another Tri weekend in Oklahoma City for Joey to do his Full-IronMan-minus-the-run Triathlon.  That's a 2.4 mile swim and a 112 mile bike.  Pretty impressive if you ask me!

The kids and I dropped him off at the start around 6:30 am and then headed back to the hotel for some more Z's.  We got back in time to catch him coming out of the water (above) and then we headed back to the hotel for yet another nap and then to do some shopping (TARGET!!).  

Here they are waiting for Daddy to finish up his bike.

Tiger Jump Castle to entertain all the athlete's children...cool!

and done...6 hours later.  

According to him he felt pretty miserable at the end but we couldn't tell it.  I think he was definitely glad to have it over with since it seemed to cause a lot of stress for him these last few weeks.  But we were all so proud.

The next day we headed over to the Oklahoma City Memorial and Museum which was a beautiful and touching experience.  This museum is so well done.  If you ever have the chance to see it, please do.  What a tragic tragic event.

The glass chairs, memorializing all who were killed.  168 people, 19 of them children.

They had a kids area there were children are encouraged to write messages in sidewalk chalk.  I love Isaacs!!  So cute;)  If you can't tell, thats a heart with the state of Oklahoma inside and the heart is broken. 

This is Georgie's version of a tiger.  

This was her drawing that she did before she got wind of Isaacs less abstract pictures.  I wish I knew some handwriting analyst that could tell me something about the adult that she'll become by analyzing these bazaar nonsensical drawings that she does ALL the time.  I've never seen a kid draw like this.  Let's just hope its doesn't reveal her to be a mass murderer or something...but that's off topic.  Sorry.

I love this picture of him...shows off his great trademark smile;)

And this is Isaacs second drawing, also very sweet.  It's a hand and each of the fingers "represent something", he told me.

Be Nice

Follow Your Heart

Be Helpful

Care

and lastly,

Have Love

And that about sums up Isaacs heart! 

 Love that boy!

On the outside of the memorial was this chain link fence where people can hang momentos.  There were some tragic things hanging up there.  I was particularly touched by a series of poems that a father wrote to his 24 year old daughter who had died in the bombing.  Her picture was there in the middle of a Christmas wreath.  That had me in tears.  

Anyway, Congrats lover (Joey)!  Thanks for giving cause for a great weekend in "the City"!

xoxo

Volleyball Champs...3 Years Running

Beware, bragging ahead.  

Joey please don't kill me!!

Joey begrudgingly captained the Med Group Volleyball Team when we moved here 3 years ago.  Someone got wind of his having played in college.  Well, it turns out their team smoked everyone, no problem and Joey had a (volley) ball (haha) doing it (I kill myself).  The kids and I loved going and my friend Julie and I got totally into the games.  It was so fun to watch my husband jump like 4 feet off the ground and rip the opposing side a new one!!

Fast Forward three years later and they're base champions three years in a row!  I've never credited Joey on our family journal so I thought it was about time.  He pretty much rocks at volleyball...I should say that much.  My favorite part about watching him play is how calm and cool he is the whole time, calming everyone down in competitive moments, helping teammates feel better when they make big mistakes...it's sexy.  I'm such a female.  I could almost care less that he's good (okay, I like that too)! but am more interested/impressed by how "he treats others"...haha...lame.  I love you, Yoey;)  I'm so glad to see your competitive side taken down a few notches in your older age;)

xoxo

Hi, I'm 4 months old

Hi, My Name is Juliet and I am 4 Months Old!

Juliet is becoming such a little person, no longer a newborn!  She reaches for things with her hands, burries her head down into my chest when she is hungry (she knows where the food is:), beams from ear to ear when she sees Isaac after a day away at school, fusses when we put her to bed because she wants to be "social",  spits by blowing through her lips and talks to us with coos, shrieks and giggles all day long.  It's soooooo fun!  I used to think I didn't like this age so much.  I'd said before that I wished we could jump from the newborn stage straight to 14 months.  What was I thinking!!??  Who would want to skip this?  (unless you have a colicky baby, of course;)

 Is she sweet or is it just me??!!

ooooo I just want to eat her!!  throw her in a soup!  

As a side note I said that randomly the other day and Isaac laughed his little head off.  We've taken to calling her Joop Soup now.  He squeezes her little hand, puts his face suffocatingly close to hers and say, "I wanna put you in a soup!!"

On the downside I'm finally feeling the effects of having two children vs three.  I no longer have the "I just had a baby excuse" and Juliet doesn't sleep all day anymore.  Needless to say, I'm not getting much done.  Some days I just throw my hands up and say....oh well.  The house will just have to stay messy, or that project unfinished or there will be no side dishes at dinner that night.  And somedays I just plop down and watch a movie.  Most days I can live with that.  But somedays I want control over my life again.  I've been working out early in the mornings and late at night, getting out of the house without any children and that has been crucial for me.  I hate getting all mushy or "braggy" in a public sphere where my husband is concerned but since this blog has become more and more just for our little family I feel comfortable saying how grateful I am for Joey.  Some days I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!!  Joey is so hands on and helpful with the kids.  He truly understands the plight of stay-at-home mothers.  (it's not always a plight but lets be honest....sometimes, IT IS!!)  He doesn't ask if I need a break or how I'm doing, he just walks in the door and takes the baby.  He knows me well enough to know that I hate to put people out, including him so if I say, "no, I'm fine, I can hold her" (and most of the time I really am fine) he doesn't let me "be tough".  He just takes her.  He makes time to be home with the kids so that I can get out every once in a while.  He calls before coming home from work to see if I need something from the store.  He does all the laundry and if I'm in a bad, snippy mood he lets it roll off his back (he understands bad moods;)  Overall I'm most appreciative of, in awe of and even surprised at his ability to understand me so well...without any words from me.  He respects what I do and more than that, the frustration that comes with what I don't do.  And that understanding goes miles and miles for me.  Marriage is no cake walk, it can be so hard sometimes!!  But just like everything that has its opposite, it can be so blissfully fulfilling as well.  It really does seem to get better, richer, and deeper with its age.  Was that mushy enough;)  That's  for you Isaac, Georgie and Juliet to read one day when we're dead and gone..."Dad really was so good to Mom!!"...he deserves that credit!  I love you Joey!!  oh!?!, was this supposed to be all about Juliet?:)  Well, I guess where one is concerned all of us are!!  I love YOU Juliet!

xoxo

I Love My Ironman:)

My Ironman:

On September 25th Joey completed his first half Ironman.  WOW.  I can't stress enough the hard work that he put into preparing for this race.  Six am Saturday and Sunday mornings to avoid the afternoon heat during 3 hour long bike rides and 13 mile runs, weekly weight lifting, lunch hour lap swims, evening week night runs, interval training.  Joey ate, slept and breathed Ironman.

We packed our family into the minivan early on a Friday morning, drove to Oklahoma City, spent the day at the zoo, picked up his race packet and dropped off his bike, ate dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, a place that can guarantee you a carb load (and I got a cheesecake slice practically to myself...woo hoo;) and then headed for our hotel, courtesy of Uncle Bryant's Starwood Director position;).  The next morning Joey was up by 6 am and the kids and I, in our jammies, drove him to his race.  I asked him if he was nervous and he said not really.  He was lying;)  The kids and I went back to the hotel to get dressed and pack up.  Our plan was to return in time for his bike to run transition.  

But I got lost (if you know me at all, your not shocked..and yes I had a Garmin).  Isaac has seen this so many times that he no longer trusts me AT ALL behind the wheel!!  We found a spot for our lawn chairs along the run route and saw this:

After swimming 1.2 miles, biking 56 miles and 2 miles into his run he greeted us with a smile.  "You'll never guess what happened."  No, I wouldn't have.  "My pedal came off my bike while I was standing up and I crashed."  Ahhhhh!!!  His knee and arm were all bloody and he had a large scrape on his chin. "I'm fine.  It hurts but I'm fine."  The kids cheered him on each time he passed (four times) and even on his last leg he smiled and talked to us.  We cheered him into the finish line and heard over the loud speaker, "Joey Merback from Altus, OK.  He'd like to thank his wife Ashley for all her support."  ;)  

After gathering up his gear he began hobbling back to the car with us.  And, strangely, his wrist started KILLING him.  It felt so bad he was sure it was broken.  He had fallen off of his bike less than halfway through the race and not felt any wrist pain after the initial fall.  Isn't adrenaline amazing!?  Lo and behold, it wasn't broken, just a bad sprain but, still!!!  Joey held up impressively well for the rest of the day and into the next.  Just after the race he had said that he couldn't imagine doing that TWICE in a row....no way.  Full Ironman-ers were nuts!  By Tuesday or Wednesday the next week he was talking full Ironman.  Like a new Mom a few days after giving birth, he had forgotten how painful it all was.  

This one's for you, Dad.  This guy looked about your age and was a half ironman finisher.   Go ahead Dad, let the training begin!!

Here he is at the finish line, as spry as a young chicken!

And here we are back at the hotel.  Daddy pooped us out;)

And Juliet slept through the whole thing.  I can tell she's going to be LAZY!

And here's Georgie playing on the beach the night before.

Isaac too;)

The Zoo

Our visit to the Oklahoma City Zoo was awesome.  Hands Down, the best Zoo experience I've ever had.  We actually had some personal interaction with ALL the Gorillas, a Giraffe, and an Okapi.  

Georgie, our Jr. Mommy wanted to push the stroller around the whole time.

If the glass hadn't been there we would have touched noses, hands, shoulders, feet and exchanged breath with these Gorillas.  The biggest one marched right over and basically stared us down for about 2 minutes...it was as if he was trying to say something to us like, "See, I'm not afraid of you, but you're afraid of me"  The other ones wanted to play with us.  They were so friendly, wild and playful.  

So close!!