Happy Birthday Mom/Gaga!!!

My Mother, my friend, 

it is your 

BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Aren't we cute!

  My Mom has moves.  And she gave me the love of shaking it too!!  We both love to dance, just in different ways.  My Mom is frequently heard saying that if she could do it all over again she'd be a ballroom dancer.  Anytime there's music playing she is singing and her hips are moving.  As a child I remember her being the one that filled our home with music.  Elvis, first and foremost and then groups like Credence Clearwater, Fats Domino and all kinds of Rock and Roll Oldies, particularly the southern variety.  Anything with a beat.  She's really fun.

Today is my Mom's birthday.  And I'm so bad at birthdays (and time in general) that I completely forgot My excuse is that one time I had a bad bike accident (haha) and because of that, most days I don't even know what day it is (yada, yada...I was kind of like that already but I'll go ahead and milk it...it's nice to have an excuse for being oblivious;).  

Mom, I hope you know how much I love you and think of you.  And how much I wish that I could be with you today.  I wish we could go get a frozen yogurt for breakfast, and then go shopping at TJ Maxx and then Nordstroms.  The older I get, the more I wish we lived close, and oddly, the further I seem to move away.  I wish I could take you and Dad with us to Italy, travel the world together, and then come home together.  I truly mean that.  If I could make it so, I would.   I wish I could buy you those Channel sunglasses that you've always wanted, the food processor that you've never had and the shopping spree at your store of choice.  You're hot enough to sport the greatest of fashions and if you don't believe me, just ask Brandon, my teacher at the wood shop;)  

I love you, Mom.  I hope your day today made you happy, made you feel loved and thought of by all of us (there are 100's I'm sure) that love you.  Hopefully some pulled through more than I...Happiest wishes to the Mom that I am grateful to call mine.  

xoxxo

Ashley

p.s.  More from the littles tonight!!

Our Christmas Entertainment

At the top of the entertainment list this Christmas was hand held devices.

The adults did what we could be be patient about it while still maintaining some boundaries to the number of hours they could be used.  It was hard this Christmas because their was so little snow for them to play in.  They couldn't build snow men and every time we tried sledding in the yard someone came in injured by some rock or tree jetting up out of the snow.  It was a sad, sad thing.  

 But Juliet kept most of us happy (can you tell we're obsessed with her?)

We made up for it with a few ski trips and a great night of bowling 

where I got quite a few good pictures:

 Georgie and Reese

When Reese put on her turquoise shirt, Georgie had to have on as similar to it as we could find.

 Isaac and Gaga

 Corden, Papa and Max

 Adam and Kirsten, aren't they pretty?  

I wish it wasn't so fuzzy and you could tell a little better.

 Caitee was with us the entire time.  It was really nice having her.  

She is so helpful and pleasant to have around.  

 Isaac after a good bowl

 Gaga and Georgie

 Backbends in the middle of the Bowling Alley

 With my Dad

 And here, Georgie and Will were fighting over Kirstens cell phone while at the bowling Alley...dispicable!!

 Papa giving Isaac a few tips...very helpful ones because Isaac went from tears of frustration (and fits) to beaming smiles.

 Pretty Reese...she is so much like her Dad its scary...personality and looks

 Isaac with his #1 coach

 Juliet throwing back a bottle..haha!  It was filled with Sunflower seeds;)

 Georgie and Reese took to shoveling the walkway.  

Gaga paid them a dollar each!

 The cousin love really grew this trip

 between all of them

It was a very Merry Christmas!  

And here's to a Happy New Year and, of course, 

a Disney cruse!!

Christmas #3, the real deal

Christmas #3:

The Real Deal

On December 25th we were at the cabin, without Daddy.  It turned out to be fine without him and he turned out to be fine at home alone.  Some good friends of ours took care of him.

The four of us on christmas morning.Q

Juliet is crying because I wouldnt' let her have any more Sour Patch Kids.  

Juliet with her Fur Real Kitty from Santa that we lost 3 days later.  

It did its job, I guess...gave everyone the hope of Santa bringing gifts for everyone;)

 Georgie loved her Easy Bake Oven from Gaga

And Isaac got lots and lots of Legos!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve 2012

Christmas Eve was Uncle Bryant

pictures under the Christmas tree in Christmas clothes,

 snow froggies

and Christmas pageants

that Isaac didn't want to be a part of;) 

 (he's a little shy)

Frosty came again with his usual...Christmas jammies.

and we can't forget our power outage just after dinner, 

right before Adam, Kirsten and family came, during which Isaac lost his tooth.  

"Santa Claus comes tonight!!"

Christmas #1 and #2

christmas #1:  

with daddy

santa came early this christmas.  and he brought a bike!! (two actually...one for juliet too)

 a walking puppy

 and he left a note

 juliet cared less about the bike and more about the candy cane

and daddy gave his girls two beautiful princess dresses that he picked out himself!  and georgie has hardly worn anything else since!!




christmas #2:
with ruth

 ever our inspiring artist...ruth:)

check out that spread...all from ruth.  She spoiled us rotten!!

Ruth

Ruth:

 The last time Ruth came over for dinner I made grilled cheese.  She's that kind of guest;)  While I was cooking them off in my own little world I turned around to see she and the girls totally entertaining themselves.  Ruth was letting Georgie put her Barbie make-up all over her face.

 And Juliet did her part on Ruth's sweatshirt.  Ruth's a treasure.  How much we will miss her!!

And one cute photo of ratty hair and fistfuls of oatmeal for good measure;)

xoxo

The Best Christmas Surprise EVER!!

The Best Christmas Surprise EVER!!

For the past several months my brother Adam and I have been scheming up some big plans. 

 We've been planning a surprise for my parents...a BIG surprise!

 Here we all are on Christmas morning just before the big surprise, wearing our Singapore T-shirts from Uncle Bryant.  After the picture was taken I showed my Mom where their ultimate present had been hiding throughout the morning.

They opened a very large, very light weight box to find a simple note that read:

"Let The Games Begin" 

and explained the basic idea of a scavenger hunt 

and gave them their first clue.

While they spent their time hunting for little slips of paper hidden throughout the house,

 the rest of us got dressed up in these:

Green T-shirts that read "Pettey Family Reunion 2012" 

and an image of a cruise liner and a tiny Tinkerbell waving her magic wand.

We were dressed just in time for them to finish their hunt.  

I think they had no idea what to expect.

And, not to brag or anything;), 

but I think we exceeded their expectations!!

"It's A Small World After All!!" we all sang together

"We're taking you on a Disney Cruise!!"

Their were tears!!

And their were hugs!  

I still kind of feel like we hit a home run with this surprise!  We're all so excited for our big trip in February.  And I hope it made my parents feel honored and let them know how special they are to us and how grateful we all are for all the surprises they've given us along the way.  Because its true. We are and they are...special to us.

xoxo

Ash