MerBack In Action

MerBack In Action: An Online Journal

Monday, March 26, 2012

Georgie



We were driving home from Houston yesterday, doing our road trip thing.  The kids were watching their movie, way in the back of our mini-van while I drove, always dangerously multi-tasking, in the drivers seat.  I heard Georgie from the back somewhat urgently say:

"Mom, I need to tell you something."
"What's up Georgie."
"I thought that I felt my 15 year molars in my mouth but I reached back there and it was just a goldfish."

"???" and after a few seconds of that, I laughed.  Georgie, you're so wierd!

xoxo
Mom

By the way, we're moving to Italy.....

Friday, March 16, 2012

I Know Perfect, And It Hurts

I have been feeling an intense amount of pain lately at the perfectness of my Juliet.  I love her so much that my heart literally hurts.  I believe I felt this before with Isaac and Georgie and I think I've heard others say it about their children but, now, right now and for several days in a row, I feel it.

A little about her:

Juliet has curly hair, and I'm talking ringlets, dozens of them.  In the back she has tight little ringlets that bounce when she runs.  On the top of her head she has big curls that rise up in big soft waves as much as 2 inches off the top of her head.  It's particularly poofy when she awakes from a nap or a good nights sleep.  I can't bring myself to wet them or matt them down so they usually stay that way all day long.  She reminds me of a miniature 1940's glam screen siren.  This hair adds so much to her charm and cuteness.

Maybe best of all is that Juliet will lay on my chest for as long as I let her before naptime or bedtime.  She just lays there, eyes open and blinking.  I can feel the brush of her long eyelashes on my chest from time to time, reminding me that she's awake and content to just be.  If only time could stand still and I had no other chores to do.  One of these days I will steal that luxury from time and I don't think I'll regret it later, no matter how chaotic the rest of the day becomes.  She also will lay on my shoulder for up to 5 minutes when she cries and when I ask her to "be a sweet baby" she obeys, lays her head on my shoulder and giggles.  I've tried several times to memorize the feeling of her curls pressed against my cheek or her warm breath directed toward my neck.  Only I can ever know how much I LOVE this.  Thank you, Juliet, Thank you.

Juliets speaks with such inflection.  Her voice rises and falls with every syllable showing immense expression of her excitement, anger, joy, anticipation or whatever it is that she is feeling.   Whenever she sees a puppy, a bird, or a kitty cat, her eyebrows instantly rise, her lips purse up, her finger points, her shoulders tighten and she screams outloud, "PU-ppy", usually while running to it...atleast 5 different tones being belted out in a two syllable word.  She was this way even before she could talk, so much inflection in her babbles.    She conveys so much when she says "Isit" (Isaac) and "Geogie" (Georgie) as well...you can hear how much she idolized them with her inflections and the excitement written all over her body.  She has a way of pursing her lips that makes you want to freeze her in just that way and frame it.  I tell Isaac that he needs to find me a stun gun so we can shoot her with it and freeze her at just this age.  He agrees that this is necessary.

And her button nose, oh that cute little nose.  I thought I was the only one that noticed its button-ness until her Uncle Robby said something to us about how cute it was.  And then in the last two days, 3 different people have commented to me in passing how cute her little nose is.

Juliet loves to be outside WITH her shoes on.  She waits desperately at the window much of the day saying, "ouside, ouside", running up to me saying "shoes on", "shoes on".  And if ever you take her shoes off, she cries, "shoes on, shoes on"!  Because she knows her outside moments are over.

She says "tank you" (thank you) always very softly, almost to herself whenever I hand her anything.  But for some reason, she rarely says it to strangers.

This age...oh this perfect little age...and this is where the pain comes in, I think.  Because I know that she's not always going to be like this.  I know that it's fleeting.  And that's has to be okay with me.  She grows up and I get to know more and more of who she really is but it doesn't change the fact that I know I'll always miss this time of her being content to just lay on my chest.  There's something sort of sickly wonderful about fully possessing a tiny little child.  Hopefully I outgrow that sickness at the same rate that she outgrows her adorableness;)  Much love to you my baby.  Because that you will always and forever be, my sweet baby Juliet.

Nicknames for Juliet:
#1. Ju-B   We almost never call her anything else
#2.  money, mini money, my money

#3. bunny

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Lost a piece of Baby

Georgie bit into an apple last week and lost a piece of her childhood:

her first little baby tooth!
(It's hard to tell because the big tooth has already started coming in behind it.)

They have a history together, those two.  Together they've chewed mountains of goldfish, tons of salad (especially the croutons), gobs of chewing gum and loved candy of all stripes.  Georgie's natural inclination for foods is carbs and sweets but she redeems herself from time to time with her love of salad and broccoli, and her earnest attention toward "trying to be healthy" (her words).  We're hoping that this carby inclination is this tooths fault...and maybe it died off when he did;)  

The tooth fairly came and left her $5.00 for her first tooth.  She gave strict instructions that she was not to buy candy with it!!

xoxo
Mom

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Pettey Family Reunion 2012

Disney Cruise 2012
We even had matching t-shirts!

    


On February 12th we all boarded the Disney Wonder Cruise ship in matching green T-shirts.  
The cruise started off right, with a dance party:


I feel pretty sure that our family owned the main dance floor!



 BIG kids on our shoulders (I took my turn.)


 Hands up, singing, hips moving!!
 And more kids on our shoulders.

 When the party was over we headed down to the kids club to check it out:

Disney knows what they're doing.  Lots of computers for lots of computer games.  

More to come!
xoxo
Ashley





Friday, February 24, 2012

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!!


Sunday, January 29, 2012

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!