no. 261 the second milestone birthday in our house in 2009

waaay back in the day
i figured that 2009 would be an expensive year for us
as the three kinder of casa h would all celebrate milestone birthdays
pres: 16
dollie doo: 13
mr. ben: 10
in june...we started climbing that mountain when our girl hit her teens
officially
in october...it was number one's turn to become
(eep)
a legal drinker in germany
AND
a legal driver in the states
in december...we will hit the summit with
double digits
wow

my babies
all growing up...
umarmen und lieben
essie

momma's funny!
16 cards for 16 years!!!
i thought it was brilliant






(the rice dinner our neighbor from the dominican made for pres-ALL he wanted on his birthday-Ms. Miriam's rice!! and yes, he ate every bite...no sharing!!)

no. 260 team leader blows away another year

the birthday where gator gear came late
for those who don't know
team leader is a
HUGE
gator and yankees fan
huge
mamoth
gargantuon
(is that right?)
big big BIG
this year the gear we ordered got here a little late
not in time for the birthday
BUT
in time for the big games
more pictures of the orange and blue explosion to come later





umarmen und lieben
essie

no.259 *e* love

so i felt bad enough to add more photos this morning...
no excuses!
i have to do better, and i know it, so here are snaps from this fall
on my 2.0 mega pixel kodak
b/c
the 10.8 pixel samsung is still getting fixed
so there aren't any fun summer or first day of school snaps
but there are some
and that (according to my e)
IS
better than nothing!
all my love to you wifi stealer!!!
grab me a crab stick

umarmen und lieben
essie

polish pottery fondue...the beginning! i was given a large bowl by my buddy michelle last year which was perfect for bread, but the table didn't looked "dressed" with only one piece
when we went to poland in august, i went on a mission, determined to find smaller bowls to use for the rest of my fondue goodies
what started as a simple idea has turned into an obsession-there's MUCH more where this came from (ANDY'S!!!) and these were taken in late august when i was really just getting started

no. 258 photos of the month

following in the far away footsteps of my friend erika
i've decided to record this month a picture at at time...
my only problem
i really don't have enough time to post every day
SO
i decided that i would post 6 or 7 photos every friday
which is better than nothing
and most of the time
nothing
is what i get posted on this poor blank blog of mine!

here goes-
nothing!

umarmen und lieben
essie

1 november 2009 wiesbaden germany

not 2 november 2009 heidelberg germany

3 november 2009 wiesbaden germany beginning pictures for a perpetual calendar

4 november 2009 mad eye martinis (for the mommas) and spidey venom (shirley temples for the kiddos)

5 november 2009 our boy turns 16

6 november 2009 does your office look this fun?!

no. 256 november begins

quietly here on our side of the atlantic.

last night was the beginning of new things at casa h, i realize, as the kinder in our house have slipped into that murky in between stage where nights such as Halloween are spent
hangin' with friends
not so much about dressing up anymore
but
finding themselves
back at home-eventually
back at home for the food treats,
back at home for the drink treats,
back at home to laugh about who they saw doing all sorts of silly
back at home to be

i'm glad that they all came back home last night
but part of me is silently missing
the halloween nights of our past
when going out meant having momma right there...
walking
waiting
laughing
lugging
having momma right there.

how many times have i said being their parent has been a blink for me-
one minute little,
the next...big.

thankfully, our neighbor got 3 photos of mr ben before the night was through.
3 photos to carry me to next year
when a new november sun will rise
fresh, clear, crisp
and big will become bigger
and momma will be right there.



umarmen und lieben
essie

no.255 when one is sickly

one is able to catch up on all the unfinished summer reading stacked alongside her bed.
so far this weekend, i've finished

Julie/Julia
The Italian Summer

and am currently working on

Clarice Bean
Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love and the search for Home

i reccommend them all!
nothing beats a good read-i would love a fireplace to crackle alongside, but when you're 41 (and a half) living in a stairwell in europe...
beggars can't be choosers

umarmen und lieben
essie

no.254 ugh

sometimes-
sometimes,
i say too much.
i keep talking when i should KNOW to
s.t.o.p.
it's not a good personality trait-
it's not a good parenting style.
it's not good.
sometimes.

no.253 the one about the one who changed my life

i wrote this 6 months ago, and reread it last week...
today is his day
hooray for 16!

today is our day
holy mess-he can start driving!

today is my day-
to thank G-d for the blessing
to thank G-d for the moment
to thanl G-d for every day that i get to say
he is my son.

i love you with all my heart
happy 16th birthday prestie
momma

ps-pictures will follow...it's the wee hours of the morn here in deutschland, blogger will tell me it's not october 5 when i post this
but here
far away
while he sleeps
i wish my son happy birthday as i type...

**************************************************************

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? No

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? No...i was on my way, this just got us to the alter a teeny tiny bit faster, morals clause in my teaching contract and all!!

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? total shock.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Nope

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 24

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I just
knew...hard to explain, easy to understand, he was conceived on the 3rd anniversary of my grandfather's passing. I just knew.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Tony

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? only once-he was good to his momma

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? black bean burrittos from the SCAD mexican place in City Market

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Tony :-)

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? male

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? nope

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 32 pounds-i was back in my jeans the day after he was born.

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? my first grade teammates gave me a shower, it was the 6 of us plus 2 kindergarten teachers i knew...we were too poor for me to join the social committee at my school!

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? i was having pre-term labor, so i knew

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Not really...just one ticket, when i ran a stop sign thinking i was in labor and lost my license for 2 weeks right before he was born!does that count as a complication?!

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Candler Hospital, Savannah Georgia

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 9

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Tony-i will NEVER forget looking up through the sun roof of the car-it was the clearest sky i've ever seen...so brilliant, so blue!

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Tony, and technically Aunt Jean, who called and was put through to the room LITERALLY as i was delivering him. she never had children , so this was the closest experience possible for her, and i'm thankful every day that she got it. i'm sure grandpa had something to do with that!

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? yes, because Tami told me not to be a pain martyr! :) what i learned, is that i'm allergic to the "regular epidural cocktail" and for the next 2 babies, i was seriously natural!

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 8 lbs 4 ozs

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? October 5, 1993 6:20 pm

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Preston Arthur Harrison, for Grandpa and Grandpa Prestie

31. HOW OLD IS HE/SHE TODAY? 16 in October...I can hardly believe it

that's our boy...
front and center...
always with a smile...
good natured to a fault...
devoted friend...
reasonably devoted big brother...
adored grandson...
cherished nephew...
wonderous, miracle, life changing,
first born
child.

no.251 nine times out of ten, emergency room deutsch has people laughing at you

and i KNEW i should be more humble about the goings on at casa h!

yesterday, last play of the practice,
pres JAMS the healing broken thumb
i get a panicked phone call from the coach's wife
and we raced to pick him up before the acute care clinic shut the doors for the night.
we got there at 7:07...they closed up shop at 7:00.

FORTUNATELY

one soldier took pity on the 5'8 teenager blinking back tears and sent the doctor out to the lobby
he took one look at pres and said
"you have to go to ------"
"our radiology is shut down for the night, and you need pain meds"
he had the same soldier sign us in so he could dispense medication, examined pres, calmed down ben (who was crying his eyes out at the sight of his big brother hurting) and got me successfully on my way to the next town

what a wonderful person-
truly
wonderful!

my ER deutsch got us inside, and upstairs, where i busted out some more and got a face-full of laughter.
niiiice.
it did lighten the mood though-must admit!

team leader showed up 2 hours later and shortly thereafter we were waiting on our big boy as his hand was casted for the second time this month.
the good news: his break IS healing!
the bad news: he's not playing for a bit, which means most likely, no trip to England this weekend.
the good news II: he got SERIOUS pain meds, so right now, he's sleeping through the hurt
the bad news II: he really can't write now, and making up one missed day will be rough.

my poor baby!!!!
which brings me back,
to
always erring on the side of humble.
my baaad-i get it....
*sigh*

no. 250 AT LAST!!

last night at 7:30pm the phone rang.
doodle bug had been getting the bulk of calls, so we made her answer it-
she was very business-like and took the phone to pres.

we thought it was a girl...

we thought wrong!
instead it was
the varsity football coach

the varsity football coach
WHO
after watching preston's amazing game
MOVED
HIM
UP!!!

after walking away from football at age 12
and
walking onto the jv team 2 weeks after practice started
and
breaking his thumb
and
missing the first game b/c of the broken thumb

our son-with his sweet tender heart
played like an
ANIMAL
and won his place on the varsity team!
we couldn't be more proud of him-
his grades are fantastic,
his athletic ability is maturing,
he is surviving the move of his best friend-

he is making the most of this life!
better still-on friday night, we get to go to ENGLAND to watch him play!!
love that boy!

umarmen und lieben
e
oooo before i forget-
aunt julie, you know your nephew!
marching to a different beat with those cleats, BUT, it does make him easier to find on the field...i can't lie!
xoxoxoxox

no 249 photos at last!

the camera broke on the first day of school...back to square one with my ancient kodak, that has lost it's ubc cord.
yes, the phone did loose it's own cord, because i can't find it anywhere in this little house.
however
i managed to get my printer to let the memory card take 100 photos off for posterity...100 photos
we've been to the airport more times than friends and family should know
we've been to souffelnehim france for a pottery fest
we've been downtown with a flat little girl
we've been to an outstanding high school football game
we've been starting school (but those photos are on the broken camera now being fixed!)
and then there were the spring photos of softball and soccer and play that somehow got left behind in all the fracas of our summer.

let the photos show, we've been a busy busy little family, and casa h has been full!
umarmen und lieben
e

no 248. what a difference a life makes...

a year ago, part of my heart left me-
left me for places unknown
left me for places uncertain
left me.

it has been a year frought with questions
questions without answers.

it has been a year of work
work without joy.

many mornings, i would drive to school, heavy thoughts filling the corners of my mind-
worry.
so much worry.
few mornings, i would drive to school, heavy rain filling the corners of the sky-
parting, ever so slightly,
pausing to let the sun shine through
in a heavy moment, a rainbow would appear...

my mother in law once said that rainbows were G-d's promise to mankind.

i have never forgotten that-even remember where we were when she said it-
G-d's promise...

the afternoon i got the call, it rained.
the afternoon i got the call, a rainbow appeared.
now, in my humble mind, i imagine that part of my heart-Dulce Maria somewhere beautiful, painting rainbows with G-d.
it makes me smile and give thanks for every one that i see.

so tonight, on the eve, it was Open House at my school.
i was SO SO SO tired; it had been a very long day, and the hour to close up shop was just about to ring, when
one last family came in to say hello.

this family is a new family,
this child is a new child,
who
has begun filling the empty place in my heart.

he is naughty, mischievious, whimsical, silly, sweet, good, kind,
did i mention naughty?!
his parents are both active duty, and, to tell them Open House was over-
it wasn't going to happen.
i spoke with his momma,
i spoke with his baby,
i spoke to his little brother -who- tried to feed my wall with a tub full of counters.
he made a mess, a mess that will wait until tomorrow to be cleaned.

but
it was what he did as he left that stopped me in my tracks...
as this child left with his family, a chorus of goodbyes filled the hallway, and ringing loudest of all was the little brother

"BYE H!"

Dulce.
you were there tonight, weren't you?!
some people might reflect on time passing...what a difference a year makes.
others,
we see the difference a LIFE can make.

it was my blessing in life to know her, and, my priviledge to be her teacher...

umarmen und lieben DW
H

no. 247 remember

this year
marks eight years...
when i took oreo out for his walk today
the sounds on base were loud and s.t.r.o.n.g.

this year
soldiers filled the streets
running in unison
cadences booming
the voices of comraderie, support, like souls and minds-

remember.

no. 246 a just like that, the revolving door slowed to a standstill

team leader and i said years and years ago that
we wanted our house to be the place where the kids and their friends wanted to be-
we wanted our house to be the place where the kids and their friends felt safe-
we wanted our house to be the place where the kids and their friends ate meals, shared moments,
laughed out loud.

our house has been that place, and more.

we moved here and shortly thereafter we woke up one day to find pres and some boy hanging out in the kitchen making waffles.
that was the beginning...some boy indeed!

it goes without saying that as parents, we want nothing more than every day to be a happy day for each of our three littles...
we do everything we can, and probably do too much, to make that ideal a reality.

so, when pres started having this boy over to our house,
and
a sleepover stretched from one night to two
two nights to three
we realized that this kid, was becoming part of our extended family...
he came on trips with us
he ate many many meals with us
he and pres had many many MANY adventures together (most of which i'm sure i really don't want to know about!)

for 2 years our phone rang constantly
for 2 years our front door opened to big boys shoes, big boys laughter,
big boys...
this big boy became our "extra harrison"
and at his house, pres became their "extra molina"

it goes without saying that as parents, we want nothing more than every day to be a happy day for each of our three littles...
we do everything we can, and probably do too much, to make that ideal a reality.

yesterday i drove behind the car that took him and his family to the airport...
to the plane that took them back to the states...
i hugged him until we couldn't breathe
i hugged his mother
i hugged ben
i hugged dollie
i hugged preston...who hugged his best friend
goodbye for now.
we watched them walk away, to a new chapter-
another place where another door will open-
spinning round and round

just like that, the revolving door of ours, slowed to a standstill

it goes without saying that as parents, we want nothing more than every day to be a happy day for each of our three littles...
we do everything we can, and probably do too much, to make that ideal a reality.

yesterday was a hard hard day for casa h and the littles
and today
we will do everything we can to make this day
this day
a happy one.

umarmen und lieben
essie