no. 330 here

back in virginia...
NOT missing the nasty traffic
one
single
bit
but-
missing the friends and family means
so
seriously
looking forward to catching up with lovies in spite of the traffic!

wedding madness makes updates kind of hard, so i'll do my best between now and next week, the actual event is saturday the 3rd in camden maine...deborah-TOTALLY eating a lobster roll for us both and toasting our superhero reading powers!!
we head up to maine on thursday, with a stop coming and going planned for a quick trip into boston for mr. ben and siblings!
(lil' kim...any "must do" food stops or goodies you want us to get?!!)

from there:
hugs and love with the VA peeps, and then another LONG drive to sunny florida for harrison family fun, cuddles with the sweetest niece and waay too grown up nephew (who graciously lets me call him my honey bear...still)
late nights hitting then 24 hour target with the world's best sister in law, laughing and eating Big Apple pizza!
we
cannot
wait!!

lovies in germany-WE MISS YOU!!!
and have our fingers and toes crossed for a WM WIN!!!
umarmen und lieben
essie

no 329 on a manifest

after 2 years...pres and i will be back in the states!
everyone else has been back since our last visit summer '08

not me and my boylie-we're very excited, and hope we get to see everyone while we're home!
angus...CHECK FB for the flight info

umarmen und lieben
essie

no 328 the one where we watch the US play Ghana

so... we didn't get on the flight to charleston.
20 seats off.

BUT

because of this, our numbers look fantastic for tomorrow!
for now-PRAY for the seats
AND
that we make a goal on this penalty kick

s.e.r.i.o.u.s.l.y!!!
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

USA
USA
USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

umarmen and lieben
essie

no 327 update

looks like we are waiting on Charleston for today...
back soon with good news-i hope!
tomorrow there are a number of flights headed to all of you, and our numbers look good!

umarmen und lieben
e

no 326...space a

it's official...our summer travel adventure has begun!
we're sitting tight in our hotel room right now, heading over to the terminal in a few hours to see what the stars have in store for our traveling wilbury family!

no matter what, it looks like some family in VA will have to drive a few hours to pick us up-the joys of living in the woods!
just remember, if you hit traffic on the highway, we've already traveled 6000 miles to get back to ya...i'm just sayin...

we promise to keep ya'll posted as it is always an adventure
when your tickets are
free.
(SCHAweeet deal, minus all the wait and see pudding when you have a large family and full fares are as ridiculously high as they currently stand)
cross those fingers and toesies, we're trying trying trying!!
umarmen und lieben
essie

no 325 birthday wishes

wake up
it's the last day of school
your 14th birthday...
all at once
in the minute that she took
to make a birthday wish
while we sang
our daughter turned a page in the book of
her
life...

the funny thing about her birthday as i go back in time-
every year it has rained...without fail, every year
rain.
we brought her home in the midst of an indian summer-
somewhere past 107 degrees on the 17th of june
she made her place in
our
book of life...
it
has
been
a
blink~

too soon
too fast
today.

umarmen und lieben mein schazi
momma

8th grade formaland some more formal

no 324 the birthday trifecta

tuesday goes to dunc
(happy birthday little brother!)
wednesday goes to oma chris
(happy birthday oma!!)
and
thursday...
thursday is all about the girlie as she turns
fourteen.

*sigh*
too fast
too soon
tomorrow

umarmen und lieben
essie

no 323 baby olive juice 2

seriously, i knew you were born on the 8th
my computer is in another time zone...
trust me
and in a pinch,
your aunti*e* will vouch!

most importantly...
you
are finally here!

umarmen und lieben schazi!
the other e

no. 322 baby olive juice

dear baby zeus,
today is your day-
you will be welcomed into our world
with love
and tears of joy
relief and
satisfaction
thoughtful knowing...
we've been waiting for you
after today
you
will be here!

i hope to meet you sometime soon-it's been toooooo many sleeps since i saw your momma and auntie, so this love note on your birthday is my attempt at the cuddle in the hospital you would have gotten from me, today.

i begin here:
there isn't enough i can say about the women in your family...
i love them all

they are strong
they are sensible...most of the time
they are silly...lots of the time
they are creative
they are kind
in the face of upheaval they focus and do
they love deeply
and in return they are deeply loved
you are one of them-
simply the luckiest baby girl ever!

your momma is a sweet soul-with a heart of gold
remember that when she comes atcha with a medusa head
she will in about 13 years,
because that's what good mommas do
raising kiddos isn't easy, lovebug
but your momma
she will do it with the
grace and ease that she has put into raising your wonderful big brother
she has a heart that beats to the sound of yours
nothing means more to her than you and your family...

your auntie is wise, thoughtful, funny-oooo so funny and will spoil you rotten!
your auntie is one of the most important people in my world-
she will be that to you too...i already know it.
her laugh is hearty and rich
it fills a room
just like the big boys who fill her house!

the treehouse with uncle col and the littles...
it is a magical place
where you wil become the pretty princess ruling over everyone in your kingdom
or
the warrior princess who loves to ride motorcycles
either way
the treehouse will be your safe place filled with all the folks a girl could ever want-ready to save the day or spice it up!

your aunt alex was a force of nature.
i think of her everyday-
you will
see her in rainbows,
feel her in the heat of a sunny day
hear her when thunder cracks and snow crunches under your feet.
she is part of you, and you, part of her...


your grammie in Wisconsin...she is just plain cool!
mr. tony and i LOVE lana.
i predict, that you might be a teeny tiny bit like her...
we shall see.

today sweet little one, rest in the arms of the family who has truly waited a lifetime for you,
a journey such as this needs to be celebrated in every way
but
also in the most important way...
with the love and wonder of your big brother, daddy, and momma rocking you to sleep
counting fingers and toes
cooing into your ears
kissing the top of your head
tickling your feet
welcoming you home to them.

happy birthday baby girl!!

loving you already, forever and always!!
your other e

no 321 thanks be

taking this from my friend laura, who, said it better than anyone could:

Thanksgiving is the day we give thanks for what we have...
Memorial Day is the day we give thanks for what we take for granted.

thanks be to G-d for the dedication, service, and sacrifice of our Armed Forces
never forget that they give, selflessly, so others do not have to...

AJH: i love you more than words can say.
Grandpas: we miss you every day, and your strength lives on in our children.

umarmen und lieben
essie

no. 320 birthday love

today is my honey bear's birthday!

i will never forget his daddy's voice when he called to share the news-
your mommy was resting
and they had been watching a movie that had an angel theme to it...a spy movie, but still
angels.

we sent your dad a mirror
to practice his best
daddy
faces
as they waited for you to be born.

i remember wrapping the gifts i sent to your mommy for her shower
and thinking as i did it
"soon, someone who i will love for the rest of my life, someone will be wearing this..."
and then you came-

beautiful, sweet, tiny...
you
and your uncle tony and i were amazed by the sight of you!
Pres thought you HAD to be brothers, because you shared a name
Doll thought you were here own personal doll

you made the world a better place on the day that you were born
you made our family a better family on the day that you were born

though were waaay too far apart on every one of your birthdays
our love for you builds and crosses the bridge.

have a wonderful day, watch the mail, and carry in your heart all the happy birthday wishes it can hold until we get to see you and hug you for ourselves!!
we LOVE you Jacob!!!

aunt essie, uncle tony, pres, dollie, and ben

no 318 ex-pat help!

alrighty my fellow ex-pats:

i have a family who is getting ready to possibly make the move from the states to Switzerland, making my momma pal a bit of a whirling dirvish, which is sometimes not such a good thing...

we've all been here,
stuck in the moment
between
"really?!! this is going to happen?!!" and
"HOLY HOT MESS!!"
which is why i am calling on you.

"momma duck" has many questions that (thanks to the military) i don't have the answers to...things like housing on the economy, international schools, compensation packages, etc. and
i would
LOVE
more than anything to be able to give her the answers so she can catch her breath.

any suggestions, guys?
what types of questions should she and "poppa duck" be asking the bosses?
umarmen und lieben
e

no 317 auto tech

two years ago
i picked myself up and posted about my boy choosing his 9th grade courses for high school.
i was a wreck
missing the little boy
loving the young man
wishing that the sands of time would
slow
a little
maybe
to
a dull roar...
but they didn't
they kept on falling.
ready or
not.

tonight, with my mom (thankfully) at my side
i walked her in
we listened
we read
and
she made her course selection for her
freshman
year.

high school

my baby girl in high school.

it's not possible that two of my littles are so close to being
big.

it makes mr. ben seem even smaller somehow
which is hard to explain

but her
my girl
the doodle bug

there she was
looking down hallways
and quietly asking where one classroom was in comparison to another...

upstairs
downstairs
out the door

i don't know if i can say i'm ready for this transition.
it's arrived sooner than i anticipated
i swear i thought we had more time...
when she gets there,
it means he's gone past
halfway

upstairs
downstairs
out another door

"it's pretty big"
"can we have chinese?"
"i'm so tired mom"

it is a fairly big high school
she will have the benefit of her big brother's watchful eye

we ordered waaaay too much chinese
which brought smiles over smiles over smiles to her beautiful face
she's getting ready for bed
exhausted by jet lag
and somehow i know when i look into her room tomorrow morning i'll see
this face

and the weight in my heart right now will be replaced with all the love found in the moments that got her to
today

i know it will...
my beautiful baby girl
on her way now
opening a door

umarmen und lieben, meine schatz-
umarmen und lieben
momma

(ps...how cool is she...Honors English, Honors History, Algebra I, Biology,
German II, PE, and for electives
Ceramics,
Computer Music,
Painting and
AUTO TECH my daughter is awesome!!)

no. 316 jules, this is for you!

i know how hectic your life is, and sometimes the last thing anyone wants to do is pry open a cookbook to figure out what to do for a family meal-
really
i know!

but
these are all ADA approved cookbooks available on their site that look good to me,
some of the cookbooks that i actually have you can find
here
(i have livin' low carb and LOVE it, but am now super excited about some of these other titles, and as we have established my serious cookbook related issue, i think i've found some "must buys" here!)

and another good choice for crock-pot workout
i have 3 books in the "fix it" series because i am a busy momma and some days the crock-pot is my very best friend in the world!
i know the woman who assisted in putting this book together from the ADA side...her daughter is one of my good good friends and she is serious about healthy choices for feeding your family.

don't give up
keep counting carbs
and breathe
life will sort itself out!
love you and miss you s-i-l!!!
xoxoxoxooox
e

no 315. volcano volcano VOLCANO!

oh my stars
what a crazy few days we've had over here in europe!!!
teachers are stranded all over the world-
i'm back in kindergarten (having the TIME OF MY LIFE)
until the teacher who belongs to these kiddos makes it back from Spain...
she's driving right now, bless her heart!

doodle bug and gaia are eating "wait and see pudding"
(as gaia used to say back in the day)
their flight is meant to leave late tonight and arrive tomorrow.
my take on this:
she is safe and this was a true act of G-d, we wait and hope that she gets home to us sooner rather than later.

team leader is going nuts-
apparently, you can
protect the world from devestation
sneak in and out of nameless places
be "mr. covert" on a daily basis
BUT
you cannot wait for a volcano to chill out.

this is why i work with little kids...
for the patience to live happily ever after with Maxwell Smart!
*sigh*

umarmen und lieben
essie

ps-DoodleBug: we love you and miss you and can't wait to have you back!
safe travels my sweet girl!!

no 314 lame duck spring break

there is only so much cleaning, sitting around, cleaning, laundry, sitting around, dishes, fb-ing, cleaning, sitting around
a girl can do.
talk about a lame duck...
spring break, i hardly knew ya.

umarmen und lieben
essie

no.313 oh my

it's the middle of spring break week...
my allergies started kicking my beheiney last wednesday
by friday night (the best night of springbreak as it was the FIRST night for this break)i wasn't thinking about the possibilities for the week
i was praying for a good night of sleep
and a morning where i didn't croak "hello"

so far

it's been a half week of a whole lotta nothin'

the projects i need to finish
still undone...
the ideas i had for the week
still on paper...
my attempt at pizza crust
didn't even rise..

oh well.
i've still got half a week
and i'm sure the projects will eventually get done
the ideas will come to fruition
and i'll get my crust to rise

eventually!
umarmen und lieben
essie

no. 312 heather might kill me, but, it's worth it

and now-
the first family photo
(minus the harrison half of the family)

Paul, Heather,
MAZEL TOV on the birth of your daughter

Gianna,
the world is a better place because you are here
we cannot wait to see you and hold you in our arms!!!
All our love
Uncle Tony (who promises to teach you all about rainbows)
Tante (who promises to teach you all about savings...and spending those savings on fantastic stuff like pottery, but mostly promises to love you always)
Preston (who promises to teach you all about Europe, soccer, and the big boys to avoid b/c if not he and Ben will be obligated to beat them up)
Dollie (who promises to keep all your secrets and teach you how to find out everything about everyone: "nosy rosy...take 2")
and Ben (who promises to teach you how to ride a bike-seriously-he does!)

WE LOVE YOU BABY GIRL!!!!

no. 311 what it means to feel your cup runneth over

when you are 6000 miles away from the place you call home-
in a new place where you must live your life the best way you know how-
not always perfect
but definitely sincere
to send your child back home
alone...
(even for a short visit)
takes a lot out of a momma.

but, back she went-our girl
back to the place
in her heart
where
the warm, strong, beating heart of her dog
cuddling up next to her
in her bed
in her room
could be enough for now-

until

the loving, strong bonds of friendship
lifelong friendship
filled this momma right back up to brimming full
with blessings!
overflowing
jubilant
adoring
blessings!

celebrating our daughters, our friendship, our love for our families
on my birthday
you took my breath away when mom told me you came and got her
i cannot wait to hear all about it when she calls!

i love you more than words can say-
thank you for the best birthday gift,
with all my love and hugs
essie

(ps-the bonfire birthday has been pretty terrific, i must say that team leader did things right this year, and the boylies have done a fantastic job being "girly festive" for their momma!
life IS good!
umarmen und lieben
essie)

no. 310 big enough but not quite

for me.

doodle bug flies to the states for 2 weeks of Gaia and Grandpadad love today.
according to the airline, she's old enough to fly as an adult
but according to her momma and daddy

she gets the little red riding hood treatment,
with airline support that keeps the wolves away,
until her grandma can take her home...

heart of mine-
how i will miss you.
you haven't even left yet

i love you
momma