< ![CDATA[  We have a friend that calls us every November to see if we "made it" through October. Why? Three out of four babies were born in July... the last due on the first's birthday. He didn't make it. Tony jokes that July (followed by my August 7th birthday) drains his wallet and we're ALL sick of cake by the time my special day rolls around. I have raspberry pie instead. This year we've added a fifth birthday to the party month... Meg is July 27th. Maybe that's why we like her so much! The birthdays are being celebrated in grand style. Elisha was king for the day on the 25th, he paraded around Berlin's Museuminsel in his Mama made birthday hat standing proudly while groups of Germans randomly sang to him. When Nebuchadnezzer built his fabulous blue gate, of enameld tiles, adorned with lions and mystical creatures I'm quite sure he never imagined my eight year old son, thousands of years later, peering at it from beneath such a ridiculous looking hat in an antiquities museum. Meg’s birthday hat was blue and green festooned with many pink flowers. Very dignified for a young lady of sixteen! We celebrated with lunch out and a yellow cake with extremely soupy chocolate mousse filling. It melted immediately in the ninety degree heat. Hannah’s birthday is in two days. She got her chocolates early, as they’d melt for sure on the bike. Today she got what she really wanted... her ear’s pierced. She chose little blue rhinestones set in silver. Her favorite color. She only jumped a little when the lady fired the gun. It is amazing she could see what she was doing with three little boys peering in and around and under and over to see what was happening to sissy. They all three pronounced the results, “Very pretty!” It was a good day. Mama got new pants for her birthday (a little early!) We got a new round of cycle shirts, in orange, as the blue ones are both too small and worn out. Elisha got new shoes, having worn clear through the bottoms of the ones Rachel Klekar handed down to him. Most importantly, Daddy got a tiny metal coffee maker. We’re all hoping this will lead to a better caffeinated Papa in the mornings! Last but not least, we picked up a HUGE box at the bike store and schlepped it home on the bus. Tony and Meg have spent a hot afternoon disassembling her bike and stowing it lovingly in the big box and worrying about the weight... she has 80lbs total checked weight as a maximum without incurring additional fees. Will she make it? tomorrow morning will tell! Our hosts are cooking dinner for us. They’ve invited a Sri Lankan for dinner, who speaks English. The kids are enjoying one last day of play. Tomorrow we ship Miss Megan home... she’ll be as sorely missed here as she will be joyfully celebrated there. If you read this before the 29th, pray for her flight, her layover in Dublin, Ireland and for the weight to be under eighty pounds!]]>