love thursday: big gifts from little ones

Anyone away from most family and friends probably appreciates postal deliveries more than just about anything in life. I'm no different.

I love getting any letter or package, but it's particularly special when I receive something from my niece and nephew back in the States. Knowing that they still think of me in between soccer and baseball, school and birthday parties, iPods and whatever else it is kids play with these days? Warms my heart and, quite often, makes me downright giddy.

You may remember reading that Mia, my niece, had sent me a postcard from Disney. It arrived!


The other side of the cartolina is a family picture in front of Epcot, but I won't post it because I haven't asked permission. You'll just have to trust me that it's adorable.

Of course I save everything my niece and nephew have sent me. Here's a collection of some of the older stuff, drawings when they were both a few years younger:


But it's not limited to just drawings. They also send me little gifts that they've picked up here and there (usually with the help of Nana) that somehow remind me of them.

From left to right: Gangster Bean, a giraffe pin, and a little ceramic owl.

For the record, I'm never doing a photo shoot with a bean, a giraffe, and an owl again. You see how they all refused to look at the camera?

The Gangster Bean came about because before I left to come here, my nephew Michael was big into the Mighty Beanz. A list of all the beans, er, beanz came with the packets, and I told him about my affinity for Gangster Bean (go figure). So when he got his hands on this guy, he sent it off to me.

The giraffe is because I love giraffes, and my niece knows that. So one day while out at yard sales with Nana and Mommy, she saw this and knew I would love it. And I do.

The ceramic owl was gifted during the time of Filippo and Filippa, the wild owls that we raised for a little while. Isn't it a hoot? Hah!

I display their letters, pictures, drawings, and gifts throughout my house, and everyone always asks about them, their names, how old they are, etc.

And you know is always the most interested? Other children. When P's nieces and nephews or kids from the village come around, they zero on anything related to Michael and Mia (especially their blond hair!) and ask, above all, when they're coming to visit.

I can't wait for the day that they come and can meet all the people who already know so much about them. And somehow I don't think the language barrier is going to make a bit of difference.

Hearts seem to have a language of their own.

Happy Love Thursday everyone!