Catching up on the last month... first visitors!

Amidst the craziness of our first month in the 'new' house, we joyfully welcomed some visitors! (Sidenote: we did NOT joyfully welcome the mouse visiting the kitchen and flying squirrels in the attic. However, they have now departed for other "places".) One Saturday it was Joanna who drove up from a couple hours south in SC. Timo was elated to show her all the bushes and forts in our yard, and all three boys piled on her to read books. It was wonderful to reconnect since we had seen each other 1 1/2 years ago. So easy to pick up where we had left off in conversation and compare experiences of working in higher education.

Such a cheerful guy!

Another weekend we had a day and one night with Uncle Chuck and Auntie Jo! (during their week-long visits to friends in several towns of western NC and SC) Timo put Uncle Chuck to work right away building a cardboard shield, and we had a relaxing spring afternoon together, talking and eating copious chocolates from Baxley's on Main St.

We love you two! Thank you for coming to see us!

Church children's Christmas program

Sunday afternoon was the children's program of songs and verses at First Pres. The kids from age 5+ have been practicing on Sunday mornings with [children's director] Miss Courtney for about 6 weeks. This was Timo's first time to participate in a Christmas program in front of the church. And Mattias's first time to dress up as a shepherd! And baby Hawk, who hopefully as a shepherd will not scare away any of the sheep despite his nomenclature.

Jim and I were both smiling throughout the program because this church has unexpectedly become such a comfortable, welcoming, unassuming place for us since we started attending in the last few months. The boys are being cared for and are learning new things, particularly Timo - who had to practise some new confidence skills and get up in the front with the other kids. They performed one song on handbells and one song on 'tubes' (for lack of a proper musical term) and sung three Christmas hymns. After the handbells, Timo looked right at Jim and smiled and gave a thumbs-up. And the younger children all got to dress up as shepherds (boys) or angels (girls), thanks to a woman in the church who measured and sewed them all outfits.

Afterwards was a church potluck, with kids running around holding candy canes and adults chatting and all elbowing their way in to get one of the Baxley's chocolates from the dessert table (well, not really, but the Baxley's do have a chocolate shop in town and attend church here - and the chocolate is legitimately good).

Happy Christmas!

goofy boy who smiles at everyone!

Campfire will burn tonight, campfire will burn

There's a Deerfoot song for that...

Saturday night - what else is perfect but a campfire with friends, sausages (and tofu dogs), lentil stew, homemade bread, and boys! Over at  the Whiteheads with Dustin & Sadie, Amos and Guthrie -

Dustin and Sadie and baby-on-the-way

 

A song before bedtime and good-byes

More Gieser fun

Yes, these Africans really were in Wheaton! How fun that we got to (very briefly) see Darlington & Hillary (in Wheaton to attend grad school for 2 years), and Mawethu & Lisa (on a road trip visiting friends).

SURPRISE!! Granddad had the most excellent idea to rent a bouncy house for 3 days - and thankfully their yard is big enough to hold it! The kids spent hours out there jumping, sliding, chasing, hiding, and even playing house in it. And then of course they all slept soundly at night after all that exercise.

Meanwhile, the dads could sit back and watch...

Fourth of July! Ready to head to the parade in their new red shirts and holding up Star Wars Pez candies from Nonna.

Whoever invented these new bouquet water balloons was brilliant! Hundreds of balloons fill up quickly and self-tie at the top, so every kid could have his/her own stash.

For supper on the 4th, Mom and Dad hosted all the extended family in town (cousins and 2nd cousins and aunt & uncle). It is so special to see them, especially since Jim grew up celebrating holidays with this extended family and now the next generation is getting to continue those relationships. I always wish we had more time to spend together!

We also had our family photos taken, but we don't have those back yet from the photographer to share. And of course there were other activities that we didn't get photos of, like: lunch and a visit on Wheaton campus; ladies shoe shopping trip; church; pizza night; walks around the neighborhood; and a trip to the Eye Clinic to pick out new glasses (it wouldn't be a Gieser reunion if someone wasn't getting their eyes checked!).

Thank you, Dad and Mom, for a wonderful reunion! Summertime at Granddad and Nonna's is the best!!

Baby shower - what! Yes, indeed!

Several months ago Ling offered to host a baby shower for me - for boy #3 - and she was so excited by the prospect of hosting "her first baby shower", I couldn't help but get excited too - plus I knew that she would make some great Chinese food! It's amazing to see that after 14 months here, we actually do know people and have some friends to invite! On the day there were 13 women able to come; half of those were from the international office that work with Jim, and the other half are friends here (mostly who I've met from Bible study, not counting a few others who couldn't make it).

Sadie also got involved and offered to coordinate/emcee during the shower, and she brought some  thoughtful elements that made for a really special afternoon. Because of that I really felt encouraged and supported, and more mentally prepared for this upcoming birth.

At the beginning for introductions, each woman lit a small candle and then said her name, followed by "the daughter of... who was the daughter of...". It was interesting to hear the names and see how far back each woman could name her grandmothers! Then we put all our candles in the center of the room. Later, we went around again and each woman shared a thought or blessing or prayer for motherhood. Each woman had also written down the blessing and then pinned it onto a 'prayer flag'/pennant that Sadie had sewn and hung across the room. She even collected blessings from extended family, even though they weren't there in person. (We haven't hung it up at home yet because the pennant is very long, but we will!)

Sihong and Ling hard at work making a ridiculous amount of steamed buns

And look who made it into town just in time (literally with minutes to spare) for the shower - Hannah!! It was amazing to have her there, along with Adella. (They had just arrived for a spring break visit.)

Hannah, Sadie, Gayle and me - wonderful ladies!

Adella and I enjoying the view from Ling & Steve's front deck

Kaitlyn (co-worker with Jim and also our neighbor) got in on the bun shaping too

Miranda and Scarlette (from Jim's office) hanging their blessings on the pennant

Sadie made yummy date 'truffles'

I got stocked up on cloth diapers - it was awesome!

All of the women (minus Tiffany, who was taking photos all afternoon) - Erin (and 6 week old Asa was in the background), Betty, Gayle, Adella, Hannah, me, Kaitlin, Ling; Sadie, Miranda, Scarlette and Sihong

Of course, afterwards I went home laden with gifts and leftover Chinese food! I didn't get a photo of it but of course Timo and Mattias went crazy for the buns. Mattias gobbled down three very quickly and possessively; it was quite cute.

More Christmas week!

Christmas Eve service at Duke Chapel was beautiful - and my first time going there for that service. Jaja stayed home with Mattias, but Timo came along with Jim and me, Grandpa, Pete and two of Rita's family members. (Jim left with Timo and went outside partway through the service.) The best part, of course, was hearing the carillon playing Christmas carols as we entered!! No digital recording or computerized bells here. Did you know the bells are rung by hand?

Another morning celebration! This time on the 25th, with our stockings and more gifts. Pete and Rita gave the boys this road rug and set of cars (which kept them happy the rest of the week).

The rest of Christmas Day was pretty low-key (as you can tell, because we didn't take many photos), as was the rest of the week. It was chilly but we still got outside to the park or elsewhere every day. One morning Jim and I took the boys to a little park downtown, next to where the Freys' old house is. It had some slides and rocks to climb on, and a skate park (Timo really wanted to bring his bike and go back again). It's amazing to see the transformation that has taken place in downtown Durham in the last 5-10 years.

Date night! Thanks to Pete and Rita for the "dine and recline" movie tickets, we went out to see the newest Star Wars and ordered our dinner right to our seats. Fun! Our first time at the cinema in... eight years, maybe.

Morning outing to the children's science museum, where we met up with Lisa, Mila and Lithemba. There is a new outdoor music exhibit that had just opened - so cool - with multiple stations and percussion instruments.

Off to the treehouses!! I mean, seriously, how is this not a kid's dream come true play area?! Lots of opportunity to take risks, explore 'secret' spots and challenge oneself (in a very safe environment).

Timo, Mila and Lithemba had a game of hide and seek going in the treehouses

On the 29th, Dad scheduled a Chapel Tower visit for an international student and her brother (who was visiting for the break), and we got to go along, as well as John & Karen Friesen, who were in town briefly in between their move from Cyprus to Egypt. How appropriate to go up the tower on the very same day as 12 years ago when we got engaged! This time, however, the elevator was out of service and we walked the 309 narrow, winding steps of the staircase to the top (pretty slowly so we didn't get too dizzy!). It was an overcast, drizzly day but still amazing to go up and look around. Mom stayed at the bottom with the boys, and from the top we waved and shouted to them down on the grass.

Can you spot Timo and Mattias?

Such a beautiful campus

One photo from a fun morning walk along the river in historic Hillsborough, with time at the park at the end of the trail. This amazing branch sculpture was situated partway along the trail.

One more time to say Merry Christmas and eat cookies with Lisa

John and Karen hung out with us a lot on our last day in Durham, and Timo even got a back rub and a bedtime story from Karen.

And Mattias asked for one more story with "Papa"

Merry Christmas, ya'll. (Plus the two babes in utero)