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)

The first days of Christmas

We arrived in Durham for a week of Christmastime, and got to overlap for two nights & a day with the Freys! Timo, Asher and Adah Joy were nearly inseparable and full of energy (though not without occasional tears or "stop it"), and Abram and Mattias got along really well, too. I think talkative Abram inspired Mattias with quite a few new words.

No time in Durham is complete without being at Oval Park! We even had a thermos of tea on this afternoon.

I was able to see my old childhood friend Alyssa for the first time in over a decade! She and her husband and 4 year old daughter moved from California to Virginia this year, so we might be able to see each other once in a while now when we are both in town visiting our families. (though on this visit we only had an hour at the park, because they were leaving town the next day) So many memories and stories to get caught up on... and we made a tiny but happy start.

Stories before bedtime -

Lunchtime

Asher learned how to play skip-bo this visit, and got Jim and Craig to play a game with him

On our second afternoon together, Sam Poole invited anyone who was interested to come out to the farm where he is boarding his horse. The two younger boys stayed home to nap but the others went and had an amazing time learning about the horse and walking around the Quail Roost grounds.

That is a 17 hands high horse!

Sam (very patiently and graciously) taught the kids how to approach a horse and then how to brush her down on the sides (where they could reach!). No, Timo, it's not a good idea to run straight under the horse's belly.

Christmas Eve morning we had a special celebration together since the Freys were leaving at lunchtime. We had cinnamon rolls and even - a first in the Hawkins family - hot chocolate for the kids!!! After breakfast the Freys opened stockings and then together we opened a couple of gifts.

Uncle Pete's lap was Abram's seat of choice while he opened his stocking and pulled out some new cars.

Skyping with the Welty cousins! We miss them today!

Short but oh so, so sweet visit with the Brashers

The first weekend in December we drove down to Lexington, South Carolina (3 hour trip) to visit with Ryan and Melanie Brasher and their three boys and new little baby girl. They were back in the US from south Asia just for the semester - for the baby's birth - and were able to stay during that time in Ryan's parents' house (while they were overseas). Ryan also taught several classes at a nearby college.

In some ways it felt like no time had passed since we said good-bye to them and moved from Bloomington (in January 2013), and yet there has been a lot of life that has happened in the meantime. Neither of us is still engrossed in the grad student life and lifestyle anymore, thankfully!! It was wonderful to hear about their life and community at the Christian college where Ryan is now teaching. And it was really, really good to talk about Gemma with them, since we had shared so much life together during those years of her young life.

Also, I cannot neglect to mention that Melanie made a huge, delicious Indian meal for us on Friday night! Highlight of the month! Now we get a glimpse of how much boys can eat as they get older... Their boys are Thomas (age 8), Elijah (age 6, and born a few weeks within Gemma), and Jesse (age 4, a few weeks within Timo).

Breakfast - and Ryan with a goofy face and coolest IU shirt

Baby Lucy (4 weeks old) was quiet and sleepy during most of our visit, but I did squeeze in time to hold her! Oh, this is what a newborn feels like...

The boys all had a great time playing together, especially Timo as he followed around the three Brasher boys and got to play swords and Legos and Playmobil pirates.

Jesse and Elijah took turns pushing Mattias around in the various trucks/cars

One more tackle before we say good-bye

We love you, Brashers! Have a safe journey back home in January!