Christmas 2008

My Christmas post/pictures are just a bit late getting up. I sent my camera cord back home with Matt, so I wasn't able to upload my pics until I made it to Walgreens to burn a c.d.

I'm double blogging today and simply dated this one earlier.

We have had a great past week here in South Carolina with Matt's family. Actually week and a 2 days now for Noah and I. Matt and I took all of (week ago) Monday to pack up the house and clean and run errands and all the things we still needed to do, and then left Vero just after 10pm. It turned out to be a good decision, as Noah slept all but maybe an hour of the drive, and he didn't get carsick one single time! Of course I'm sure you're thinking it's hard to get carsick while your sleeping, but he's managed to do it before. We pulled into the house here just before 6a.m. It was very sad for me to leave Vero, but Matt was headed back to get the truck a week later, so it wasn't a big deal for him yet.

We spent the next 2 days dillydallying around the house, doing some shopping, and eating some good homecooked meals. Matt's sister Jessica and our brother-in-law Jonathon have been back in the states only 1 week from their 6 month stint to Kenya. . . and Leah is home from college on break. And Grandma Esther is in from Alabama. So it was a full house for a while. Noah took to Jonathon right away and has been saying his name ever since. Of course Jon was great to play with Noah and wrestle around with him on the floor, but that's what uncles are supposed to do, right? Jess and Leah and the rest of them didn't really have a chance. Christmas Eve we went to a Candlelight service at the big Baptist church in Aiken that was really nice. I haven't been to a Christmas Eve service in quite a while, and I love them.

Christmas gift-giving is always big around the Hawkins house, and this year was no exception. We had a nice morning, sleeping in till 9ish and then opening ALL the presents. Noah did great, he really understood how to open his own presents this year, as well as everyone elses. It was a little difficult at first to explain to him that they weren't all for him, but after he'd see what was in someone else's box or bag, he realized he didn't want it anyway. As far as his own gifts, after he'd open one toy, he'd want to play with it instead of keep opening more. So we had to space it out for him. (He also asked for CAKE constantly during present time.) When we finally sat down to Christmas breakfast, it was closer to noon than it was 11a.m. I love that.

After playing with aaaaaalllllll of Noah's cool new toys, we headed out to partake in the Hawkins family tradition--a movie with the fam on Christmas night. The girls decided to all wear our new sweaters, since Matt's mom somehow managed to buy all 3 of us the same shirt, but at different times. That's what you get when you keep going back to the Target clearance racks, apparently she bought 5 total of the same shirt. Here's the pic. I thought somebody would comment to us about it, but I didn't hear any. I guess we don't stick out as much as the gypsies with big pageant hair and full face of makeup (seriously, seriously). We decided to take shifts this year so that we could all go, so the girls went first and watched Seven Pounds--REALLY quite good--and then the boys left when we got back and watched Yes Man--eh, okay, they said. They might have gone to see the same movie as us, but we warned them they might feel uncomfortable watching it without US, in case they got a bit emotional. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner when the boys got back.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday went by quite quickly. Friday was Matt's moms 54th birthday, and I went boot shopping with her and Jessica, and then we went and enjoyed a MUCH needed mani-pedi. Then Family Game Night topped off the evening. Saturday the boys went and played golf, and Sunday we all enjoyed attending church together and a great roast lunch before we parted our ways: Jess, Jon, and Grandma back to Alabama and Matt and his dad headed back to FL to get ready for a big week of moving. Noah and I were able to stay here for the past 3 days with Sherrie and Leah and relax (a bit, not much) while Matt and Tommy drove the moving truck out to Texas.

After a few set backs, the boys left Vero on Monday evening about 5 p.m. with a U-Haul truck jam packed full of our belongings. He said somewhere between 25 and 30 adults and teens came to help pack up and see him off. Matt, his dad, and the dog and the truck and Vue all made it to Houston this morning and checked in at the apartment office. Then about 20 people from our new church met Matt at the apartment and helped for several hours, taking ALL our stuff up the the 2nd floor of our new "home". We are VERY thankful and appreciate for that, since we didn't know what to expect! We appreciate and are thankful for the help on both ends of the move. I feel like I have gotten off pretty easy by not having to spend 3 1/2 days driving/going with the truck. Of course, I do feel like I did my part by packing up nearly the entire house in the last month or so. Noah and I fly out tomorrow afternoon and for the first time, I realized today I am feeling anxious to be there. To get settled. To get this new experience started. There's been quite the in-between time and although I'm very glad for it, I'm also ready. I don't think I was a week ago, but I am now. Not ready for EVERYTHING that will change, but at least ready to be there with my husband and our new place!