Going Plural: Merry Christmas 2017

Christmas in Ames 2017

We had a nice quiet Christmas at home, our favorite place! With Riley out of school we had a line up of several movie nights including Christmas eve featuring, "The Peanuts Movie". We played some games together, drank cocoa, the kids dressed in costumes and had a dance party, and we did a lot of snuggling. We also got just enough snow for a white Christmas which excited the kids. Riley and I went to the Christmas eve service which was just at the regular morning time because it was on a Sunday. It was a little slippery getting there because it was snowing but we took our time.
Christmas day we waited for the kids to get up then we opened our stockings, ate some kolaches, unwrapped gifts and looked at our Christmas letters (Keenan and I write a letter to each other every year). While the kids were enjoying their new toys and again dancing to Christmas music, I started our main meal of the day: Caramelized orange pork loin stuffed with apples, green beans, mashed potatoes, and gravy. I made the same main dish and breakfast last year. Now that we are staying home, I was trying to create some traditions for us. I love that pork loin recipe though so I could probably eat it all the time!

Riley enjoying her new pens and sketchpad!

Christmas in Marion
      We Traveled to Marion the day after Christmas. The kids were really excited to get there and see their cousins! The auxiliary cable was broken so we had to talk the whole way there(darn), it's fun to talk about dreams, this time we described a house!
     We enjoyed sledding, viewing the many dress up parades, a puzzle, assorted games, and amazing food. I love seeing the house all decorated with lights and the real Christmas trees are so beautiful! Riley ran around with Piper a lot. It still amazes me to watch all of the kids grow. It is fun to see Ainsley read an entire stack of books in a sitting and not even look up. Lucy is so helpful and notices if there is a need. August has an amazing imagination and loves to dress up and the list goes on and on.
    After Christmas in Marion we made a quick trip to visit the Brues because they live nearby. I miss seeing them as often but look forward to any visits. I missed Dawn this time as she was working but it was fun to see how much the boys had grown and to catch up
   We got delayed on our trip back to Ames because of a snowstorm that was passing through but we just left the following morning and everything was all clear.
    Haha, almost forgot. When we got back to Ames the car battery was dead. We parked it in the driveway to avoid tickets in case of snow, so we couldn't pull the van into the garage. Just another one of those moments. I got the dog inside(who we picked up in Ottumwa) and then the kids while Keenan worked on the car. The gifts and luggage were just going to have to wait. We then pushed the car out of the driveway and into the street, which isn't easy because it is difficult to get footing in the snow. A neighbor stopped to help try to jump it, which was really kind. Keenan pulled out the jumper cables to try to jump it but they were so cold that the wire just cracked! Did I mention that it was in the negatives with windchill. The car wasn't starting even with being jumped so another neighbor comes over and they all push it into a better parked position in the street until Keenan can get the battery checked. He ended up replacing it the next day. It is wonderful to have nice neighbors who will come out to check on you even in the freezing cold!