3. trip #2, yay!

 this 2nd half of our vacation was lovely and totally chill.  A. was recovering from surgery, and we all appreciated the low key holiday.  We slept in, read books, and relaxed! (and went to the gym and running)

 The boys got along well. seems like both have matured and they enjoyed time together.  A introduced E to Minecraft.

 Nana showed them her box of special treasures. 
N planned a special Christmas Eve feast with a fresh turkey.  We picked it up early on a rainy cold morning.

N enjoys diner breakfasts.

E was in heaven working in N's studio.  They spent lots of time there creating memories and artistic pieces.  E made her a snowflake like he'd learned in school.

 It was a treat to visit a local restaurant where N&P's work was on display.

 E&R missed L, and appreciated having the dog around.

 I borrowed the car on a snowy day and met my friend Ms C. at the mall near her home.  She shared the news that she had gotten married the day prior! 

 early mornings, E climbed into bed with us and read his books.

they had fun watching Muppet Christmas Carol with P.

A's dad, stepmom and baby brother (and A's aunt, and grandparents) all came over to visit before the snow.  the cute toddler was the favorite.

2. field trips

I love educational field trips!
We drove to the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill.  learned about the Shakers who lived here in the 1800's.

 it's good to surround yourself with people who inspire you.  C consistently eats healthy food.  hummus is a healthy snack, but he even found the brand that doesn't have oil.  it was delicious with carrots on the drive home.

 J had the house beautifully decorated and so comfortable.

 a good dad to play games with the children.

a little bit of envy for built in shelves using all that available garage space.

 The Mammoth Cave is the longest cave in the world.  more than 400 miles have been explored and mapped.  I was so pleased that our 2 hour tour was mostly walking in the cave.  we only stopped a few times for the guide to talk.
I'll put in C's photo here since mine were all just plain dark.

Abraham Lincoln birthplace has this fancy memorial.  It's very similar to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, but this one was actually built first.  The log cabin inside is just like the one that Lincoln was born in.  

this is the "Sinking spring" near the birthplace.

 just a short visit, but we made lots of good memories.  We certainly recommend a trip to visit the H family.  they are so fun and inspiring.

1. happy holidays!

 we were super lucky to have a nice long Christmas break.  We visited with lots of family, some in person, but often over skype. 
We love homemade gifts.  Grandpa sent us a really cool functional stool.  so nice to have one to keep in the bathroom and not have to constantly move the one we had from room to room.  thank you Grandpa!

 and then we started our adventure.  we were really grateful to use R's frequent flier miles to buy tickets to see the H family in KY.  we had 3 flights to get there, but a couple of them were first class (thanks to R's frequent flying status). It was our first time getting such fancy treatment.  e got to play games on a tablet.  they served us a meal with dessert. oh boy.

 welcome to Lexington, a beautiful city.
lots of inspiration going to visit our KY family. 

 invisible treads on the stairs to prevent falling. phew.

 soft cushy mats while washing dishes.

 J prepared an amazing wild rice salad before church so that when we got home we could eat something healthy.  love this recipe.

 simple tomato soup.

 allergies don't hold us back from hot cocoa while camping.  C set up a blind taste test to see which variety his son likes best.  hot cocoa is one of life's pleasures.

 making Christmas cards for S.

a big batch of steel cut oatmeal with raisins keeps in the fridge. easy to pull out for breakfasts.