Our busy, Christmas-themed Friday started bright and early with Noah’s second pre-school program. I was up early to drive to our nearest Casey’s to pick up a couple packages of mini chocolate chip cookies to fulfill our treat-bringing duty. (As a side note, we fully endorse the deliciousness of Casey’s mini chocolate chip cookies. They’re surprisingly tasty.)
Noah and Ms. Bailey, post-program.
While Amanda and I were watching Noah’s program, our former babysitter Carisa brought her youngest girls over to hang out with Emmie. I went in for a short day of work before a planned evening trip to Dakota City, the seat of Humboldt County in northwest Iowa. The town is home to 843 residents including 86-year-old Merlin Fort, who has setup an impressive 100,000+ Christmas lights called a “Hillside Spectacular” for nearly 30 consecutive years.
Three years ago, on New Year’s Eve 2011, we took Noah to Dakota City for a horse-drawn carriage ride taking visitors through the town’s streets including the Hillside Spectacular. He enjoyed it then and was excited to return. Emmie loved the idea of Christmas lights, and for good measure, we invited Carisa’s oldest kids, Karina and Addy, to join us on our adventure.
The kids were all set in the van!
One of the best decisions of the evening was grabbing the iPad before departing Ankeny. Addy got the first round of iPad access, as she and Noah watched states fall and attempted to answer state trivia in the “Stack the States” game. Karina was up next, giving clues to Amanda in the fun “Heads Up” game. Noah had the final turn at the iPad before we arrived in Humboldt at our dinner destination of Pasquale’s Pizza.
The kids combined to eat nearly every piece of the ultra-thin cheese pizza, while Amanda and I split the generously-topped bacon cheeseburger pie. Karina and Noah may have been the biggest fans of the pizza, with Noah saying multiple times that he “loved” the pizza and agreeing to pose for a few photos with his cut-up, parmesan-topped cheese pieces.
After dinner, we made the short drive into Dakota City and everyone bundled up in coats, hats, and mittens for the carriage ride. Karina took the front seat by the coachman, while Noah sat on Amanda’s lap, Emmie sat on my lap, and Addy sat between us. While the main attraction was the Hillside Spectacular near the end of the trip, even the smallest light display along the route entertained the kids.
Karina took her seat in the front row of the carriage.
Noah, Amanda and Addy were ready for our ride!
Once we were back at the carriage house, we shed the extra blankets and went inside for hot cocoa and cider. Everyone shuffled through the restroom before loading into the van for our return trip to Ankeny. I enjoyed listening to the Cyclones dismantle the Hawkeyes while the older kids huddled around the iPad in the backseat to watch ever-popular Frozen.
Downtown Humboldt Christmas lights illuminate the rear window.
Noah and Karina stayed awake for the whole trip back to Ankeny; Addy did not.