Time with Great Grandma

We've been spending lots of time with Great Grandma while we've been home!

Cousins

Noelle has been LOVING spending time with all her baby cousins! She's grown pretty attached to baby Stella since Stella comes to Grandma and Grandpa's house a few times a week. I'm not sure what she's going to do when we head back to Taiwan next week and have to leave all the babies behind.....

History Museum

Who knew the History Museum could be so fun??? Not me! We took a fun trip there the other week with the T's and the K's (for free thanks to the wonderful library museum passes) and had a great time!

Cute

This was what I saw when I went to check on my way too quiet kiddos the other night....3 kids and the dog all watching tv together! Even Kramer was looking at the tv until I pulled my camera out!

Time in Watertown

On our way home from Arkansas we stopped in Watertown to spend some more time with Andy's brothers and their families. The kids all had fun swimming and just being together!

Dakota, Rylan, and Elle
Super happy baby!
Fun with Uncle Greg
Looking at Aunt Heidi's photos from Disney World so they can try to convince their dad to go someday!
Ike made friends with yet another "puppy", Emma!! I swear she thought she was a lap dog!!

Ice Fishing

This post is REALLY late!! Uncle Kyle and Aunt Ellen took Ike fishing on Christmas Eve. He LOVED it!!!

Working hard!
Still waiting!
I guess they got bored and started sledding instead!

Thanks K and E! He had a blast!

More Arkansas

We just got home this weekend from Arkansas, and what fun we had!! We played in parks, had tractor rides with Grandpa, played in the snow that followed us there, and lots of other activities with Grandma and Grandpa! Thanks again, G&G, for a GREAT time!!!

A project Grandma B has all her grandkids do at one time or another
The snow followed Ike to Arkansas and he was HAPPY that he finally had the right snow to make snowmen with!
Tractor rides nearly everyday (until the snow came, of course)
New shirts from Grandpa
"Junk boxes" (as Grandpa called them) made by Grandma and Grandpa
One attempt at a family shot.....

Finally in Arkansas!!!

Tuesday night we finally made it to Grandma and Grandpa Larsen's house!!

Ellie wasted no time getting Grandma to play the piano and sing with her!

Then it was time to give them their Christmas gifts

Check out the beautiful boxes that Grandpa and Grandma made for the kids (and with their names on them)!! Andy and I each got one, too, and LOVE them (mine's a jewelry box and I can't wait to put it to use)!!

Visiting Friends

On New Year's Day we began our journey to Arkansas via Wisconsin where we first spent a couple days with our good friends, and then met up with a friend from Taiwan (which thoroughly confused our kids). We were thankful for the wonderful weather we had for traveling....not too cold and no snowstorms to trudge through!!!

The kids and Tiffany (the daughter of our pastor back in Taiwan)

Andy and I with our godson, J

Ellie with her godparents, A & A

Duluth Getaway

Thanks to my wonderful parents offering to watch our kids for a couple days (and Kim and Tom for helping out), Andy and I were able to go to Duluth childless!! Who would have thought that we would be able to see this ship come into the harbor in late December?? It was pretty neat to watch!

We had a blast snowshoeing at Hartley Nature Center!

Thanks again, Mom and Dad!!! I'm pretty sure the kids had as much fun as we did!

Hats and more hats!

Grandma put in overtime this year making these adorable hats for all her grandkids!

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning Santa delivered the kids gifts in little felt baskets because their stockings were back in the ROC. The kids didn't mind at all!!Joey with his new Toy Story socks (isn't Santa practical)

Elle and Ike "digging in"

Andy with his new stove top espresso maker (looks like he already had a cup of it)

Christmas Eve

A few of the VERY few pictures taken on Christmas Eve!!

Our "angry" shot
Our "normal" (haha) shot
An attempt at a shot of the kids

Baking Cookies with Grandma

The kids know that I STRONGLY DISLIKE making sugar cookies because they only turn out 1 in 3 times for me, so thankfully Grandma doesn't mind making them!!