We may be a tad late with the Christmas post - it's because we partied that hard :) We visited family in Minnesota. Josh unfortunately was only able to party for a little over a week. The kids and I stretched the holiday into a fun 3 week play time/celebration. Needless to say we've had a rough week adjusting back to reality!!! We were able to do a lot of our favorite Minnesota things, but the best part was spending time with our favorite Minnesota people. We love them all and wish we lived next door to them all. Someday we plan on it!
During our trip we bonfired, went sleigh riding, went to the movies, visited the arboretum, zoo, aquarium, sky zone, children's museum, but more importantly played games with, spent time with and loved our family!
Cousin bath. One word - P-A-R-T-Y!!!
Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Wilson for being great hosts. We love you so much!
A little homage to our favorite Bess. We wish we saw this face/aunt much, much more often :(
Our favorite Lauren and our favorite Payton - Everett's tummy time was so effective in MN because he enjoyed laying next to, and watching this cute cousin of his.
There were 8 kids the age of 4 and under, living under the same roof for a couple of days. It was so fun, but to be honest probably 90% of the time at least one child was crying. We did some crazy things all in the name of fun, but honestly, it was so fun!
Ella, sharing a moment with Great-Grandpa Stark. It doesn't get much cuter than this!
Visiting our favorite Grandparents in Mora! We love when we get to spend time with them. It is so easy to feel their love, and we enjoy their company so much.
The annual sleigh ride and soup dinner became a hay ride, but it was still a great time!
Keeping warm in the warming shed. Keeping cute just because.
We loved getting to see and spend time with Grandma Karen. The girls eat up the attention they get from her and they love playing with her!
Cutest little buddy - cutest Great-Grandma Wilson!
One day we went to the Children's museum with some friends. They had face paint for the kids to apply themselves. Adele loved the idea and took full artistic liberties on her face. I'm not sure what maneuver she's working with her tongue/pacifier, but you get a great picture of her artwork here.
Ella went with the more traditional butterfly, rainbow combo on her cheeks.
We hope to make it back to the homeland soon. Until then we'll be missing all of these cute people!
Has anyone seen that Friends episode where Joey suggests that Monica and Chandler have peanut butter fingers as an appetizer at their wedding? Well, like Joey, Adele has decided that her favorite appetizer is "peanut butter spoon". 
We had some friends over today to make our Valentine's Hershey Kiss, Rice Krispy Treats! We had a good time. Ella and Adele enjoyed helping/eating. Ella is actually very excited about the concept of Valentine's this year, and we've had fun doing some fun things. 
About a week ago we got hit hard with the gunk! We had fevers, runny noses, coughs and ear infections. It was more than the regular cold, and definitely put us out of commission for a week. It was also bad enough, that we had a Sunday night family activity of Clorox wiping all of our toys!!!
We're happy to be all better, and to be getting out again. Being stuck in the house all day is never fun!
They came inside after 5 minutes with some awesome hat hair, seeking solace in a pacifier and blanket. 
Admittedly my children struggle with looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. It's a skill we have yet to master at the Stark household. However, we've practiced lately and I've tried to do some mini photo shoots. 
There were 8 kids the age of 4 and under, living under the same roof for a couple of days. It was so fun, but to be honest probably 90% of the time at least one child was crying. We did some crazy things all in the name of fun, but honestly, it was so fun!
We hope to make it back to the homeland soon. Until then we'll be missing all of these cute people!
