CHRISTMAS DAY!!

Christmas with kids is magical! It is so much fun to see the excitment they have waiting for santa to come, leaving him cookies and the best is their faces christmas morning. It still amazes me how beautiful and magical it is to see all the beautiful presents wrapped in the family room when we walk down the stairs. We have a rule at our house that you can't come downstairs until everyone in the house is at the top stair to come down together. Then we take turns opening a present each as we go around the circle. Brynlee asked santa for a princess tea set, a hannah montana dress, and the enchanted doll. She was thrilled with her presents and got more than her fair share. But when I went back to the Disney store to get her tea set they were all out of it. So when she was done opening her presents she asked why Santa didn't bring her the tea set. I felt bad but she was over it in five minutes. Stockton asked Santa for a shark and a ship set that they had at Costco. He got that but he has loved the imaginex jungle set that I got him the very most. Beckham didn't really care what he got he was more interested on climing on everything and finding any ball that he could. The kids have played for days with their new toys and are having so much fun! Uncle Marcus loves playing with the Ratioutelle figurines with the kids and they eat it up. He is hilarious with his rat accent. We got Guitar Hero III as a family gift and we have had so much fun playing that. I am slowly but surely getting a little better. I was horrible when we started. Both set of grandparents came over and it was fun to spend time with them. Later in the evening we went to National Treasure. It was a good show.

I am so thankful for the Holdiay Season to be able to spend time with family and friends and enjoy their company! I am very blessed and I count my blessings every day. I am especially thankful for my Savior and for his birth, life and atonement. I am thankful for his perfect example and I hope to be able to become closer to him through each passing year as my testimony grows and I strive to be more like him. I feel his love for me through this holiday season. This year is definately better than last year for me and the kids but it is still hard during the holidays. I love you all and hope you had a very merry christmas and a happy new year!!!! You are always in our thoughts and prayers!

JOHNSON FAMILY CHRISTMAS PARTY

We always have so much fun at the Johnson Family Christmas Party. Brynlee, Stockton, and Beckham love going over there because they have so many fun cousins to play with. Bryns was quite upset last year when she wasn't able to be Mary so this year Grandma Johnson called her and asked her to be Mary. She was thrilled. Stockton got to be a wiseman riding a camel and Becks was the donkey. We ate great food and enjoyed great company. All of my dads brothers and sisters and my counsins are so fun to be around and such great people. I love grandma and grandpa so much and it is always fun to be at their house! Grandma has a tradition of making all of the great grandkids pillow cases each year and giving them pajamas. I always look forward to the new pajamas for the kids. It is so cute because as soon as they open the pajamas they all put them on. All of us cousins used to do the same thing growing up and would walk around modeling our new pajamas. It is fun that this tradidion has been passed down. I am amazed at how many things grandma is still able to make.

GRANDPA BLACKS BIRTHDAY

For grandpas birthday this year we went to lunch at sizzler with me, grandma, grandpa, mom and my kids. Wow it was chaotic. The kids were on one. Especially Becks. He was crawling all over the table and running away from me any chance he got. But Grandpa loves to see the kids and he repeatedly told me how thankful he was we came. So I was glad we went. That night we went over to Grandpas and Grandma had ordered him a yummy cake from coldstone. That is his favorite place to get ice cream. When I lived with him we would go there all the time. Beckham loved sitting on Grandpas lap and pretending the remote to his chair was a phone. Grandpa is such an amazing person. I hope one day to be more like him. He is the most tender, giving, loving person I know. I love you Grandpa!! Happy Birthday!

SLEDDING AT SOLDIER HOLLOW

For Brynlee's dance christmas party they went sledding at soldier hollow. We had to get up at 5:00 in the morining to get all of our snow gear on and get out the door by 6:00. It was so much fun! You sit on a tube and a tow rope takes you up the mountain and then you go down. The only downfall was that it was freezing because we were sledding from 8-10 in the morning. Brynlee was terrified at first and kept running away crying but I finally got her on the tube and told the lady to just push us down the hill. I think she really enjoyed it when all was said and done but wouldn't admit it. Her favorite part was after the sledding when we went inside the lodge and she got to play with her friends and drink hot chocolate. I was glad that I was able to go with her. It will always be a fun memory! This would be such a fun thing to do as a family especially if your kids are a little bit older. I highly recommend it!

CHURCH PICTURES

Today was a great day at church! The nursery kids reinacted the nativity in sharing time. Stockton kept waving at me throughout the whole thing. Stockton was a shepard. He got so mad at his friend David during it because he didn't want him to touch the baby Jesus. He kept punching him in the arm and telling him not to touch the baby. I finally had to go up there and break up the little fight. How can I be mad at him when he tells me all of the time, "mom I love you. You are the best mom I ever seen." He is such a sweetheart. I love you Stockton and you were darling today!!

HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDS CHRISTMAS PARTY

We had so much fun at our high school Christmas party this year! Becky hosted and had us over to her new home! It was darling! We ate the best food and talked about all of the funniest and best girl topics. Something about being with your girlfriends really makes you feel better. Maybe part of it is remembering a piece of the old you when you were younger! Becky and Tiff made us laugh of course and gave us pointers on the correct way to pose for a picture. Thus the arm out in all of the pictures! I am making fun of them in the first picture where we are laughing. We really missed some of our friends who live out of state this year.

I also had a great get together with my college roomates but I didn't get any pictures. It was great to see all of them and catch up. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory which is always a treat. It was an hour and a half wait to get in but it was worth it. I am very blessed to have amazing friends!!! I love you all!!!! Merry Christmas.

MORE FUN IN THE SNOW WITH MARCUS

The other day when it snowed my brother Marcus took the kids out to play in all of the fresh snow! They had a blast as they always do when they play with uncle Marcus. Beckham couldn't walk in his boots so he just crawled through the snow as fast as he could. It was so cute!!

BLACK FAMILY CHRISTMAS PARTY

We had a lot of fun at the Black family christmas party this year. Grandma had it catered and the food was yummy! It was fun to visit with family that we don't get to see very often. We haven't seen Alan and his kids for about three years so it was fun to see his family. The kids reinacted the nativity and Brynlee was thrilled because she got to be Mary. Stockton was even more thrilled because he got to be the camel! It was nice because Grandpa read the story. Stockton loved Chandler and wouldn't leave him alone the whole night. Brynlee had so much fun playing downstairs with Kaitlyn, Tasia, and Mckenzie. Grandma and Grandpa gave the kids wonderful gifts that they are thrilled with. Grandma loves nothing more than to spoil kids and see their faces on Christmas! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a fun party. You two are amazing and I love you both with all of my heart.

STOCKTON'S KARATE

On Wednesday's Stockton takes karate while Brynlee is in dance. He loves it so much and he is so excited to be doing something that is fun for him instead of just always taking Brynlee to dance. He loves his dragon karate outfit as he calls it. He told me today that his favorite part was crawling on the ground like a bear. Thus the picture. That is one of his best friends Kaden next to him. Today he even broke a board with his hands. Too cute!! Way to go Stockon. I love you and I love watching you do karate!