Christmas with the Johnsons

My work had a Great Gatsby themed holiday party. It was 20's or formal wear. We bought Simon a tuxedo at this store that was going out of business. I just wore a black dress. They had a fancy dinner and a surprise guest, Brian McKnight. He did a private concert for the event. It was really good, he is quite hilarious.

He picked a random single girl to serenade on the stage and gave her a bouquet of roses

Jamming out

The decorations

Simon and I... we forgot to get a good pic

 This year Simon and I went to Southern California to spend Christmas with my sister Becky and her family. They live in Redlands. We had a grand old time spoiling them and playing with the girls. We arrived late the night before Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve we decorated sugar cookies with the Holton's (some of Becky and Kyle's friends). That evening we went to Kyle's sisters for food, fun, and festivities.

Cookies!

Mads licking the icing

At Bonnie's house, playing chimes

The nativity 

Christmas morning I was the first one up, of course. I showered and Simon and I started prepping stuff for breakfast. I think we woke Kyle up and Kylie was the first one out with us. She patiently waited until her two little sisters woke up.

Kylie and Mads by their stockings

Phoebe and Kylie... with a little piglet I put in Phoebe's stocking

Mads and Kylie in the Elsa dresses Simon and I got them

Christmas dinner... Simon made us a delicious English dinner, Becky decorated the table

On Friday night Simon and I took Kyle and Becky to the Olive Garden, one of their favorite places to eat. We had a great time.

Ky and Beck

My love and I

Becky found a groupon to Hesperia Zoo. It was super ghetto, but we got a private tour which ended up being quite good. Since we were the only ones there, the zoo keeper took us to each animal and taught us a little bit about them. They use their animals in productions, there was the lion they used to create Aslan in Chronicles of Narnia, a deer in a Nikon commercial with Ashton Kutcher, and a mountain lion from a Dos X's commercial... among many others.

Kylie and Mads with the llama

My loves

Holding a porcupine needle

In front of the zoo sign

Kyle playing with my camera

Mads enjoying destroying her In and Out burger

Miss Kylie

Phoebe

Tea (oj) and crumpets (biscuit cookies)

Enjoying her tea

Yum

Tea party

All those delicious biscuits to choose from

Our tea host

Playing hot lava

Phoebe enjoying the game

Love these girls

Our last night, playing Settlers of Catan... I actually won!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I love the month of December. There is nothing better than the smell of a freshly cut Christmas tree in your living room. Or the glittering of lights in a darkened room. I love nativities, stockings, and Christmas movies. Becky and her girls were in town over Thanksgiving and the beginning of December so they got to help in the Christmas decorating festivities. Simon and I went and got our tree with Kate and Baby B. They came over to help us decorate and watch a Christmas movie because Dalty was working late.

Mama and B

Me and my love

Our tree

The nativity my mom gave us the first year we were married

A nativity Katelyn and Dalt painted us for Christmas last year

Our living room (with the Muppet's Christmas Carol on of course)

Simon and Eve after we went and got the McDonald's tree

The kids being silly

Getting the McDonald's tree

The kids entranced by the lights

Ki and Jeff decorating their tree

The kids at our place for a sleepover

@Costco for pizza

Jeffrey and his crazy mama

Mads was mad

Thanksgiving Weekend

Wow. It has been forever since I last blogged. I still need to download the rest of the pictures from our trip San Francisco, but that will be for another day. For Thanksgiving Simon and I headed down to Cedar to spend some time with his family. All of his siblings were there except for Melissa who is on her mission. I left on Friday and flew to Boise because my whole family was there for the weekend and Simon stayed in Cedar. Here are some pictures from the fun filled weekend.

The delicious bird

Alex and Adeline with their cousins

Simon and Kevin relaxing after eating

David fell asleep

Kylie and Maddie at the new mall by my parent's house

They do a light show done to Christmas music, it was a lot of fun

Jeffrey and Rach

The girls, Ki, and Beck

Kylie and Mads

Baby Eve

Getting my parent's Christmas tree... Becky and her girls, Phoebe, Ky, and Mads

The McDonalds

Ma and Pa Morty

The Purnells

Phoebe

Looking at the bunny rabbits 

Waiting patiently for homemade pizza

Beck and Ki making pizza

Cuties!

Mom and her ornaments

Crazy grandpappy gopher