Christmas Eve 2011

Christmas Eve at the Johnson's is always magical.  The tradition has always been LOTS of food and PAJAMAS!!  This year was no different.  I made some yummy treats to add to the table of deliciousness.  The girls were elated with excitement and just couldn't believe it was the night that Santa would come.  

We ate... and ate.. and ate. Well, most everyone did. I tried, but I was still pretty sore from getting my wisdom teeth pulled that I stuck to the soft stuff.. which is the best stuff anyways. :-)  Then, we played a little game solving some Christmas Carol word mix ups. After that, it was catch phrase.  After a couple rounds of some competitive guys against girls, it was time to open pajamas. 

Hailey and Addy absolutely loved theirs... especially their slippers.

Hailey and Addy showing Uncle Adam their 'Flexing' they've been working on just for him.

Mmmmm... Food.

My Beautiful Babies and their new jammies!

Traditional Pajama Photo + Ben

Addy, Regan & Hailey

The Johnson Clan

The TRUE Johnson Clan :-)

When we got home from the fesitivities, Hailey and Addy were so excited to set out some milk & cookies for Santa as well as carrot sticks for the reindeer.

The girls went right to sleep after peering out the window and listening intently for sleigh bells.

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

Trax & Temple Square

Nate and I decided it would be fun to take the girls to see the Christmas lights at Temple Square. We haven't taken them before and knew they would love it.  So, Tuesday the 20th, the girls and I picked Nate up from work and headed to Salt Lake. We stopped in Sandy and got on Trax.  The girls were SO excited to ride a train. They really thought it was pretty cool. It was pretty packed on the way to Temple Square.  Once we got there, we went to dinner at JB's and then walked over to see the lights. It was FREEZING, but it was fun. The girls really liked it a lot.  On the way home, the girls fell asleep in the car and it was a great night.

(sorry for the blurry cell phone pics)

 

Next time I won't wait till the week before Christmas to go.. it was WAY too packed.

Disney On Ice

Since I was a little girl, I've wanted to see Disney On Ice. What most people don't know about me is that I'm pretty obsessed with anything Disney. Oh, and Ice Skating.  When I was a teenager, I had Disney movie posters on my wall as well as pictures I had laminated from my Ice Skating magazine I had a subscription to.  I cried the day that Sergei Grinkov died and I read the biography of he and his wife Ekaterina Gordeeva.  I watched the winter Olympics intently and recorded on our VHS as may ice skating shows and competitions I could find.  Those who knew me as a teenager would say that my obsessions were a little different from most teenagers. I still have just about every Disney cartoon memorized and recite them every night for my sweet girls. Nate makes fun of me every time but deep down, he's glad that I have that connection with my kids and that I can entertain them in ways that most cannot. Not sure if that's a good thing or not, but they like it. :-)

So, after that tidbit about myself, we took the girls in November to the big show.  Here are some pictures from our night at Disney On Ice!!

I'm not sure who enjoyed the night more, me or the girls. It's a toss up, but mostly I enjoyed seeing the looks on their faces every time a new act would come out or listening to them sing all the songs at the top of their lungs.  They have me to thank for that... :-)

I have a little connection with someone at the ESA so we got some pretty sweet tickets for a pretty sweet price!

Facial Art

This is what I get for not paying attention to Addy during the Primary Program at church...

Lil' Gymnast

Last Saturday, the 17th, Addy had her showcase at the Candy Cane Classic at All American Gymnastics.  I was really torn up about it because I couldn't be there. I got my wisdom teeth pulled the day before and was really sick. My amazing in laws were kind enough to come get the girls and take them so Addy wouldn't miss out.  I really was so sad to miss out. This was Addy's first big deal that neither of her parents were able to attend. When Scott and Val came to get her, they informed me that Carmen and Ben would be there as well to take picture. This made me feel a lot better. I'm so grateful for my supportive family. 

Addy is the one in green and black with legwarmers.

Thanks again to my inlaws for stepping in for me and being so supportive of little Addy.

Letters To Santa

This year was AWESOME helping the girls with their letters to Santa. Hailey was very excited to be able to write her letter all by herself. She obviously needed help with the spelling, but she wrote the letters all by herself. Addy told Nate exactly what she wanted to say. So cute.

Hailey's Letter

Addy's Letter

Same as last year, these are Santa's email responses:

Hailey's email

Addy's email

The girls have been asking me every day since they mailed their letters if Santa has emailed them yet.

My, how the times have changed.

Santa Girls

Call me cheesy, but I absolutely love Santa dresses at Christmas time.  So, I found these, and couldn't pass them up. I had planned to have the girls wear them ON Christmas, but my mother in law had something else in mind, so we let them wear them yesterday.  The girls were SO excited to wear their dresses and Hailey couldn't stop posing. She thought she was pretty hot stuff. She wore it all day and even asked to sleep in it that night.

48 hours after getting wisdom teeth pulled.. what was I thinking going to church looking so drugged??

I'll blame that one on Nate for not telling me how terrible I looked.

On the other hand, Nate looks hot. As Usual.

I love these girls.

They make me smile.

Merry  Christmas!!!

Miss Creative

I took the girls to McDonalds one day last week for lunch. Ok, I went through the drive-thru. It was one of those days where we had been running errands all morning and we were running late on Addy's nap and the girls were starving. So, we grabbed lunch and headed home. I went in at one point to check on them in the kitchen and this is what I found...

Nothin like artwork made out of french fries!

Crafty Crafty

Addy is in need of wearing dresses or something "pretty" every day. Since it is 30 degrees outside, I was running out of excuses.  So, I made some leg warmers. They are pretty addictive. I've made quite a few and Addy wants to wear them every day, so it's a win-win.

Complete Opposites

This particular December Sunday morning I woke up to Addy informing me that she wanted her hair done curly with a headband. She knew exactly what she wanted to wear.  Behind her came Hailey who said, "I just want a pony tail mom." Only when she said it, it came out in a 'I so don't care' sort of tone. 

These girls are the best of friends but when it comes to fashion or particular needs, they are complete opposites.

Holiday Happenings Part 4

Saturday the 10th, we decided to meet up with Jessica and Avery who were in town visiting for Carmen's baby shower. We went to the Riverwoods to ride on the Horse Drawn Carriage. This is our 3rd year with this tradition and we were glad to share it with Jess and Avery this year.

It was FREEZING, but luckily they had firepits glowing.  Christmas lights blanketed the entire outdoor shopping center. It is truly a sight to see.

We spent half our time hanging out in Blickenstaffs, a toy store, to keep out of the cold. The only problem  was that I think a lot of the other families had the same idea.

We stood in line for the carriage ride for a very long time, but in the end, the girls really enjoyed it.