Merry Christmas 2011

Yes, we did have a Christmas this year.  I'm so behind in my blogging....it's ridiculous.  Here are a few pics of our celebration on Christmas morning.

Jacob got a new Pokemon game....SoulSilver.....ahh, the joys!

 

Brandon and his plush Batman blanket.  He loves Batman....it was pretty cool.  I kind-of want one too!

Dallin and his art.  Dallin loves art!

Eric got a CD by Eclipse.  He's also sporting his new hoodie.  Eric is such a ham!

Kyle got his very own digital camera.  He was so excited!

And what's Christmas without a Pokedex? 

Brandon got a bass guitar.....where's the guitar, you ask?  For some reason, it's not in this picture!  How annoying!

 

Kyle and more Pokemon!

Well, this is just frightening, but it's the true me....in the morning.  Christmas morning, that is....I love Hilary Weeks and I got her new CD.

Jacob and some transformer/sword toy.  He's loving that....

 

Todd and Melissa

We had such a fun Christmas this year.  Christmas was on a Sunday, so we got ready and went to Sacrament meeting.  The choir sang songs and Brandon even played a number on his flute (with the choir).  It was a wonderful day! 

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Johnson Family Christmas Party 2011

 My sister, Wendy, and her family came for a pre-Christmas party and gathering on the 18th of December.  It was so fun! They were here for 5 days and it was awesome seeing them and spending time with them.

First of all, Jacob lost his first top tooth (finally).....thank you Grandma Johnson for always being willing to pull those buggers out!  Yuck!

But what was cuter was the fact that AJ and Alexis also had one top missing tooth!  So fun!

The Johnson Clan

We held a talent show....Brad's family performed a number together.  It was so cute!

A few of the cousins sang a song together.....

 

Gina and Riley were there too.  It was great to see them together.

Dallin performed a song on the piano.  He's only been taking lessons for a few months, but he's totally awesome!  He already plays better than I do (which I guess isn't saying much, because I can't really play....but still!)

I'm not sure what Eric is doing in this picture....perhaps he's trying to muster up a smile for the camera...

Brandon played his alto saxophone....he's amazing!  (I'm not biased or anything)....

....And his flute, of course.  If you can play two instruments, why not strut your stuff?  :)

Cute Moriah!  What a sweetheart!

Grandpa and Grandma Johnson

The group.....all crammed into our living room......

I don't know why I don't have any pictures of Wendy and Anthony.....that's just annoying.  But they were there too and we all had a great evening together!

New TV

Well, our old bedroom TV finally started to give out.  We'd had it for a long time, so we decided to replace it with a much thinner, sleek, and modern design-looking TV.  Look at this old dinosaur.  It practically took up our whole dresser.

See the monstrous back on that thing?  They just don't make things like they used to (thankfully, in this case)....

And here is the new one.....it's hard to tell from the picture, but trust me, it's a lot thinner than the last one.  It's got a bigger screen, but takes up less space on the dresser....now that's a good thing! 

Merry Christmas to us!

The Jones Family Christmas Party 2011

We celebrated the Jones Christmas party at Aaron and Kristin's this year.  They had just moved into a beautiful home.  There was plenty of room for all of us and it was such a fun evening.   We missed Grandma Jones, but we could feel her spirit.  (I know I haven't blogged about this on here yet, but Ann Jones passed away on September 23rd after a terrible accident in Texas, while serving a fulltime mission).   She would have loved the evening.  A lot of the grandkids participated in a talent show and it was really moving.  Ann would have enjoyed it very much.  We all felt her presence this night and felt strongly that she was a part of our festivities. 

I don't have many pictures of this night, but here are a few....

Malissa and Parker

The group....eating....

We celebrated birthday's for Steve and Zach who share the 19th of December.  Kristin made a volcano cake.  It was really cool! 

More eating....

It was a really fun evening.  There was an empty spot where Ann would have sat, but we know she is in a better place right now, and that she's watching over us.  On Christmas day, Steve came over to our home and mentioned that everyone had told him this Christmas would be the hardest, because it was the first holiday without Ann, but what he said was something completely different.   He said that "this Christmas has probably been one of the most spiritual I've ever had.  I feel very close to Ann."  It was really sweet and tender and we could feel his peace.....Still, we miss her!

The Jones family is getting big, but we have so much fun together!  I really love all these guys!

(Happy Birthday Grandpa Jones and Zach).....

Thanksgiving 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!  This year we had Thanksgiving at our home with my (Melissa's) family.  It was a great day!  Here is a picture of a surprise we found on our front porch from one of Eric's friends.....yes, a girl....but just a friend.  It was cute.  She baked muffins and made fancy paper-turkeys and put everything in a cute basket.  It was a nice surprise.

Some of the gang.....(clockwise)  Brandon, Caleb, Dallin, and Josiah.  What cute kids!  Do you see Brandon eating instead of posing for the camera?  Typical, I say!  :)

Mom and Dad Johnson

Todd and Melissa

Brad and Michelle

My younger sister, Gina, was there for a short time....sadly I didn't get any pics of her before she left.  But we were glad she came. 

It was a wonderful day and a great dinner.  It was fun to spend time with my family.  (Anthony and Wendy couldn't come for Thanksgiving this year.....we missed them!)

Hope your turkey day was fabulous!