A Little Bit of This (Probably the longest post in all ancient history)

It's been a crazy last couple of weeks, as I'm sure everyone else has had.

We got snowed in.

No, not really, but there was a lot of snow.

I've made a lot of stockings. My siblings now call me "Grandma" because I spend so much time knitting and crocheting (I'm in the process of making a skirt, yes, I am excited too)

We had our besties (as Hannah would say) come out for their brother Eric's Wedding. It was quite an event in one house. We lived across the street from them in New Mexico for 3 years. They then had 4 kids all about our same ages. Now they are siblings 7, but nothing has changed. And they still use the same nicknames we all remembered.

Anne: Annie (Basically the best friend you always will have forever just because you can pick up where you left and never miss a beat. We spent many, many hours together.)

Eric: Bub/Bubba (Anne and I used to tie Eric and Jan to the stop signs)

Morgan: Sugs (pronounced like the first part of Sugar but with and S. Still hilarious, just the way we like her)

Nathan: Nath/Little Man (No longer the Little Man, a strapping young warrior)

Elizabeth: Lizzie (this is where the new siblings began that I'm not as familiar, she was just a baby in New Mexico)

Sara: Sara (Born away)

Esther: Essie (Born away)

Basically, I could tell you all sorts of stories, like the time Morgan was lost, but really hiding in our house, picking up "crystals" (glass) in the alley behind our house, climbing trees and bushes, playing hide and go seek in the desert with all the neighbors, playing

g with fire ants, riding the banana bike down the hill, or floating down the gutter when we had obscene amounts of rain, but let's just say, we HEART the Johnson Family. We hope to see them again soon!

Anyway, the wedding was gorgeous and cold, but I got to go to the Salt Lake Temple for the first time. Amazing. The Grand Staircase is phenomenal and I really felt the urge to sneak around and see all the architecture. The exterior is awesome as well. Can you believe they built this without all our mechanical possibilities nowadays?!

Wait.

Wait for it!

They're still here! Or at least were. All flights into Oklahoma city were cancelled Christmas Eve night, and so, Anne, Morgan and Nathan stayed for us for Christmas!

Christmas Eve Festivities

I'm sure it was a bummer for them not to get home, but we were excited!

On the Wedding Rock, or whatever that thing is called.

Derek was extremely cold for some reason.

My mother pointed out that we take this for granted. We live so close yet hardly visit....mostly because of large busy crowds, but it is worth it.

The Japanese Nativity Scene! Of course we found it!

We stayed up very late, played games, went to Temple Square (which they'd never seen), tried to play Killer Bunnies (which you need to read both sets of instructions to play), went sledding (don't go at dusk and the hit a jump you were expecting while riding double. Catastrophic.)

Sung carols, which sounded lovely with the Johnson voices adding to the not so lovely Hesley/Walker voices.

Christmas Day!

Cute Husband.

They are still here!

The sisters and I were talking how this Christmas was a little bit more special, and it's because we got to have our family and Johnson's all together! They got to go home on Christmas day, but only after Santa came and cinnamon rolls. It was great fun and we hope to spend more time together with them soon!

With our funny perfumes...we all look lovely, love it.

What would a post be without The Kona!

More fun at Grammies!

Grandma always knows how to have fun!

Sledding in the backyard, many were hurt, all survived!

As always, all the cousins love to sled down grandma's hill. Kim, the oldest cousin, still sets the example by joining in the fun! Here are her babies to help keep the tradition alive.

Hali, she's always got the biggest grin on her face, she is the youngest of all the cousins and LOVES anything fun and crazy! Not sure if you can tell, but see all those legs up top, it's also tradition for the parents to watch and push us down the hill.

Sisters, Tracey and Kim

I found these glasses in gram's drawer, they were hers of course.

Sometimes the hill gets a little crazy...

Good ole Mitsie, Laney kept trying to get everyone to carry her up the hill, she would walk a few steps, fall and say "I keep falling" in hopes to get a rid up the hill...which here she succeeded.

Bradley took to eating the snow, now this wasn't fresh snow, it was hard and crusty. He just kept munching and made his lip bleed, and kept doing it!

Just a side note, Laney decided to lick gram's window and then proceeded to chew the dirt from the lick....

These next few pictures are taken on a different side of the hill, for some reason, in all my life that I remember, we've never sledded on this side of the hill, the only reason i can think of is the pipes (which we covered with snow) and because the garden is here...I'm not sure.

But it was fantabulous! Here, Tracey goes off the jump on the faceplant first then here feet flipped over her, its was like a handstand, except she used her face.....

And here, is where Cory repeated the Famous Tracey Faceplant Move

Hali saw this picture and I quote what she says

"New Facebook Status Photo"

Derek, You'll have to click on this to see a bigger shot, but look at that determined face! Haha

Whoooosh! There goes Hannah! She got some air and didn't even get hurt!

The twins loved going off the jump with Derek, perhaps because they didn't get hurt with him.

The Train, last run, it's a rather dangerous ordeal. I'm sitting on Derek holding the twins tube, then Hali and Cory, while the parents watch up top with the portable heater. . .

Which Hannah has so artfully depicted here.

Yes, notice all the feet flying, the little twin's feet and Hali seeing here impending doom.

We actually all survived!

It was a good Christmas!