Gavin ~ Eagle of the Quarter

 This sweet boy earned the Eagle of the Quarter at the middle school, and I was so proud to be there as they honored him! Gavin is SUCH a GOOD boy and I love him so much. I am so lucky to get to be his mom! :)

 Gavin is kind and respectful, a good friend to everyone and a leader in so many ways. He gets straight A's and is a member of the Hope Squad which is an honor in itself! Gavin is humble and sweet and never seeks for the spotlight, but I know he feels so happy when it shines on him. (And when his peers cheer the loudest for him too! ;)

 I love that the school seeks for ways to honor good kids and to encourage good habits and behavior. I told Clint that we are 4 for 4 now with each one of our children receiving this award while they were in middle school. What an honor! And what a way to make your mom and dad proud! 

Way to go Gavin! Thank you for being one AMAZING kid!!!

I LOVE YOU!!!

Thank You Santa!

On the Sunday after Christmas we were at church and visiting with some friends of ours when Kesslyn noticed "Santa" sitting on the chairs in the back of the room.

She tugged on my sleeve to get my attention and whispered to me while pointing at him, "Santa!!!"

I said, "Yes, you can go see him."

So she quickly left my side and walked straight back to him and they began chatting.

I watched them carrying on their conversation for quite some time when I finally became curious to what they were talking about, so I decided to go over and join them.

"Santa" told me that Kesslyn came over to thank him for the dolly that he brought her, and that she loved all of her toys. :)

My heart melted.

What a sweetie. I was so impressed that she would be brave enough to go and see him on her own and to want to thank him for what he brought her.

I LOVE being a mom and when I see my children growing and learning in the gospel (even if that's just in expressing gratitude) it makes my heart smile. 

These are precious little moments that I always want to remember!

(This is a picture from the night that Kesslyn asked "Santa" for her dolly.) So sweet!

Temple Square at Christmas

  After Christmas was over we decided that we needed to go to temple square to see the lights because this would be our last opportunity for 4 more years since they are redoing the grounds and the temple there.

So we did it right! 

We headed straight to dinner at the historic Lion House restaurant first, and then bundled everyone up to head out into the night.

And when I say everyone, I mean everyone! Even little Easton got bundled up to go and see the lights! (Except he ended up sleeping through most of them..but that's OK. ;)

  The Lion House Restaurant is right there on temple square, and so right when we were done with dinner, we headed right out into the night.

 The temple is always beautiful to me, but especially at Christmas time!

 (And of course EVERY picture we take these days, my boys all stand on their tippy toes to try and be the tallest one in the photo.) But that doesn't ever go very well for them with Riley in it. ;)

  The Johnson family, Christmas 2019!

 The sweetest couple ever. :)

 The Trickett family 2019!

 The best husband ever! ;)

  After seeing the lights we went into the visitor's center to warm up and use the restroom, and then all of the older kids left with Carew and went across the street to the Jazz game! We had tickets for them and knew that it would work out great since we were already downtown.

 We also took the opportunity to mug on our little hunk of love!!!

 And we even got proof that he LOVED it and that Lolli is his favorite! ;)

See that little grin?? :)

 Kesslyn was the only one that didn't go to the game, and I think she really loved having some attention all to herself. It gets a little hard to compete with so many people around!

 The lights were beautiful, and so is Kierra. She makes the most beautiful momma ever!!!

 On our way back to the car, we stopped inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and visited the Giving Machines!

 We each took turns choosing an item to donate to people in need all around the world. I'm telling you our church is AMAZING!!!

 Kesslyn chose to give Art Supplies for little children...

 Who knew that giving could be so sweet??

 Riley and Kierra gave too, and it just felt good. :)

 In these Giving Machines you can give anything from drinking water, to chickens and cows, to dental care and eyeglasses. I love the creative inspiration of the Giving Machines..whoever thought of this idea was inspired and I love it!

 It was a really great way to end our night, and also to let the Christmas spirit linger a little longer...

 I loved every minute of Christmas this year and am already excited to see what family traditions and fun next year will bring! 

Christmas Day 2019

 It was almost 10:00 on Christmas morning before my children were all awake! They must have been exhausted because that is one of the latest starts on Christmas morning that I have ever seen! 

And of course it started off with everyone excited and having fun, laughing, and dogie piling too!

 Having all of my children together was the highlight of everything for me! And that sweet new grand baby Easton made everything so so sweet. 

 It was his first Christmas, but I'm sure that all he cared about was the lights and sounds, and getting plenty of milk to drink! :) I LOVED watching him stare at the lights. He's a child after my own heart! :)

 Watching Kierra and Riley enjoy him and all of the excitement of Christmas was a real treat too...

 And of course my little girls still make everything seem so magical, and the excitement in their eyes just makes me so happy! They loved all of their gifts, and the squeals and laughter that accompanied all of the opening will forever echo in my mind...one of the most magical parts of Christmas!

 I loved spoiling all of the kids though, big and little!

 (But really especially the littles!!! ;)

Love these crazy ~ messy haired teenage boys of mine too!

 They are best friends and I love it!!!

 Kesslyn got the dolly that she had asked Santa for!

 AND the Frozen dress up dress and matching shoes! ;)

 And baby Easton's great Grandma and Grandpa came to visit too!

What a treat and what a fun Christmas Day!

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve this year, my family gathered at Tiffany and Colby's house in Bountiful. It was really nice to get together with my brother Craig too, and to have all of these cousins reunited for a little while!
(We also started out the day by going to see the new Star Wars movie but I didn't get a picture of that.)

After we shared a delicious dinner together, we gathered in the family room for some fun and games, because nothing is more fun than a little competitive fun backed up with some gift cards, right?? :)

We unwrapped layers and layers of wrapping paper while rolling the dice, which took forever because Tiffany and I are master wrappers... :)

But it was just plain fun to watch everyone having a good time together.

We also played the wrapping paper roll game, and the gift bag game that ALWAYS leaves me amazed!

Just look at HOW LOW Dallin can go to pick up this little scrap of gift bag with his TEETH while balancing on one foot!!!

Kesslyn made the top 3 in the bag game with her mad balancing skills too..;)

But by far the MOST impressive is Riley! He can go as low as Dallin every year, and he has it harder because he stands so much taller than anyone else! He's 6'4" and can hover inches above the ground while balancing on one foot! 

Now THAT is impressive! Way to go Riley!

After we finished up at Tiffany's house, we headed home where we had a visit from Santa who brought the kids Christmas jammies, and then we read the story of Christ's birth in Luke chapter 2 while we "acted" out the story. The kids made great animals and shepherds, and we even had our own baby Jesus. :)

I just can't believe that I forgot to take any pictures!

Anyways, Christmas Eve was a treat, and we even got to bed earlier than normal! ;)

The kids couldn't wait for Christmas Day!