winter break & utah staycation (II)

^^ Three years old is when Johnson babies start to ski. My dad had us all up on the slopes at a young age and was soon taking us to the top of blues and blacks and telling us to ski down, which I did, bawling the whole time. I'm sad Johnny never got to meet my dad, but he took a little piece of my dad's past to the slopes when he had to wear my dad's old ski onesie from the 90s. ^^

^^ Warning: Do not try to walk through the snow at a ski resort. You need skis for a reason. Needless to say, SiSi and I were soaked. ^^

^^ Did you know you can eat IN THE KITCHEN at Buca di Beppo?! This was hands down the most memorable dining experience I've had. We were able to watch them cook all the meals, and the waiters showed us each dish before leaving the kitchen. It was like being a part of a cooking show, or something of the likes. ^^

^^ Nothing says "I'm home" like this view from my mom's backyard. ^^

winter break and our utah staycation (I)

Isn't December the best? You get to eat sugar all day, you get a whole two weeks off of work/school/life, and everyone in the whole world is generally jolly!

^^ I was sad to miss my best friends' annual Christmas party of 10 years (?) for the first time, but I was so lovingly photoshopped in. ^^

^^ Could this not be the best Santa photo ever? I mean, Santa is sitting on the floor and my girls are cowering away. Frame-worthy! ^^

^^ My momma planned a Utah staycation, which was kicked off with this Christmas lights river cruise. Pretty fun! ^^

^^ Our annual gingerbread house contest where the big kids basically turn into rotten, competitive children again. My gingerbread church, sadly, did not place. ^^

^^ COOLEST activity in SLC is the Mystery Escape Room. You have one hour to find and solve dozens of clues that are part of a themed story. My family's competitive nature was finally pooled together (instead of against one another) and we actually won and now have our photo hanging on the wall! ^^

^^ Christmas Eve Bethlehem dinner. (Almost) everything at the table could be found at the table of Christ 2000 years ago. ^^

^^ Tree of Life! Awesome face, Pipsqueak. ^^

the holiday season part 2

^^ We love to see the temple! We went to Temple Square THREE times while in Utah. ^^

 ^^ Pipsqueak's first Christmas! I love the face she's making in this photo; we call it her rabbit face. ^^

 ^^ Munchkin always sees us taking photos so she needed her own camera. Looks like she's really learning how to use it. ^^

 ^^ This photo has the best story ever. My now-brother-in-law, Bryan, came to my friends' annual Christmas party (the one I mentioned in my previous post) back when we used to bring dates instead of husbands (yes, I used to go on dates with my sister's husband. He was my friend first, Dani!).  I brought the cowboy shirt my mom is holding as my white elephant gift, which I had stolen from her closet because I thought she'd never miss it. And Bryan was the lucky winner of the shirt. Now, it's like six years later and he's married to my sister, and he gave my mom her shirt back for Christmas. Her face pretty much says it all. ^^

^^ My grandparents with their three great-grandbabes. Munchkin, you are a piece of work. And I love it. ^^

^^ Can you tell how much Munchkin loves to ski? Two runs and we were done. Luckily, Johnny and I were able to go skiing alone the next day minus this bundle of joy. ^^

^^ My momma and her babies. This photo speaks a thousand words. ^^

the holiday season part 1

Um, it's January? Holy moly. Here's a little bit of our San Francisco/Utah holiday shenanigans...

 ^^ What is it about Santa that kids either love him or hate him? ^^

 ^^ I co-hosted a fancy-pants girls night soiree with cookies and goodies. It was fun to dress up for a holiday party! ^^

 ^^ My sister had her baby in December and we got to meet him!!! I cannot tell you how happy it was to hold that sweet little boy, and Munchkin and Pipsqueak wanted in on the action, too! ^^

 ^^ Gotta love my friends' annual Christmas party. I think we've been having this for like 10 years now? Love these girls. ^^

 ^^ Christmas brunch at Johnny's home ward ^^

^^ My family's annual gingerbread house contest. If it was a contest to see who could eat most of their house the fastest, Munchkin won. ^^

jazzy holiday playlist

     

I love Christmas music and I love jazz, so combine the two, and you've got the classiest holiday party you ever did see. Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and a happy whole holiday season, because it's never too early to start listening to Christmas music!

santa. i know him.

Having children makes Christmas a million times better. I'm finally excited about Christmas again! Baby Girl met Santa Claus but wasn't so sure about it (what baby is?). Dani and Bryan came from New York and the whole family was there except my brother, Kash, who's on a mission in the Philippines. We got to call him and Baby Girl even screamed for him.

I feel so blessed to have a wonderful family, husband, daughter, and most importantly, Savior. This Christmas has been a reminder for me of what we're really celebrating, and I'm so grateful for His love and sacrifice. Happy Christmas!

our neighborhood rocks. and this is why.

Our neighborhood does the coolest things: walkabouts, parades, and just last week, a live nativity. There's a lady in our ward who is lovingly nicknamed Mayor Marcia, and she puts together the funnest activities. The whole neighborhood gathered this week for the story of Christ's birth, Christmas music, a canned food drive, and a petting zoo. It was awesome, and it's a great way to not get stuck in the rut of "ward only" activities. When we move to another neighborhood I want to be Mayor Marcia.