Christmas in a Nutshell

When there is so much going on for one month, it seems best to just sum it all up in one post. We were able to head to Delta to Celebrate the festivities twice with Tim's family. Our first Christmas was with Brett and Jennie since they were having their REAL Christmas with Jennie's family this year. Here are a few pictures of the event.
These Raggedy Ann and Andy Dolls are adorable. Alan and Paula gave them to the girls. They are hand made. You can just see Emery's excitement on her face. She actually wanted to be Raggedy Ann for Halloween along with Goldilocks, if that tells you how much she likes Raggedy Ann. Maybe next year for Halloween. :)
Tim visiting/laughing with his brothers.
Doesn't it seem that the cheapest toys are the ones you have most fun with Christmas Day. Tim and his brothers played with these helicopter fliers almost the whole trip and actually wore them out by the time we left. Well worth every penny.
Of course we can't forget our REAL Christmas morning:

Visiting Grandma Dora after opening presents. The little puppy that Emery is holding was a last minute, after thought, gift we got for her. Go figure, it was her FAVORITE gift she receive. She is still carrying this little dog she name Annalisha everywhere with her. I think she likes that Annalisha came in her own little bag too.
Then there was also the few days After Christmas Party at Jennies families house in Salt Lake:
Kaven asked me to take this picture of him while we were playing catch phrase. You can tell he was really into saying cheese. :)
We had a blast playing Catch Phrase. It was also lots of fun to meet Nicks new girl, T.C. for the first time.
It was hard to say good-bye to everyone when it was time to go. I am just glad that we all live close enough to be all together two times a year. I guess the countdown is on for the 4th of July. :)

We are pleased to announce.....

Tim and Dallas Johnson are pleased to announce
the marriage of their Daughter

Emery Eliza

to

Cameron James

son of Jeremiah and Becca Whetman
on March 12th, 2029

???? Maybe Someday???? Actually the Whetmans came home for the holidays from Nebraska and we were lucky enough to have the come stay with us. They had their first year of Dental School here at the U and are finishing at Creighton University in Omaha. We picked them up at the airport on their way home for Christmas. We miss them a ton so it was so fun to get back together again. Emery and Cameron really do get along well and both inform us that they are boyfreind and girlfriend. We took this picture as they were leaving and thought it looked like an engagement picture. I could not resist. They are both such cute kids. It was also fun to see their other little boy Dallin.

For those of you who thought this was a pregnancy announcement, (as some of you are waiting for) sorry, it was kind of fun being mischievous. :)

DANCE

Emery finally got to dance with "her kids" on "the stage". Even though it technically was not a stage. Here are some pictures of her class and performance.


I couldn't dress Emery in a skirt because she just plays around with it instead of dancing.


With her class and teacher.

Party Time!!

Christmas Style!!
Stake Primary P.J. Christmas Breakfast


I was able to help out making breakfast for everyone before the party, so Tim got the kids ready and brought them over and this is what Emery came dressed in. Yes she chose her clothes. We thought she looked like Rainbow Bright. So cute.

A really great Nativity performance where the Primary Teachers were the actors. :)

Whatcott Christmas Party
My sweet Mom bringing her soup for the Lunch

Tim showing our empty plate of goodies we brought. This was kind of funny because the desserts were in the back during the meal and when we went to get our treats from the kitchen for dessert the plate was empty. I guess people liked them. :)

Saying good-bye
*These are just a few of the parties that I got pictures of. There have been a few others like 2 FHE parties at our house with our Visiting Teaching and Home teaching families (very nice) and Caroling to all the Primary Kids (so fun!)
Christmas can be REALLY fun yet REALLY exhausting!

Hills Family Christmas Party

Nikki is such a talented pianist! And she is one of the cutest pregnant girls ever!

My mom played Silent Night on her Indian Flute, which was very impressive considering she has never had a lesson and does not follow notes. It really was beautiful.

Leslie even played us a Christmas tune.

James was so cute on this harmonica.

Zach shared his impressive talents of his job and his intelligent son Lincoln who could name all sorts of things in his work pictures that I had no idea what they were.

Cute Heston

I read how the Grinch stole Christmas and in the middle of the Book Tim broke out in song "Your a Mean One Mr. Grinch" with his deep Bass voice. I think it surprised everyone. I always LOVE it when Tim sings. His voice was the first thing that attracted me to him and I still love it to this day. Talking and singing.

Not to mention the HUGE surprise that Chris can play the Saxophone and pretty well too.

Of course we got to hear from Erin on her Viola

To finish off the night the Nielsons brought chimes where we all played different tunes. People were hesitant at first but soon the whole family got involved and it was tons of fun.

I wasn't able to get pictures of everyones talents like my Dad in his Camo body suit doing Coyote calls, or Levi's DVD of all of his talents with music (very cool), or Dantzels cheer, or Casey's piano and Gymnastic number. Great Times!

Thanksgiving

I have already posted about Thanksgiving but I thought I would post some pictures of our trip. It was SO GREAT to have everyone there.

So THANKFUL for......

MY FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!

This Thanksgiving was the best I can ever remember. All of my siblings and their kids were able to get together for 3-4 days. It was a houseful for my parents but SO MUCH fun and memorable! So here is to my family whom I love so much.

Mom and Dad,

Thanks for your examples and life you have lead so far. When ever I have a problem or a hard time raising my kids I am grateful to have wonderful parents to look to as an example of what I can do with my own kids. The older I get the more I realize how much you have done for us and how much more I have to learn. Your focus on family and the love I felt so strongly growing up is something I hope to achieve in my own home.

The Nielsons,

Thanks for always having a listening ear and warm heart. I always feel like I can talk to you about anything with no reserve and still be loved. Even when I say things the wrong way. You have always been there for Tim and I from the beginning, even with our super fast engagement/marriage. You are always so good at helping me see the whole picture or look at things a different way, with out being hurtful. You have a beautiful family on the inside and out with such GOOD kids. I am just glad Tim and I can follow your example while my kids can follow your kids examples. :)

The Hills,

I don't get to see you or talk to you as much as I would like, but I always know you are there and would do anything for any one of us. You guys are always so honest and kind. You are so easy to please and so willing to help with anything or everything. Your class and righteous living is something to be admired by all of us. Your kids are so precious and are blessed to have you guys as parents.

The Parks,

I know you don't always like to hear this but you guys are SO FUN! I wish we lived closer to you so that we could play games into the late night, make crafts as sisters while Tim and Brandon do their thing, I am not sure what that is because I am always having so much fun with Cami that I don't even know what else is going on. All I know is that Tim has TONS of fun with Brandon too. We have fun as families, couples and as individuals. You can't beat that. My favorite Ping-Pong game during our tournament was against Brandon. I can't help but sit back and enjoy myself with you guys.

Leslie,

You have been given a lot to handle in this life and you handle it VERY well. People do not always understand you or your situation, even those closest to you, but that doesn't stop you from being extremely kind to everyone around you especially strangers. You are so smart and can remember things that are unbelievable. You have really grown up and I feel so happy that you are able to be out in the world and handle it well. Sometimes when Tim and I talk about you I get this overwhelming feeling of love and appreciation for you. Thanks for always being able to make us laugh and realize what is truly important.

Erin (soon to be Higleys),

I can not believe that my baby sister is graduated from high school, engaged and determined to be all grown up. :) You have such a positive outlook to life that I wish we could all have a little bit of, even when the hardships of life and responsibilities of being adults come our way. Your hopes and dreams for the future are something I remember having as strong and hope that I do not lose throughout my life, even when people may say we are too naive. There is nothing wrong with finding happiness in everything, yet still be responsible and realistic. I think a lot of people do not think those two things go together. Just don't forget that they can. I think the key to that trait is gratitude. Thanks for always being so easy going, and easy to please.

Thanks again to EVERYONE for making this Thanksgiving and Christmas Party week so great. It is a time that I will never forget. The preparations of food, eating the food, cleaning up, ping-pong tournament, talent show, family pictures, games and more just about wore me out but sure was fun! Thanks for all you contributed to make it so memorable. Thanks to Cami and Brandon for taking these great family pictures for us. I know everyone appreciates them. Happy Holidays Everyone, I hope your season is filled with gratitude, love, family and/or friends.