11 year Anniversary!

We went fancy shmancy this year for our anniversary and left ALL four boys with Mandi for a couple hours while Ben and I went downtown for lunch in the top floor of the Hancock building. It was a fun date with a wonderful husband. Being married, and being married to a very poor busy and never home student.resident, is not easy or fun most of the time, but to quote Kelly Clarkson 'What doesn't kill you makes you STRONGER' so cheesy I know but it's how I feel. Sometimes I was afraid this path would kill or relationship and at time it felt it was dead, but I think all marriages go through these times in one way or another. We've stuck it out and worked through things and really are very happy together!!

Christmas 2014

 This was such a fun Christmas!! Ben requested some time off so he was home and it was so so so so so so so so x infinity wonderful!! I felt myself start to thaw out from the zombie mode I'd been in since Cody was born. I didn't thaw completely but it was a start and it has felt so wonderful to feel human again. Ben was a ton of wonderful help and a fun dad the whole time. We spent Christmas Eve at my dad's family party seeing my grandparents and cousins and other extended family. It was pretty much the same as every other year. The kids loved it. Christmas morning was a blast. They were spoiled as usual, partly from us and mostly from the grandparents!

 The three older boys had each made eachother a handmade gift. Brannon had made some crayon art for Colin and Evrett...

 Cody wasn't really a fan of the morning. He mostly cried and was a little entertained by the garbage laying around.

 Melted Crayon art by Brannon

 Colin made Cody a Chewbacca stuffed animal. I can't find a picture of it though! It is so so cute.

 Aunt Megan sent the boys some really cool books on Aliens and Greek Mythology

 Brannon FINALLY got the Star Wars movies he has always wanted.

Gramma Lala gave the boys their own pairs of moccasin slippers. Evrett was so excited he stripped all his jammies off to be able to try them on :)

 The boys sweet homemade gifts for me and ben. hearts melt.

 And then days and days of lego, snap circut, erector set playing

 Fancy Christmas Dinner

 And then lots of playing on their kindles. Thats what Ben and I gave them. I found an awesome deal on black friday

 lots and lots of fun relaxing and movie watching!

 We went to an outdoors store one day that had fun exhibits to look at.

 But cody was kidnapped by a bear!

 Ben surprised me with one of his sister's paintings. I love it!

I'm writing this post three months after the fact so I'm not as emotionally involved as I'd be if written closer to christmas but I really do love this time of year to focus on our Savior and the ultimate gift he has given us. I am so grateful for the gospel in our lives and for the influence it has on the boys.

The big Boys happenins...

Brannon and Evrett looking very nice for church

 Evrett made this cute playdoh guy and named him "Alberto". I thought it was so funny because he obviously has been influenced by the area we live in which is mostly hispanic. When Colin was his age in Philly he had a teddy bear he names "Kishawn" -a very Philly name.

We had a ward party that Melanie Beemster and I decorated for. We made paper snowflakes and hung them from the ceiling. It was pretty cute.

 The boys and their Legos! Brannon made a football player and field for Ben...

 The boys being silly. They are General Grievous from Star Wars. They guy with the extra two arms who uses four light sabors.

 Evrett loves "washing dishes" aka playing in the sink

 and we found him exercising in his birthday suit one night...

 Brannon drew pics of Ben....

Evrett drew a self portrait.

Colin and his Lego guys

 Brannon made me  the "Hunger Games" girl

Fun boys.

Cody at 7 months

 You are suddenly grown up!!

And one very handsome little man.

 You are army crawling everywhere!! and seem to know where trouble can be found...

 Johnson Grandparents came to visit and you loved Grammy J.

 You have great older brothers who hate to hear you cry. I got out of the shower to find Evrett had dragged your highchair all the way to the front room to be by the piano and he had turned on some fun music for you to listen to so you'd stop crying :)

 you love love love to play

 And are just so stinkin adorable!!!

 but you still wear me out. You aren't sleeping well. Every once in a while you will wake up only once or  twice during the night but usually its 3-5 times. One of you brothers caught this lovely pic of me...

 And you love playing with the Christmas tree and gifts.

Silly Ben

 Ben brought me home my tag for his Dental Implant conference. It's hard to see because of the flash but he registered me as "Jordan Hotty Johnson".

And we got a kick out of this box that arrived for him labeled "HUMAN TISSUE" Gross.