springdellgirl: December

December

December was a fun whirlwind!! Even though there was so much going on in December it didn't feel as rushed and frantic as some previous Decembers have been and I KNOW that came as a result of having our Christmas shopping done in November. I HIGHLY recommend it. Even though the holidays were busy and crazy, we were able to enjoy them so much more.

The first thing that we did in December that made a huge difference and really set a wonderful tone for the holidays was the church's Light the World: 25 days of Service campaign. #lighttheworld.

From lds.org:

In an increasingly dark world, we can be a bright light to those around us and a shining example of Christlike love. “Opportunities to shine surround us each day,” President Thomas S. Monson teaches. “As we follow the example of the Savior, ours will be the opportunity to be a light in the lives of others, whether they be our own family members and friends, our co-workers, mere acquaintances, or total strangers.” This holiday season, follow the Savior’s example and look for ways to be a light to those around you. As you do so, the light you share will reflect back and brighten your own life.

Join us in December and let your light shine in 25 ways over 25 days.

This made a huge difference this holiday season in feeling the Spirit of Christmas which is the Spirit of Christ. I loved doing this so much that I want to do it every year in December. The church had a calendar of ideas that you could follow for each day but I didn't really follow that. I just made sure that I did an act of service every single day. We didn't make it a big family thing although whenever possible the kids helped and provided service and came along with us for most of the things. Kameron was already doing it on his own as part of seminary and Ailey was doing it on her own as part of young women. So we all kind of did it individually. It was really fun to discuss at the dinner table the things that we had all done that day to light the world. It made a profound difference in my holiday experience. Most of the things that we did were small and simple. Things like: bringing dinner to a family, taking a friend to lunch, spending time with people who could use a visit or a friend, supporting people in their personal and professional endeavors, praying and fasting for others, helping people, going the extra mile for others, bringing treats or a fun surprise to others, visiting someone in the hospital, helping our neighbors, smiling, and just being thoughtful. Just little things. What was kind of a neat surprise upon reflection was that it was really pretty easy to do. It was gratifying to find out that we really are a pretty service oriented family. We already do most of these things nearly every day. Adding in a little extra service was not only easy but enjoyable. I am so grateful for programs and things like this that help us to be more intentional in seeking ways to serve others. It was a wonderful experience.

We also celebrated each Sunday of Advent this year. So even though the first night of Advent was technically in November it still got us off to a good start. We do Family Home Evening on Sunday nights and that worked out perfectly. The first night of advent we went to see the Dancing Lights, a light show set to music near our house. It is usually the first thing we do each Christmas season as a family. We go to the dancing lights and break out the eggnog!!

Reilly sent us hilarious snapchats like this all month:

That is truly a gem!

I had a bunch of fun events that I got to attend. The first Christmas party of the season was thrown by my friend, Serena, the founder of the Farm Chicks Antiques show. She invited a huge group of us to her lovely home in Green Bluff for a big afternoon party. It was so much fun to see dear friends and actually have the time to talk and chat without also trying to madly set up, tear down, or work a vintage show. So many people that I have met in the vintage world have become some of my dearest friends.

This was at the very end of the party. We were the last bunch to leave and decided to take a picture. I love these amazingly talented women. They have truly enriched my life over the years.

Then that night our friend Celeste and her daughter-in-law Megan had a big holiday open house at Lucky Vintage a darling home decor shop here in town. So all of us from Serena's party got to hang out again that night!! Such fun!!

Then the next week my friend Brettnie hosted a Christmas/Craft party at our friend Penny's barn and that was also a great night!! I wish I would've gotten a picture. I love those ladies!!

Stacey represented Sisters Creed at a little Christmas show in her small town. I am glad that she was able to have a Christmas show since she wasn't able to come to Montana for the Vintage Whites show this year with us. My mom and I drove down to Palouse to shop and say hi. We also ate at my very favorite little cafe The Green Frog. So good!

The second night of Advent we took the kids and our niece Elle to The Journey to Bethlehem. It is an awesome live nativity that the Seventh Day Adventist church near us puts on. It is really cool and quite a few people from our stake and ward help with it and are actors in it. I love when Christians of all denominations can come together and love and appreciate one another. It was freezing but a lot of fun!!

It's a really cool experience. You are divided into families and then you wait inside the sanctuary and enjoy musical performances and caroling until your family is called. We were the family of Ephraim this year. Then you are met by your "cousin" who takes you around Bethlehem. I was particularly touched by the shepherds this year. They changed things up a little bit and this year as we were focused on the shepherds watching over their flocks by night the angel of the Lord appeared unexpectedly right behind us. It gave me just a tiny little glimpse into what that would have been like. I loved the seeing the humble shepherds kneeling before the Christ child. Every year something different stands out to me and it was the humility of the shepherds this year.

The kids love the Roman soldiers who yell and bully. Some were on horseback this year and it was awesome!!

Elle and Bryn were pretty mesmerized.

I loved watching the little kids as they looked upon Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus and were so full of reverence and awe. Our friends, the McRorys, were in our group and their little guy was scared through most of the "journey" and had to be held and carried by his dad. But when we reached the nativity he wanted to be put down and walked up to get a closer look and was so reverent. Morgan and I were both in tears watching our kids. So sweet!!

The girls also really loved the camel!! Then it was back inside for hot apple cider. It was a great night and a perfect way to celebrate advent.

Next up was Ailey's Christmas choir concert. She was so excited to be in a real choir and to actually have choir robes!! She went in early to help her teacher set up. She adores her choir teacher, Mr. Earlich. He is also the new orchestra teacher at our high school and works closely with Ms. Tappa the high school choir teacher. She sometimes comes to the middle school to listen to the kids, offer advice, and to help out off and on. Ms. Tappa was bringing with her the lovely high school women's choir, the Canterbury Belles, to perform with the middle school choir and Ailey couldn't wait!! She was so excited to tell Ms. Tappa that she was Reilly's sister. She was also super excited that several of the Belles are girls from our ward and stake. They came and were so sweet to Ailey and made her feel super special!! They went out of their way to make a big fuss over her. Ailey was on cloud nine!!

Unfortunately about ten minutes before the performance Ailey had a nasty accident. She went into the girls restroom with some friends to primp before the performance. The lights were out and the restroom floor had just been freshly mopped. Ailey slipped and whacked her head super hard. Hence the teary eyes in the picture above. When we got there she had an enormous goose egg on the back of her head. I quickly checked her for signs of a concussion and she seemed okay. She was bound and determined to perform that night. She did a great job!!

Here's a little snippet:

Bryn is such sweet supportive sister!! She goes to everything and happily cheers on her brother and big sisters. She wants to play the cello and be in orchestra when she is older. :)

Ailey was smiling and doing a little better by the end of the night. Unfortunately after we got home she started feeling really nauseous and her head was hurting worse so she ended up getting checked out at the ER late that night.

This ER selfie was when she was feeling a little better after she was given some anti-nausea medicine at the hospital. She ended up being okay...no concussion. She was able to come home although we had to wake her up several times during the night and closely monitor her for the next three days. Her goose egg was so large that you could see it poking through her hair. She really hit her head hard!! That is the 2nd Johnson to whack their heads at that school. Reilly fell down the stairs when she was in middle school and ended up with a bad concussion and needing a CT scan. Not cool.

The discharge selfie.

Tyler and I went on a fun date night to Gaiser Conservatory at Manito Park. It has been a total winter wonderland around here and our favorite park is glorious in the winter. So after dinner at one of our favorite restaurants one night we went to the park and then to the conservatory to see the Christmas lights. It was so pretty!!

We started our Christmas baking. Last year we were so good about making a couple dozen cookies every weekend. Not so this year...we had a couple of all day bakefests... but it is nice to have a lot of great bakers and helpers in the family now!!

Bryn helping with the chocolate crinkle cookies. A family favorite! :)

Bryn had her very first piano recital:

She was SO EXCITED!!

Bryn played Jolly Old Saint Nicholas. She did a fantastic job and won the award for most practicing. She loves piano!!

Her performance:

I had an awesome girls night right smack in the middle of the month as we celebrated my friend Mary's birthday. (She is the blond in the center of the photo.) Whenever I go out with friends we are always so busy chatting that we forget to take pictures. We actually remembered this time despite the terrible lighting and the fact that it was about 10:15 pm. We were just about to head into a late movie. We had a fun night of dinner and a movie. We saw Collateral Beauty. We all loved it and bawled our eyes out. So fun!!

For the 3rd night of Advent we went back to the park and the conservatory with the kids. They loved it. I can't believe that we have never gone there to see the lights before.

Ailey took about 100 pictures. She was stopping and snapping constantly. Even Kameron was snapchatting away. It really is pretty.

This time we stayed for refreshments. I think Kameron ate his weight in cake and punch. The girls had fun decorating cookies and Santa was there too!!

Then we headed out to play in the snow!

It was a great night!!

We ordered our Christmas cards and sent them out. I love sending and receiving Christmas cards. I feel like it is a dying tradition in a social media world but I refuse to stop. They are such a pleasure receive. I love the tradition.

Then it was early release week (not my favorite) and parent teacher conference for Bryn. She had a great conference. Bryn is doing fantastic! I absolutely love her teacher this year!! Mrs. Skladany is the best!! We decorated a gingerbread house as one our activities to keep the girls entertained during the long week. They also did a ton of sledding in our side yard and played games under the Christmas tree.

Kameron had his big winter concert. This is a picture of his jazz ensemble playing for all the people coming into the venue. This is one of the music department's biggest events as it is band, choir, and orchestra, and it is always a great time!

Here is a snippet:

Ailey also made drill team for her middle school which was really exciting and we celebrated with peppermint ice cream!!

Despite all the exciting things that we had going on we were counting down the days until this girl would fly home for the holidays.

We couldn't wait for her to get here!! We were so excited. The picture above is Reilly and our nephew Kaiden at the Nutcracker. Our niece Kaiya was performing in the Nutcracker in Salt Lake City.