Gingerbread houses

For Family Home Evening, the Monday before Christmas, we decided to create gingerbread houses. It turned into a fun Harry Potter theme when Amber, Emily, and Brittany decided to create Hogwarts!

Creating Hogwarts

Tyler and mom created the Hogwarts express.

Mike created the Burrow, the Weasley home

Jordan and Ashlee created Hagrid's hut.

Amber, Emily and Brittany created Hogwarts!

The back view of Hogwarts with the Whomping Willow

We had so much fun that this will become an annual tradition!

Jones family Christmas party

We met at Thanksgiving Point for a wagon ride through Electric Park!

Melissa, Amber, Tyler, Jack, Matt

Chris, Emily, Katie

Lauryn, Emma, Sydney, Brittany

Nanny, Papa, Lauryn, Emma

Ashlee, Anna, Abbey

After the wagon ride, we went to Nanny and Papa home for our traditional Christmas sleepover.

Jayne, Kerstin, and Matt performing a funny version of "Hark How the Bells" for the family talent show.

The Nativity

Emily and Katie surprise us every year with which animal they dress up as for the nativity. It's always fun to see their creativeness!

A fun night of games before going to sleep!

The kids are excited for the cousin gift exchange!

Brittany had Emma's name for the gift exchange and she made her some of her "signature" pajama pants!

Papa and Amber at breakfast

Russell family Christmas party

On December 17, we went to Cameron and Connie's home in Mountain Green for a family Christmas party. Only those of us who live locally were able to come this year. The evening started with the blessing of Cameron and Connie's newest edition, Christian. Then we had a nice pasta dinner that Connie prepared for us. After visiting for a while we played games and put on a nativity while Papa read the scriptures.

We divided into families and decorated on person as a tree!

This year, the adults put the nativity on for the kids!  We had such a fun evening and LOVE to be with our extended family!  Thank you, Connie and Cameron.

It's Christmas time!

I love Christmas time. I love the lights, decorations, buying gifts for my family, the snow (as long as it's not too cold outside), the cozy feeling my home has, and I especially love the sound of children's laughter.

Emily and Amber laughing together and enjoying looking at

Pinterest on the computer.

Kelly and Preston

My niece, Kelly Marie Russell Kempton and her son, Preston came to stay with us for a few days.  They left this morning.  We will miss them so much!

Tyler and Preston became really  good buddies!

Thanksgiving

We had such a fun thanksgiving! We were blessed to have our whole family together for Thanksgiving. We also were blessed to have Grandma Nancy, Papa, Joseph, Danica's family, and Lauren Hughes with us too.

Jarom, Tyler, James, Porter, Abram

Brittany, Lauren, Amber, Ashlee, Jordan, Mike, Emily

Danica, Lila, Nathan, Grandma Nancy, Papa

After dinner we went downstairs to play "Reverse Charades"

To end the wonderful evening, we went upstairs for pie!

State football champs!

Lone Peak football won the state champion ship this year!  Emily, on the drill team, performed at most of the football game half times.

Brittany and Tyler enjoying the win!

The drill team acting silly just before their first half time performance
(Emily is second from right, standing up)

Halloween

Amber, Emily, and Brittany had so much fun putting their costumes together.

A

Tyler, as Shawn from psych

Amber, as Rita Skeeter

Scooter, as a dalmatian, mom, as Cruella Deville, Tyler, as Shawn

Brittany, as Tinker Bell

Emily, as a no. 2 pencil

Brittany made a soccer ball pumpkin

Emily made a Psych pumpkin

Mike made a Lone Peak Knight pumpkin

Amber's Harry Potter pumpkin

Tyler decided to be a Grim Reaper for trick or treating. He made a scary face pumpkin.

Sweet 16

Happy sweet 16 to my sweet MOE / M&M! Emily had drill the evening of her birthday. She got home around 9:00 and then we had a fun, late family birthday party for her. She wanted two ice cream pies instead of a birthday cake. We had a lemonade pie and asphalt pie. Asphalt pie is a mint chocolate chip ice cream with an Oreo cookie crust and caramel on top.

Tuacahn Theater and Las Vegas

For Christmas last year,Troy and Deedra gave our family a gift certificate to the Tuacahn Theater. We chose to go see "The Little Mermaid" during the kid's fall break last month. We loved it. The props and special effects were amazing!

This picture was taken during the song, "Under the Sea". Sebastian was amazing!

With Scuttle

We spent the night with Roger and Jill and then after breakfast we went to Nana's and Grandma Martha's house in Las Vegas.

Brittany and Tyler enjoying lunch in Nana's backyard.

The kids had so much fun playing in Troy and Deedra's pool with their kids!

Collin and Tyler

Britt and Em relaxing