Christmas Day

 How does this boy look so dang cute even first thing on Christmas morning? Maybe it's that giant smile on his face?! Josh was pretty excited to get an official ManU warm up jacket from Santa!

 Every year the kids each get a movie and this year Erin got Brave. She LOVES this movie!

 Axis and Allies was one of Jer's favorite games growing up. Now he can teach Josh his strategies. Or just beat him. This will make for some quality father/son time!

 Emma has always been an artist and can never have enough crafty stuff. She got a couple of art kits this year and loads of decorative duct tape for crafting! Look at that happy face!

 Those sleepy eyes were excited to see this fun friendship bracelet kit. She is such a sweetheart that I am sure she will get busy making a list of what friends will be getting one from her!

 His face isn't showing it in this picture, but Josh was stoked when he pulled his USA warm up sweats and jacket out of that tube! Santa was pretty tricky with the wrapping this year! He had him fooled! This was what Josh was really hoping for this year for Christmas!!

 The part that mom was most excited for was the new shoes for all! They won't stop growing, these kids of ours! We can't seem to keep up on the shoes! They were all very excited to have a new pair to wear on Christmas day!

 After we open gifts at home on Christmas morning, it is tradition to go to Grandma J's for breakfast. This year we decided to have it at the Senior Center (thanks Peels) so that we could have more space for all the littles!! Look at all of them! It was pretty much impossible to get a picture of all of them without giggles and at least one on the run!

After we ate, we exchanged gifts and Grandpa talked to everyone about the true meaning of Christmas. These girls look really interested, don't they?

It was a great Christmas! It may have been one of the most stressful for Jer and I, but we pulled it off and everyone had smiles on their faces!! Love this time of year!

Christmas Eve

We did things a little differently this year on Christmas Eve. We had our party at the church (we have grown so much that we don't all fit (comfortably) at any one's house. We used several rooms so we were pretty spread out.

In the multipurpose room, we had a game of Bingo going (tradition), we played the left/right game (and had some awesome gifts - for example, batteries, toy not included), we ate lots of yummy food, exchanged gifts, took pictures of the girls in holiday sweaters (all from mom's closet) and of the kids in new pajamas and hung out till Santa was too close for us to not get the kids in bed.

Erin, Atley, Gauge, Brynlee, Cambree, Mason

The sisters always to do a little exchange. Jamie did these darling boards with our names on them, Lynsee did fingernail polish and mani kits, Cari did homemade jewelry, Alisha did a frame with our initials, mom did some cute scarves and I did nada (too poor this year). It's always fun because most of the gifts are homemade and the creativity amongst these ladies is amazing!

Jamie, Lynsee, Alisha, Cari, me

We had the gym to use so we played HORSE for a while - which is always fun! We couldn't talk Josh into touching a basketball so he worked on his kick (with a soccer ball, of course) and managed to break a light on the ceiling. Oops.

We also set up Rock Band in one of the classrooms. That was fun! I always love Rock Band - especially with big groups. The kids and adults always have fun with it.

Cari has been dating a guy named Travis and he came to our Christmas Eve party. I was excited to finally meet him! She is a happy girl with him!

By the time we got home, the kids were tired and ornery about having another picture taken (just like every other year). But, they humored me and I got this cute one. They are all growing up too fast! It is so fun this time of year with them. Josh has always been all about traditions and I love that about him. Even if it's something that a typical teenage boy would find boring, Josh loves it because it's what we do and it's with the family.

Bringhurst Grandkids 2012

We finally had a chance to get all the B grandkids together! I don't know why it is so hard for us - maybe because we are from Farmington to Herriman and the kids ages range from 14 months to 14 years? We decided a picture of them together was due for Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas so Sunday night we met up and took some quick pics (we had to be quick - the kids were freezing)!

 Youngest to Oldest (left to right): 

Mason, Bryson, Brynlee, Gauge, Cambree, Erin, Atley, Emma, Kailee, Alexa, Josh

Monster High Birthday Bash for Erin

Since Erin's Birthday is on a Thursday this year, we had her party on the 8th. She thought that was pretty cool to have her 8th Birthday Party on the 8th. Too bad we didn't do it at 8 o'clock and have 8 kids come and eat 8 cupcakes... okay... that might be a bit much.

(Tally, Katelyn, Ashlyn, Cierra, Khloie, Erin)

We had a Monster High Party this year. That was appropriate. These girls are a bunch of crazy monsters when they get together! It's so fun. We played lots of fun games (thanks to Pinterest) and ate lotsa food and opened gifts. Oh, and watched a One Direction video on YouTube - that was hilarious to listen to the girls all sing along.

 Erin did a lot of the work herself on the details. She wanted it to be perfect.

Aren't these girls beautiful? I want to take pictures of them all day long. They are seriously so much fun!

There were a few girls that had to leave early because it's such a busy time of year, but I'm so glad they all made it there for at least part of the party. Erin is the kind of kid that will notice when someone can't make it. Every single one of her friends mean the world to her.

 That's a lot of hair!

(Cierra, Katelyn, Erin, Hanah, Ashlyn)

At the end of the party (when half of them were already gone), these silly girls made mustaches out of the can of cheese. Again, they make me laugh! So serious!

I wanted to save this little note on the wrapping paper from Ashlyn, but I decided to take a picture of it instead so that I don't hate myself later in life for being such a pack rat. It's things like this that I remember from Birthday's when I was little - special little notes from friends.

Glad my princess had a good time. She is one loved little eight year old!

Josh is OFFICIAL!

Last night I got a text from Josh with this picture. He spent the weekend sitting in classes to become a Referee. At the end of the course, you have to pass the 100 question test to become a licensed ref. He was so excited when he got his score and there was his patch with it! Now he can start reffing and actually make some money while being on the soccer field! He couldn't be happier!

It was a Perfect Night

On Monday, for Family Home Evening, we took the kids to Temple Square. We had planned on going a little later in the week, but I'm glad we went when we did - the weather was perfect. Whenever I think of walking around Temple Square as a kid, I remember being cold and bundled.

On the way there, Jer and I were telling the kids about how the windows at ZCMI used to be decorated with candy at Christmastime. Then when we got downtown, the windows at the no-longer-ZCMI were all decked out with candy creations! It was so fun to see and show the kids!

 I didn't want to take my big camera so the pictures were taken with my phone (not the greatest). Look how the kids are just wearing jackets. Ah. Love it.

Erin took her Nintendo DSi and took pictures of everything with it. Emma was a good sister and posed for many pictures. :)

 

One of our favorite traditions this time of year is to go eat at The Pantry and then walk around to see the lights. It was so yummy and so fun! I love this time of year! I love taking the kids to do things that I did as a kid and seeing their eyes light up at the beauty of the temple. 

It was a Perfect Night.

Thanksgiving with the B's

This year was our turn to spend Thanksgiving with the B's. Just my sisters and our families were there this year so it was pretty chill. Mom had it decorated with cute centerpieces and her real silver. That's one thing you don't get when we have Thanksgiving at our house.

The little girls were so wild - and both love Jer. Bryn is Grandpa's sweetheart.I'm not sure if she loves Err or Grandpa more.

(above) Devin, Lyns, Bryn and Mason with Grandma and Grandpa.

(above) Jer and I with our happy kids. New Years Resolution for 2013 - fit on the loveseat with a kid between us. Comfortably. My mom and dad look cute! I don't know why I didn't get any pictures of Cari. She was there and was the highlight for the girls (as usual).