December 2024

 The very best part about journaling is the incredible experience of looking back and remembering.  It seems so simple, yet at least in my busy life, I rarely have the opportunity to reflect like this and it is very special to say the least.  I love recording the ups and downs and ins and outs of life in the Marston home.  Maybe one day I'll change my mind but for now... it is a gift to have the time and energy to journal. And speaking of gifts, December 2024 was just that!  So many beautiful moments.  Busy as could be in ever way, almost to the point of overwhelm at times for this mama- but SO many amazing memories.  Our first time traveling over Christmas to Seattle with the kids, office parties, church parties, youth parties, new years parties, beach camping, high school soccer season, dance recital prep! Best month ever!

Loved our trip to Seattle! I appreciated so much my family planning all sorts of awesome activities for our huge group.  Christmas Eve started at the church with missionary tag, minute to win it games, medusa, St. Peter, cousin gift exchange, pizza and Grammy bags. Then off to Grammy and Papa's house for our FHE with cute little musical and talent show acts.  Ricky performed his karate, Dave and Penny sang a beautiful rendition of silent night, Ev sang with Jason and Katie on the guitar- "Please come home for Christmas."  Molly sang- "I want a hippo for Christmas" with Mike dressed as the hippo, Dane performed a few card tricks, Grant read a poem, and Olive played the flute.  And then the kids acted out the nativity and it was so so cute.  Christmas was a little tricky for our kids because we didn't bring gifts and I think they missed being at home a little but they handled it like champs! We went over to have breakfast and watch the Stevens open their gifts and that was so fun. Grammy made a delicious Christmas dinner and we watched the new Nate Bargatze comedy with the Paces. We enjoyed a big family bunco night with Jason's famous pizzas;  took a trip to Seattle to visit Pike's Place (haven't done that in YEARS), played millions of games and ate way too many Christmas cookies and even attempted to take a big family picture in the rain.  It was just such a good time.

When we arrived home from Washington, we opened up our family's Christmas gifts.  Kenzie had gifted Dane a beta fish and aquarium, new shoes, tons of new clothes and so much more! It was a haul if ever Id seen one.  She also had so many sweet gifts for the entire family- she really went above and beyond! Thankfully we all had gifts for her as well! The kids opened our family trips for the year:  London for Spring break to see a premier soccer game and Guatemala this summer for a humanitarian trip!  Other gifts included mostly clothes and shoes and creams and hair products-- teenage stuff. Dane received concert tickets for he and Kenz to see "Tyler the Creator" and Evelyn and Reha for "Billy Eilish".  Anna made out like a bandit with SO many new clothes.... somehow I bought a little too much for her and Dane and not enough for Grant or Evelyn.  Dang it! Grant and Evelyn don't ask for as much and are content with less so it's tricky for me because Dane and Anna go on and on with their wish list!

new couch for Christmas!

The week leading up to Christmas was also full of all sorts of festivities and happy times.  Christmas Sunday was so special.  Each musical number touched my heart and it was such a treat to have Evelyn sing "Mary did you know" with Ty and Ryan Jorgenson.  We enjoyed a delicious "Christmas" breakfast of Swiss pie and cinnamon rolls since we'd be gone for the actual morning.  Had the best time with Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Stacy at Dana Harbor for our Marston Christmas! It was not the traditional evening, much to the kids' chagrin, but it was special nonetheless.  We ate a delicious dinner and dessert right there on the water and opened our big gift from Grandma and Grandpa- a trip this summer to Colorado to stay at the Broadmore Resort! We were all thrilled!!!!! It will be such a wonderful adventure and we are all so grateful! After dinner, we walked around looking at lights and picked gifts at  the Giving Machine- thanks to Grandma and Grandpa.  When we arrived home, I let the kids open their ornaments- and each one was so so so sweet.  I mean, these ornaments were the most thoughtful.  For me, a mom at the Grand Canyon with a hiking map, for Anna, a Sephora shopping bag and then an ornament of a picture with her buddies, for Grant- a boy working out, and fun memories of USC games and wake surfing.  Dane and Kenzie opened up darling ornaments of sweet pictures of the two of them and Dane also had his Poway cap and gown 2025!  Evelyn's was perhaps the most touching of all- a hippo ornament with the CUTEST pictures of Grandma and Evelyn at age 3-5 playing hungry hippos, one of their favorite games to play together. LOVE our ornament tradition from Grandma!!!! Such a special night even though we missed  Grandpa's prime rib!

We enjoyed spending time with the therapists from the counseling practice for a Christmas dinner.  They are all very cool people and it's been so fun to have this project on the side with Tony and Jessica.  Those two are running the show with Blake as the business administrator and me behind the scenes writing the parenting curriculum and training sessions.  I never have enough time to work though! I love it-- I just need more uninterrupted hours in a day to accomplish all that needs to be done.  

Blake took all the girls plus Spencer to a Christmas dinner as well.  I spent way too many hours trying to organize their gifts this year- I will NEVER do clothing again! I wanted them to have a cozy fleece jacket and bag that I thought was SO cute from Urban Outfitters.  The only problem was trying to find the right size for 17 people.  This is the part of my month that became overwhelming to me...haha!  Neighbor gifts, office gifts, teacher gifts, my family's gifts!!!!!!!  And then I was in charge of the ward Christmas party and the cumulation of all of these tasks kind of took it out of me, to say the least. But with the help of my friends- we pulled off the gingerbread themed ward Christmas party and I was able to gather all of the right sizes for the office gang in time. It was a Christmas miracle! Loved some of the darling gifts our friends gave to us-- especially yummy salsa with the tag: stay spicy... ha! And "wicked" Rice Krispie treats with the saying:  Because we know you, we have been changed for good.  Clever!!!!

happy 26 years!

Oh- back to Blake's office for a minute.  Pam and staff wrapped up Blake's entire desk, and even all of his Celsius drinks as a funny little tribute:  When your boss is a gift.  So cute.  And I must believe it was also Pam who created this year's Christmas card with Blake in his halloween tooth fairy costume as the star on the tree!!!!!

SO many youth activities this month! The best by far was the YW beach camping trip with the Bishopric (minus the Bishop).  Blake had to travel with Grant for soccer so he was gone, but this was the only time we could get the camping spots and so we went without him!  And I was dreading it!!!! Who camps at the beach in the winter?? But I was wrong to dread it because it was seriously so much fun in every way.  We enjoyed delicious foil dinners, sang all sorts of camp songs- and you can even add in Christmas songs around the campfire when you camp in December-ha! We strolled along the beach in the moonlight and I gave a devotional on noticing the good in life and looking to God in all things.  In the morning, the girls all learned how to surf! It was so fun despite the chilly water temperatures. And last but not least, the Bishopric made the YUMMIEST cinnamon pancakes and bacon for breakfast! So grateful for our ward family and the fun times we have together.

Other very cool Christmas youth events this month: our annual YW Christmas party complete with games, Christmas  karaoke, s'mores, hot chocolate and a white elephant gift exchange!  With the Young Men, we played  Christmas minute to win it games in place of our gingerbread houses and had the best time.  We also gifted the girls sweet little bracelets that say: Look to Him as that is our 2025 YW theme and listened to the most beautiful lesson on each of the characters in the nativity and how we can apply their examples to our own lives.  I love working in the Young Women's program.

A quick update on the kids:

Anna is just absolutely and positively obsessed with her friends and spending every moment she can with them.  I have not parented a child with this type of behavior before so it's all new to me. My other kids are introverted to medium level extroverted. This is new to me!  She is social beyond my ability to convey. It brings me joy and also frustration in my efforts to keep her life balanced.  I am so happy that she is back in dance and will perform in the upcoming recital! Proud of her working on the routine in her spare time to catch up with the other girls who have been in class since August.  Anna continues to tutor for her reading twice a week and also takes tennis lessons and enjoys that very much. She went to her first boy/girl party this month and of course loved it.  Sweet little story: Anna realized the sisters were alone without their family on Christmas and so she asked if she could put together a gift basket for them.  She spent her own money to collect all sorts of sweet items for the gift basket and then presented that to them before we left for Seattle. It was so sweet and they loved it!

Grant has kept SUPER busy with the start of high school soccer.  He made the JV team, one of only two freshmen who did.  He starts each game and is one of the best players on the field! It is so fun to watch him play, even though part of my heart hurts because Dane isn't on the varsity team and I have to see them warm up-- all of his friends! ugh.  But I love that Grant is having such a great time and he's very much enjoying not traveling down to Chula Vista three times a week for Rebels.  Although he did have a blast in South Carolina at this latest tournament with the team right before it broke for high school.  He loves the coach and his team mates but the time commitment and commute -- it's rough! Grant loves high school.  He surfs a few times a week- whenever he can! He loves his friends who are all sophomores and juniors and have accepted him as one of their own.  He studies hard and tries to be his best self; he loves to serve (see pics of him at the senior center) and though he is quite demanding at times, he is also the coolest kid and I adore him. 

Dane is working hard at the moment trying to figure out his life.  He has been accepted to at least 3 colleges and is waiting on a few, but he is unsure of where he'd like to go and what he'd like to do.  He doesn't necessarily want to live in Utah but he knows that his parents think that's a great option.  He has looked into orthodontics, counseling, business, etc for a career but still isn't quite sure how to proceed.  Of course, the kid is 17 and doesn't need to have his entire life mapped out at this moment but that doesn't stop him from wishing he knew the best direction!  He thinks about a mission but is not quite sold on that either.  All of it is overwhelming for him! Despite this, he continues to plug along- doing well in class, and then working every day at ESS.  The kids there absolutely adore him and "Mr. Dane" had more gifts and gift cards then the rest of us combined for Christmas.  Each child had brought him a drawing, candy, etc.  It was really sweet.  Dane and Kenzie think of all sorts of fun things to do around town and it's always fun to have them around.  Kenzie is practically part of the family at this point!  I'm not sure if Dane will be moving off or staying home for community college in a few months- but either way, I know he'll be successful in whatever he chooses to do.

As I type this, I'm in Utah dropping Ev off for her second year of nursing school.  She has worked so hard and been so on top of things and I'm very proud of all she's done thus far in the program.  It has been amazing to have her home for the past 7 months... and it also feels right to have her move back to Utah at this point in her journey.  She has needed  time to heal and work through some of the very difficult things she's needed to work through and I'm so grateful for the growth and positivity and hope I see in her at this point.  I pray that she remembers not to isolate herself from others, to pray and ask for God's help and to connect in every way she can!  The past month it's been so fun to watch Ev go back to church, become so close with the kids in the YSA ward and the bishop and his wife.  She has made such good friends and has had many awesome experiences.  Now she's on her own and starting over in a new apartment, new ward, new life..... I have to trust that God will watch over her and keep her healthy and happy!  And I do trust that He will.

MCO Christmas concert with Grandma!

Poway HIgh Girls basketball to watch Helen's daughter, Emily!

New Year's Eve party!!

Taylor Judd home from her mission to Paraguay! I loved Zach's sign:)

Dane and Grant's seminary teachers right here- the best best best teachers ever! We gave them these I love seminary socks and gift cards for dinner out.  

Relief Society Favorite Things party!

Morning meetings still going strong!