What a beautiful and full month to record. Though it rolled in full of powerful emotions for our country at large (the election between Trump and Biden,) it rolled out in a peaceful and calm pace. On a personal level, I began the month full of angst and stress as I poured over the various news outlets and social media. Everyone was so angry with one another and had trouble seeing the opposing point of view. The messages made me anxious and sad. I know this sort of behavior has been the way of things since the beginning of time! Politics are important and mean everything to so many. But it was difficult to swallow. I was greatly impacted when President Nelson shared a message about the healing power of gratitude and asked that we humbly pray to God in thanks daily and share a message of gratitude as well - over social media- in order to flood the world with grateful thoughts and messages. Some wondered why post it? It may appear inauthentic and may bother those who go without? I must admit- I was one of those people who felt documenting in a journal would be a better choice as I rarely post anything on-line. But I ate my words almost immediately once I took the time to scroll through the pages upon pages of messages of gratitude and hope from family, friends, and acquaintances on social media. After weeks of negativity, hate and anger-- to read uplifting messages of hope and thankfulness left me with a warm feeling inside. I felt energized and strengthened amidst the daily stresses of life....just by reading these messages and by engaging in my own daily gratitude practices. I was so grateful for that experience and so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ to uplift me in every way.
And speaking of things to be grateful for! So many! Though Covid changed our plans for the month in many ways- we were still able to celebrate important events and spend time with family and friends who we hold dear. We just had to do these things OUTSIDE! and be a little extra cautious and careful. First and foremost we must address the fact that our first born turned 16 this month!!!!! We couldn't throw a huge birthday party- but I don't think that's what she would've wanted most anyway. Instead, her two besties came over with balloons and took her to get her nails done. Grandma and Grandpa came over with MORE beautiful balloons and birthday gifts galore! We visited outside and Ev felt so special knowing her grandparents had traveled all the way down from Orange County for her special day! We displayed memes all over the place- and even created one with her picture (When you turn 16 but its a global pandemic~!) Evelyn loves memes almost as much as her mom. Ev opened all sorts of clothes from Brandy Melville for her birthday along with Doc Martins. In the evening, we invited a few good family friends over for dinner to celebrate and enjoyed a delicious tri-tip dinner with pumpkin pie and yep... you guessed it, chocolate birthday cake to celebrate. Of course Cooper was there for dinner and stayed on to hang out with the birthday girl. It was a fun day of celebrations . Next weekend, Ev, Emma and Caylie will all stay up at Nancy's for a weekend away as Ev's birthday celebration continues! Ha~ taking after her mother with a birthMONTH instead of a birthday. We love our special girl!
In addition to Ev's birthday, we also celebrated my dear friend Elizabeth's 40th with a girlfriend luncheon. So fun to display pictures from Elizabeth's youth, enjoy a delicious salad and table full of her favorite- chocolate chip cookies! Next up was Sameen's birthday at the beach:). We enjoyed hiking Torrey Pines (IN MASKS!) not something I had ever done before- ha! It's not easy hiking up a big huge hill in a mask.... but totally worth it for sure as we walked all along the beach on the way back. We had a tasty lunch at Roberto's and surprised Sameen with her favorite- Side Car Donuts after lunch. A really fun day for such a dear friend.
We hosted a Friendsgiving with our neighbors.... again- outside! It was fun to light up about a million candles for the tables and the space heaters did their job to warm us all up! Everyone pitched in to make the perfect meal and we enjoyed birthday cake for Ev's birthday as dessert. She loved having her friends there to celebrate and sing to her on the eve of her birthday.
Our actual Thanksgiving feast at the Marstons was a very special day. We loved being with the family, swimming in the 85 degree pool and preparing a delicious meal together! The boys played volleyball and loved every second. It was the perfect weather for sitting outside and enjoying each other's company. Though we sat at separate tables to socially distance during our meal- we felt very blessed indeed by the delicious food that Nancy and Herb had prepared. Every single dish was amazing! And the kids are now finally old enough to actually enjoy food and appreciate how awesome it is to have such a feast! We played Thanksgiving headbands after dinner and ate ourselves sick with apple and pumpkin pies! It was such a wonderful day and we were so grateful for family and good food.
Though we spent most of the month, close to home, we ventured out after Thanksgiving to visit with the Rustands in Tucson. Loved seeing their home remodel! Loved sitting around chatting until 1 am every night! We baked, played games, went out to eat, rented the entire movie theatre to watch Elf, tie-dyed, played lots and lots of soccer, pickle ball and badminton. Four wheeled around the property and hiked up Sabino Canyon. It was such a fun visit and we loved every minute!
Less interesting but still of note! We decorated for Christmas WAY early this month-- the second weekend in November to be exact. With Covid and all of the doom and gloom, it just felt right and I don't regret it yet! After decorating, Ev and Anna opened up their Christmas PJ's and we watched a Christmas movie. I wish I had a family of kids and a husband who all enjoyed Christmas pajamas. I don't. So I don't force the issue. I only buy the PJ's for my girls and we are all happy with that scenario! I bought myself a few Christmas presents from Blake and obviously opened them early-- that's just what I do! I loved my new snuggly robe and puzzle board-- the perfect Covid Christmas gifts. Blake had our handy man hang lights all around our backyard for our anniversary. It looks magical in every way and was the perfect Anniversary present!
Ev has enjoyed weekly hang outs with her buddies and with Cooper. We are sometimes together as families (see above game night in which we unleashed the amazing SHOCK-tato game) and sometimes he comes over with Sawyer (little bro). Sometimes they even meet at the skate park! Fun to watch Evelyn come out of her comfort zone. Proud of her for teaching voice lessons and attending seminary every morning. This month our friend Rachel hired her to do her girls' hair for family pictures. She did an amazing job and didn't charge! It was so sweet. She also went on a group date with Emma and Caylie- Downtown to Little Italy for dinner and then back to our place for game night. The kids had so much fun and I love seeing Evelyn happy and all grown up in so many ways. She has her driver's license test NEXT WEEK!!!!!!! Can't believe it!
Dane has had an awesome month! He was finally able to compete in a soccer tournament in AZ! Blake and he traveled out for the weekend and even stopped by our old house in Gilbert. Dane was super excited assuming that soccer games were now back on.... sadly, after only 2 weeks of playing, San Diego shut down again due to Covid so the soccer season officially ended. All of that practice (8 months) and only 2 games left both boys feeling a little bummed. But thankfully, Dane has taken up tennis and that has helped to fill the void a little. He even played in his first tennis tournament over the weekend! Because tennis is socially distanced- he's been able to compete. So proud of Dane for trying something new and working hard at it. Currently, Dane attends tennis lessons twice a week with the Poway High Tennis coach and he's loving it. When Dane isn't playing tennis or soccer, he's helping Blake with odds and ends jobs around the house (see bike rack) and trying out new recipes for our family. I can actually ask Dane to cook up rice and shake and bake chicken and he can complete the meal from beginning to end. He is wonderful at it! The other day he decided he wanted to make authentic Mac and cheese. He found a recipe and made a huge pot full! It was delicious! Dane also spends time with his buddies- Jaron, Christoph, and Jack. They typically just hang at each other's houses- but this month adventured down to the USS Midway. Love their friendship!
If you want to know where Grant is these days.... check the skate park. Grant is 100 percent certifiably obsessed with scootering at the skate park. He has learned about 5 tricks and spends HOURS there with friends or on his own! He just loves everything about scootering and it is adorable. This month Grant was able to play 3 soccer games before everything closed. One was in the wind and hail and though it was freezing cold, he played his little heart out. Love watching that kid do anything he sets his mind to! A few sweet stories: at the mall, Grant was looking for something to buy for himself with his allowance money but decided he wanted to go into build a bear. I told him- no way- he's too old for that! But he was going in to buy a bear for Anna with his money. Isn't that sweet??? He designed it and payed for it and was thrilled to present it to Anna. I've also caught him teaching Anna how to do math in her bedroom on many occasions. Last week Grant didn't like his haircut and so he decided to trim his bangs a little. It was so shocking!!!!! I was a little miffed that he had done that at his age- but he was confused why I would worry when obviously his work with the scissors had been an improvement upon the original haircut! It was so funny. One last story.... he has been struggling with zoom band. Every Friday, he becomes discouraged because he is unsure of what the teacher is asking him to do with the trumpet. Instead of quitting, he asked for a teacher or tutor. I put it out on Poway Mom's Facebook page and got about 20 responses from mom's of highschool/middle school kids. They all wanted a job teaching trumpet! So now Grant has an amazing high school trumpet tutor! He adores her, and the best part is that she plays soccer at the same club (SDSC) that he does! They are good buddies and he is so proud of himself for sticking with the trumpet. Love this kid.
As for Anna, you can usually find this sweet little girl torturing, er, uh.... I mean, cuddling the cats, dancing around the house, or playing make believe in some capacity. Wherever we go, whatever we do- she comes back and creates it at home. The other day we went to the doctor's office. Dr. Lindback asked questions and typed the responses. At home, Anna pulled out her keyboard and set up her own doctor's office as she asked questions and typed. Love her imagination and all the various ways she entertains herself. One thing that I'm not so much a fan of, is the hoarding and messiness that are also a part of her personality. This month, Anna and Grant and I cleaned out her room- we gave away tons of books and toys and the room sparkled! Obviously that didn't last long, but I was proud of her hard work even if it was short lived. How can you not adore such a sweet girl? She is my best little friend in the world and makes me laugh at least a few times every day.
So that's the month in a nutshell. Lots to be grateful for in the midst of a global pandemic. I realize there are so many who are not so lucky. And one of my greatest desires is to look for those I can reach out to while times are tough and to teach my kids to do the same. It's easy to get caught up in your own life and forget there are those who are suffering. I pray for that ability to see past myself and look outside. Thankful for the opportunity to keep trying to do a little bit better every day.
