Wow! I skipped a week! I haven't done that in a long time, so buckle in for a long post!

Two weeks ago was Christmas!! And also Kevin's birthday and Megan's birthday!

Kevin's birthday was on the 21st. I was going to make a nice dinner but Savannah and Chey had to work and Cali was at tennis. Megan was working, as well. So, we decided to go out to eat instead and take Naoma and Jim with us for a nice visit. Beth was already visiting Sarah, so we dropped Ben off. They had a great time and we had a great time, too. Indian food! Yum! Everyone came over afterward to play on Kevin's new toy (a foosball table!) and eat cheesecake.

Megan's birthday was on the 22nd (22 on the 22nd!) and she wanted to go laser tagging! We met at the Nicklecade in Orem around 2pm and had a great time shooting at each other! Afterwards, we played some arcade games, too! We split up around dinner time (Beth and Ben had a secret santa exchange at karate) and met up again at the mall to watch McKay sing at the mall. Afterwards we went to the house for games and presents and more cheesecake!

On Christmas Eve, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Gazdik's house, as per tradition, for candlelight dinner! It was delicious, as usual, then the kids went to prepare a show for us, which is also tradition. This year they sang, "Christmas Everyday," with McKay on guitar and Ammon and Savannah each taking a verse. The other kids acted out the lyrics. It was amazing and boy did I miss Mariah! She loves that song! Then we played the bells and read the Christmas story. Then went upstairs for our recital: Cali and Chey on piano, Beth on baritone, and Grandma on piano, too! We opened presents from Grandma and Grandpa last thing. It was a long night but tons of fun! We were so glad we could still do it this year.

Christmas morning!! Sarah and McKay and Megan and Ammon slept over at our house. We opened presents and ate French toast and opened more presents. Later that afternoon, Grandma and Grandpa Gazdik came over and we had a nice turkey dinner. We finished the day playing some of our new games together.

Saturday was spent packing for our trip, but Kevin wanted to take everyone to Barnes and Noble so we made time for that, too!

Sunday we drove ALL DAY. But we did take a break in Las Vegas to see Grandma and Grandpa Elton! It was great to see them. They fed us lunch AND we had the sacrament in their home. It was very special. We love those people!

We arrived in Oceanside on Sunday night. We had eaten taco salad in Doritos bags for dinner in the car already so once we unloaded the car, we went for a night walk along the beach. Beautiful!

The next morning it was raining, but after breakfast, though it was overcast, the rain had stopped, so we took a walk to the pier. By the time we got back, the sun was starting to peek out from the clouds and the tide had receded enough to give us a bit of a beach. Kevin, Ammon, Sarah, and McKay started a game of Rail Baron, Savannah took a rest, but the remainder of us donned our wetsuits, grabbed some boogie boards, and tried out the waves! It was SO FUN!! Sarah and Ammon joined us in the water later. It started to rain again in the late afternoon, but by then we were exhausted and ready to be back in the apartment warming up, playing games, and eating some food.

The next day was sunny all day! Kevin and Megan went for a run in the morning. Cheyenne, Savannah, and I walked to the pier again. Sarah and McKay went for a walk, too! Sarah convinced McKay to try the wetsuit and give the boogie boarding a try and they all had a great time! I enjoyed watching this time. Savannah collected seashells. The kids made a sandcastle. Kevin and I walked along the sand. Ben and I went inside for a movie and to get warm at one point, but we all came back to watch the sun set. What a lovely, lovely day!

Wednesday morning we needed to leave. We packed up, went for one more walk, and were on the road again. Why does getting home seem to take so much longer than getting there?? Ha ha! Anyway, I was glad that Kevin had suggested we make reservations in St. George to split the trip up a little bit. We still got there after dark, but it was good to have some movement before bed. We played some miniature golf and some pickleball and some of us even braved the pool! The next morning we played a little bit of tennis before it was time to leave.

Four more hours to home! It was New Year's Eve. Somehow we managed to make it to midnight to welcome in the new year, but it was harder than usual! Traveling wears you out! Also, COVID made it so our friends, the Grosland's couldn't come. Sarah and McKay stayed home to get some rest. Savannah was struggling with a bad cold. The twins went to hang out with their friends for a little bit and Beth and Ben were playing a game with Max, so, for a little while, it was just Ammon, Megan, Kevin and I. We had fun, though! We played games and soon the twins came home and made things more lively getting Beth and Ben to do Just Dance. We toasted the excitement of a new year and new possibilities and fell exhausted into our beds. Ha ha!

The next day was my birthday! Everyone kept asking what I wanted to do and I said, "I just want to go out alone with Kevin." So we did! We went out to eat for lunch, did some shopping, and even saw a movie in the theatre. That night everyone came over for treats and presents and to sing me Happy Birthday. It was a fun day!

What a family-event-filled two weeks! What a treasure to get to spend so much time together with our married kids, too! We missed Mariah more than words can say. We even missed all our extended family and wished we could all be together all the time. We are so grateful that we have so many people that we love and such a beautiful world in which to live.