Christmas Eve morning Zach told me he wanted to do his Christmas Eve tradition of service.  We didn’t do a Sub for Santa this year – the first time in 7 years.  It’s one of my favorite traditions and not doing it this year felt strange.  But Zach had a back up plan.  We all got dressed and jumped in the car and drove down town.  We stopped at the McDonald’s off of 500 south and got bags of sausage biscuits and breakfast burritos.  Then we proceeded to drive around and hand them out to whoever looked like they could use a hot breakfast.  It was a great experience and it’s always so humbling.

It surprised us both how fast we were able to go through all that food – but it was honestly shocking how many people were out and about on the streets in the cold.  We had a good laugh at our last stop – with our last four food items – that was at a little make shift community made of tents off of 600 south.  I ran the food over to them, wished them a Merry Christmas, and then hopped back in my car.  Just as I buckled my seatbelt a huge group of people with sleeping bags and blankets rolled up to that exact same spot.  If they were trying to one-up us and our breakfast burritos, they succeeded.  I couldn’t believe how many items they had brought with them.  It made me feel our Savior’s love to see all those people giving on this special holiday.  It puts things in perspective for me every year – sometimes you need a wake up call (even if once a year) to realize how blessed you are to sleep somewhere warm and dry every night.

We returned home, explaining to Sloan the whole way what service is all about.  I know she can’t quite comprehend right now – but showing love to someone is not hard to understand.

We lounged around the rest of the day – Sloan took a nice long nap – and we got ready to meet my family at Tepanyaki for dinner.  We had a great time and the food was delicious.

Sloan even attempted to catch a shrimp in her mouth…and the grill master was more apprehensive than she was about it [notice her mouth wide open, just waiting].Good times were had by all – until Sloan smacked her head on the stone counter.  We made a quick exit and met everyone over in Magna for a party with my mom’s side of the family.

Sloan loved seeing everyone, getting to sit on Santa’s lap, and even dancing to the Christmas carols we all sang.  She was in heaven.

Sloan was gifted the most darling shopping cart accompanied by a huge load of plastic food.  She still gets excited every time she sees it.

Afterwards we drove down the street to my Grandpa’s house to open our Christmas pajamas.

My shirt said, “Gangsta Wrapper” and Zach’s had a clever Drake pun.  Sloan’s was the best – “Santa, is it too late to say sorry?” because that has always been one of her favorite songs on the radio EVER.  We left my grandpa’s wayyyy past Sloan’s bedtime and returned home completely exhausted.  We set out a Coke and cookies for Santa before we put Sloan down for the night.

Santa LOVES Cutler’s sugar cookies (especially the star shaped ones – they are THE best).

After Sloan was sound asleep I put everything out for the next morning.  A few people still don’t believe me – but Zach and I didn’t get each other gifts this year.  Not one single thing.  For months we had been debating what to get each other and we both agreed that there was nothing for either of us that stood out or that was much needed.  So, we skipped it this year.  A lot of people gave me a hard time, saying things like, “Whatever…he is going to get you something and you are going to be so embarrassed when you have nothing to give him.”  But we both stuck with our promise to each other and it was actually really nice.  We both agreed we would spend whatever money we were GOING to spend on Christmas gifts for each other on a family vacation in 2017.  That’s the best gift I could ask for, anyway.

Santa did leave dress socks for Zach and a pair of matching sweats for Sloan and I.

The next morning Sloan woke up and we took her straight down stairs to see if Santa had visited.  She saw the cookies and Coke had been dabbled with – and her new pajama sweats and stocking were all ready for her.  What was her favorite Christmas gift, you might ask?  APPLESAUCE.  Santa left applesauce in her stocking and that is what she was most excited for.  It made me feel a lot better about keeping Christmas so simple this year, because girlfriend liked the APPLESAUCE the best.

We went to church in our Sunday Christmas best – and it was a very stressful meeting for all of us.  I think there was a serious tension in the air – like every kid banded together to fight against their parents to make them return home or something…?  They were all in cahoots with each other, I swear it.

After church we rushed off to my Grandpa’s house again to exchange gifts with my mom’s side of the family.  Afterwards we went home so Sloan could have a quick nap before rushing up to Ogden in the blizzard to spend the night with the Hendos.

It was a full house – we had our entire gang (which is hefty all by itself) plus three missionaries.  It was honestly a blast.  We had delicious food, there was music, and a gift exchange at the end with all the cousins/sibblings/and Zach’s parents.

And of course, a visit from Gingie and the Grinch.  Sloan loved the Grinch (despite being alarmed by him at first…the grandkids were screaming and hollering at the Grinch when he bit Gingie’s arms off) and she couldn’t stop touching, smiling, and hugging him.  [Poor Alex, I bet he was dying in that get-up].  Oh yeah, I should mention that Zach has graduated from costume duty.  Now that he has a child of his own he gets to watch from afar and the oldest grandkids get to sweat it out in those costumes.

The Grinch had to go home to Whoville, however – leaving Sloan desperate to find him.  [For days afterward she would talk about the Grinch, always concerned about his well being].  One time in the middle of the night I heard her say, in her sleep, “No, no Grinch!”  Zach and I both died laughing.

We had a fabulous Christmas.  I was very worried about this year, to be honest.  I thought about Sloan getting a very simplified version of Christmas (her birthday is in November and she still hasn’t even played with a fraction of her toys yet) and Zach and I not exchanging gifts this year would make it seem less meaningful.  But I was very wrong.  Sloan could have received a cardboard box full of applesauce for Christmas and she would have felt like she won the lottery.  And honestly, the best part about the weekend and the holiday was being together.  Sloan would wake up each day ecstatic to realize she got both Zach and I all day every day.  Our families were both so sweet to Sloan – getting her such thoughtful and fun gifts.

I wish every day was the holiday – even if just to spend so much time together consecutively.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind.  With our family trip to Mexico, Halloween, Sloan’s birthday and all that was between, we didn’t realize our trip to NYC for our anniversary was so close approaching.  I usually pack days ahead of time, but this trip I was not that prepared.

We weren’t originally going to go to New York.  First, it was Cuba – but with flights being difficult and this whole Zika situation, we decided to switch it up.  Then it was Portland but the timing didn’t work out for that either.  When Zach suggested New York, I went for it.  The last time we had been was when I was 30 weeks pregnant, and New York in the fall is my favorite.

My mom watched Sloan for us the entire time, and we couldn’t be more grateful to her.

We left Wednesday morning and arrived around 5:30 pm.  We took a taxi into the city and checked into our hotel before taking an Uber to MSG for our first Knicks game.  We both have been to MSG before, but never to watch the Knicks.  It was so fun, we had great seats, and even better – they won!  It’s always more enjoyable to leave with a victory.

The next morning we both slept in, I got to check out the hotel gym, and we showered up for our first full day.

We hit up all our favorite shops in Soho.  Then we made our way over to Dudley’s to meet some old high school friends.  I’ve known Curt since elementary school and Matt has been a close friend all throughout high school.  They both work in Manhattan and took time out of their busy schedules to meet us for a late lunch.  They both are just the same as always – a blast to be with and not short of laughs.

After our lunch we went for round two.  We shopped for hours – literally – until our dinner reservation at Hillstone.  Our food was delicious and we decided to cap off the night with some ice cream.  Ice and Vice was amazing – our favorite being the “Milk Money” flavor – and we made our way back to our hotel completely stuffed to the brim.

The next day we made our way over to Central Park.  I’ve never actually had the chance to experience it in full fledge fall mode.  A few years ago Zach and I came to the city to go to the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade.  By then, all the leaves in central park were dead and gone.  But this year, a tad earlier, the park still had a full array of beautiful colors.  It was even better than I could have hoped it to be.  I made Zach take dozens of pictures as we made our way through.

We ate lunch at Shake Shack and shopped some more before our dinner reservation.

We ate a Momofuku’s Noodle Bar.  We were lucky to get a place in line before it opened and got a seat right away.  The ramen and pho were amazing – enough to make us promise to go back again when we visit next.

We had to rush off to Barclay’s afterwards for the Islander’s game.  Zach got us tickets on Stubhub minutes before the game started, printed them off at a nearby hotel, and we were in!

I love Barclay’s Center. It is probably one of the most beautiful designed stadiums, in my opinion.  The fans are diehard, I’ll tell you.  Because the team isn’t that great.  Zach’s only desire to go is the fact that they were playing the Penguins, who’s shining star is Sidney Crosby (and the fact that they just won the Stanley Cup, of course).  The game actually ended up being way more entertaining than we anticipated – with the Penguins winning in over time.

We stopped at a local market to get some treats and crashed once we were back at the hotel.

The next morning I made Zach visit the new Nike Store in Soho.  It is amazing – complete with it’s own half basketball court on the top level.  We got some gear and shopped around some more.

We stopped and grabbed some pizza for lunch, shopped some more and then headed over to the holiday markets.  We started at Bryant Park – where we met up with a fellow Ogden native (and USU Interior Design Student, of course) Morgan.

We visited on the steps in front of the giant Christmas tree, got some hot chocolate, and then went over to the holiday shops at Union Square.

Then it was off to our dinner reservation at Lure, closer to our hotel.  It was the best fish dinner I’ve had in recent memory.  Even Zach’s lobster mac n’ cheese was OFF. THE. CHARTS.

We shopped around some more afterwards before stopping at Sprinkles for a couple of red velvet cupcakes.  We took an Uber back to our hotel and called it a night.

Sunday morning we packed our bags, left them with the bell man, and grabbed an early lunch at Black Seed Bagels.

Throughout our whole trip the weather had been incredible.  Mid to low 60’s, not a drop of rain or even cloudy skies.  Sunday morning was freezing at a whopping 39 degrees.  We stayed inside the warm bakery as long as we could before venturing back to our hotel to leave for the airport.

It was a great trip.  Short and sweet.  I know it sounds like all we did was went to sporting events, shopped, and ate…and that is exactly how we wanted it.  We missed Sloan like crazy – but having some solo time with Zach was worth the heartache.

I have a two year old.  I can’t even wrap my mind around it.  I’ve been telling people she’s been “one and a half” for months now, partially because I’m in denial.

I made a promise to Zach that I would keep this second birthday more simple than her first, and I never break a promise if I can help it.

Sloan loves all things candy, and she’s so sweet.  We decided to do a “Our Sweet Sloan” birthday theme.  We had family over and served pizza from Arella (Sloan’s favorite entree) and cake and ice cream.  I ordered the cake from Parson’s Bakery in Bountiful and decorated it with lollipops.  The day before Sloan and I blew up balloons for a balloon garland.  It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be and recommend it for anyone trying to decorate a larger space with a very small expense.  Maybe invest in a balloon pump from a dollar store, unless you want to become winded in less than five minutes.

Zach had been setting up her birthday gift a few days in advance, and I’m glad he did because it wasn’t a simple task.  My sis-in-law hooked me up with her major discount at Pottery Barn Kids and ordered me this kitchen set that still gives me butterflies when I see it.  The morning of her actual birthday we let her walk into her playroom with it all set up.  She loved it, played with it for hours on end, and didn’t want to leave that room all day.  Here she is, washing her strawberries…

Later that night everyone came over, we ate some pizza, and let Sloan open her gifts.  She got spoiled by all her family members (honestly, she was more excited that everyone that she loved was in one place, all together I think) and couldn’t have been more excited about all the play food and accessories she got for her kitchen.  She also received a beautiful pink motorcycle from my aunt and cousins that is motorized and plays two very nice songs.  It doesn’t have a volume adjustment.  That’s important to note.

The felt pasta and wooden eggs are still a big hit, weeks after…

After gifts we sang to her, she blew out the candles, and we ate cake.  We visited for a while and then it was time to bathe her and get her into bed.  She lost her mind when I took her upstairs, away from all her loved ones.  She fussed all the way until I placed her in her crib.  Which is always a good sign of good times had, when she refuses to go to bed.

I’m so grateful for Zach and all our family members for making her birthday so special.  She deserves it.  She really is the sweetest thing.

There was a lot of anticipation for all three of us leading up to the actual holiday. We spent a lot of time with family doing some fun activities.  I know family events are a ton of work for all those involved, but the more we attend the more I realize how essential they are.

We decorated our porch with some wooden boxes and fairytale pumpkins the week before Halloween.  Thanks Trader Joe’s.  I didn’t need any pumpkins, let alone nine of them.  Sloan convinced me to get this beautiful burnt orange pumpkin and the next thing I knew, I had a whole cart full.

The Sunday before Halloween we had the Henderson pumpkin carving night at the rink in Layton. Sloan painted her “pineapple pumpkin” and couldn’t get out of the high chair fast enough to play with her cousins. She did enjoy the chicken noodle soup and company way more than the actual activity.

Zach and his dad also got to try out the new Zipline Course at the rink – which was a total slam dunk for all the grandkids!

Since Zach’s brother Sean has moved back to Utah, Sloan finally has a cousin her age to play with!  Sloan adores Cole (they are only two weeks apart) and says his name repeatedly at family functions.

Halloween morning I treated Sloan to some spooky crepes.  She assisted me in the mixing; in hopes to psyche her up to actually eat them.  She has never liked them in my attempts in the past.  Her and her father are the only two people I have ever met that dislike crepes.  It must be hereditary.  Come to find out that if you drizzle a little chocolate sauce over them, she’s ALL ABOUT THE CREPES.

Technically this was Sloan’s first REAL experience with trick-or-treating.  Last year she could barely walk and despised her popcorn more than anything else on this earth. Sloan dressed up as sushi, complete with wasabi and ginger hair clips and a soy sauce trick-or-treating pail.  Everyone’s schedule was quite hectic, so we decided to meet up with my family at my brother’s warehouse for lunch.  Sloan and I brought food and my mom and Brittany met us as well.  Sloan got to show off her costume to my family and loved visiting them.

After Zach got home from work we drove up to Ogden to trick-or-treat at Mimi and Papa’s house.  Mark and Jeanene always give the best treats – but Sloan was more interested in who was coming to their door and then afterwards playing in the play room.  We only stayed for a short time before driving back home to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood.  We hit up all the houses on our street and then came back home to greet some trick-our-treaters ourselves.  Sloan loved the whole routine, but liked giving out candy from our house even more.  She loved seeing who would surprise her at the door next.

After having way too many pieces of candy, we tucked her into bed and spent the rest of the night baking salted caramel bars and watching a few games.  I have a serious baking problem lately – and it’s a great activity to do after Sloan goes to bed and Zach is watching football.

The weeks leading up to Halloween were not short of excitement.  Our families really know how to make the most out of a holiday, I’ll tell you that.

I made Japanese noodles with shrimp and they were BOMB.  So easy and even low calorie!  All three of us liked the meal, actually. Wednesday we had family photos scheduled.  They went about as well as the last ones in Mexico – but luckily this time there wasn’t sand involved.  My cousin’s cousin took them [does this mean she’s my second cousin?] and we were all thrilled with how well she captured some group photos of all of us.  Even to get back a few good ones was a success if you ask me!

Sloan already loves Halloween.  Her favorite book is SPOOKY HOUSE (a lift-the-flap book about a haunted house) and she begs me to read it every single day.  So I thought it would be fun to make some festive treats – frozen banana chocolate ghosts…

…and a caramel apple with the leftover white chocolate for myself.  It isn’t much to look at – but it tasted just as good as those Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory get-ups.

Zach left Friday to go hunting with the men in his family.  He stayed through the weekend so Sloan and I spent all weekend, just the two of us.  

Sloan came down with a horrible cold – the same one I had while we were in Mexico.  We laid low and hung out at home a lot.  We made some festive cookies for our neighbors and I still can’t help but laugh at how they turned out.  We melted white and black chocolate and froze them in teeth molds to top our sugar cookies.  Who knew there was edible gold paint?  Not me! 

Sloan started feeling better a few days later.  Good enough to go about our normal routine of park hopping and leaf stomping.  

She asked to make another batch of cookies, so I obliged.  Again, giving them out to our neighbors and some friends.  

We decorated Halloween cookies with my side of the family at my aunt’s house a few Sundays beforehand. My sister-in-law brought unfrosted Fiiz sugar cookies for us to frost and they were a hit. Sloan thought they could use some sprinkles, however.

I made a friend at a local Smith’s who told me when Halo Top was re-stocked each week.  So my supply of my favorite flavor – sea salt caramel – is great right now.  It is by far the best of their new flavors, a must-try!

Sloan and I took a field trip of our own to a nearby pumpkin patch and I let her select her very own “special” pumpkin to decorate with stickers at home.  She actually did a great job all on her own! 

Zach came home soon after and we were glad to have him back before all the other holiday festivities.  Our days just aren’t the same without him in them.