The week leading up to Christmas day was filled with family and friend events.  Sloan was a champ and handled the hustle and bustle of our schedule like it was no thang.  At the beginning of the week we had a get-together with my old roommates from USU.  We haven’t all been together for almost two years, so it was fun to catch up with all of them and their significant others.  
Also, Sloan met Kelli and Luke’s Bennett for the first time.  He’s four months younger than her and almost already her height.  She was swooning over him the whole night.  My only goal was for her NOT to poke his little eyes out [that’s her new thing…touching people’s eyeballs…]

Wednesday I had made a reservation for all three of us to go to the Roof.  But since Saturday was the day after Christmas – we asked the cute girl that watches Sloan on Saturdays to switch for a Wednesday night.  She obliged and Zach and I had a date night instead.  We did a little last minute Christmas shopping, had dinner with a view, and then ran some errands before getting home to a sleeping Sloan. 

Christmas Eve was slow and sweet.  We all slept in, I attempted [for my fourth time – I just can’t find the right one] to make an almond pastry for my family, and then we all showered up and made our way up to the Layton AMC to meet Mark and Jeanene for our Christmas Eve tradition – a movie.  

I was so proud of Sloan.  She lasted over an hour into the movie before I had to bail with her.  We decided to drive across the street to the mall instead of roam the halls of the movie theater.  She was in heaven watching the hoards of people and even more thrilled to watch the train that was weaving down the halls.  Afterwards we met up with everyone again + Chad and Racheal’s family at Tepanyaki for dinner.  It was Sloan’s first time and she thought it was the greatest dining experience of her life.  She would NOT stop pointing at our guy on the grill.  We even convinced him to toss her her very own shrimp [which hit her in the head] and she thought it was just the greatest thing ever.  We all left completely stuffed and smelling of fried rice.  My two BFFs weren’t mad about it, though…

Christmas morning was the cherry on top.  Sloan was so excited when Zach walked her down the stairs to see her stocking filled with THE MOST random of gifts.  Zach got a signed football helmet by Kyle himself…and wore it during the duration of gift opening.

Zach surprised me with a freezer to go out in our garage!  We were totally lame this year and just told each other which clothes and coats we wanted, purchased said items, and then wrapped them up.  It wasn’t super sentimental – but we both got exactly what we wanted.  So when that freezer was all set up and cooling down in our garage…I thought my heart might explode.  I guess that’s part of being an adult:  wishing for freezers and other house hold appliances!  We stayed in our PJs all morning – until my parents and brother and sister-in-law came over to join us.  They all gave Sloan her gifts [the adults did not exchange gifts this year – we are saving up for our family vacation instead] and she was on cloud 9 opening gift after gift they got her.  My mom – instead of coal – got Sloan a can of black beans in her stocking.  That, surprisingly, was her favorite item she received.  I can’t wait to see her enjoy all of her other gifts – including the cutest piggy bank, books, and a doll house.  Our families spoiled Sloan more than we did!

We made our way to my grandpa’s house in Magna to exchange gifts with my mom’s extended family.  Sadly, I didn’t get any photos.  I wish I had a picture of my grandpa opening his tablet we all got him.

Afterwards we drove up to Ogden to eat dinner at Mark and Jeanene’s house.  As per usual – Mimi and Papa had planned quite the show for their grandkids.  The Gingerbread Man [my nephew Alex] came and visited the grandkids.  But, in a shocking turn of events, the Grinch [Zach] bit both his arms off and one leg…
It all worked out OK, though.  The Grinch apologized for stealing all the grandkid’s gifts and then biting the limbs off of Gingie.  Sloan was dressed as a gingerbread girl…but wasn’t fooled by Alex’s costume.  She knew right away that he was inside.  What really tripped her out was that her Dad’s voice was coming out of a green monster.  She kept trying to rip open his mouth and look inside…There aren’t grandparents that are more fun than Mark and Jeanene.  Mark is so creative with his ideas and the kids just love every second.  I can’t get over this picture of all of them together with Mimi and Papa [we are missing Clark, who went rogue and Connor, Addie, Cole, and Aiden because they were in Ohio].

We went to bed wayyyy too late that night.  After we made our way home from O-Town, put Sloan to bed, and unloaded our car we were both exhausted.  I don’t think a successful Christmas happens without a little exhaustion.

The Saturday after Christmas I was in overdrive.  I had all our Christmas decor and the majority of our Christmas cleaned up by Sloan’s first nap.  There’s nothing more depressing that having the Christmas hang-over left all over your house.  In the afternoon it was our Fotheringham Christmas party.  My parents dropped by our house on the way down to help set up to bring Sloan a few more gifts they had from their Christmas Eve gift exchange.  My aunt and uncle got her the most hilarious hat [with bangs and braids] that she thought was the greatest thing she had ever worn.  Along with a singing lamp that lights up.  It was like Christmas was on repeat in this house…
We spent our evening down in Draper with thousands of Fotheringhams.  We had soup and salad, had a game exchange, and visited with everyone.

Christmas is my favorite holiday.  Sloan made it even more enjoyable and exciting.  She isn’t quite at the age where she can understand the true meaning – but we’re going to work on that next year.  In the meantime, she’s all about her can of black beans and abandoned wrapping paper and boxes.  I’m so grateful for my Savior – who gave me my best friend and my baby girl.  I couldn’t ask for anything more.