The last day

2009 is officially over. Finally! Don't get me wrong - I had a great year. I'm taking away a lot of really good memories and experiences and I have A LOT that I'm thankful for. It was kinda tough too. And that is why I'm glad that it is finally over. I'm really looking forward to 2010 and I'm hoping that this year can be even better. Next year I hope to say, "2010 was a really great year!" No "it was tough" or "hard" or anything like that. Just "really great".

So, maybe the whole year wasn't Really Great but the last day was. I couldn't think of a better way to end the not-totally-great year. The day started out like any other day. Breakfast with Max, bathtime, a little bit of house work. Later in the morning, my sister Roxane stopped by with her kids for a few minutes. We had a quick little visit but it was good to see them. Then, my niece Kaitlyn came over. She had a big dance that she was going to and she wanted to look amazing. She asked me to do her hair and makeup for her. It's always so much fun hanging out with her. She has grown up so much and I can't believe she'll be 17 in a few days. She is adorable and I really can't take much credit for how amazing she looked when she left my house.

GORGEOUS!

Later, Thayne and Max took a nap so they would be able to stay up late with everyone while my sister Blythe and I went to the grocery store. I don't think I've ever been to the grocery store on New Year's Eve before and I'm sure that I will avoid ever doing it again at any cost. It was CRAZY. But fun. To make the most of it and get out of there as fast as possible, while still looking good, we ran and twirled and leaped and rode around on the back of the grocery cart. I'm pretty sure that everyone thought that we had started celebrating the New Year a little early. :) Oh well. As soon as we started loading the groceries in the house my Brother Sam, his wife Roxy, and their girls Lily & Marah pulled up. They live about 6 hours away so we don't see them very often. Lily & Marah are the most perfect little girls you've ever seen. They are so sweet and fun. While Sam & I were in the kitchen competing to make the best dip my brother Nathan and his wife Ashley showed up. It was fun having 2 of my 3 brothers come since none of them were around for Christmas. Thayne set up the living room with strobe lights and black lights and music to dance with Lily & Marah. The girls loved it. Thayne couldn't leave the room without them following him and telling him to go dance with them... and Lily kept coming in the kitchen to tell me, "we're having a REAL party in there!" It was really funny. We had all planned on playing some games but it was so much fun just eating and hanging out that we never did get around to any games. We all ate ourselves sick and the consensus on the dip competition was that Sam's Jalepeno Dip tasted just as good as my Artichoke Dip. Sam may not be able to admit it but I will also admit that his was definitely just as good as mine. :)

Marah wanted to lay on Kassidy's "princess bed" and watch a movie. We all took turns sitting there with her. This was Sam & Blythe's turn.

Thayne painted the girls' finger and toenails. They loved it.

Lily helped paint Marah's and she thought it was great. Marah didn't seem to mind that she ended up with nail polish all over her fingers and toes.



Nate & Ashley were exhausted and crashed on the couch. Max helped Nathan massage Ashley's back.



Roxy & I took pictures and talked about photography a lot. She is an amazing photographer. She just started within the past year but she really takes amazing photos. These are her blogs: http://roxylongphotography.blogspot.com/ and http://itsthelongway.blogspot.com/

It was a lot of fun and I loved being able to spend some really good time with everyone. Thanks for making the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 awesome. I love you guys!