Days 21-25

Day Twenty-One
Best Project of 2009.
Cakes!

You know, I start a lot of things. There are so many things that I think about doing and working with cakes and fondant has been on the "think it'd be cool to do list" for a long time now. Finally, not too long before Matthew's birthday, I decided I'd really start it. So, a few weeks before, I made a cake in KY with white fondant, then went to Vegas and worked on Matthew's first birthday cakes there. And I'm not a person to say what I do is wonderful, but those cakes that my mom and I made for his first birthday were pretty freakin cool for being our first cakes. We did a great job! In fact, that little hat we did looks almost exactly like a little hat cake that is in the cake book I got for Christmas! I have so much fun baking them and I love to do it! Hopefully it was just a start!

Day Twenty-Two
Best Business of 2009.
Fairy Tale Wishes!

Sloan and Tabby started a new business this last year and I think it is the coolest thing ever! I mean, a cake we made was on the news! How cool is that?! It was cool because I got to be on the news dressed as Snow White and Sloan was Cinderella and Tabby was Belle. This is the cutest company because you get to see little girls and how excited they get when they see you. You get to make people smile! It is so fun and I am so excited for Sloan and Tabby! They are the best and the most gorgeous people for the job!

Second Place: Ammon is obsessed with www.militaryathlete.com and has given that guy quite the business in the past little while and has inspired him to do a lot of new things with his own "business."

Day Twenty-Three
Best Online "Tool" of 2009.
Blogger, actually.

I learned a lot this last year about blogging and not only how trendy it really is, but how amazing it really is too! It is so awesome that you can keep such an accurate "journal" of anything that you please. I learned how important it was to keep little things written down. I remember in a FHE we had at Sloan's one night, and I believe it was President Eyring that said, he started a journal and every night, no matter how tired he was, he would write down something that his kids did that day. I really have tried to remember that and I think blogging is such a fun, quick, efficient way to write down things. And, it is so much more permanent and faster (and takes up NO room!) than writing it down on paper.

Day Twenty-Four
Best Lesson of 2009.
Motherhood is the HARDEST job in the universe.

Man. Are there some days where I wonder how in the world I used to think my life was hard? I mean, in high school, you really think that life is so difficult because you are trying so hard to fit in, be noticed, stay liked. Then, you get to college and everything is totally revolved around YOU. YOUR schedule, what YOU want to eat, what YOU don't want to do, if YOU want to stay in bed, if YOU don't want to go to class that day, if YOU do or don't turn in that assignment....on and on and on. Well, in 2009, I totally and completely realized how hard it is when you can no longer think of just YOU.

Sure, the first few months of a baby's life are hard. You don't get much sleep and you are stressed about every little thing. I was so glad when those first few months were over if you want the truth. Matthew slept through the night and I kind of knew what I was doing. But, then Ammon left when Matthew was two months old and so I had my mom. That was wonderful. And I had Sloan to help me out since she'd just gone through it with Gavin. Then, last January, we moved out all alone. I had to learn how to do everything without my mom, and later on, all alone, without even Ammon. I won't keep going on and on about the military and how hard it is or isn't because frankly, that is getting old to me and I'm not even the one reading the stinking blog, but being a mom and sometimes a dad is freakin hard.

All I can say is that it is a dang good thing you love that little pill that you're raising as much as you do or it would not be worth it. And the problem with me? I'll get mad at Matthew and one minute later he does something that makes me love him even more. It makes me so mad!

Second Place: See Day Nine.
Honorable Mention: Be prepared!

Day Twenty-Five
Best Gift in 2009.

Well, the best gift I GOT last year was actually the gift that we got to give. Sounds weird and I won't even mention the gift that we got to give, but it really made me realize how much it takes to sacrifice yourself for the good of others. I learned a lot this last year about that. I learned how important it is to help others in need and how much it can bless the lives of those you are helping, but mostly bless your life in return. The Lord blessed us so much and there was never a time in '09 that brought hardship that didn't bring happiness in the end. The best gift I got was to definitely depend on the Lord. The best gift we gave was that we learned how to help others (which really is selfish, because the more you help, the more you're blessed!).

Second Place: Ammon got me these Yankees clothes and I wore them everyday in October and most of November. I loved them.
Honorable Mention: Our new computer