Refresh. Regrow. Renew.

Yesterday, my sweet boy called me into the bathroom because he needed help (I'll leave the details to your imagination) when I noticed a puddle underneath the footstool. It looked like he couldn't make it to the potty so we had our 'talk' about where we go tee tee at and like the sweet boy he is, he said that he was sorry. So today, when he said that he had to go potty, I gently reminded him that we don't go tee tee on the floor. His response almost caused me to have an accident of my own.

"But mommy, I didn't go tee tee on the floor . . . I went tee tee in the footstool".

He said it with so much pride that I couldn't even get mad at the intentionality of his naughty behavior. Boys!

Our future ballerina has been so excited because she has moved up a grade in ballet. She is now in the big classroom with older girls and couldn't be happier. She learned some new moves that she says are hard but with practice she will get good at them.

Our newest ballet dancer (I don't think we should call him a ballerina) was excited before we left our house and even more excited after he was done. His over exuberance in telling me about his class and teachers brought tears to my eyes. He was so happy. Even the moms next to me said that based on his excitement they couldn't wait to see the performance.

Here are some of the dancers together.

Here are three short videos of the ballet boy.

He did really good considering this was his first time.

This is a short video of our sweet girl with the bigger kids.

Its brief but she really arches her feet well.

This year has been most difficult. So many things have happened that could tear apart any family but we have worked together and held on to this wild ride. The year started with a paycut, followed by months of debilitating morning sickness, the loss of a job, insurance difficulties, health issues for both momma and baby and lots of uncertainty for our family's future. This is happening to so many families who have suffered more greatly than I can imagine during this time of our country's financial situation. But we are surviving one day at a time. Things have begun to look up just not the way we imagined. So I thought it was time to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for.

1. We are all thankful that we get to welcome a new baby to the family in a few short weeks.
   
2. I am thankful that I have had some time to spend with my husband during his 'vacation'.
   
3. The kids are thankful to have spent so much time with Daddy.
   
4. We are thankful that our baby does not have cysts on her brain anymore.
   
5. I am thankful that my heart is slowing down.
   
6. I am so very thankful that my morning sickness is so mild.
   
7. Tim and I are thankful to see our children learning through our homeschool experience.
   
8. Tiffany is thankful that she is getting her baby sister.
   
9. Benjamin is thankful for ants who have 6 legs.
   
10. We are all thankful that Daddy now has a job.

This job isn't the big thrill that Tim was hoping for. It means a huge cut in pay and an even larger step back in his career. I honestly cannot relate to his situation. I worked in the restaurant industry for many years and know the stresses and drama of working in this business. But I have never had to let go of my dream job only to find myself back in the trenches of restaurant work. I can only imagine of what he is going through. But I truly believe that this will be a great job for our family once he gets settled in. After all, he will be working less hours even if they are late into the night and since we are homeschooling, his time with the kids won't be interrupted. I also think that we could take more trips because traveling during the week is much cheaper than the weekends anyway. I could go on but needless to say I think this will be will a fun new adventure and I am glad that we get to take it together. Go Smith Family!!!