Life's a dance, you learn as you go.

Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow.

Don't worry 'bout what you don't know.

Life's a dance, you learn as you go.

This dance year was certainly a sweet one.  Some dramatic moments, but overall such a sweet time!  Our little ballet class was filled with school friends.  They are the cutest little group.  We enjoyed our time together and learned so much as we went.  I even learned some things about myself by the time it was all over! Ha!

I am a little biased, but these sweet lion costumes were the cutest ever!  They danced to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and they did an amazing job!  The audience fell in love, and I cried through the whole thing!

So proud.  And so relieved.  The drama of the whole thing was a bit overwhelming for this mama, but I survived.  And the JOY on Millie Janalee's face as she danced her little heart out...and did so to perfection...was all I needed!  I wish I could bottle that up and hang onto it forever.

As all the mamas were busily getting our little lion princesses ready for the recital, I found myself choked up most of the time.  Sneaking extra bobby pins in her hair, because heaven forbid any piece of her costume flop or fall!  Spraying stray hairs back.  And applying the last touch of Lipsense on those sweet little lips.  Dance recitals are probably one of my favorite parts of having a girl.  It was such a sweet time for us last year at her first recital, and I wanted to keep it sweet for Millie Janalee.  You only have a preschool dancer for a very short time, and it just doesn't get any sweeter!

We had a rough dress rehearsal, so I sat in the audience praying she would be filled with joy from her sweet head down to her precious toes.  And she was!  Prayers work is what I can say about that! I sat in the audience with Russ, Smith, and my dad with tears in my eyes.  I watched a large part of that sweet performance through the lens of my camera of course, but it was just as precious through that little hole.

I am thankful for my dad, who has endured more than his fair share of dance recitals in his lifetime!  He was a great support for this stressed mama.  Thank goodness he was there!  He took us all out to eat dinner to celebrate and then we all went home and CRASHED!

One thing is for sure...the lion definitely slept that night!  Ha!  We are so proud of our tiny dancer!  And we would have been just as proud if she hadn't danced a single step.  I'm proud of her because she's mine.  I'm proud of her because she knows what she wants and doesn't do anything just to appease others.  I'm proud of her strong will.  Because I know that if guided correctly, she will be unstoppable as she grows!  

I had a sweet friend who posted recently about her own strong-willed daughter that "There are some children who are born into this world with the incredible life-gift of a strong will and an indomitable spirit.  At 4 years old, she is persistent, confident, passionate, and bold.  I can't wait to see what the future holds for her."  That's my Millie Janalee also!  Sometimes we need a reminder that a strong will is a gift!  Difficult to parent at times, and hard for some to understand...but my greatest JOY to parent also!  

God knew I needed her and she needed me.  He knows what He's doing, and I do not question that for a second!  So, I won't worry 'bout what I don't know.  Life's a dance, and we learn as we go.

Growing Up...

Goodness, I am so upset with myself for not keeping this blog up!  SO MUCH has happened that I already wish I had blogged about.  Ugh.

Summer has started, and there's no better way to start your summer than at the beach!  I took some time to organize the kids' keepsake boxes today, and I have been looking back through pictures over the year. My, how our little family has changed!

Last year, we were beaching it with a curly haired baby and his sweet older sister.

This year, we beached it with a rowdy and loud toddler and his sassy, emotional big sister.

This is us.  And I wouldn't have it any other way!

Choo Choo! Smith is TWO!

On October 13, Smith turned TWO years old!!  It's hard to believe sometimes.  Then sometimes I can't remember life without him.  We celebrated on October 16th with family and friends.  After Millie Janalee's mega-party this past summer, I decided to invite a couple of friends from school and family only.  So, I signed my sister up for a "smallish party."  Ha!  There's really no such thing once we get started.

Kristin and Lee built and painted things within days and were ready to party! In the middle of hosting a fiesta shower for my brother and his fiancé the day before (or maybe it was the weekend before?).  We like to do crazy things like that.  Kristin came over and worked her magic giving Russ directions on attaching railroad crossings and getting electrical tape for the train tracks on the sidewalk, etc.  She brought her famous cookies and an adorable birthday cake that she made in her "spare time."  It was a party fit for a railroad king!

We planned the party right after Smith's morning nap, and it worked out perfectly!  He woke up to a beautiful setup just for him!  Our neighbors even let us borrow their jumpy house for the party.

It is so much fun for us to have a special party for each of our littles.  It may not always be this way, but for now it works out.  Thankfully, I have a sister who thrives off of party planning.  So I can give her my idea of what I want and start a Pinterest board...and she basically does the rest or tells me what to do.  We are thankful for her talent!

The guests began to arrive, and the fun began!  Thankfully, we have a dear friend who brings his camera everywhere he goes.  So we always have fantastic pictures of our parties!  I had my own camera too, so excuse the photo overload.  It was a beautiful, warm day in October!  Perfect for a 2 year old birthday!

Russ, his mom, and his brother

David and Russ

Aunt Jenny and Susu

Family gathered around the jumpy house and bean bag toss

Aunt Gail and Amanda

Sweet friends LOVING the Choo Choo train!

Big kids loving the balloons I kept blowing up for entertainment. Ha!

My sweet great-nephew with Smith!  Such a sweet picture!

Uncie Buck and Smith

Uncle Donald and Pawpaw

Kay Kay and Hughes

Me and Leah (part of our sweet photographer team)

When Millie Janalee turned two, we lived in Missouri and just had family visit.  We spent time doing fun things around St. Louis.  So watching two year olds interacting and having fun together is so sweet to me!  This age really cracks me up, because they mostly play around each other instead of with each other.  Haha!  It is safe to say, everyone had a ball!

The birthday boy playing with the bean bag toss

Sweet Sawyer!  Young love! Ha!

Cousins - Hughes and Smith

Lots of fun in the jumpy house!

After a while, we decided to bring everyone in for some birthday cake!  Kay Kay outdid herself with the cake - inspired by our invitations.  Perfectly!

We all sang Happy Birthday to our sweet birthday boy, and he was ready to dig in!  Everyone enjoyed cake, cookies, and lots of snacks for the rest of the party.

Once the party was over, there was one very sad boy who had to say goodbye to the jumpy house in our front yard.  I'm sure the neighbors loved us! Ha!  We gave Smith some extra time to jump and play before bringing the close family inside to open gifts.

One thing I've learned about little kid parties - never open gifts during the party!  Too many little kids wanting to keep the gifts they brought and not ever knowing how the birthday boy/girl will react to the gifts.  My biggest fear is the latter - "But I already have one of these!"  LOL!  For the record, that has only happened once, but Smith was only 1 at the time and didn't know the difference.  We still have both of them and it's perfect for sharing.  Haha!

Sweet Smith,  your second year of life has been the most exciting yet!  You challenge us moment by moment.  You make us laugh, and you give the sweetest hugs and kisses!  You are the easiest child in the world to put to bed or nap (as long as it is in a room isolated).  And we really need to put a lock on the pantry door, because you are a bottomless pit!  Constantly bringing food out or sneaking chocolate from the highest shelf!  You are a JOY and a delight!  You keep us on our toes and keep us humble for sure!

My prayer for you is always that God will use your strong will for His glory and purpose!  What a wonderful gift!

We love you more each day, and we are cautiously excited to see how your little personality grows as you grow!  Happy 2nd Birthday to YOU!