Laughter is the best medicine. And a little dance party doesn't hurt either.

I think it's important to laugh everyday.  Like really laugh- a genuine, deep from your belly, laugh.  Having children has changed me in countless ways, but one of the simpler differences from pre-motherhood to my life now, is that I know I will laugh everyday, no matter how bad my day was.  All it takes is a few minutes with my boys to put a smile on my face.  When I get home from work, I am almost always greeted with a hug and a hello, in that order.  Then, there are requests to be picked up, swung around, play outside, etc.; all which emit laughter from two happy little boys.  Let me tell you, that laughter is contagious. 

This morning I was so tired, and thanks to my wonderful husband, I got to sleep in an extra hour.  I got up, and Noah slept an hour later than me!  For a 1 1/2 year old who went to bed at his normal time, that was awesome!  Once the kids were up, Greg went to the store for me and I got them ready to go out for a couple hours with Grandpa Mike.  Normally, I am in such a hurry to get them dressed, make sure they brush their teeth, etc.  But this time, I didn't do that.  Maybe it was the semi-lazy morning we were having, but I think it had more to do with the fact that I realized they were having fun just playing together and being silly.  I turned on some music (woohoo for Pandora through the blu-ray player) and Jake started dancing around.  Then me, then Noah.  Let me tell you, we probably looked so silly and goofy with my dancing (if you can call it that) and their dancing (which really looks like a mix of marching around & running in place), but we had so much fun, and we laughed.  And it was perfect.  It made all the stress of life and the disappointment about my cancelled dinner party go away.  The next time you are bummed out about something, big or small, focus on what you do have in life and what really matters.  I can have dinner parties when I'm 50, but guess what, my boys will only be 1 1/2 and 3 for so long. 

"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." -Friedrich Nietzsche

As promised, a couple of pictures of my loves.  Jake is a climbing machine!  As much as I want to grab him off the high spots he climbs too or stop him from trying the newest playground equipment because it looks "too dangerous," I think I'm doing a decent job of letting him explore and try new things.  He's had some bumps and bruises, but that's ok. Boys will be boys, right? 

Noah is not too far behind- we've caught him more than once "surfing" on the ottoman to our rocker or on the footrest in Nana Pat's dining area.  The kid shows no fear most of the time.  He loves hanging out with Jake and exploring outside.  I love that the boys are so close, and of course they have their moments, but what 1 1/2 and 3 year old don't?  I love my boys so much and I hope they stay this close forever <3

Hmmm, let's have one more shot at this

Ok, so I haven't updated in oh, nearly 10 months. I'm not great at the blogging thing, but it was even harder with moving, two toddlers, a full time job, and about a dozen other things going on in life. That's no excuse, right? I'm making a goal for myself to try and update this at least once a week, maybe even more if there's funny stories or news to share :)

Well, to sum things up- 2009 was a busy year. As you know, our little boy Noah was born 2/24 and we had a wonderful first birthday party for him just last month! I cannot believe he is 1 already; seems like the time just vanished. He is growing so much and he and Jake are getting along amazingly well so far. I hope their friendship continues and that they stay close as they grow up. I am still working at CSUCI and we still have our apartment on campus. While we still probably spend more hours in NP than Camarillo, it has been nice and a good experience to be on our own. It's a great little neigborhood and now that the weather has warmed up, hopefully we'll be getting outside more to explore, go on walks, etc.

Good news! Greg had his first day of work at a new job today and we are hoping this is a good fit for him. He is now working for a construction company and their current project is in Redondo Beach, CA. They have projects lined up for a while and even one that is out of state. It will be a change to have him gone for a little time and we're lucky to have family in the area so if the boys & I need some company, they're just up the hill :) Let's see, Jacob is growing like a weed and talking all the time. It's great to hear him say new things and learn on his own. He amazes me with his knowledge. Noah is all about his big brother- whatever Jacob's playing with, Noah wants it; whatever Jacob is eating or drinking, Noah wants it lol. Love my boys <3

Well, that's about it for now. We're both working, the boys are growing and healthy, and we're enjoying life and getting on our feet. We are confident about our future and hope that it pans out the way we're planning. We know we are so blessed to have the family and friends that we do and we hope that we can pass on the love and security we've been blessed with to our own boys. Love you guys and hope everyone is well. God bless

xoxo