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