Preschool

Jacob went to his first day of preschool today and it was a surprisingly calm process to leave him there.  Whenever I hear about someone's first child going off to preschool, I always picture tears (from child AND parent), and of course some hesitance to leave your first-born in the care of others for a significant amount of time.  However, having known some of the ladies there from years ago, I knew that he was in good hands and would be ok.  We (Greg, Noah, and I) said our goodbyes and after a few minutes, went to comfort ourselves with a cup of coffee; chocolate milk for Noah :)  

Jacob met his teacher last week and that really helped I think; she was a (somewhat) familiar face to him so he trusted her enough to feel comfortable.  His class starts their day out in the play yard which was perfect for him because there are swings, playground equipment, bikes to ride, trucks to play with, a play kitchen, etc.  However, going inside proved to be tough for him and he had some tears :(  The teacher reported back to us that he did great outside playing, but having to go inside was where he had a hard time. I think that will just take some time to get over.  It's a lot for a 3 year old to take in- new children, new teacher, mom & dad not there, new surroundings.  It's all a process and I think that in a week or two, it will have become routine, and he will enjoy going to school more and more.  I think talking about time inside will help too; he's such an active little guy that I'm sure being told to stay inside was something new.  He is used to being able to play outside whenever he wants (for the most part) so having to do indoor activities will take a little getting used to.  He did mention that he painted a heart for "you, and daddy, and Noah" so I'm looking forward to picking that up on Thursday :)

All in all, it was a success and I can't wait for what new adventures (and friends hopefully!) preschool will bring.  It was definitely hard to say good-bye this morning, but I was also very happy to let him go off on this new adventure.  I think Thursday will be hard too, but I know soon enough he will be the one saying "bye mom, see you later" and run off to his friends.  I love my little dude so much and days like today make me even more proud to be a mommy.  It really is a special honor and a true blessing to have the two little loves that I do.  They are my world <3

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