A good belly laugh!

I just had to share what made me laugh, and laugh, and laugh today!

I had escaped to the bedroom this afternoon to ostensibly "read and relax" for 10 minutes before taking the children for a bike ride with friends around what Chloe started calling "the Daddy park". Gary came in to read, too, and I made the comment that, although I hadn't told the children where I was going, they hadn't missed me yet and that I had been there for 7 MINUTES:) The sense of sneaky freedom made me smile!!

Then came "foghorn" aka Declan, yelling from the other side of the house, "Mummy... Mummy... where are you Mummy?" I had to laugh a little and, although the thought crossed my mind about not answering, I ended up telling him and he came racing in. (Mental note: I LOVE it when my kids come rushing to welcome me home after market day morning shopping, or I pick them up from Grandma and Grandpa's, etc).

"What can you do with me Mummy?"

"I'm reading for 5 minutes"

"My will lie here with you, 'cause my cold. My be warm here, next to you!"

And this is where I started to feel a giggle wiggle up from my middle..."You need to lie still" (I knew I was asking the impossible but I thought I'd give it a try anyway!)

"My will lie still right here... Move over Mummy... more!"

"Please."

"Please move"

The window was open and I was in short sleeves and I was a bit cool, so my thinking was that it would be nice to have a snuggle with my 4- in -15 -days'- time- boy. Hmmmm, it lasted all of four seconds and the cheery chatter was on. This is an excerpt:

"It hurts my eyes when my shut them."

Daddy: "Then don't close them so tightly... no, don't squeeze them, just let them fall like this...yes, that's better (the facial expressions were, meanwhile, cracking me up!) He put his head down for another few seconds -no exaggeration- then it was on again...

"Mummy, my going to lie on top of your tummy"

"That's how you used to go to sleep when you were a baby" (Can you tell it's that reflecting-upon-4-years-ago kind of time..:) Declan liked this idea and proceeded to try and get himself comfortable, while using me like a beanbag (how do I explain that there are bits of me that really hurt when he uses his knees, elbows and chin to prod- I say it so often I feel like a broken record!!)

He chopped and changed positions umpteen times, with such funny faces while he tried not to squeeze his eyes that I finally bubbled over and laughed. He laughed with me, and locked my gaze with those engaging eyes of his, which made me laugh and laugh. I was just treasuring the moment, when ..."Laugh again Mummy" caused a bittersweet reaction on my part; I obliged and, returning the intrigued gaze, enjoyed the belly laughs (keep in mind , by this stage, he was lying across my belly!!)

Later, though, as we rose to get ready for the bike ride, looking for shoes, drink bottles, and all that mundane, necessary life stuff, I was thinking about what a precious moment I had just enjoyed. I remember that there have been times like this with Chloe, too ('though Chloe will lie still on the bed for a snuggle:) ) And, there have been rare occassions when I can remember being in uncontrollable silly sessions with Gary.

I want to laugh more with my husband.

I want to laugh more with my children.

I want to laugh more.