A Reason To Smile

This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Dreyer’s blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. 

If you would have asked me years ago if I would have kids only 18 months apart in age I would have laughed at you. After years of struggling to have our first baby, our second came sooner than we expected! Don’t get me wrong, we wanted a second baby, we just assumed it would take as long to get her here as it did our first. We were so wrong and I am so glad.

My son is currently three-years- old, my daughter is just a few months shy of two and they are the best of friends and my number one #reasontosmile. Sure, they fight and bicker, they steal each others toys, and rough house. But, at least once a day I look up to find some version of this:

They “read” each other stories. They help each other out. They are constantly laughing and playing together and it makes this mama’s heart so happy to see that. As a mom my greatest hope is that they will cultivate this relationship throughout their lives. I hope that they will always look out for one another and be able to laugh together. I hope they understand how much they were wanted and how each of them brings a different life and element to our family and that we wouldn’t be the same without them.

I want them to deeply understand that they are loved. They are valued. They have the right and responsibility to make goals and be dream chasers. I hope that sometimes they will chase those dreams together, or at least be the stepping stone for each other when they need to reach just a little higher, or the helping hand extended when one of the inevitably falls.

But for now, I will watch, and observe, and document the sweet way that they interact. Because they won’t remember these times and all the fun that they had. I want to be able to show them someday that this relationship they share runs deep. It will continue to make me smile day in and day out.

Do you need a reason to smile? Try one of Dreyer’s NEW limited-edition summer ice cream flavors: Fun ‘n the Sun Banana Split and Summer in the City Cheesecake. Each flavor is available now through August 2014 nationwide in Grand and Slow Churned varieties for the retail price of $6.49. What could be better, right!? How about helping a child smile as well?

Dreyer’s has teamed up with Operation Smile to provide 500 life-changing surgeries to children with cleft lip and cleft palate by visiting the Dreyer’s Facebook page with the Dreyer’s “A Reason to Smile” posts throughout the summer. And you can help!

You can upload or share your own photo to Dreyer’s Facebook page and include #ReasonToSmile in the caption to help Dreyer’s gift 500 life-changing surgeries to children in need. Every photo helps! So let us know:

What gives you a reason to smile?