Zack’s got some moves. 

Swinging arms? CHECK. 
Hip shaking? Oh, yeah. 
Can he get down and breakdance? Yup. 

And does he do it all with a smile? You know it!

Music has always been huge for Zack. We’ve used it in therapies; we’ve even added music therapy to his week to complement what he’s learning academically with a bit of rhythm. 

He and I have been having dance parties (with lil sis Addie, too!) for years and years and years. When he couldn’t walk, I’d hold him and we’d swing around the kitchen in our first house, laughing so hard. When he was taking his first steps, he would shimmy across the black and white tiles to the beat of the song on the radio. 

We start nearly every morning with at least one song. The kids choose and ask Alexa to play it for them. (She understands about 70% of the time, haha). And then the three of us trot, march, glide and shake. 

Spontaneous dance parties are my favorite. 
Sometimes, a song comes on and, suddenly, there we are, laughing and twirling. No cares in the world, no worries. 

Zack even sings along now, which adds a whole new level of fun to our dance parties. Addie and I will often times stand to the side and clap and cheer him on and he LOVES it. 

There’s almost always music on in the house. And I’m always waiting for the next dance party to begin. They’re my favorites. Sometimes they’re crazy and loud, with all different genres and all different times represented. Other times, it’s just me and my guy rocking together to some Ray LaMontagne or Van Morrison. 

I may not get my Mother-Son dance at Zack’s wedding one day (or maybe I will), but I’m luckier yet because I have daily dance parties in kitchen. 

Since it’s Friday and Fridays are the BEST day for a good dance-a-thon, I thought I’d share some of Zack and Addie’s FAVORITE songs, plus our nicknames for them and why we love them.
Find one you love, take a few minutes and sing, dance, twirl and smile. Life’s pretty good. 

“Believer“, Imagine Dragons
“Right Back Where We Started From“, Maxine Nightingale (this one might have started because of my nonstop-watching of The Family Stone
“Can’t Stop the Feeling“, Justin Timberlake (We call it the ‘Troll Song’ because it’s from the movie Trolls)
“Send Me on My Way“, Rusted Root
“Don’t Worry, Be Happy“, Bobby McFerrin (in case you ever wondered what two kids attempting to learn how to whistle sounds like, just put this on in our house)
“Something Just Like This“, Coldplay + The Chainsmokers
“Firework“, Katy Perry (Addie’s anthem)
“You Are the Best Thing“, Ray LaMontagne (Zack and I love this slow dance song) 
“Born to Run“, Bruce Springsteen (I’m raising my kids to be half-Jersey)
“Radioactive“, Imagine Dragons (Addie’s got a dark side, apparently, but loves this song. Fun fact: this is a major song in the one TV series Scott and I love to watch together)
“American Girl“, Tom Petty
“Ophelia“, The Lumineers (We LOVE the oh-oh-phelia part in the chorus, especially)
“Shake it Off“, Taylor Swift (loved even more since we watched the movie Sing)
“Uptown Funk“, Mark Ronson + Bruno Mars
“Accidentally in Love“, Counting Crows (from the opening scene of Shrek 2, y’all)
“Three Little Birds“, Bob Marley (is it really a dance party without some reggae?)
“Crazy Love“, Van Morrison (Another great slow song, AND it was sung at our wedding by the amazing Lindsay Ellyn) 
“Chicken Fried“, Zac Brown Band (The  kids laugh over the artist’s name and this is hands-down our Zack’s FAVORITE song)

Happy Dancing!