This man....

You know...this picture deserved a post. A's friend e-mailed him this picture. We were all all the same Sweet 16 last Friday night and Anthony and I had a great date night out.

Look at this man...first of all, he's very handsome. When I look at this man in this picture, I know why I married him, I know why he's a really great husband and father.

Those who know us both, know that we are polar opposites on most things...except the things that count, how we raise our special children, how we manage our home life, our financial life, and how we treat each other.

I love him with my whole heart and soul...with every part of my being.

And I'm lucky, and I know it.

My marriage has been VERY challenging to me...at different times, and in different ways, for the last 14 years. And I know that I'm in the minority in that these challenges have made my marriage stronger, the ground we stand on is firm, but it wasn't always. The first few years were very hard, and then we had Matty. That alone could have shattered everything. Having 2 special children would shatter most marriages, and I understand how it could. Let's not forget the 6 years in between M & B and what we went through to get a sibling for Matty.

But I married THIS man. And this man has a heart like no one I know. This man can embrace and love unconditionally. He always tries to do the right thing, he NEVER puts himself first.

He puts me first. He has since we started dating in April of 1992, since he asked me to marry him in June 1993 and especially since we married in June of 1994.

He still puts me first, and he worries about my happiness and well being. He cares that my life is everything I want it to be.

He puts our boys first too. He has a lot of love to go around.

Let's be real though...he's not perfect.

He has issues like all of us, and some of his issues break my heart, but out of respect for him, I won't talk about them here. Some of you reading know how it's been for me the past few years where A's family is concerned, but we seem to be moving in the right direction finally...and God willing, amends can be made before it's too late.

I digress....I love this picture...my face looks great to me almost 1 year post reconstructive surgery. We look like an old married couple out on a date enjoying ourselves...my husband...43 years young....handsome as ever....and I adore him!

Mid-April Catch Up Post...what's been happening

I got tired (ha!) of trying to catch up with this blog...so here's a BRIEF re-cap of what's been going on.

Ben turned 5 on 3/28...on 3/29 he had a great party with this classmates, cousins and friends at one of those inflatable obstacle course indoor playgrounds that recently opened up here. We had the family party that night too. It was lovely....he had a great time, understood it was HIS birthday, sang, blew out the candles, it was all good. Photos Here.

Matty will be 11 on Saturday (4/19). He's having his party tonight at his favorite Italian restaurant with about 15 kids...dinner and cake. We aren't having his family part until the 27th since we have other parties to attend this Saturday and Sunday, plus my parents are away and won't be back until next week.

I can't believe how big my boys are getting...and I can't believe how amazing they are! I'm so proud to be their mommy. They have such a mutual respect and care and love for each other that is so genuine. They do get upset with each other if someone takes something away from the other, or if they can't agree on what show to watch....but they get over themselves very quickly, and return to special bond that they have.

They each have such different strengths and weaknesses, and it's complementary to the other.
There are times when I get why I was chosen to have these boys in my life. They teach me things that I need to know. They keep me in check.

A and I are still working on Matty's school placement for next year, but I think we've found the right place for him. We still have to observe the program in the district, but I know that's not the right one for him, it's just that I want to see it for myself. The only thing for me is that I want Matty to be happy. School is very academically frustrating for him, so I hope that putting him in a school setting where the focus can deviate from the core curriculum, that he'll not only be less frustrated, but he may also learn about things that he can use in HIS life which will be different from that typically developing child sitting in a regular classroom when they both get to adulthood.

Ben's CST hasn't contacted me yet to talk about his K placement for the fall, but I will fight to have him in a mainstream environment for half of his day. He enjoys his time with typical children, something Matty doesn't or cannot do. He spends 3 hours a day, 3 times a week in a typical pre-school after his regular day and he currently mainstreams for part of his 5 hour day in the district with less affected children too. I don't worry so much about him....for now.

Thanks to my friend Charlotte.....she hooked me (well Anthony actually) up with this....for his joint pain and for overall wellness. We'll keep you updated as to whether or not it works.

So we still have a lot going on here....and I may never catch up, but I'm OK with that.

I caught a little bit of Maria Shriver on Oprah yesterday....and I really liked it. She talked about how she's 52 years old, and has been nothing but a manic "get up and do" person her whole life, and when her husband (Arnold Schwarzenegger) became Governor of CA, and she First Lady, her world went into a tizzy...and she had to stop and figure out who she "was" and what she wanted to be when she grew up.
The bottom line was that she wrote a book she was promoting....and her mantra is that you have to stop and just "Be" sometimes. You need to "show up" in your OWN life. You can't always worry about trying to get it all done, whether to please others or because you feel like you have to for yourself.

I'm going to try that....today! ;-)