THE Question

We have had us a girls' night, that's for sure. Gabe is with Daddy at a boys only church fun night & we've been taking advantage of the interruption-free evening.

We enjoyed a tea party, with chocolate soy milk instead of tea. And rather than biscoti, we devoured some blueberry bagels, bread-sliced.

After Flynn did her breathing treatment, she decided to make a "face" (pictures forthcoming. what? you don't believe me? I always say that? Then the pictures never forthcome? okay, you're right. but this time I promise.)
So, we make a face. Complete with feathers & jewels, this face has apparently been bedazzled.

So, I saunter over here to the computer while Flynn finished her garden grean beans. And, out of the clear blue, she says it.
Lord help me. My little girl, only four years old, just asked me THE question.
You know the one.
Those words that you hope you won't hear for a long long time.
And when they do come out, you cringe & twitch & time seems to stand still.

"Mom...how does womens get babies into their tummy?"

A look of terror must've come over my face. I felt beads of sweat form on my scalp. She was looking right at me.
"Um. Eh. Um. Well. Uh...."

She wouldn't look away! Look away! Give me a chance to think of something!! 'God help me. Let your annointing fall on me & inspire me to give an answer. Just something.'

That didn't work.

So, I started praying that Jesus would return. 'Please Lord -- right now is a good time for you to split that sky open & make known of Your glorious return.'

That didn't work either.

"Um. Eh. Well. You see."

She didn't see. She just kept looking at me. And in the four years I've known her, she has never shown such concentration. She's never had such an attention span.

"Well. God puts the baby in the mother's tummy."

She still stared at me. She knew that wasn't all there was to it. She could smell the fear emitting from my pores. She wanted the real answer, the goods.
But she's only four & she doesn't need the goods.

"Whenever Daddy & I knew how much we loved each other, we prayed to God that He would bless us with a baby. And we showed each other how much we loved each other" (and really, that's pretty racey right there).

I looked up at the wall, hoping she'd look at the wall too. And then she wouldn't be looking at me anymore.

WHY IS THIS SO HARD TO TALK ABOUT? I'm a pretty honest person. Possibly the most direct person in North America.

But, she didn't look at the wall. She wanted clarification. I really don't think four-year olds need clarification, but apparently she felt like she deserved all the details. Lord help me.

"But Mom, how does the baby get into the mommy's tummy?"

You know, I don't think I knew these details 'til I was like at least seven years old & even then, I think I was too young to handle such truth. I really wanted to tell her that when a woman is at least thirty & is a virgin, never having known a man, she marries the man God has destined for her to be with FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE, then they, being financially stable & with a perfect relationship, ask God to bless them with fruit of their loins. Then, without any type of fertility issues or clomid or progesterone, are magically inpregnated.
But, that's not exactly the case.

Her eyes never left the side of my head, they just began to bore a hole in it. So, I gave in. I turned to her & prayed that I wasn't sharing too much & that this wouldn't land her in therapy.

"The baby is as small as a seed & is made in the tummy when the Mom & Dad show their love to each other."

I mean, I really didn't think I'd give her that much honesty. But, she threw me off-guard. I definitely didn't think we'd be having this conversation so early in her preschoolhood.

"Oh."

And she went on to humming & picking at her green beans.

37 degrees, Feels like 28

Makes me think of this.

Personal Trainer

Before you get too excited for him & send him CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR POTTY ENDEAVORS cards, know that this, right now, is nothing more than something to pass the time.

I [Heart] You

Well, despite all that plagued the house, we still had a fun & loving holiday.

Gabe & I sent Sissy off early to school & later joined her for some cheer at her class party.

Doesn't he look like he's taking this photo?:

He is thrilled to be at her school, I wish he went to school there...
I'm sorry my lens was dirty here, Flynn has the sweetest expression:
Here the whole room is praying over snack.

Look at my heathenistic children!:
HeartRule Breaker
Thank you Jesus for milk-free two bite brownies at Walmart:


Ms Jo, Flynn's art teacher, helps her deliver her valentines:
Raise your brows if YOU LOVE CHOCOLATE!

King of Hearts

So my funny valentine had too much heat to really be romantic yesterday, he still came through with some goods.
The photo above shows three prints just like the one I got...same line from Target. I got a single, square shaped one, with the exact colors, but more of a sprig/leaf design.
I had been lusting after it for quite sometime & Hot Hubby knew this.
I've been a fan of decorating green for years now. I keep thinking it will go out of style, but green never does...just changes shades. Back in college I was into that hunter & burgundy stage. Then, when we built this house & I was afraid to PAINT ANY WALLS becuz for crying out loud, that SERIOUS COMMITMENT, I agreed to paint the basement walls. We chose BITTER GREEN with, you guessed it,shades of sunburst orange. I love it downstairs & it gave me the courage to used those some colors in Flynn's room (a post about my children's rooms forthcoming).
Anyway, back to green. I tried to be non-thematic in the kitchen & totally neutral in the livingroom. It's worked in the livingroom, as our couch is camel & creme & has a very faint pattern. And the wood (not real wood) furniture is blond wood cubes. I also have a piece like a chest, that I got from a garage sale. It was only $20, was in great shape, is 'real' wood & is the same shade as the rest of the livingroom family. It has pier 1 stamped inside so I thought it was a definite score. The rest is hodge podge, but it always ends up being fairly inconspicuous.
The kitchen as I said was just very mix & match. On the cabinets, I put old glasses, bottles & pitchers & an old cookie jar that I found at a garage sale (looks just like the one my mom had growing up that my sister now has). Then, I found some great buys at a little garage sale at a really old house in town. It was a little old lady, she was so sweet, & seemed so surprised that I drooled over the old porcelain partridge & melamine cups she had for sale. And a swatch that is in the process of becoming a throw pillow for Flynn's bed (post on that project, also in the near future).
SO...
Those few pieces all shared a common hue. Can you guess what it is?
Yep,
Hello Lover.
So, I gave in. I decided that it was God's will for green to be the kitchen's color.
Soonafter, I saw the lucious silk print that I showed Jeff at Target. He agreed that it would tie in the different shades of green & be a good piece to flow from the part of the wall that is kitchen, to the wall which is livingroom (not easy with the cathedral ceiling).
Yesterday, when he was bringing Flynn home, sick as a dog, he had her deliver the gift to me. "Close your eyes" & she took credit for the great surprise.
He even went so far as to hide the gift as Grammy's & pay with cash so I wouldn't notice the deduction when online banking.

It took so much effort, he had to then stumble into bed & not get up until today.

But it was worth his effort. And it's already hanging.

HELLOOOOOOOO NURSE

And by Hello Nurse, I am not talking Betty or Smurfette.

The only nurse I need is my wonderful wife who has taken care of me for 2 1/2 days. Not to mention taking care of the kids and house.

Thank you, Amy, for putting up with me whining around for these days. I love you and do not know what I would have done without you.

Love

Jeff

Steamy Romance

And when I say my hot hubby is hot for me, I mean hot.
Like 102.6 degrees.

12 Days of Valentine, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

This is the photo that inspired me when making my wedding bouquet...

It's the final day, the 12th day...and it couldn't be more appropriate that this day I choose to thank you Jeff for your...

LOVE

You give it so freely, to everyone.

If this was the one thing Jesus really cared about asking us to do (appears in the NIV 551 times!), He's probably pretty pleased with you.

And the UNCONDITIONAL love you've shown me from the day we met, cannot be overlooked, nor can it be matched by anything.

This love shines through in everything you do. From the two jobs you keep, to the tireless way you come home from those two jobs & help me with the kids & the house & the chores that I should've had done by that time.

This love shows when you take your family to church every Sunday, and if we're so lucky to sit down during church, together, you never fail to put your arm around me & caress my shoulder.

That same love that inspires you to stay awake a little longer each night so that we can pray together.

It also is the same love that has cried with me in our sorrowful times...and has gushed with joy during the happy times of our life together.

It was in the look you gave me when the doctor told us Flynn was a girl, the look in your eyes when they laid Gabe on my chest.

In the tough times we've had together, it was the one constant. And despite the worries I may have had, everything else seemed to melt away with your regular display of love.

And on this, our 7th Valentine together, I hope you never doubt my love for you. It has not only kept from fading, it burns so brightly sometimes I'm sure I'm beaming. And it's because of you...

Happy Valentine's Day Jeff, I LOVE you!

Psalm 117:2 "For he loves us with unfailing love..."

Pass it Around

2002, After snorkeling in the Bahamas...

So, it seems I may have given Jeff whatever this is that I 'have'. And that's obvious to everyone, including Flynn.

As Jeff lay down & asked her to give him some space so that she didn't also catch what's going around this house, she thought a while and said,

"Because you got this. From mom. From kissing her."

12 Days of Valentine are drawing to a close...

Jeff proposed to me, right here, literally where I sit....only there wasn't an office chair, at a computer, in a livingroom. There were plans to be, but there wasn't yet. He took me here to look at the progress of our would-be house, and formalized the way we'd felt & the plans we'd made, and asked for my hand in marriage. 6 weeks later, we were mr & mrs. Now that's romance.

11th Day, 11th Way

GENTLENESS

From how gentle you kiss me to how gentle you lovingly discipline the kids.

How when you get mad, your brow might wrinkle, and that's probably the only physical change that will take place. I doubt your heart even beats faster.

You put things together with a tender touch & hold a baby like he or she is an egg.

And I love you, the way you are.

12 Days of Valentine...10th Day

I know, too freakish to be funny...

On this, the 10th day of Valentines, I had to pry my sick self from the recliner but you're worth every cough I succumb to send you my love...

The 10th day, the 10th way is your easiness.

Get your mind out of the gutter! By easiness, what I mean is you're so easy going you make everything easy.

You rarely stress, I never see you nervous. You never get uncomfortable because you are new, or don't know anyone.

As a matter of fact, I think the 2nd time you'd visited my parents, you were laying sideways across their loveseat, feet dangling off the side. Probably the third time you visited my sister & her family, you got a blanket (what we fondly call the "pimp blanket" on account of its furriness) & laid down in front of the fire & covered yourself. You were completely comfortable.

And that's how you approach life.

Easy.

I love it. It's the very reason my blood pressure is high & yours is low.

Easy to please & easy to love.

And I love to do both.

xoxo

Modeling Schmodeling

In all honestly, it was no big deal.

It was in the city, so we made a morning of it (running all the errands we needed to while in town, I finally went to the dr & got an rx for antibiotics so I can kick the cough I've had for weeks).

The whole morning, she kept asking, "Is it time for me to go to "my" modeling?"

Well, it was a casting call for sure. No pleasantries, no chit-chat. It was sign your kid in, and wait for your number (name) to be called.

When they called Flynn's name, I stood up, and was quickly told that I could wait where I was. I tried to not be offended as I realize this gig pays at least $400.

The room she took Flynn to was within earshot (in case you think I'm nuts for letting a stranger lead my kiddo off to Lord knows where). I could hear them talking, but knew there wasn't much said, & that it took at most of five minutes.

Then, she led Flynn back in, told us thank you, and called the next child.

We weren't told anything, neither was the other parent we left with.

On the way home, I tried to get info from Flynn...

"How many photos did they take?"

"Um, three."

"Did she ask any questions?"

"No."

And then, she continued playing with her mini-cabbage patch, "Destiny Ava."

But then, when I let her call Nana (who was pretty concerned that I get to a doctor), she gave Nana all the info:

"They took three pictures. The first one, they handed me a paper & had me hold it. They took another one. And a third one of my whole body.

When the lady handed me the card, it had something written on it & a number.

The lady asked me if I knew what it said, I told her, 'it says Flynn.'

I smiled."

And that friends, is where I got all info & any answers to the question, 'how did it go?'

O's, not X's

Are you a Careful Kisser?

How to Smooch Safely with Food Allergies This Valentine's Day

DOYLESTOWN, Pa., Feb. 11 (AScribe Newswire) --

For most parents ofteens, Valentine's Day may evoke over-protective thoughts regarding their child. "I've got two daughters and I think they should never kiss anyone!"exclaimed Roger Friedman, MD, Clinical Professor of Allergy, Immunology, andPediatrics at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

All joking aside, parents of food-allergic children have even more cause to be wary of smooching. Today, 3 to 4 million children are affected by food allergies, and allergic reactions can be triggered not just byconsuming food firsthand. Kissing - ranging from passionate to a peck on the cheek - can also prompt a reaction.

"You're pretty unlikely to have anything severe happen from a kiss. But it can happen and you need to be smart," Dr. Friedman advised.
A common form of affection on Valentine's Day, kissing becomes a problem when a grandparent or date consumes an allergen before smooching afood-allergic child or teen.

"A peck on the cheek from a parent or relative will almost always only result in a local reaction such as a welt or hive; it's very unlikely to cause any severe reaction that you'd be worried about," Dr. Friedman explained.

Short of suggesting kissing be prohibited this Valentine's Day, Dr.Friedman recommends teenagers, especially, play it safe. "If you're in a committed relationship that involves passionate kissing, tell your date 'I'm allergic to nuts, please don't eat any before you kiss my face!'" he suggested.

Todd D. Green, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, agreed.

"If a date cares enough about their Valentine to kiss her or him, hopefully they'll care enough to refrain from eating the food theirValentine is allergic to that day," he said.

Kissing (and even sharing utensils, straws and cups) causes exposure to food allergens through saliva, which can contain enough allergen to cause local and systemic allergic reactions. In a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, participants ingested two tablespoons of peanut butter to establish how long the peanut allergen stays in saliva. Researchers collected the saliva of the participants at different times, and also evaluated mouth-cleansing techniques (brushing teeth, rinsing and chewing gum).

According to the study, "the most effective way to avoid causing an allergic reaction, if you're going to eat the food to which your partner is allergic, is to eat the food several hours before a kiss and have a mealf ree of the allergen before you kiss - although not eating the food at all would always be the safest approach," said Dr. Green. Though the risk of having a severe allergic reaction from a kiss is small, there is always a slight possibility, said Dr. Green. "Unfortunately you can't predict the amount of protein that will be transferred during kissing, and it is difficult to predict the reaction," he said. That said, it is better to err on the safe side.

Online support group Kids With Food Allergies offers these tips for safe smooching on Valentine's Day:
- Remind your kissing partner about your allergies;
- Suggest your partner avoid eating serious allergens, if possible;
- Ask your partner to minimize allergen exposure, such as by washinghands and face, or brushing teeth thoroughly, before kissing;
- Carry appropriate medication and know how to use an injectableepinephrine kit;
- Wear emergency medical identification (such as a MedicAlertbracelet).

For more tips on staying safe this Valentine's Day, visit http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org .

Our little Flynn's milk allergy is very much like a peanut allergy in that she's so sensitive to contact (& she even has had an airborn reaction a time or two).
Even to a kiss from Papa on the cheek, after he's drank coffee w/ cream in it. Or once when daddy ate ice cream & only 'rinsed' his hands (didn't use soap) -- everywhere daddy touched Flynn, there were burn-like marks.
If you ever want to show our girl affection, first we suggest you just give her a hug; but if you feel compelled to kiss her on the cheek, please wash your hands & face after eating the unsafe food.
Her little cheeks appreciate it!

Jungle Jeff

What to do when it's less than 20 degrees outside & your days of playing at the park are but a blur in the snow?

Why, turn your daddy into a slide, a jungle gym, & a playground, that's what you do.

Lips Glossed, Fingers Crossed UPDATE

As luck would have it, the highways & roads out here are completely covered by about 1/2 an inch of ice. And it's still coming down, to be followed by snow.

So, Flynn missed her audition, but Hark! we rescheduled! For 11 am tomorrow.

Even tho I completely presented her with the information that she would be doing a "job" today, talking with people, answering questions, & "they might take a couple of pictures", she somehow devised the truth & asked me this afternoon,
"When are we going in for my modeling?"

Hopefully the snow plows do their thing tomorrow morning & we're able to get this girl to her gig.

9th Day of Valentine

You're even good with a bow & arrow.

Thank God I only did 12...I'm starting to wish I'd just done 3. Oy.

Alright honey, I'm worn out here, but I'll try not to let it show in my writing, because, you're worth every keystroke I type.

And I thank you for

Your Skillz

That goes for everything, from what I wouldn't want our mothers to read to the fact that your soccer talents paid your way to a teaching degree.

No matter what we do, I never have a doubt that you'll not only do it well, but will be the best one at it.

• Last night, you made soup. Not just did it sustain our growling tums, but it was downright tasty y'all.



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• At the park, you do upside down flips on the monkey bars.



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• In the snow, you know just how to handle the slick spots.



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• You can open a jar of pickles like nobody's biz.



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• You colored my hair, thus saving us $50 & it looked fab.



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• You deliver a lesson at church & keep the kids coraled & informed & entertained.



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• You're getting pretty darn good at the cha-cha-slide, almost as good as me.



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• You've mastered all the wii games at Nana's.



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• You can hook up any electronic gadget & do so, for our 'bigs'.



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• I've previously discussed your Mr Mom mastery.



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• You shovel the drive with speed & finesse.



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• You put together marble works waaaay better than momma.



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• You are the 'go-to' guy for any iTunes questions.



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• You are pretty good at helping a prego momma put her socks on.



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• You're tops at changing poopy diapers.



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• You know how to warm my heart (& my feet).

I love you sweetie pie & am happy that you're darn-right great at everything.

xoxo

Fingers Crossed, Lips Glossed

A few months ago, I asked you for your opinions regarding which photo we should to update
Flynn's modeling profile sheet.

I never did it.

Miraculously, she got a call for a casting call, tomorrow.

Of course, her lips could NOT BE more chapped. She has one of those extra rings below her bottom lip.
So, tonight, as part of her bedtime routine, I explained what we'd be doing tomorrow afternoon. And I lubed her lips up with spa blistex. I gave her that talk about not smiling so much that her eyes completely close, as she has a tendency to do.

I'll make sure they don't see these photos:

8th Day of Valentine

"Funny Hats" August, 2001, Staff Meeting

HUMOR

I've already spoken of your outgoingness. And the line between the two of them is pretty fuzzy. It's hard to have one & not the other.



Did you know that I often didn't like to watch comedians? It took a LOT to make me laugh. Sit coms were boring. And the loud ones at parties, who usually got the chuckles? I thought they were just plain corny. I thought I was funny & maybe my sister, but not very many people tickled my funny bone.



Within are first few times of 'hanging out', you had made me laugh more than anyone I knew. Sometimes it was laughing at you, sometimes with you, & sometimes from you.



I probably haven't given you enough credit in this department, as I don't want to let down my humor guard... but let's just say, if humor is good medicine, I'd have a lot more health problems if you weren't around.
Sometimes, when you're at work, I'll laugh, thinking of something funny you did or said.



And I'll never get this out of my head: (what is now famously referred to as THE PAPER BLOCK)



It was August of 2001, we had been really good friends for several months, spending most of our time together. You were making your feelings more & more clear to me, but I was practicing restraint & being reserved about things.

You had shared with a girl we taught with, how you're never able to get close to me...that it seemed I always sat on the other side of the room, or positioned myself so that you left me alone.



In my apartment, I had -well - apartment furniture. Pier 1 would've been proud of the set up, as I used a single papasan chair in the corner & a double in lieu of a couch.

You told Jaime, "She always goes to that single chair first...I never even have a chance to sit beside her..."
She gave you the advice of, "next time you're with her, YOU go to that single chair first. She'll have no choice but to sit in the double. Then, in time, get up & sit in the double WITH her."



So, the night that could've been the turning point for us, I cooked us a would-be romantic dinner of chicken parmasean. You had your plan in place & headed straight for the single papasan. Just as if it were going smoothly, I headed to the double papasan. As I approached it, you were in such a hurry to beat me to the single, that you landed with too much velocity.

I still replay it in my mind... you hit the chair & tried to land as if all was well. But the law of motion didn't think so. Your arms windmilled as you s l o w l y went backwards...further...and further....and it seemed like five minutes had passed before you grasped the intersection of wall behind you like Spiderman. And then somehow tried to figure out how to pull yourself out of the situation.



We both had a good laugh. I didn't laugh as much as I felt like laughing, afterall, I knew you had a reputation to protect some pride.



But you still thought your plan would work. I could tell you were watching my every move. You had your next move calculated.

I did go to the double papasan, but your plan was FOILED when I spread out all my insurance paperwork around me which I had to turn it in the next day.



You shared this all with me a few weeks later, when we were "more than friends."



This funny scenario is one of the many. We're probably not as funny to other people as we are to each other. It's like our own language. We know where the line is with each other (I think it's the same line) & one of us whinces when the other tries a joke out on someone else & it goes awry. (which makes it that much funnier to the other person)



We've been through some situations in our life together that weren't fun. We still go through them. But I'm so thankful that I have someone to love & laugh with.



Thank you honey, for the gift of humor.

That's what she said.

Twinkle, Twinkle

Gabe is the youngest, he doesn't say much. For the most part, he tries to keep to himself (if you let him). Because of this, I think he sometimes slips through the cracks of my blog. Sorry Gabe. You are making your mark on me just as much as everyone else.

I'll prove it.

You love hats. If I put a hat on you when you wake up, you'd have it on at bedtime. And you can appreciate a good hat too.

That's going to help with the ladies, further on down the road.

You have dimples that could melt a polar ice cap.

That's going to help with the ladies too.

You are cute. And you're not going to need help with the ladies.

You look just like your daddy. And if you look like him now, chances are you'll like him later. Which is a definite bonus for you, because your daddy is quite the looker.

You don't say much, but you mean what you say. Today, your shirt had a stitched dump truck on it, and until you were certain we really, really saw it, you continued to point at it & say as clear as day, "TRUCK! TRUCK!"

Your favorite lovey is a stuffed friend, Pablo.

This friend is a bean filled satiny blue guy. You got him for Easter last year. I wonder if the Easter Bunny knew how much you'd love him. You sleep with him every nap & every night. And on occasion, you're found toting him around the house (which I'm not as thrilled with, as I don't like 'the hunt' at bed time).

Today, I was prepping you for nap. I laid down beside you & started singing your favorite songs. My hands went up with "Twinkle, Twinkle" & you joined in the singing.

Except instead of raising your hands for the stars, you lifted up Pablo's & showed him how to do it.

7th Day of Valentine

On the 7th Day of Valentine, My true love gave to me,



The gift of being


MR MOM.



I can't imagine that too many moms, especially of a toddler & a preschooler, are completely, 100%, fine with leaving their kids with daddy.



But I am.



I do believe that God's given us Mommas a little something extra special, even after our lactating days are over, that is the one thing no one else has.

It's probably the same as my ability to look like the Pied Piper leading around the mice (picture this, while I'm on an important phone call, going from room to room in the house, all in an attempt to escape noise).

It's the same as when I go into the bedroom to fold & put away laundry. And even tho there is ASBOLUTELY NOTHING of interest in our room, at least not to the 4 & under crowd, they want to be in there.

BECAUSE I AM.

And usually that's endearing, but sometimes also annoying, as Gabe tends to mess up laundry piles.



And Jeff, even though you don't have that unspecified God-given gift, that instinct that is a cure-all in every situation (like I'm some kind of proverbial band aid for every proverbial boo boo), you do have a talent of caring for the kids, that almost matches mine.



When I have a night at the office, or an evening meeting, or a girls' night out, and I come home to find both kids, not only have survived the evening, but have so much fun they want to talk about it the next morning, it's reassuring.

You not only do the minimum to care for them, you work hard to make it a peaceful return home. When I walk through the door to silence & sleeping kids, and a clean livingroom floor, it doesn't make me feel guilty that I had to leave. It makes me happy that if I ever walked out the door & couldn't return (sad thought!), the kids would be well cared for by their daddy.

You remember Flynn's medicine. You change Gabe's diaper as often as it should be. You don't take chances with Flynn & there's never been an episode while she's with you.
It's harmonious when you're here with them, and I never call home to check up & hear distress in the background or a plea from you for me to hurry up & hurry back.

It makes me want to return the favor.

And take a trip to Mexico.

I love you honey. xoxo.