An Open Mother’s Day Letter To My Wife

To the love of my life and the mother of my children,

 

Eleven years ago, we celebrated our very first Mother’s Day.  It seems like so long ago.  Back then, we could pick our little guy up and snuggle with him while he napped.

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Nine years ago, on Mother’s Day, we were ready to welcome a second little one into our family.  A mere day later, JSL arrived.

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I knew you’re be a great mother before NHL was born and I was right.  As the years passed, our kids changed. Despite all of our protests,  they continued to grow older.  You, on the other hand, stayed an amazing mother through it all.  If anything, you improved as life threw us challenge after challenge.  When we’re in school meetings fighting for supports for our son, you’re the one speaking up and standing ground.  When you think there’s even the hint of something unsafe in the boys’ world, you’re ready to yell and scream until it is taken care of.  You manage the household, make sure the kids take their medicine when they need to, and ensure they always get to where they need to be.

For all of this, I would like to say that you are always thanked profusely, but you know this would be a lie.  All too often, you are taken for granted.  Your work to keep everything running smoothly goes unnoticed or, worse, is outright protested.  (Something that will likely just get worse as our boys enter the teenage years.)  I’ve also let my appreciation of you go unsaid far too often.  You know how hard it can be for me to put spoken words to my feelings sometimes and I know it can frustrate you.  It frustrates me also.  I hope you know that I love you with all of your heart.  You’re an amazing wife, friend, and mother.  I don’t know how I’d even come close to running this house without your help and I hope I never need to find out.

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I love you, B, my beautiful angel.  Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day To My Beautiful Angel

Dear B,

Thank you for being such a wonderful wife to me and mother to our boys.  Whether you are fighting to make sure our sons’ education needs are met, cheering our boys on as they accomplish new milestones, or getting between NHL and I when our "Aspie Natures" collide, you’re always hard at work to help us be the best we can possibly be.  Without you, this family would fall to pieces.  (I still don’t know how you remember every single name of every medicine the boys have ever taken without writing it down.)  Even if the hectic nature of day-to-day life makes us forget to say it, you are loved and valued.  When you go away to conferences or events, we miss you terribly.  Every day when I got to work, I look forward to coming home to see you.  (Work is nice, but not as fun as you are. ;-)  )

I love you B.  Happy Mother’s Day!

The Mother’s Day/Birthday Double-Post

Yesterday was Mother’s Day.  As such, we attempted to give B a day free from bickering, complaining, and the other pleasantries that come from raising two boys.  B would have to weigh in, but I think we were mostly successful.

The boys snuck into our room at about 6:20am to wake B up and wish her a happy Mother’s Day.  Had I been awake at the time, I would have headed them off and let B sleep in.  Instead, we gave B her mother’s day present, I made everyone breakfast (including breakfast in bed for B), and then kept them as quiet as I could while B got back to sleep.  (NOTE: Next time I let B go back to sleep, I’m confiscating her smartphone so she can’t check Twitter/e-mail/etc when she should be sleeping.)

Eventually, I got the boys dressed and took them to the park and then the grocery store so B could get some true quiet time.  After picking B up, we all went out to eat an ice cream lunch (mine was blueberry flavor which makes it healthy, right?).  We did some shopping and stopped by Mimi’s house to visit and drop off her Mother’s Day present.  Then, we quickly picked up some dinner and had a nice cookie cake for dessert.

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Fast forward to today.  Today is a different kind of celebration.  While yesterday was a celebration of B being a mother, today is a celebration of the event that made B a mother for a second time.  Yes, today is JSL’s birthday.

It’s hard to believe that JSL is five already.  It seems like just yesterday that we were welcoming him into our family.  It’s been amazing seeing him grow and learn about the world around him.  He is creative (often performing shows with songs that he makes up on the spot), loving (he adores his big brother and loves cuddling), and surprisingly bright (just when we forget how old he is and think of him as a baby, he shows us just how much he understands).  Oh and he’s quite the little geek-in-training with a special love for Transformers and superheroes.

It’s a weird mixture of pride and sadness to see your little baby grow up.  On one hand, I love the kid he is becoming.  On the other and, I want him to be my baby for as long as possible. (He’ll be my baby for his entire life, but he likely will resent me calling him that when he’s 18.)

Happy birthday to JSL.  Mommy, Daddy, and NHL love you very much and are so proud of you.

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