My Valentine

Becoming a parent has definitely made romance a little more difficult and complicated. After 10 years of marriage and 2 kids, my love for Adam has a way of surfacing at uncommon and unexpected times. While I used to love him for the way he looked driving his little blue sports car, now I love him for the way he looks in his plaid flannel pajamas after being up late doing laundry and cleaning the kitchen so I can rest. Where I used to love him for taking me to expensive restaurants, now I love him for making me his famous scrambled egg sandwiches. Where I usedd to admire his latest intellectual recital from his vast store of knowledge, now I admire him most when he's crawling on all fours and acting like a goon to get the boys to laugh and wrestle with him. There's something downright heart-melting about the way he attentively listens to our pre-schooler tell knock-knock jokes wihout punch lines, helps our 1st grader with math, or reads bedtimes stories to the boys. Where I used to admire his courage to travel and do adventurous things, now I admire his courage to stay home, get up, go to work and come back to a sticky kitchen chair, a cluttered bedroom, and last-minute grill cheese sandwich dinners. I love him for the way his spends his free time fixing broken toys, holes in the plasterboard, leaking faucets, washing machines, refrigerators, light bulbs, remote controls, and runny noses. I love him for building car ramps, forts, and my kids childhood memories.
True parental romance is a lot of work and effort, but it's so much deeper than the Hollywood illusions. And THAT is worth celebrating, not only today, but every day. I love you Adam...thank you for being my Valentine. And thank you for making all my dreams come true! I know our love will only grow deeper and richer and live on inside our children and grandchildren forever! LOVE YOU!!