A perspective of daddy and marriage...

From my kitchen, I watched both my children sitting nestled on either side of my husband. They rested in that space that lies under his arms, right against his burly body. Their bodies were tucked under our colorful afghan, with a few toes dangling out the bottom. I would peak over the sink occasionally, to see the smiles on their faces, as they discussed the details of my son's upcoming birthday party. He listened intently, while lowering the football game that was playing on his TV. Periodically, my son would jump out from under the covers and demonstrate how he will jump at his bounce house party. My husband caught the brunt of a wild arm or leg during the process. Then, my daughter would jump on the opposite end, to show off her acrobatic ninja skills.

Eventually, our couch turned into a gymnastics center and my husband was forced to a small section, which he voluntarily scooted himself to the edge, without complaint.

After almost 15 years with this man, I still smile to myself with how lucky I am for his loyalty to us and passive nature. How, he can sit on the smallest part of the couch and listen to nothing but chaos around him, without losing his patience once. How, he is ever so present in our lives, the best he can, with how much he works. How patient he is with the kids, when the days get to be too much for me. How, he'll sit in our daughter's room a half hour longer than I'm sometimes willing to. Or, that he'll walk both children back to their beds at any time of the night, repeatedly, if need be.

That's the thing about my husband. He's incredibly easy going and I sometimes wish I was THAT easy going.

Over the decade and half with my husband, there has been so many changes. From being selfish in our endeavors and traveling at the drop of a dime. To buying a dog, getting married, and buying a home. To surviving our first months as new parents. To figuring out how to co-parent, when I've completely changed so much as a person.

See, that's the thing about marriage, especially when you're together for a long time, you have to learn to move forward with all the changes that occur. And even when the times are tough and you don't think you'll ever make it out alive, somehow, you do. And in the process, you realize you now love each other for completely different reasons, than you did when you first fell in love.

Your love is a deeper connection. Not superficial. It's simple and easy. Not complex, fueled by emotions. And it's mainly about understanding...

He has loved me when we were the exact same person who loved the same things. He loved me when I became a new parent and couldn't figure out who I was anymore. And he loves me now, when I am no where near the same person that I was 15 years ago.

However, he may not have been my #1 cheerleader through those years, but, he never doubted us and our strength.

So now, as our children spend the highest percentage of their days with each other, it's now just my husband and I, on the couch, catching up on silly TV shows. It's us again, laughing about something stupid, or me being weird, or he and I doing our telekinetic language that we have always had -the ability to know what the other will say or do, or know what the other is looking at or sees in our surrounds... All without a single word ever being spoken.

Because this life isn't only about my motherhood journey. It's also about my role as his wife and the balance between them both. It's about knowing each other, and finishing where the other person left off, and together, being one awesome parent. 

It's about my children seeing a functional, cohesive dynamic system. 

And to see my husband, finally saunter so effortlessly into his role as daddy.

And, I'm glad that I'm traveling through this chapter of our lives, with the same man who I've experienced all the previous chapters with.

And continuously moving forward to many more new beginnings with our family of four...