Half My Life

Tomorrow, September 28th, is my 14th wedding anniversary. The end of September also marks the time when my husband and I started dating four years prior to us getting married. We have been together for 18 years. We are both 36 years old.

36 seems so young. Some people are just finding their spouses at this age. Some have just gotten married. Me? I have spent half of my life with my spouse already. At the young age of 36. We used to joke when we were younger about how when we were 36 (gasp! 36 was so old back in our early 20's) we would have been together half of our lives and how from that point on we will have been together longer than we have been apart.

That joke has become a badge of pride. Bob and I have defeated the odds. Not only did we start dating when we were just children really, but we had our first child young (I was two days shy of my 21st birthday). We married young (at 22). The stress of growing up together should have broken us apart statistically. The bigger stress of having a child out of wedlock, young, without any life experience, and no idea what we were doing should have broken us too.

But it didn't. Because we have always been stronger than the odds.

We are two peas in a pod. I would prefer to spend my time with no one else but him. He is truly my best friend in the whole wide world. He knows me inside and out. He has seen me at my absolute best and my utter worst.

There have been times when we both have wanted to walk away - for him it was in the beginning of our journey into parenthood. For me it was several years later. But we choose to stick it out because life together may have been hard, but life apart would have been harder.

I have had some of the best times of my life with Bob. We have laughed and enjoyed each others company. We have created some amazing memories.

I have also shared some of my darkest times with him too. There is no one I would rather go through the darkness with than him.

We are opposites in every way possible. Sometimes that drives us crazy, but most times it is what draws us in towards one another.

He is patient, kind, and loves me through and through. He can also be a colossal jerk. (Although I am not sure he would ever admit that.) I am creative and zany and think outside the box. I love him in all the ways I know how. I can also be a colossal b%^ch. (I can admit that.)

From shortly after day 1, I knew that he was going to be my life partner. I am lucky that I did not have to go through years and years of relationship angst trying to find "the one". He was placed right in front of me at a very young age. Luckily, we were both able to see that we have something valuable, something sacred, something worth fighting for, no matter what the cost.

We have built and invested in our family - in our children - and in the bonds that the 6 of us have. We have chosen our family first & foremost no matter what the cost because we both feel very strongly that our children, our relationship with one another, and the family unity that the 6 of us have is head and shoulders more important than anything else this world has to offer.

Bob is the ultimate family man. He is the kinda guy that I wish more men aspired to be like. He is quietly loving, supportive, hard working. He values his time not only with our children, but with me. His idea of a good time is to hang out with the 5 of us and create memories. He is an equal partner in the life that we have created. He is a willing participant. I could not not imagine being married to someone who was not equally as involved as I am in my children and the life I am building with them and for them.

He would do anything for me. He would do even more for our children. Every day the best gift he gives me over and over again is his willing participation in his role as a dad. My girls have a good measuring stick as to what a good man, husband, and father looks like. They have something to help guide them in choosing their spouses (should they decide to get married). My boys are growing up to know what it means to be a gentleman. To be an involved father. To be a loving husband. They have something in which to strive for as they become men. These examples of what a good husband should look like and be like are gems because they are sorely lacking in more households than we want to admit as a nation.

As our children grow and eventually move on to lives of their own outside of our home I look forward to the life that we have just him and me. We have plans to spend a year living on a boat. A year in an RV traveling the nation. And then settling down into a tiny house (think 400 square feet or less) in a gorgeous location living out the rest of our lives there. Even though most of our time together has been focusing on our family I am glad that we also have dreams for just the two of us so that when the kiddos are gone we will still have a connection together worth fighting for.

God picked the perfect match for me and placed in him in a hallway 18 years ago in our college dorm for me to see as I opened my door as I went down to the laundry to change a load of laundry. I am lucky that my eyes were willing to see the life long gift in front of me. My heart is full of gratitude that I have been given so much in the man I call my husband.

Happy 14th Anniversary to my partner in crime. Thank you for being a wonderful provider, leader, father, husband, and friend. You are my best friend in this whole wide world. You are my adventurous partner in crime. Thank you daring to live a life outside of the box with me. I wouldn't walk this path with anyone else, but you by my side (even when you are driving me crazy). Here's to many more decades of life together. Salute!  Peaches.

Practicing Gratitude

grat·i·tude

ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od/

noun

1. the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

 I was having one of those days a couple of days ago where I thought nothing was going right. It wasn't a terrible day, but it wasn't a good day either. Ever have those? I decided to take a walk to try and clear my head, but this only lead me to more despairing thoughts about how this wasn't going right or that wasn't going right. Finally, in an effort to just change my line of thinking I turned on an old sermon that my church pastor had given the congregation back in 2014. It was actually a series of sermons that were all about gratitude and giving back to those in need. 

As I let the words of the particular sermon in the series that I chose sink into my being I realized just how little I practice the act of gratitude. I have so much to be thankful for and yet I let myself fall into the trap of being jealous of all of the things the "rich" mom at the co-op has or I find myself yearning to be as put together as the mom who always looks great and is super skinny. Or perhaps I see a family of 5, 6, 7, or more kids and wish that I, too, had had the courage to have that many children during my child bearing years. 

Yes, there are days when I am thankful for the sky above and the mountains from every view point at my home. I am thankful for the ability to be a stay at home mom. I am thankful for my husband's job. But all too often I practice ingratitude. I want a nicer interior of my home or fancier furniture. I want to be able to get my hair done every 6 weeks and my nails too. I want to have a fabulous wardrobe and want my kids to do so as well. I want to have the house perfect all of the time and the kids on their best behavior all of the time. I want, I want, I want. 

When I am complaining about all that I want I have no opportunity to be truly thankful for all that I already have. In the sermon, the pastor the spoke about how kids have it right when they practice gratitude because they are grateful for the big and the small things in life. Often, I am only thankful for the big things I receive and only some of the time. As the sermon wound down I began mentally list all of the things that I am thankful for. That list was quite extensive by the time I finished my walk and I ended being in a much better mood when I was done. 

If I could just remember to practice gratitude every day it would help lift my mood exponentially. It would also keep my mood in a joyful tone because who isn't joyful after they have taken stock of all there is to be thankful for in life. I am trying to remember, too, that gratitude is a choice. I have to want to be thankful. Gratitude isn't something we are born with. Rather it is a practice that must be instilled consciously into our psyche. Living with gratitude makes life so much easier. It makes the hard parts of life that we all experience so much easier to carry. 

 I used to confuse gratitude with optimism. I now know the difference.  An optimist is hopeful and confident about the future. Someone who practices gratitude is thankful for what they have now.  There is a big difference between those two. An important difference. 

(Photo courtesy of: kerririchardson.com)

I have made a pact with myself that I am going to begin my day with a mental list of prayer to God thanking him for each thing I can think of to be thankful for. I cannot imagine a better way to begin my day. 

A Good Day

Andy is on a bus right now headed up to a town called Los Alamos to play in a soccer game. Unlike a lot of other states, here in New Mexico it is not unheard of to drive 3+ hours to get to a high school sporting event. I was shocked by this fact. In Ohio, it was unheard of for us to drive any more than an hour (and that was once a season) to get some place for high school athletics. Because of this, Andy got on a school bus at 10:30 am this morning and is expected back in town around midnight tonight. I miss him today, but I am excited for him to be able to ride on a bus with his team. When you choose to become a homeschooling family things like bus rides and school dances are usually  some of things that your kids give up in order to stay home home and learn. I always love when my boys (and someday my girls) have an opportunity to experience some of the "normal" rights of passage into adulthood like riding on a school bus for an athletic event.

The other three kids at home with me today have already completed all of their school work for the day. Which makes me realize just how much of my time Andy consumes with his school work. He needs constant redirection and reminders to focus. It is unheard of for me to be finished with schooling by lunchtime. I am lucky if I can get everyone done by late afternoon when all four kids are home. All of this just means that today is going to be a good day.

None of the kids have any activities to be at this evening. Bob is coming home earlier than normal (only because he went in earlier than normal) which means that I can have some help getting everyone into bed. The sun was out this morning, but there are a tremendous amount of clouds rolling in and the afternoon is supposed to be stormy. The temperature is such that I have turned off the air conditioning and have all of the doors and windows opened. Feeling the breeze roll into the house is one of my favorite things in this world. Especially after a hot summer.

Photo courtesy of: wallbo.com

I appreciate all of the simply things about today. They are all going to make today a good day. In fact, it already is a good day.

I don't know an awful lot about many things, but I do know an awful lot about sorrow and utter helplessness. Because of this I also know an awful lot about the joys of simple pleasures. I now experience joy in areas of my life where I never would have appreciated it before.  It is a give and take. One cannot be felt without the other. And although my grief is deep and fierce, so is my joy. It is why I can seem to make the biggest deal about the smallest things on my blog. Sunny days, beautiful trails, awesome soccer games, getting through school work before lunch. All of these things mean more to me and are felt more deeply because I know the pendulum of deep emotion and how there is no controlling the swing. When life is good I want to experience its goodness to its fullest.

So, today is going to be a good day. I have much to be thankful for. There is much beauty and joy in my life and even when I hurt so deeply it brings me to my knees I also know that the pendulum is going to bring me right back up again. The joys on the other side of that swing are so worth the darkness.

Life truly is good in Las Cruces.

When The Picture Fades

Rage has taken up residence in my heart today. I am angrier than angry. I wanted nothing more to walk up to the top of A Mountain this morning when I woke up and scream at God at the top of my lungs. I wanted to yell at him for all of the injustices that my daughter has suffered on his watch. I wanted to tell him that he was an a-hole.

The ache in my chest is not subsiding. It has been with me every second of last night and stayed with me throughout the night. It tapped me on the shoulder this morning when I opened my eyes to remind me of its presence. To those of you who have no idea what this ache feels like - I pray you never have feel its hurt. To those of you who are intimate with this ache - please pray for me as you alone know how difficult and lonely the ache makes you feel. Even in a crowded room filled with loved ones you feel alone. The hurting throbs in your heart. It almost chokes you. At some points today I have felt like that ache was going to bring me to my knees. At others I have felt like giving the finger to the sky. The utter sorrow and rage alternate taking center stage in my heart. I do not know how long they will maintain a residence there. I hope I can kick them out before they get too comfortable. I want to move beyond the pain and hurt. I want to move beyond the sadness, but as I am reminded so acutely these last two days, I am not dealing with an issue that will go away. I am dealing with an issue, that until there is a cure, will be a life long struggle. I cannot push any of this away. It is in my life for better or for worse. I pray that it is the former that I will deal with.

I forget that Sarah is not blind because she has some eye condition alone. Sarah is blind because she has a disease that resides in her body and has the potential to unleash an unrelenting storm of crippling damage. It hides and crouches waiting for opportune times to strike. It lets us get comfortable and feel that we have a handle on things and then it slowly slithers throughout her body eating away at her brain and currently, her optic nerves. It causes extreme exhaustion in her little body. And makes every day tasks seem like running a marathon.

And she handles this with grace. She will be experiencing a symptom in her little body and will wait sometimes days - sometimes weeks to tell me about it. She is hoping that the symptoms will go away on their own. She doesn't want to bother or upset me. And even though I try to hide the emotion from her she is too smart. She knows. She is wise beyond her years. This disease has forced her to be so.  Only when she is certain that the symptoms are not going away does she let me know what is going on. She doesn't dare tell her daddy what is happening within her body - she let's me do that. I think she is trying to save him the heartbreak because she knows of their bond and the connection they share. She doesn't want to hurt him. She would rather I tell him the news.

I should not have been surprised yesterday when she told me that she could no longer remember what she looked like. After all, how much can you remember from when you were 10? I can remember bits and pieces of my life, but not a whole lot. Now imagine what it would be like to be 8 and have two years of your life be a Swiss cheese of blurry and more blurry memories. Some of the holes in those two years are bigger than others. Some of the gaps in time do not allow any visual memories at all.

I have been thinking a lot between last night and this morning. I wonder when the last time was that the was able to see herself in the mirror? Did she know then that it would be the last time she would ever see her face? How can I accurately describe her beauty? How can I put into words her beautiful blue eyes? Her long wavy brown hair? Her bony chin? Her lean and tall body that is slowly becoming that of a young woman's? How can I describe a beauty that is indescribable? What is the last memory she has of her sister? And how about her brothers? Or her Nana & Papa? Her grandparents? She will not see what her youngest cousin looks like. What will she remember of me?

As she grows I wonder how much memory she will be left with. Will she remember all of the trips we took a little over a year ago in order to allow her mind to capture as much of this beautiful country as it possibly could? Or will she only remember her experiences through the eyes of a blind person?

With every little piece of the picture that fades in her memory a part of her old life dies. I feel certain that a part of me dies too.

It Breaks My Heart Still

I took Sarah grocery shopping with me today. I knew she needed to get out of the house and I didn't want to shop alone. I figured she was a safe bet to take with me since she cannot see what items are on the shelf and therefore cannot ask for some random food item that is not on my list.

Because her body wears out on her pretty quickly she will sometimes ride in the cart when I take her places with me. Today was no exception. As I was crossing off items on my list and placing them into the cart Sarah said to me out of the blue, "Mama, I can no longer remember what I look like."

This statement damn near brought me to my knees in the store. The quickest things I could think of to say in response and still maintain my composure was to ask her if she could use her hands to help her see her face and to remember what she looks like. She told me that she has tried and that it doesn't work.

When you experience heartbreak - your heart literally hurts. I felt this pain a lot when Sarah was first sick and was in and out of the hospital all of the time. I literally had to put my hand over my heart to stop the ache from getting worse. I haven't felt that pain in a long time, but I cannot get rid of it tonight. That ache is indescribable, and I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.

Maybe you don't ever get over heartbreak like this. Maybe you just learn to live with the wound and from time to time feel it fester.

After I put her to bed tonight, Sarah told me that the shadows the she relies on to get around the house are disappearing. That the black dots are taking over everywhere and that she knows that one day all will be completely black in her world. She anticipates it to be sooner rather than later and she says that the blackness is creeping up on her slowly now unlike before where it would come on suddenly and quickly. She knows that we have tried everything to save her eyesight. Nothing has worked.

Yesterday, she came inside after being outside for a while and could not remember which room she entered. She ran into Josh, who was sitting in a chair, and panicked and then ran into a cupboard door in the school room. She started turning around in circles because she could not figure out where she was. Then she started to cry. I pulled her into my lap and let her cry it out. I knew she was scared and I knew then that the shadows she relies on so much were fading.

I cannot tell you or even verbalize in any way how much this all breaks my heart. The hurt is different than it was in the beginning, but it hurts none-the-less. I still have to hold my hand over my chest to make it stop.

I was angry with God tonight. Angry because life is not fair. Angry because Sarah does not deserve this. Angry because it doesn't make sense - there is no rhyme or reason for her illness. Just luck of the draw or perhaps some other ridiculous reason.

After I was done being angry I remembered to be thankful.  Thankful that she can still walk. Thankful that she can still use the restroom on her own. Thankful that she still has her cognitive abilities. Thankful that she is not on a respirator. Thankful that she is alive. This disease could take any or all of these things away from her. It may do so yet, but for now all it has taken it her eyesight.

And all the while I am thankful I still feel a throbbing ache in my chest. Because, even after all that we have been through as a family with the disease that lives in Sarah's body and even though I should be used to all of this, it breaks my heart still.

Fall Tidings

Even in the desert the feeling of the fall season is beginning to make its way into our lives. Mornings and evenings are noticeably cooler and the late afternoon heat is becoming more bearable than it was even just a few weeks ago.

Fall has always been my favorite season. And even though the leaves are not changing here on the few deciduous trees we do have I can still feel the spirit of fall's soft whispers of all that is yet to come. I look forward to being able to climb A Mountain on a regular basis again - it has been too hot to do so this summer. I yearn to hike on trails yet unseen and to feel the splendor and beauty of all that is provided in God's bounty called nature.

I know that our time here is limited. I can feel it in my gut and I know all too well that the truth our internal compass provides is not to be ignored. I want to make the rest of our time here - whether that be 6 months or a year and a half - the best it can be. I have fallen in love with the beauty and serenity that I have found here in the desert and I want to capture as much of it as I can in my heart as possible.

The Land of Enchantment has changed me in so many ways. I have experienced more personal growth here in one year than I ever thought was possible. I have been touched deeply by the hand of God here. It has left me forever in different in the best ways imaginable.

My heart is full and content. I have home full of wonderful children. I have husband who is faithful and steadfast and who loves me deeply and madly. I have an extended family that I could call on in a moments notice who would help out in any way possible. I have old friends who have become like family and I am making new ones who will someday share deep bonds of love too.

There is so much to be grateful for. Even in the hardest darkest points in my life God has blessed me tremendously. God is good and so is life in Las Cruces.

Here are some of the places we have been recently...

At the Hatch Chili Festival

Soledad Canyon  - I'll never get sick of posting pictures of this place. 

Sweating my butt off on a hike!

Beautiful Soledad Canyon...

Eek!!! Our first snake encounter. I screamed when I saw this snake in the pathway to get back to the car. Lily stepped over the darn thing twice without getting bit - thank God!

I forgot to post this the other day. This Josh showing Sarah what the Cavern was going to be like. He did this all on his own and was just letting Sarah feel the places that we were going to be hiking into. It was a really sweet few moments to watch him help her. 

Trees!!!!! How I miss them. We were back in Cloudcroft last week. This is another place I will never tire of posting pictures of. 

The quaint town of Cloudcroft. It was like Ohio weather the day we went - a bit chilly, cloudy, and gray. 

The landscape here just touches my soul. It it so pure and wild here. 

Another White Sands visit as well...

I love these puppies so much. They are such a part of our family. Lily & Sammy enjoyed the sunset as much as we did. 

Carlsbad Caverns

In the middle of what seems like no where sits Carlsbad Caverns. It is a place that, when we learned we were moving to NM, we wanted to come to before we were moved on again to the next location. We accomplished this goal this past week. Bob's parents came into town and stayed with us for a smidgen over a week and while they were here we ventured to several places one of them being this natural wonder. 

The pictures below do not do the place justice. The beauty and marvel of this natural landscape is beyond words. Being there reaffirmed my belief in showing my children as many parts of this beautiful country that I can despite the drawbacks of being away from family and friends.

The kids did well on the 45 minute journey to the lower part of the cave. Sarah walked with me most of the way and she did a great job. It gets very dark in some spots of the cave where lighting is limited and I imagined that it must have been a bit unnerving for her. We were asked not to touch anything, but I couldn't help "showing" Sarah what I was describing to her by allowing her to briefly feel the stalagmites in some places. I would hope that those running the park would understand that what the rest of our party could view with our eyes Sarah could only view with her hands. 

Josh came up to me at one point and mentioned that if his Nana was with us she would be cursing up a storm because of rough terrain in some spots. I mostly thought of my Dad while I was down in the caverns. I thought about how much he would love seeing this wonder of the world and how he would walk very slowly with his hands clasped behind his back meandering to each of the plaques displayed carefully reading each one.  I joked with my boys that when we do take my mom and dad to this place someday that we will have to plan twice the amount of time to go through it just so that my dad can take it all in. 

On the ride home this mountain captured my attention and I could not help photographing it. This is about 1/2 hour outside of the caverns on our way back home. I am reminded constantly of the beauty that God displays to us everyday in our natural world. It is breathtaking and life changing, It always manages to take my breath away.

We had a couple of tuckered out little girls on the ride home.

 Living in New Mexico has been a blessing beyond words. The beauty here is astounding.

Love In A Box - Not Forgotten

Do you remember the day I wrote about receiving a surprise box at my front door with goodies in it that were selected just for me? I called it love in a box. Do you remember how that simple act of kindness changed a piece of me forever? To this day, thinking about receiving that box and all of the contents inside gives me chills.

Receiving that box made me want to send one out to others. I want other women (sorry, guys) to feel that complete sense of wonder and love that I felt when I opened each item in the box. I want them to feel special and sacred just as I felt. And I want the surprise of the box to take their breath away just like it did for me. Just a random box arriving on a random day for a special someone can have such a tremendous impact.

I have sent one box out  and that was several months ago. I had wanted to send them out more often, but it is taking me a bit more time to save up the amount of money that I need to make the box something extra special. So to remind myself and make these boxes more of a priority I have placed a jar above my kitchen sink as a reminder, everyday, that the next person is waiting for their surprise. Having this jar above my sink has helped me to save about 1/4 of my desired dollar amount. I put every spare dollar in there in hopes that I can get to my desired dollar amount that much more quickly.

I have the person in mind that I am going to send my next box to. I have had her in mind ever since I sent out my first box. I don't know her very well, so her box is going to be a bit more tricky. I hope that she will enjoy getting this box as much as I am loving saving my money for her, and as much as I will love purchasing her items.

I hope that as I am able to send out more and more of these boxes that the women who receive them will in turn send out their own boxes. The magic of receiving one of these boxes is priceless.

I cannot wait to get my next one out.

Sometimes Closed Doors Are Meant To Be ReOpened

You are looking at the newest member of the Centennial High School JV soccer team. Yep. You read that right. Andy was notified yesterday by the JV coach that out of the 7 kids that were still trying to get onto the team Andy was one of two selected. The coach told him that he played with more heart than most of the other players - even those already on the team. He was also told that he hustled more anyone else on the team. These two things are what earned him a spot on the roster. Words cannot even begin to describe how proud of him I am. Bob and I were elated yesterday when he told us the news. He was super proud of himself and he beamed from ear to ear. He picked up his uniform today and couldn't wait to try it on.

Andy has his first game tomorrow night at 5 pm MST. I will be on the sidelines cheering for him like a nut because I know how hard he has worked for this spot. I know the tears, the aches - both external and internal, the frustration, and the fear that he overcame to get to this point. 

One day last week I had to pick Andy up early from practice and I walked down to the field to get him. As I was waiting for him it took me a while to notice him in the crowd of boys because his demeanor had changed so much. He held his head high and was interacting with the kids. He wasn't off to the side with his head hung low like so many other times I had come to pick him up. He looked like a new kid. He had finally arrived. 

Nothing seems to be easy for Andy. He has to earn and work very, very hard for almost anything & everything he has in his life. He had the best attitude the whole time in terms of not quitting and not giving up even when he really wanted to because this was such a challenge for him.  

I don't care how much play time he gets. I am not sure he does either. He is just so happy to have earned a spot on the roster. He learned a lot from this experience about how sometimes when a door seems to close it isn't because another one has opened, but rather a challenge to see just how badly you want what was behind the original door. 

Andy proved that he wanted to make this team even after he was originally cut from it. He didn't let that shut door turn him away from a sport he loves. Instead it made him work even harder than he was and prove that he had the heart that it took to have a coveted spot on the team. 

Getting to this point changed him. It challenged him to not give up. It challenged him to keep at something even when he felt like he was no good. It challenged him to show his teammates that he was one of them even when he was picked last for scrimmages. It challenged him to worker harder than he has ever worked before. 

Last fall soccer season will always hold a special spot in my heart for many reasons, but this season will be my most special for Andy for never has he fought for something so much as this. My heart is so full of admiration and love for this child. He truly is a gift. 

Congratulations, buddy!!!!

Best of Friends

 One of the biggest blessings I have been able to witness as a mother is the friendship of my boys. We always hear parents talking about how their children - particularly their teenagers - fight all of the time or how they don't even talk to one another. I just assumed that when the time came for my kids to grow up they would follow the same path. Our family's experience with the growing of children couldn't be more different.


When my boys were little they would behave in much the way that my girls do now - some days they would play for hours on end which would sometimes erupt into a pretty good fight of some sort. Or other days it would seem that the squabbling continued at length - nothing major just grumbling and nitpicking here and there. As time has gone by my boys quietly grew out of those phases and started to become friends. Best of friends.  Now-a-days my boys go pretty much everywhere together. They share friends. They share most activities. They share some subjects in school. They choose to share a bedroom. I don't know many kids, given the choice, that would choose to share a room with their sibling. I know I wouldn't have when I was their age. When we first moved to New Mexico they had the option of each having their own rooms. That lasted for about 2 weeks and then they decided to take up residence together.

It seems as if most nights I hear them talking and giggling after I have put them to bed. Last night, one of them passed gas and you would have thought that was the funniest thing in the whole wide world. They both erupted into such a laughing fit that I had to ask them to keep it down because their sisters were trying to sleep.

They finish each others sentences sometimes and are always quoting movie lines that cracks the other up. They know just how to make the other laugh and in turn know just how to aggravate the other person - which rarely happens.






                                                                                                                                                                     It has been a joy to watch them enjoy each others company. When Josh had to do be away from the house all day on Saturday for a soccer referee class Andy was lost and even mentioned to me that he didn't know what he was going to do without Josh around.

The boys have already decided to attend the same college together, along with their brother from another mother - Boorman, and plan on living together the whole time they are there. If their current relationship keeps up as it is now I have no doubt that this will come to fruition.

Watching their friendship has been one of the greatest parenting gifts I have ever received. It is an honor  and a privilege to get to witness the beauty of my boys being best of friends. It really is a gift - one that I never in a million years would have guessed that I would be able to be a spectator to. I hope that my girls some day follow suit. I never thought that I would be able to witness such a cool thing. My boys are lucky that they have each other.  They truly are two peas in a pod. I hope that their friendship continues on forever.