Peek

A - Boo!  This picture is too funny not to share! Thanks Jen:)

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Nana and Pepe

I remember my friend Crystal telling me that it is no accident that Mark comes from such a great family. She said the good Lord must have known that I was going to need that. My mom passed away 4 months after I met Mark. And after I lost my Dad this past summer, I find myself even more grateful for these beautiful people that I am so honored to call my family.

But today, I want to focus on the heart of that family.  Barb and Rob , also known as Nana and Pepe.

These people continue to amaze me with their incredible hearts.

Let me start with Nana. This lady continues to inspire me with her selflessness. Never have I met anyone so genuinely kind and giving. I don't even know where to begin. She does so many things for us all the time. I wonder if she knows how much they mean? And the best part is she does it all expecting nothing in return, she does it because that is who she is.

 Family holidays and suppers, well, they could be a recipe for disaster.  But nope, Nana always has something on the menu for Porter and Ruby. I hope she knows it doesn't go unnoticed.  I know how much those Gluten Free snacks are and I hope she realizes how much we appreciate the fact that she has them in the cupboard. And usually, she is holding or feeding one of my kids, so that I can have a meal while it's hot. I've given up arguing with her:) And even more importantly, I appreciate the lack of judgment that Porter might only have pretzels and fruit for supper some nights. Never have I felt "she thinks I'm a bad mother". Not once.

And I remember when we found out Porter had autism. She immersed herself in books and even attended workshops so she could learn more about how to help our boy! She is so proud of him and Ruby and I can't really describe the feeling it gives me when I see the way she ( and Pepe too) look at our children.

And now, let me turn to Pepe. I thank this man first and foremost for being the wonderful husband to Barb and father to Mark. Kids learn from what they see. Mark grew up with the finest example from both of his parents and I will be forever grateful to both of them for that. Pepe is also the man we call if anything is broken or needs "tweaking" in our home. He and Mark amaze me with how they know how to fix stuff. Mark can do a lot of it himself ( because he learned from the best ) but when it is a bigger job sometimes we call in the big guns ! (A.K.A. Pepe) .

Pepe was also a big help when Mark broke his leg and took Mark to Charlottetown for check ups. And if it wasn't for Pepe, I would have used up all my sick days at work by now. Pepe is "semi- retired" so anytime the kids are sick or the center is closed Pepe is there! I hope he knows how very much we appreciate that. (I want to add a shout out to Auntie Robyn here too because she has been there so many times for us as well!)

I was grateful enough when it was just Mark and I for their random acts of kindness. But now, our family has grown. We have two little people that we are lucky enough to take care of...and well,  sometimes it's hard. I feel like Nana and Pepe have an uncanny ability to know when Mark or I or both of us, are feeling overwhelmed. They will just randomly call and say " we want the kids for the night". Porter and Ruby each have their own rooms at their house! Complete with extra clothes and pampers so we don't usually have to pack anything. And keeping our kids isn't always easy. But they would never utter the words " they were really busy..or they wore me out today" or anything but "they were great kids, couldn't ask for better".

I'm not sure if you know the statistics for marriages in families who have kids with autism, 4 out of 5 end in divorce. YIKES! That's scary. I know I certainly don't want to turn into Ross Gellar! But all joking aside, these people help keep us together. Those nights without the kids help us remember why we fell in love in the first place.

Last week I had surgery to FINALLY repair a hernia I have been sporting and without a question, Nana and Pepe were there. Nana is back to working full time hours and still, without question, she got up in the middle of the night to feed our girl Miss Ruby ( who is STILL not sleeping through the night). They worked as a team to get our kids packed and ready for school each day and on the weekend when Mark was working and I was unable to be alone with the kids...there they were. And Porter even got to have a special day with Nana at the pool!

I know what you're thinking..wow, they are lucky to have them! And my answer to that is, darn right we are. We really are.

I really could write all day with how much I love and respect these people. I could write all day about how honored I am to be a part of this family. I could write a thousand thank you's and it wouldn't be enough. I could never thank them for everything they have done but let me just name a few things...

Thank you for:

 Smiles and hugs. Moving us! Painting. Building our fence. All the suppers I didn't have to cook. Maternity clothes from the States. Clothes for the kids from everywhere:) Loving our children. Buying safety locks. Stocking up on Gluten Free Snacks. Sleepovers. Sleepovers. Did I mention Sleepovers? Kind words. Accepting spirits. Advice. Listening. Putting up with my craziness. Holiday Suppers! Supporting our decisions. Always having fruit in the fridge. Cutting our grass when Mark couldn't. Playing with our kids. Giving Mark time off for appointments. Bumblebee videos! Toys and books. And most importantly, Love, the unconditional kind.

We love you.

Raelene, Mark ( Porter & Ruby )
xoxoxoxo

Special Memories

It is shameful how long it has been since my last post. The funny thing is I have about 5 different posts started but none that I have actually finished ....way to keep up my New Year's resolution! A touch of writer's block perhaps...actually no, it's not really that, it's more about deciding whether I want to share some of the stuff I have been writing about. You know what I'm talking about...I'm sure you have all written that Facebook status that you think is so incredibly clever and witty, only to delete it before you post thinking to yourself " I can't write that" !!!

Another one of my resolutions...stop second guessing myself. So far, I'm off to a great start with my resolutions! 

But there is something very important that I wanted to write about that I am a few days late getting to...in my defense, I was having surgery, so I guess that is a good reason. ( I'll talk more about that later.)

Jan 16th marked seven years without my mom. It's strange because it gets easier and harder at the same time. One of the hardest things is knowing that Porter and Ruby never got to meet my mom and even though they did meet my dad, they will not remember him. 

So it is up to me to keep their memories alive. So in honor of my mom's anniversary, I'll share this special memory.

I can remember being about 7 years old. We had moved to PEI from Nova Scotia and we were staying with my Nan "until we found a place". I put that in quotations because I'm sure we ended up staying there for years which was fine with me, it was there that I had most of the best memories of my childhood.

 I was the typical child who didn't want to go to bed at my bedtime and I was forever asking my mom to read me a story. Then one night, I'm not sure why, my mom said she would tell me a story instead...and there it began. She must have regretted that big time because I got hooked! I remember my nightly pleas became "TELL me a story !" I don't remember all of them exactly, but her stories were always about a little boy or girl who had to overcome some obstacle and of course there was always a happy ending! 

And then she would turn my pillow over to the cool side, lift up my hair, lay my head back down and kiss my forehead good night. 

So simple, but one of the best memories I have.  I certainly didn't have a perfect childhood, but I always knew I was loved.

Love and miss you Mom. xo