One thing I love dearly about my husband is his brutal honesty with me...Take yesterday, after reading my "Happy Ever After" post...He just looked at me with a smirk on his face and said, "A little corny even for you T" and pointed at the picture at the bottom and added, "That's a lot of cheesiness"...
Ah God love him...He's absolutely right though...Reading it back today, it does come across as overly cheesy/corny, some kind of make believe "Disney fairy tale" family life...And that is most definitely not what our lives are...
Our lives are full of messy diapers, staggered sleepless nights, scratches in our new hardwood floors, irrational irritability, spilt cheerios, snotty noses, weekly doc appointments, short tempers, cuts & bruises, lots of "no way Mummy", speech & other therapies, potty training, lots of coffee, daily chores, worrying about the future, more surgeries & mundane everyday life... 
But our lives are also full of Eskimo kisses, snuggling in blankets, walks hand in hand, sing-a-long songs & love...So it kinda balances it all out...

I didn't mean to make it come off all "Disney-ish" - I meant it more as what you dream or hope as your "Ever After" might/probably will be different than what it becomes...But that it will be brilliant all the same...



 So, in honour of my husband's honesty today's Down syndrome Awareness Pic is a photo of him & Pip...And trust me if I wanted to go cheesy with a quote today I most definitely could...Was tempted to really get him good & use something like this beauty, "I may find a Prince but you will always be my King"...Barf

But like always his honesty reigns me in & balances my cheese & corniness...So instead I've decided to simply quote him...



Beautiful right? It's from a letter he wrote Pip back in February- The full post is HERE....

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Pip,
I must start this with an apology – When it comes to my family and the feelings and emotions that I have towards them my instinct has been one of privacy.  When your Mom shared with me this idea I backed away from making my private thoughts and wishes for you public ones.  I have come to learn that although this is a creative outlet for her, it comes from a place of pure love and is something only she could do.  This love for her children, in my mind, has not only inspired but has challenged people to look at their own family in a different way.  I love how brave she is – you will undoubtedly get that trait from her.
As you will find out I can be stubborn at times, but after some careful reflection this truly is something special.  I feel as though I need to be a part of it.  So I am sorry for being late to the dance, but when you dance as well as I do you can afford to let punctuality slide – you can ask your mother about that.
I think I have always been one of those guys who thought they had a good handle on life and the lessons it can teach you.  I carried on this way until the day your mother told me your brother was on his way.  For me it was a sobering moment that exposed me to an uncertainty mixed with pride and happiness.  My insecurities went from an ultimate high when I first held him back to normal within a month or two – that’s right it didn’t take me very long to think I knew it all….Again. 
When I found out that you were on the way, a day I like to call Shock n Awe, I found myself composed and calm.  It was nothing I hadn’t been through before….piece of cake right?
When we brought your brother home I remember my mind racing about all the things I would teach him over the course of his life.  When you came home with us the only thought that I can remember was thinking about all the things you would teach me.  This is a theme that has continued and something that I look forward to daily.  I can’t wait to see your interpretation of our world as you grow, I am sure it will continually change the way I think about things – as much if not more than you being in my life already has.
You will probably hear a lot of words like benchmark, spectrum, and milestone but I want you to keep this one thought close to you. You will never care about where you are unless you remember how you got there.  Struggle, determination, and resilience build character and you, sweet thing, are full of just that.  I will always be right beside you to hold your hand or give you a boost in the event that you need it….but I know you’ll do just fine.
As you can tell by these letters your mother is a pretty special person – you will hear no different from me…..well maybe once in a while…usually when she is smothering everyone with “We should take a picture”.  She is easily the most beautiful person I know, this blog is only a small window into the size of her heart and just look at how many people she has touched.  The three of us are lucky to have her and she will be your biggest cheerleader throughout life.  If you get just half of her smile you will be one amazing lady.
I look forward to our journey……
I love you,
Dad
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And here's some extra pics of the two of them...Nothing cuter than a dad with his baby girl right?




~All of these beautiful photos are by Genevieve from Joie de Viever~

Glad that I have a guy who tells me as it is...And sorry friends for the "Disney-ish" type fluff from yesterday- Wasn't really my style & I promise to keep the cheese & corn to the minimal from here on out...
As for cheese & corn you can best be believing that's what good, old Mr. Honesty is getting for dinner tonight...