My hero doesn't wear a cape. He isn't a millionaire. He doesn't have a high profile job jet setting to meet VIPs. He isn't a world traveler. He doesn't grace the pages of popular magazines or star in fancy films. He doesn't rush into burning buildings or perform CPR on a daily basis to save people or wield a gun to protect us from "bad guys" (though I know he WOULD do all of those things in a second if he had to!)
My hero spends most of his days juggling phone calls from people who need help with their computers and changing diapers, making meals, playing games, taking trips to the library or railroad tracks, kissing boo-boos and filling sippy cups. My hero doesn't have a glamorous job bringing home the "big bucks" - even though he does things for other people every day to help them bring home their own big bucks when they are in desperate need of computer help. In fact he is often left unpaid and under-appreciated for the way he drops everything to fix a problem that a customer would never be able to solve on their own. My hero just makes it look and sound so 'easy' that I think people just take it for granted that he'll get them back to work and up and running. Perhaps people don't give a second thought to how my hero is a self-made man and largely self taught and how hard he works to keep up to date so he can solve their problems in a minute. Perhaps they think that because it only 'took a minute' that that minute of his time isn't valuable enough for payment or recognition. I don't know.
What I do know is that my hero never (or rarely) complains about being under paid (or even UNPAID!). He never gossips or says a bad word about the people who fail to appreciate his efforts. He takes the calls while taking care of our kids and he does it with grace, finesse and barely a whine.
My hero doesn't take vacations. He doesn't go on guys' nights out. He doesn't spend weekends on the couch watching sports or drinking beer ignoring the mess or those around him. He very rarely spends a dime on himself and even when he does, it's usually no more than a $5 footlong from Subway. The only time he takes (or gets) for himself is a few hours on the couch each night after the kids are in bed vegging in front of the TV. Yet he never begrudges me a girl's night out or criticizes me for buying yet another pair of shoes.
My hero spends pretty much every moment of his time doing something for someone else. If he's not helping clients, he is running with the boys in the back yard, riding bikes downtown with one of the girls, jumping on the trampoline with whatever kid of the moment is at our house, making something to eat for someone, doing laundry, vacuuming, filling my car with gas, changing kitty litter, fixing the guinea pig's cage, driving someone to or from grandma's house, the list could go on and on...
My hero puts up with all my madness and mood swings. He tolerates me going off when he misses the one household chore that was left un-done (or done somehow different from my standards). He patiently helps with homework when it's all I can do not to freak out on someone complaining about what they have to do. He supports my arranging play dates and parties and generously deals with the driving and prep or clean up that they entail.
My hero is kind to old people, strangers and little kids. He listens like he has all the time in the world to stories that make me want to die of boredom, scream or run away. He knows just enough about a million little things to make conversation or show interest and he'd definitely be my shout out if I was ever in the Cash Cab without him.
My hero isn't perfect, but he is the closest thing I'll probably ever see this side of Heaven. Like all of us, he fails or falters, but he keeps on keeping on and even though he might not be full of hugs and sunshine every day, neither does he complain or make things any worse for whoever comes across his path each day.
My hero spent a 12 hour day last weekend re-painting our front room and hall even though I know it was the last thing he wanted to do. On top of that he gave all the credit to his mom (not that she doesn't deserve it! It's no secret who my hero learned to be heroic from ;)
Today, my hero spent all of what could have been "his" free time (Peter was at his mom's and Mikey and the girls were at school and he didn't have too many pressing demands for his business) hanging two new doors in our house. After that my hero let me nap on the couch in the afternoon.
In the coming weeks my hero will stand by my side and juggle work, kids and our household in preparation for the delivery of our sixth child. He will ask me many times a day if I'm okay. He will hold my hand and give me hugs and get me through meds that make me feel out of it. He will tell me to "take it easy" if I try to do too much. He will take the kids places that I'm not up to taking them right now. He will read books when I am too worn out to even do that. He will hang two more doors and work with his mom to finish the trim painting.
He will be my hero. He has been from the moment I met him.
Before
After
Mommy picked up this bat and ball set yesterday. Check out Mikey's technique and form. He is about a foot of the ground! By the end of the day he was batting 1000. 
This really captures Petey. Tongue out and his little pointer finger in the hole.
Newly repainted artwork at the PENN.
.JPG)
