Good lord. He made home for you and the kids a living hell for all those years, and YOU are the one feeling guilty?
Please, PLEASE go to Al-Anon. Contrary to what your idiot of a husband (and yes, there are sober idiots out there--lots of them) says, Al-Anon isn't there to help you "understand the alcoholic brain," it's to understand YOURSELF and to heal, regardless of the state of his drinking/sobriety.
Assuming he actually IS working his program, he's a long, long way from being well.
Your kids have suffered a lot through all of this, too. If there is an Alateen program nearby, they'd probably benefit from that. Alternatively, a counselor or therapist could probably help them.
There are no guarantees he is going to remain sober this time. Your initial position, that you didn't want him back until he had been sober for at least a year, still makes sense. Why would you change that simply because he's no longer begging to come back?
I hope that, in addition to Al-Anon, you will seek counseling, preferably with a therapist who is familiar with the dynamics of alcoholism in the family, and also with abusive relationships. You are not perceiving reality at this time. You are accepting the BS he is feeding you, rather than looking at what actually happened. Re-read your own post about the events that occurred. I see no "bitchiness"--just typical reactions to living in an intolerable situation. You and the children have suffered significant harm over the years. Your fantasy about the wonderful family you could have now is wishful thinking.
And please stick around. There's some great support and a lot of wisdom here.