Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

It's true.

R is at his annual guy's golf tournament this weekend in Mesquite. Since his mom lives in Mesquite, it makes sense for him to drive the boys down with him and drop them off for some quality time with grandma J. Last year they both went. I honestly didn't know what to do with myself for 4 whole days! This year, Z didn't want to go. He's been quite a homebody lately. I think he's worried about going to Kindergarten. So it has just been the two of us.

Friday night we drive up to Bear Lake with my good friend and her 3 year old boy. It was very quiet up there this weekend, none of my siblings went, so we just hung out with my parents. It was a nice time. Our boys decided to act like big brother-little brother towards the end, bugging each other just to hear the other scream. Boys will be boys.

Today and tomorrow it's just the two of us (and the creatures, of course). I think today we will go see Wall-e and get a treat of some sort. We slept in, cuddled for a long time, & played 2 games of Candyland, which he won both times ;). It's great to have a chance to talk and be together without someone else competing for attention. Tomorrow he has summer camp, so today is play day.

As much as I'm enjoying some quiet, non-fighting, time with my Z-man, I will be glad to have M home. I miss his chatter, his morning cuddles, his deep thoughts, and his help around the house. While I know that his grandparents are spoiling him rotten and taking good care of him, I worry when I'm not there. I guess it's a loss of control and a surrender of one of my most precious people to the care of someone else. And I always worry about my boys when they are on the road.

R is working so hard these days, and I so often go to Bear Lake without him, that I didn't really start to miss him until last night. We spent a few hours with our awesome neighbors and their visiting extended family. I had a great time, but more than once I wished R was there to enjoy it with me. And going to bed alone (if you consider sleeping with a kid, a cat and a dog alone) is always hard for me. I just don't sleep well without R. Sometimes I take for granted what he does around the house. I almost missed garbage pickup this morning!

It's good to have a break from each other sometimes and to have seperate experiences. R is having some much needed guy time, and some much needed time away from work to have fun. M gets to experience being the center of attention and bonding with his grandma, who is sorely missed since she moved. He gets to drive down and back with dad. Who knows, maybe he'll even miss his little bro (yeah, right). Z gets to have the whole house to himself for a few days, some quality time with mom before school starts, and total access to the new kitty (poor cat). I get some room to think and time to enjoy my youngest child before he starts into the big world of elementary school (which I must admit is kind of freaking me out). All in all, good experiences for everyone. Nice for a few days...

But I can't wait until they are home!