Sunday Night

Nearly every Sunday night for the past 3 1/2 months, I've had to prepare myself for another grueling week of four children to start early on Monday. Well, it hasn't really been 'grueling', and I'm kind of sad that Trevor and Parker will not be waking me up tomorrow. They are still on the island for another week and a half, but the fact that they aren't spending every day with me just makes the fact that they are leaving very soon that much more apparent. Jocelyn already asks about them, and has even designated certain toys of hers as belonging to them. "No Sam, that's Trevor's toy." "Mommy, where is Parker? This is Parker's car." She even sang happy birthday to both of them in the van today, then she sang happy birthday to daddy and Barney (it was just me, Sam and Jocelyn in the van). ;)

I loved having the boys with me all the time. It really made me feel like super woman because it was easy when it was expected to have been difficult. I seemed to have impressed a lot of people. I think that was only because most people are intimidated by the unknown. Most people have never tried taking care of four children, age four and under, so they wouldn't know how easy it is. It's been tough without the older boys around! I'll be sitting on the couch feeding Sam and my phone will ring from on top of the computer desk, and I practically have to beg Jocelyn to bring it to me...when Trevor would have sprinted to it and brought it straight to my open hand. It was easy to take a shower before because all three big kids would play nicely in Jocelyn's room as Sam napped. Now, Jocelyn doesn't want to play in her room by herself. Instead, she stays in the bathroom the whole time I'm in the shower, playing peek-a-boo with the shower curtain. Great!

I had to adjust things when Amanda arrived back in March, like putting my kids to bed earlier and getting myself out of bed MUCH earlier. But, I got used to it. Now, I have to adjust all over again. I don't want to. I don't want to adjust to them leaving. I don't want to adjust to Jocelyn losing her everyday playmates. I don't want to adjust to not having any family nearby again. I'd rather wake up early to Amanda calling me because I was still asleep when she got here and I didn't hear her knocking on the door. I'm going to miss them so much when they leave.

I was supposed to go to the fair with them yesterday, but I felt like the definition of misery...and Brad had to work (what's new?), so I didn't leave the house all day. They stopped by afterward, with Icees for me and Jocelyn! I felt horrible because I was still in my pajamas, my house was a mess, and I'm pretty sure I smelled really bad. But they hung out for a while, and Jocelyn got to climb all over her Uncle Brian, which is something that she isn't going to have a whole lot of chances to do in the future. It made me so happy and so sad at the same time.

I know Amanda is happy and relieved to have her husband back, and to head back to North Carolina as a complete family. I'm positive that the boys are just beyond excited for the daddy time they are getting right now. But, I'm selfish...and I want them to stay. I can't wait to live somewhere that enables me to drive to see family. That is going to be so great. Now watch, we will go from Japan to Hawaii to....Iceland or something. Perhaps Reykjavik will have a reservist comptroller position for Amanda! ;)

Good night.