The Single Dad (Day 6)

I woke up today at 7:03. Got the kids ready to go. Emily made my lunch and a take-along dinner for after school of peanut butter and honey on raisin bagels and chips and cutie mandarin oranges. It was raining a bit, so I was trying to figure out how to get everyone where they needed to go when Becca's bus came. So, I put her on the bus, took the boys across the street to Darrin and Kelly's, and then took the girls and neighbor boy to school. I headed off to work and worked until about 3:15 then came home. This time I beat the girls by about 15 minutes. I took the boys home and they played Legos, then the girls joined when they got there. Once Becca got home at 4:30, we headed off to Salt Lake to pick up Diana; her flight got in at 4:45. However, my Mom's car was at Richard's parents house (which is near Diana's parents), so he picked everyone up and brought Diana to her mom's house where we were waiting.

The kids were downstairs playing when she got there, so we talked for a few minutes. Then she went and said "Hi" to Becca. Her eyes lit up and she cooed for probably 2-3 minutes. She missed Mommy too. I don't know how much she understood of where Mom was or why she was gone, but she was certainly happy she was back.

Then I called each kid up one by one just saying "Come here, I need you for a minute." As soon as they saw Diana they ran to her and hugged and hugged her -- especially Ethan. He missed her the most I think. I had forgotten Becca's 5:00 feeding and Diana was starving, so we headed home. Diana ate her sack lunch on the way home and we talked about her trip.

When we got home, she pulled out some souvenirs she got for us; shirts for the boys, nail polish and hair clips for the girls that change color in the sun, and, of course, a Ziploc of seashells. By the time we got done with everything it was bedtime. We put the kids to bed, and watched a sitcom on Netflix, then promptly fell asleep about 10:30. We haven't gone to bed that early in I don't know how long.

So, here's what I learned from being a single parent for a week:

1. I am perfectly capable of doing everything Diana does, but it is exhausting. I fell asleep on the couch more than once trying to read stories to the kids -- before bedtime.
2. Even with a menu, figuring out what to make for dinner, snacks, breakfast and lunch is frustrating and slow. Who doesn't like what, why, and if I care.
3. Once you are used to having someone in your bed, it's harder sleep when they aren't there. Even though I had more room and could stretch out however I wanted, it was less comfortable.
4. My children can do more than I expected. On the days I was late, Emily and Grace let themselves in the house and were fine when I got home. They worked together (usually) to accomplish task I gave them, and even encouraged the boys to work with them.
5. I love and like my wife. Not just like I like stuff or love my family. L-O-V-E. I missed talking about stupid things, laughing at nothing, and just being in the same room together. I wasn't jealous that she was off doing fun things while I was "stuck" at home. I was jealous because I wanted to be with her.

In summary, I am glad she got to go and decompress for a while, but I am SO glad she is back.

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6