And I've been without her now for a week and a day. I admit I'm going a little crazy over here without her, and I have to wait another 3 days to see my munchkin. In addition to cranking out a bunch of work while she's visiting her with her grandparents in WI, I've also totally cleaned, rearranged and overhauled her room. I've gotten her a few little prizes that are waiting for her on her bed when she arrives back home. I just...love doing stuff for her even when she's not with me.
It's so true that absence makes the heart grow fonder. And while a week and a half really isn't that long, it's definitely long enough for me to sit back and assess exactly how much she means to me. Some parents need that "me" time away from their kids. They enjoy leaving for the day to go to work because they need that time away from their kids to stay sane. While there's nothing wrong with that, that is definitely not how I feel. Maybe it's because we only have one child to enjoy...but I love having her by my side all day, every day.
The closest of our family live 8 hours from us. That means we don't have date nights to ourselves, (we honestly would both rather go on date nights as a family, with Addie with us. Haha!) there's no 'hey mom, can you take Addie while I do this or this' going on and there's really not many moments, outside of shoots, that I'm without her. And I'd really prefer it no other way. Not saying it wouldn't be nice to live close to our families (oooh man, how I wish we did!)...just saying that she is not a bother, not a nuisance, and not a chore. She's a joy....our laughter, a bright light in our lives. And when she's not with us we realize just how much she brings to our lives.
Maybe you're a parent who feels so overwhelmed by the task of parenthood. Maybe your kiddos easily drive you nutso. If so, take a step back and realize how blessed you are to have them. Life's too short not to enjoy your kids. Set aside all the business of your day (because in the long run, your long hours of work will not be what matters in life. Instead, time with your kids does matter greatly) and relax....breathe....and enjoy their presence.
All I know is, come Sunday night, I will be squeezing the snot out of my princess. I'll give her a million kisses and cuddle her to pieces...and then tell her over and over again how much I love her. :)
