No kids for 10 days

We are blessed.  So very blessed.  You see, we have four beautiful, amazing children.  They are a handful, to be sure.  But we love 'em anyway!  We are more blessed because Kris' mom is in this area and they get to connect with her on a regular basis.  We are blessed beyond that because my parents, though they live four hours away, are willing and able to take on our kiddos for...get this...TEN WHOLE DAYS!!!!

For some reasons, I am usually ecstatic at the prospect of this.  They spent a week with my parents last year and I always look forward to anytime, even if it is just one night, that Kris and I can get away by ourselves.  And it isn't as if I am NOT excited at the prospect of no accidents, no 5 hour bedtime routine, no early risers, no middle of the night "I'm scared because you turned the bathroom light out...again..", no hungry mouths to feed (or rather to push aside and say "Eat whatever you can find and reach yourself!"  I'm relieved at the prospect of the little bit of freedom this little "vacation" will allow us.

But this year, for some reason, I find myself thinking "The house is going to be too quiet.  What if something happens to one of them and I'm not there?  What if they push my parents' buttons like they do ours?  Can I trust them to behave for 10 days?"  I miss them already.  We just dropped them off 2 hours ago in Nowhereville, IL and I'm already feeling a little anxious.  Not about anything in particular.  I trust my parents 110% and know that they can handle any nonsense my kids may throw at them.  And realistically, FOR THE MOST PART, I trust that my kids will behave.  And yet, I think "I won't get to see Livvy's crazy eyes.  I won't be able to see Abbey dress in her eclectic style.  I won't see Kaleb in his sweet moments, helping his sisters.  I won't get to have real, honest and downright fun conversations with Katherine."  And, really?  Am I really already saddened that I won't hear Livvy say "I'm hungry!!!!" seventy million times a day?  OK...I won't go THAT far!  But still...I finally feel like one of those normal parents that doesn't celebrate the time away.  What happened to me?  Can I finally be growing up a little?  ;-)

So, what did Kris and I do as soon as we left our four little blessings in IL?  Well, what would you do?

We did what any normal couple would do.  

GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER.  

We went to work.  Yeah, we really know how to have fun, Kris and I.  We're real party animals.  We did pass a sign coming back into St. Louis for Lumiere Place (local casino downtown) and Kris said "Do you have any money?"  I told him I had twenty cents.  He had me check his wallet.  He had $1.  That wouldn't get us far...so we nixed that idea and decided to stick with the original plan.  Grab dinner and head back to the office.  And here we sit.  He working and me, well, writing.  It could be worse.  I could be working too!  But I think I will just stick with avoiding work until tomorrow morning.   Because I sleep with the boss and do whatever I want. Because I can.