I flew to London for a 4-day weekend (thanks to frequent flyer miles!). I’m on the first leg of my return, writing this post.

As always, we prepped the boys starting a couple of days ahead. This trip would be the longest I’ve been away – each trip has incrementally been slightly longer. I left at the break of dawn, before they were awake, on Thursday morning, and I get back Sunday evening, likely getting back to the house just as they’re going to sleep. Four days and three nights. Last May, I left Friday morning and returned Sunday night.

As it happened, S got up just as I was leaving, so I was able to say goodbye to him and give him a kiss, as I directed him to go ahead and take my spot in our bed (J already being there, of course).

I tried calling them on Thursday night, when I got to my daughter’s flat, but they had gone out to dinner at their favorite Noodle & Co, and the husband either didn’t have his mobile phone, or didn’t hear it.

So, my daughter, (who I’ll here refer to by my favorite nickname for her – Boo), and I went out to run some errands on Friday morning, and when it came to the time that I knew the boys would be up and around and getting dressed and ready for school, we called them. They were excited to talk to me, and then they had a longish chat with Boo. Dad put them on speaker phone with all three of them so I heard her side of the conversation varied depending on the different questions coming from different individuals at the other end of the line. Finally, I got the phone back, and told them to be good, and listen to Abba (dad). S very sweetly sent me several loud smoochy audible kisses over the line, and said “did you hear that kiss?”. I smooched back, and hung up.

Then, at sometime past midnight, my phone rang. J was crying, and dad asked me to talk to him, as he was frightened of the wind blowing. I tried to get his attention, and he knew it was me, but this just raised his crying to a wail “I want you HERE now, mommy!”. I tried to reassure him, and remind him that Abba was the to help him, but it wasn’t working. Poor dad! He said to S “say hi to Imma” and S was clearly doing just fine – he said “I love you, Imma, see you later!”, and that was that.

I decided that I would leave it to dad’s discretion on calling on Saturday – I didn’t want to upset the apple cart, especially figuring that they would probably be in their usual Shabbat routines, ending with the weekly movies after sunset on Saturday night.

I’ll call them from Raleigh-Durham, NC, where I have a 3 hour layover. And, I can’t wait to see them tonight! It’s been lovely to have free of their loud energy, but I miss them.