"Only" two kids

All last week, my older two boys were on a trip with my parents, leaving me with "only" two boys for the week. They return tonight. I thought I would get so much done around here with "only" two kids to watch. Ha! And let me say again, ha! What a joke!

Now, in some ways, it is easier to have two as opposed to four. For example, I can go to the store by myself because I only have to push one cart. With four kids, inevitably they all want to ride, and they do not all fit in one cart. It takes about five minutes less to get ready to go somewhere because I only have to find one pair of shoes and buckle two seat belts. And at night, there's only one cup of water to fetch. But there were things that surprised me about having "only" these two.

It was just as difficult to keep the house clean. It seems like the three year old followed me around, messing up my cleaning almost as soon as it was done. I vacuumed the floor, he dumped a box of crackers. I did laundry, he rolled in mud. I still had to get just as many lunches, snacks, and dinners, so no improvement there, either. And the baby, of course, needed entertainment when he was awake, so I was just as occupied with him as ever.

And boy, did my three year old miss his big brothers. Every morning he wanted to know where they were. He's going to be so excited to see them tonight! And I must admit, I missed them too. I missed all of my second son's hugs and kisses. I missed my oldest son's silly jokes and intelligent observations. I missed the way the three of them play together.

So, Dad, if you're reading this before packing up for the trip home, tell the boys I said hi and I love them! I'll see you tonight!