If you follow me on twitter, and/or read my post Friday night, you know it was a rollercoaster of a weekend.
The original plan was to drive down Friday, spend some time that night with the boys if possible, do stuff all day Saturday, and breakfast Sunday before hitting the road.
Well, that didn't happen.
Friday was full of drama, arguments and miscommunication. Saturday morning was filled with sorrow, which changed instantly when I got to spend time with the kids. Granted, it wasn't a full day of adventures like I hoped, but it was just good to get hugs and kisses again.
We wrestled, we chatted, we played Angry Birds (yeah... I know...).
My oldest found this egg in his room (after excavating, of course) and wanted to hatch it. Apparently the best way to hatch a dinosaur egg is to submerge it for a day or so?
So he jacked mommy's water cup, and plopped the egg in. At first, they told me it only takes 5 minutes. 5 turned into 20, then "oh yeah, it takes a day (after some corrections from mom)."
I laughed a little when, 20 minutes later, she turned to the boys and goes "HEY... did you use MY cup for the egg???" The oldest smiled and said "yup."
Sunday morning was a Father's Day breakfast, cooked by the ex. My mom came, and the 5 of us chatted, played with the boys, and had lots of fun. (yes, I used the terms 'ex' and 'fun' in the same paragraph...) More wrestling (with the kids, not the ex), playing tag in the middle of the street, and other fun shenanigans ensued. Overall the weekend wasn't what I planned, but it was still really nice.
Best of all, two really good things came from the weekend:
1 - My kids are like my drug. I missed them. I went through major bouts of depression over the last few months because of the separation, and this visit recharged my batteries. They still remember me, even though I'm 858 miles away (from doorstep to doorstep. The oldest LOVED that fact). They still love me, even though we don't see each other as often as I'd like. I moved to Idaho, and life still goes on. I'm still their daddy, and the validation is what I needed more than anything else.
2 - The ex. As you read in previous posts, communication between her and I isn't always that great. We talked, and I think we have come to a good mutual understanding. She hears what I am saying, and vice versa. This is great news, and I hope it becomes the norm. While her and I will never have the relationship we had as husband and wife, we still need to keep a level of rapport and respect for the children's sake. Besides... it's always better to be on someone's good side.
I rolled back into my driveway at 11:30 Sunday night, only to drive back out at 6am Monday. Monday was day 1 of the new job, and meant a 260 mile drive to Boise. I am currently typing this from a Super 8 motel in Caldwell, ID. I have put over 2000 miles on my car in the past few days, and I'm smiling.
What an adventure. I can't wait to see how I'm going to top this for Dad's Day 2012...
