It never gets any easier...

...... to say goodbye every week to these two cuties, but that's what Jonathan has to do.


For as long as I have been dating him (eight years actually), he has traveled for work, but it never gets any easier to see him go, and it defintely just seems to be getting harder and harder for him with the kids now in the picture. Justin is changing so quickly that even being gone a week, he is different than when Jonathan left.. and Katelynn, well, she knows exactly what is going on now, and that makes it hard. She misses her daddy and wants him home. Last night before Jonathan left and we were "preparing" her yet again for him departure in the morning, we had a conversation that went like this:

Mommy: "Daddy has to go back to Virginia tomorrow to work. He will be gone for five days."
Katelynn: "Where Ryan go?"
Mommy: "Ryan will be going with Daddy to Virginia."
Katelynn: "Where Virginia, Mommy?"
Mommy: "Virginia is far way. It takes three hours, a long, long time to get there. That's why Daddy has to stay in a hotel at night instead of come home."
Katelynn: "But he can drive real fast and come home."
Mommy: "No, honey. It's too far away, but Daddy will be home in five days, okay?"
Katelynn: "But he drive fast to come home."
Mommy: "He will drive fast to come home and see you after he is done working for the week."

...and on and on the conversation goes day after day. She asks for her daddy several times a day, and I have to remind her where he is. She knows he is "on a job", but she sometimes forgets how long it will be until he gets home. The ONLY benefit of Jonathan traveling is when he gets home- it is sooo much fun to see how excited Katelynn gets to see her daddy.

The first day Jonathan leaves is always the hardest, and I'm really feeling it today. He has been traveling every week for six straight weeks now with only two days each week for us to spend with him, it starts to wear on us. It's two days filled with trying to spend time as a family, get things done around the house, and spend time with others. We are lucky if we get even one thing done on our list each weekend, and it just goes by way too fast. I know we are lucky in this economy for Jonathan to still have his job, and I feel very, very lucky to be able to be a stay-at-home mom with everything, but it's hard to remember it when we are missing him, but day one is coming to an end and the weekend will hopefully be here soon!