Flavored Milk "Hugs"

Silas has been so busy with his plant start up that he is lucky to get home before the kids go to bed. At least half of the week he gets home after I put the kids down, and since he leaves at 5:30 in the morning, none of the kids get to see him. Last week Maddy was in tears because she missed her dad. If the phone rings at dinner time the kids all yell, "Dad!". I miss the help with kids homework and bedtime rituals. Kaden counts down the days to the weekend, just in case dad can take him fishing. Kalia always asks when Daddy will be home. It has been really hard. More than the difficulty it has placed on myself and the kids though, is the difficulty it has placed on Silas. His days are sooooo long. He wakes up when it is dark, drives to work, stays inside all day (missing the best season in Indiana), manages (babysits) people, fixing problem after problem with his super powers, draining all his energy, missing most meals because he is too busy, sits in his office trying to catch up on paperwork that got stuffed aside while he was being the super hero, climbs back in his car to drive home, arrives just in time to have a small snack or some dinner and climb back into bed. (I know that this description doesn't even scratch the surface but I tried.) This start-up has been so hard on him. His training for the triathlon has suffered. His ability to get a good night of sleep has suffered. His time with his family has suffered. I'm pretty sure his stomach has suffered as well. (Ulcers). There is one constant in all of this away time. He is really missing the kids. So to let them know that he loves them and is thinking about them he brings home flavored milk. (Vanilla is their favorite!) This simple gesture means so much to me. I'm not sure that the kids make the connection on their own but they really enjoy having this yummy treat. I, on the other hand, just love that in the chaos of his day he is remembering us. So many families are struggling with the strain and demands of this job but I know that Silas loves us. He thinks about us every day. He even tries to sneak in a 1-2 minute phone call every day just to check on how I am doing. He is truly amazing and I love him. I wish that work wasn't so hard for him right now but until that happens, we will think of him every time we pull out our strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla milk. I love you Silas! Keep up all the hard work, it will only get better! Thanks for the "flavored milk hugs!"