How Do You Say Goodbye?

You do the norm. Start the after-dinner dishes. Get attacked with a hug with "thank yous! and byes!" spilling out of a 3-year-old. The 1-year-old (almost 2) follows, hugging your leg and yelling "da!". You hold them. You start to cry. The oldest gives you a big kiss. Then you leave the dishes and put the kiddos in their jammies for the last time. Smile and laugh when they run around in their undies with their shirts on their head pretending to be dogs, "woof woof!". Brush some teeth. Read stories. They cuddle in--and you almost cry again. Yell for Mom and Dad to say family prayer. Tuck them in. Sing. Sing. Try and leave, and see the baby reaching his arms out for a final hug. You give him one. And then walk away.

And then, you stay up all night. Thinking, reminiscing, packing...until your heart is full of gratitude and love. To be able to spend a bit of your summer in Europe, with an awesome family, with the funniest and cutest boys. And you hope the kiddos needed you--as much as you needed them.