Quality Time + Missed Opportunities

I don't think a day passes when I'm not grateful to have my husband around again.
Not only for my own benefit, but for our boy's also.

Pondering on this a bit yesterday, I have to come realise actually how very lonely I was in Italy. Missing my man with every breath (literally). It felt like I was only 'half there'.

Don't get me wrong, I loved living in Italy - in a house that was ours, not a rental like we do in London.
As I've mentioned before, I was living The Dream only without my husband, whose dream it was also.
And for so much of the 9 months we were there I was desperately missing seeing my husband interact with his boys. Spending quality time with each of them, playing rough'n'tumble and "get-you's", tickling, cuddles and of course having that other-half around to help with the discipline.

We've had a particularly sickly/stressful week this week with Austin getting his ear infection back again and then ending up in A&E with heart palpitations, which ended up being the result of him fighting off a nasty infection and the particularly high fevers that went with it.
So of course most of his week was spent in bed. Again. I'm trying not to be envious.
But this also meant that he got to have lots of cuddles with Max when it was his nap times and watch 'Kung-Fu Panda' on my phone, which is one of Max's favourite past-times.

Yesterday when Austin was starting to feel a bit better I commissioned him to make cupcakes with Beni, who had been asking for a good couple of weeks to make them and I kept giving in to the easy-options and would buy them instead.
One thing that Austin does particularly well with his boys is baking. He seems to be more 'graced' in this area than I am....

And so they had a wonderful bonding/baking time in the kitchen while Max slept and I collected Luca from school.
The look of pure delight and barely-contained-excitement on Beni's face almost broke my heart.
"Look Mamma! We're making CUPCAKES!" as he rapidly stirred together the butter and sugar, sending sugar granules flying all over the countertop. But all done with a look of absolute glee on his dear little face.
Here I had been giving in to buying the packets of 6 cupcakes for £1 (which were still very yummy and so affordable!...) when I had been denying this little guy of some special 'baking' time with his Mamma.

Good one Mamma... Lesson learned.

"Opportunities do not come with their values stamped upon them."

~Maltbie Babcock

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