someone's missing...

My soccer bug went to the lake with his buddy on Wednesday and I am missing him so. None of my kiddos have ever been away from home for this long. Both sets of grandparents live in town so they haven't gone away for any reason so far. They have had overnights here and there pretty regularly, but FIVE days is a LONG time! I made him promise to call a few times while he was gone and he has. He does miss us(which I am happy to hear) but is having a fabulous time, so I am happy he got to go. I, on the other hand, am missing him dearly. This is my little guy that used to velcro himself to my leg upon dropping him off at Sunday School, and freaked out when a stranger passed through a room he was playing in. For him, this is a really big deal.
My momma duck instincts have been on hyper-drive, though with a duckling missing. My auto scan that runs a constant tab of my kiddos keeps getting hung up where he should be, and I have to remind myself he isn't here. Constant reminder for this momma. He is due back on Monday but I am secretly hoping he returns tomorrow! I am very proud of him for taking this big step into freedom and trust.
The other kids miss him bunches, too. Especially First-born. They are buddies and roommates, so having him gone really makes the biggest impact on him. Shorty keeps asking where he is when he remember big brother is missing. I think that makes a guy feel good to know how much he is missed, but I will wait until he gets home to tell him that. Don't want to make him feel bad about not being here. It just isn't the same when one of the ducks is missing. Two days and counting.....