Daddy's Away - the puppies will...play?

Chad works out of town for a few weeks here and there throughout the year, which leaves the pups and me to fend for ourselves from Monday mornings through Friday evenings. We manage ok, but some things definitely change when Daddy's away:

• I have to wake up to let the dogs out and feed them (Chad usually does this, because he leaves earlier).  We have different feeding routines, and I am not a fan of the craziness of "breakfast time" first thing when I wake up. So when I feed them, they are all required to sit, give me attention (look me in the eye), and wait until they're given an "okay" to eat their food. By the end of the week, things are a bit calmer, or at least I have a bit better illusion of control....
• The dogs are all needier. It's counter-intuitive, really - they get more attention when I'm here alone, because Chad and I aren't going out to eat, and I'm not occupied by hanging out/talking to Chad. Pablo, especially, is crazy snuggly when Chad's gone - he hangs out with me on the couch when I get home, and sleeps next to me for hours at night.
• I have to get creative in order to manage our schedules, so evenings for the dogs sometimes involve coming to kickball with me (Pablo had a fight with the ball last week), or sometimes just to the grocery store - just to make sure they are getting enough Momma time and attention. 
• We take, and send, a lot more photos! I know it's bittersweet for Chad to get photos of us all hanging on the couch - he loves to see everybody, but wishes he could be home with us. So I try to send just enough to make him happy, but not lonely :)
• I cannot say the words "Home" and "Daddy" within 5 minutes of each other, or there is a stampede to the front door.

Things that don't change:

• I still have no room in the bed. You'd think that by removing a whole person from the equation, there'd be a bit more room for me to stretch out at night. Nope! I think the girls sleep better, though...all stretched out and comfy. 

I WILL capture this on video some day. Maybe tomorrow. My absolute only and favorite thing about Chad being gone, is Pablo's reaction when he comes home. That little guy is so over-the-top in love with his Daddy, that when he sees him after a week away, he's so overwhelmed, his little body can't handle it. He cries, and flops, and runs, and finds babies, and cries, and kisses Chad, and hops all over in his arms. He cannot contain the excitement in his tiny body - it seeps out every pore of him, and it's the sweetest thing I've ever seen in my whole life.  So, I will capture it some day!!

Hope everyone is having a good week!  We're all looking forward to Friday evening!