I'm glad you decided to check in with your sisters tonight. Finding something else to do is really important.
My H isn't into making time to spend together either. He likes it better if it just happens. So I have found that I have to take the initiative to make it happen. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. A few months back we found some great friends we could get together with. He has just met them, but I already knew one from work. We started hanging out with them on Friday nights. We never make a plan, we just all show up at the same place on Friday night. H and I don't even talk about it, it just happens. We don't even necessarily sit together. He goes with the guys and I go with the girls. But he is in the room with me and we check in with each other off and on. Now this is not my idea of time together, but it is what he can do and it's more than we have done in the past so I'm grateful for it right now.
Try not to expect to get exactly what you are fantasizing about for time together or anything else. It may not happen exactly that way (no expectations). But you know what is acceptable to you. I don't think he is saying he doesn't want to spend time, but he may be saying he can't do it exactly the way you want to. I bet you don't do everything exactly the way he'd like either. I know I don't always meet my H's expectations. But I've also noticed he doesn't have as many as I do!
I know it is going to be hard with the kids, but you may have to be the one who takes the initiative on this. Maybe you could try to start with something smaller, like he needs to be on time!!! And when he is on time, make sure he knows how much you appreciate it.
Be very careful here. When I told my H to leave a year ago, he went looking for "comfort" somewhere else. Not saying that will happen to you. But it does happen.
