Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Vacation thoughts

We made it home safe and sound from our whirlwind vacation to the beach and Disney World. We had a lot of fun! I think parents get a double dose of fun on vacation--you get to enjoy the activities and sights for yourself, and you get to experience your kids' joy. But parents also get a double dose (or triple dose) of work on vacation... you're slathering sun screen on three bodies instead of just your own. You're packing an insane amount of kid paraphernalia to take with you any time you leave the room. You're coordinating bedtimes and nap times and park times and swim times, trying to squeeze as much fun into the vacation without exhausting everyone. (It's a pretty hard balance to strike, and I think we mostly erred on the side of exhaustion. It would have helped if SOME little girl who will remain nameless would have been willing to take naps in her stroller once in a while.)

We made some great memories. Perrin LOVED the thrill rides and went on anything and everything that he was tall enough for--Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, even the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Even Brielle got into the spirit and by the end of vacation was demanding "Ride! Ride!" (Although I think her all-time favorite ride was the resort elevator.) But I think my biggest takeaway was just an overwhelming feeling of love and thankfulness for my kids. There was something really special about being on vacation with them, spending so much time with no real goal other than having fun together. I loved watching them have a good time. They got so excited about even the littlest things--feeding our expensive Norwegian pastries to the ducks, riding the monorail (or "mommy rail" as Perrin called it), or just taking an ice cream break in between rides. 

No vacation is perfect, and we had some challenging moments. But I'm so thankful we decided to take this trip. Perrin is already begging to go back. (Um... let me take a year or five to recover from this one, okay?) But honestly, I really am looking forward to next time, even if it is several years away. And this time I'll bring some cheap bread for the ducks.