I recently went to Disney World with my family. It was the VIP trip of a lifetime thanks to my Dad and Step-mom. We had a personal tour guide that enabled us to skip lines and have VIP seating during the incredible plays and shows. We ate dinner at fantastic restaurants that offered decadent desserts and yummy drinks.
As amazing as this all was, traveling and going on vacations with two kids in tow makes things much different compared to vacationing without them. Except, I can't even remember what it's like to not have a child holding my hand, complaining, or sitting on my lap while I eat.
The airplane ride for starters, while a success,(and by success I mean my almost three year old daughter didn't cry or try to get out of her seat during the two hour flight and my son happily listened to his iPod and read books) still takes a lot of energy and it's hard not to envy everyone else who is sleeping the entire time. We played games, colored, looked out the window, watched Elmo, sang songs, and by the time the plane landed I was already tired.
Day two was a full day in Magic Kingdom and while we rented a stroller, my daughter preferred the comfort of my arms more often then the stroller. Now, she weighs forty pounds and that forty pounds feel like one hundred after eight hours of carrying her around. But hey, I just considered it a really good cardio work-out and tried to pretend like I didn't want to fake an illness and lounge by the pool alone for the remainder of the day.
On the pool days, my sister slept in a lounge chair soaking up all the vitamin D her skin would ever dream of, while I helped Layla go up and down the water slide two hundred fucking times!!! Ahhh! Part of me misses those lazy days where nothing else mattered but myself but watching Layla's little face light up every time she slid down the water slide was priceless. And watching my son participate in poolside games meant more to me than sitting alone with a book.
It's rare if both kids are happy at the same time, yet they always manage to need me at the same time for different things. For some odd reason, not matter how content they are, as soon as I answer the phone or start going to the bathroom, I becomes the most sought out person in the house. There are days I have a mental countdown to their bedtime as I crave the quiet time to work on my book, or just sit without being climbed on.
I have great kids though. And my daughter was so incredibly well behaved on our Disney trip that I wanted to kiss her feet. When we got on the plane to go home and she balled up her favorite blanket, snuggled her Timon and went to sleep it was the perfect opportunity for me to rest. I couldn't stop staring at her though. Her beautiful curly blond hair was draped across her chubby face and her deep shallow breathing could hardly be heard over the loud roaring of the plane.
My son was constantly catching my gaze and smiling at me from his seat. It reiterated to me that it doesn't matter how tired my arms get from carrying them, or how annoyed I get when they keep calling me name. Even though I have watched Elmo's World more times than I care to remember, and have been peed on, pooped on, and puked on, I honestly wouldn't give it up for anything.
Want to hear the crazy part? I want more!
