Family Vacations

A major wish for my family was to be able to have fun family vacations. The thought of having those memories and the fun during was an experience I wanted. The idea of packing for a child, planning the right activities, and the overall aspect of traveling felt so overwhelming. Throw in finding care arrangements for pets and suddenly it felt like the safer option to avoid travel. Thankfully, a year and a half ago my husband and I decided we were going to take a family vacation. We looked through a few options and decided to go to Disneyland! Little did we know it would be the start of several trips to come allowing us to create the most magical memories.

It is easy to see debates online talking about the best time to travel with children. If you do it when they are too young they won't remember, but if you wait until they are older some moments can lack the magical feeling. Everyone's opinions can quickly feel overwhelming when trying to pinpoint the best age to maximize the fun in a trip. Thankfully, my husband and I went with what felt right to us. Our first trip to Disneyland was a few days before Michael turned three. We just recently got back from a trip celebrating both my husband's and Michael's birthdays. 

We had so much fun on our trip! From a beach day to start, to 2 days in Disneyland, and last minute adding a surprise day to California Adventure. So much fun was packed into the week and I am so thankful we can create these memories together. 

An expectation I always put on myself for our trips is that everything has to be perfect otherwise I somehow failed in creating the foundation for our trip. This trip though was awakening for me. Was every moment picture perfect with sunshine and rainbows? No, and that is okay! Between long days at the park, being outside for long periods in warmer weather, and the occasional moments of realizing no one has eaten recently, there were a few moments that weren't perfect. I learned something so valuable in those moments though. We still had an amazing trip and those moments did not impact our overall family vacation. 

It's easy to get consumed in unrealistic expectations of trying to have everything perfect. You see picture-perfect moments all the time and expect things to always go that way. Life isn't always that simple and sometimes you have to deal with little hiccups. My husband and I took those moments to learn how we can plan better for our future trips. 
I am so thankful for these special moments with my family and am so excited for our upcoming vacation for Christmas. Making sure we carve out the time for our trips has turned into a big priority for our family. Taking breaks from reality and focusing on family bonding has been so rewarding for us. Despite minor hiccups and the initial fear of traveling with a toddler; it has worked out amazingly. 

While Michael may not remember our early trips, I am thankful that my husband and I will always hold those memories. Time often feels like it is flying as a parent, but those few days scattered throughout the year truly do feel like time has stopped. Creating memories on vacations will continue to be a priority for us and I hope the fun of them never ends.
If you have read this far, thank you!!