1m2aSandbox

Well, I’ve had the vacation of a lifetime and unfortunately it had to end, so I’m back.

Not that I’m bitter.

Seriously, I think that’s the best vacation I’ve ever had – a long week in Hawaii with my family. And yes, I know, Hawaii is amazing, but beyond that, I had a really excellent time with my kids.

We’ve hit that sweet spot where they’re old enough to be reasonably independent – both sat in booster seats and could fasten and unfasten themselves without help, for example. Doesn’t sound like a big deal, but having to work two separate five-point harnesses over and OVER can be a beat-down when you’re constantly hopping in and out of the car to look at waterfalls and beaches and historic sites. Suddenly I’m not gritting my teeth every time someone says, “Ooh, can we stop there?”

At the same time, the girls are still young enough to want to be around us. And I am fully aware of what a blessing that is. Our last night there, we took the girls to a reasonably authentic luau – buried pig cooked in the sand, half-naked lads digging it out, fire-twirling and singing a-plenty – all set amidst fifty acres of botanical gardens. The girls were all over it, ogling the peacocks and snapping pictures of all the fruit trees, trying the poi and scarfing down the pig. But sitting next to us was a family with two teenagers on the far end of the age scale, and it was clear that this was not where they wanted to be. They didn’t speak the entire meal, and I honestly think one girl’s eyes were stuck rolled all the way back in her head. All I could think was, I’m so glad that’s not us.

I’m so glad my girls love to vacation with us, and want to be with us all the time. Now that the girls are more independent and not so much sheer physical work, I don’t find myself craving moments alone from them like I did when they were toddlers – back in the day when I’d dream about peeing ALL BY MYSELF – and not once during our whole week together did I start looking around for some grown-up time.

I’m not saying the whole trip was one big bouquet of flowers – but that’s a blog for another day.

I know my time with the girls is limited: both in the immediate future as we count down the last three weeks before work, and further down the line as my girls grow up and move into lives of their own. This nucleus won’t last, so I’m going to enjoy it while I can.