1st family vacation

We just got back from our first family vacation to Disneyland today. We not only survived; we had a lot of fun. I tend to get very stressed out, and yesterday after Elliott got ahold of one of Ryan's pills and ate one and then we lost Ben's annual pass, I must say that I was a little on edge. But after a call to poison control and a successful search for Ben's pass, we were on our way. We had so much fun. When you are a teenager, Disneyland starts to seem a little lame and small. But when you bring your kids, you get to see it all over again, and it suddenly becomes much larger. The small rides I used to think were boring became fun all over again as I watched Ben laugh and smile. I had never taken the train around Disneyland before, and I realized how fun it is with Ryan and the kids.

The hotel we stayed at was amazing; it had an extra room for Elliott (he even had his own flat screen tv so he could get the scores) and I took Ben swimming in the pool yesterday while Elliott napped upstairs. Then we headed back to the park for another five hours. We all went to bed around 11 last night, which is a crazy late night for us four.

The most important thing I learned over this vacation is that Ryan and I can do this--we can take two small, sweet, intense children on a trip and manage not to lose anyone or anything (including our minds). It has made me more confident as a parent and just reinforced the fact that the most fun I ever have in my life is when I am spending time with the family that Ryan and I created.