best. vacation. EVER.

We've taken our kids on many vacations. MANY!

They've skied in three states. Screamed at amusement parks. Camped in National Parks.  Museums and road side attractions. Stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon and at the base of the Statue of Liberty.

They've been out of the country.  They've been on cruise ships, boats, planes, and trains. Road trips too numerous to list. "Are we there YET?"

But last weekend's vacation was different.

Not because a record setting heatwave was sweeping through the western United States and we were in Palm Springs. Expected high of 120. We've had our share of weather issues over the years - snow, rain, heat. No problem.

As we were heading home Saturday this happened:

Me: This was the best vacation in... I can't remember how long.
Anthony: You have got to be kidding.
Justin: She means because we didn't fight. It was my favorite, too.

We didn't go anywhere spectacular. Just the hotel pool and a few hours at the waterpark. But there were no meltdowns. No fights. Despite the heat and the sunburns. Not one.

What there was, was Anthony laughing. A dogpile on the hotel bed. Eric in the wave pool. And that moment... when Justin "got it".

It wasn't that long ago...

I vividly remember sitting in a rental car outside of Orlando while my 10 year old screeched at the top of his lungs for 2 hours because the Space Shuttle launch we were supposed to see had been scrubbed.

Just 2 years ago, Aaron bolted from a Mexican restaurant in Phoenix.

Photos of Justin crying uncontrollably in San Clemente. And San Diego. And...

Aaron, who won't go to the movies. Who wants to leave when he wants to leave - even if we just got there.  Who doesn't deal with surprise or plan deviations or impromptu well. Who expects chicken strips or macaroni and cheese nearly every meal. Who can throw a tantrum to rival any three year old. Except he's almost 14.

I suggest them. I plan them. I collect lists of amazing places to see and things to do.  We talk about them for weeks leading up to them. But still, after years of disappointments and yelling, I've come to dread family vacations. It's just one way parenting two special kids has changed me. 

The stress before.  The chaos during.  The guilt after.

Over the years, we've altered our destination choices and the length we're away based on what Aaron and Justin can deal with and, really, how much of THEM I can handle.  But, this weekend was different and it is a reminder that, on some level, it IS getting better.

Not perfect. But better.

I have no photos or souvenirs from this trip. Nothing to scrapbook. Just the memories. And that's ok.