Almost time...

It's almost time to go on vacation. I am really looking forward to it...kind of.

Okay let's back up for a second. Keegan turned 2 yrs old on Feb. 6th. We had the grandparents over for a little party. We decided not to do a bigger one because; well I have enough on my plate getting ready for our vacation and we really, really don't need anymore toys around the house. Also, Keegan really doesn't care right now and I bet in a couple years he really will care.

So back to the vacation. Anyone notice how stressful it is to get ready for a vacation? First there's the work stuff; I need to make sure everything is wrapped up at work and all my results are updated.

Then there's the planning part. Do we have tickets for everything? What do we want to see while we are there? The mail needs to be stopped. Need to make sure the dog is packed up and ready to stay at my parents' house. Then there is the packing....

Packing is the worst for me. With a toddler we need to pack a lot of stuff. We need a carseat, a stroller, a booster seat (since we are renting a townhouse), and a place for him to sleep. This is in addition to clothing, beach stuff, toiletries, toys, snacks, etc. We need to pack it all so that we can get it from point A to point B. God forbid we forget anything. I mean it's not like we are going to the moon, we can buy stuff there but it is just overwhelming. I mean what if we forget Blue Blankie? Blue Blankie is essential to Keegan's happiness. What if we forget the pacifiers or medication or who knows what else?

Lyle tries to help with packing. In fact he is in charge of electronics (camera, DVD player, PSP, phone chargers etc). So he takes care of that. Unfortunately I take over the rest of it. Inevitably I am awake all night the night before we leave going over what is packed over and over and over in my head. And...inevitably we will get to San Diego and be unpacking and Lyle will say "Where is the ___, did you pack it?" and the answer will be no. I forgot flip-flops or a belt or socks or something else.

Then there is getting through security at the airport. Anyone who has taken a toddler through security is with me on this one. I have to take off my shoes, Keegan's shoes, my jacket, Keegan's jacket, put the infant tylenol into a ziploc baggy, make sure Keegan doesn't run off. While I do this Lyle lugs the carseat onto the xray machine and unpacks the laptop, the camera, and the PSP. We get to the front of the line. The carseat won't fit in this x-ray machine. We need to go to the other one over there. We pick up everything and waddle over to the next x-ray machine. I wonder how my body can carry everything it is carrying; I wonder what I am leaving behind....

Then we get on the airplane. Lyle runs on to install the carseat, while I try to run out Keegan's energy while keeping an ear out for the last call to board the plane. Then there is trying to explain to Keegan what we are doing, trying to distract him, feed him, keep him as happy as we can for 3.5 hours. Praying the whole time that their won't be a major toddler melt down.

All that is the worst of it. Everything *should* be okay once we get there. Then it will just be struggling to fit in regular naps and meals and keeping everyone well rested and happy.

Should a vacation be this stressful? Probably not. I kind of wig out about all of this stuff and I will try to calm down. But until we get there I know I will be packing everything in my mind to make sure I have it all right, I will be trying to second guess Keegan's airplane mood, I will be praying no one gets sick, and hoping that we don't get delayed.

So am I looking forward to vacation? Yes and no...I try to keep in mind that this is just another life adventure and that we should approach it with a sense of fun :-)