Giving a New Meaning to "Vacation"

We got back last night from a week-long "vacation". Amelia, Danny and I spent three days in NYC and then met my family in Rhode Island for my cousin, Miriam's, Bat-Mitzvah. We had a really good time throughout the entire trip, as tiring as it was to be so adventurous. We took Amelia on the NYC subway, to Chinatown, in city cabs, on one bus and even on the ferry to Ellis Island. We schleped her and ourselves everywhere we wanted to go and it was great. Anyone with young kids will tell you (unless they bring full time child care) that there will never be such a thing as a relaxing vacation ever again, but for me the whole idea of a vacation has taken on a different meaning. I now enjoy everything a little more now that I get to enjoy it with Amelia. Seeing her point at things and make such great exclamations at everything around her makes it worth the sleepless nights in a cramped hotel room and the long days of getting to and from our destination. For the next few years, maybe we wont call them vacations. Maybe they will just be family trips or, simply, family adventures.