The perfect beach "vacation" fantasy

Ahh, Alas, our first summer vacation with our almost 1 year old! Visions of sugarplums and relaxation under the warm sun began to brew as the wretched winter started to melt away... Perhaps it was the sleep deprivation that led to daydreams of my sweet husband and I holding hands on our beach chairs (the ones with the cup holders for sipping coronas, with lime!) as our toes were tickled by the warm ocean waves. To the left, our precious child content with God's beauty as he is dazzled by the endless sandbox. To the right, our two dogs running to the ocean and return in a delightful chase together. The climax of my fantasy: reading a novel with the sound of the seagulls on the beach.

After planning this trip under these delusions, my excitement and motherly bliss was through the roof! Oh of course there would be some challenges to overcome I thought; I was not oblivious!
Yeah-RIGHT!
The following is unformatted...but is all I could remember of the first 2 days...

new puppy on vacation (forgot to mention this tidbit) = more surprise poop to clean up..long waits in restaurants with hungry child and parents = irritable child....new puppy barking all night while being crated....infestation of roaches in our rental, lovely...the promise of sleeping through the night: never happened, probably worse due to teething...Up at least 3 times our first night of "vacation" ... constant fighting between older dog (7) and new puppy( 5 weeks)...Fighting with my "sweet, darling husband" over who's turn it was to play in the sand or be on chase patrol...arriving at the beach after packing beach chairs, sand toys, complete diaper bag and diggin in the sun umbrella only to return back home after 15 minutes for an over-tired, over stimulated 10 month old.. this all happened our first night and first day..we had 6 more to go!

Although things did not go as envisioned, by day three I came to a realization(after a good talk with mom) that it was quite normal and I had to let go of my "Great Expectations". Family vacations were about spending time together and making memories. Allowing some routine like staying home for naps, planning on several 1 hour trips to the beach, a waddling pool and of course teamwork were all very important! By day 5, we were getting the hang of this and wishing we could start over...We managed to relax, not on the beach..but all 3 of us plus our 2 dogs took afternoon naps together:) Time to plan the next one...