Go ahead and vote!  You can be totally anonymous, or leave a comment below.  Either way I want to know!

And if you do have one, what rules do you set for showing movies?

Do you leverage your sweet little sunshine's love of all things cartoon to your advantage and hold the DVDs back when needed?

Use it as a reward?  Any other rules?

The rocks, sand, and wild desert vegetation of the Baja pensinsula made up the backdrop for our family road adventure this summer. Greg and I can take partial credit for this successful vacation, having hatched out the whole plan out around a campfire last November. "We've got to get the cousins out on a really cool trip this summer," I implored. "Are you up for something?"

We settled on Baja, pleaded with Mark to go along with it (he quickly agreed), and 6 months later, with fresh passports in hand, we made the trek down. While the trip was Greg's and my idea, Mark was definitely the driving force behind the success of our 2 weeks. He planned a great route and was our group's main Spanish speaker. Baja gave our family the perfect balance of adventure on and off the beaten path. We enjoyed the food, the culture, and the views from every mountain and beach we explored on the way.

A starry night in the Kofa Wilderness

Mark, remember our first anniversary in San Carlos?

We had a lot of great times our first year of married life, but that trip was exceptional. I remember sitting on a patio with the sun setting over the Gulf, talking and eating fresh seafood. The strolling mariachis and flower vendors spotted us a mile away and came over to see if we were total suckers in love. Maybe we were, but who cares on a date like that? I still don't think you fell for it, though...Later on that trip, we snorkeled, went kayaking, and played in the water. Perfect 3 days of Mark and Brooke time.

The Phoenix-area is a great launching point for 2-3 day weekend road trip "mini-vacations." With a young daughter we try to minimize the driving and include more hands-on experiences that appeal to a toddler. Like everyone else, we prefer a short drive, to a not-too-crowded camping area, where it's scenic and there's something fun to do nearby.

That's not too much to ask, right?