Fourteen years later, we had three boys who were growing  up faster by the day. It was time to make_good_on those plans. We  renewed our passports, and then packed our bags. We showed  our kids the world. It was about experiencing the dozens of flights  and trains and taxis together. We showed them how wonderful,  how diverse, and how fascinating the world is. We wanted them  to learn all that we had learned ourselves, through our own  travels.

  But there was something more than that: What we really wanted is to slow down time. We wanted the days to last a bit longer, and the weeks to take their time. The years with our children are going too fast. We wanted to put the brakes on our busy lives for a year, and just be with our kids. We wanted a break from the daily morning routine of making lunches, eating    breakfast and going out the door in time for school. We needed    family time out.