It's never easy!

Sometimes I wonder if it is really worth the routine...the continual routine that happens day in and day out and never changes for fear of something becoming unbalanced? Had it been with any of the other kids I would say I need to relax a little, let somethings go, get out more and try new experiences! I would have rolled my eyes, called myself a stick in the mud...til I had Jack!
It amazes me how much unchanging routine is so important to the balance of his life. He has a set routine for night time that only he allows me to do with him. He has certain rituals that must be completed in the morning like having his milk (his coffee) before he will hug anyone at school. For church he must sing songs in big church before going to his class, which also includes donuts and water. If any of this changes format it is grounds for mental meltdowns depending on the day. Some days he is okay with the small changes, others it's fall to the floor refusal of cooperation
For the most part my kids are easy going, but like to know how long they'll be gone so they can get their important things to snuggle with. Jackson is always on the go...he always wants to go somewhere and asks "uanna go?" over and over again and sometimes with shoes in hand. Though he has grand aspirations of going everywhere, he can't afford it...and quite honestly it wears me out!
So this summer (actually a couple of weeks before summer started) we began potty training. This was all Jackson's idea (you can ask his teacher!) which began by stealing a little boys underwear from the bathroom and requesting that he have them on. (I know, I was rolling when his teacher called me!) So I was okay about this. After 4 kids I knew this was something not to be rushed and with Jackson I never know what to expect, but I was ready. He did great! He stayed dry minus going #2, but I was happy with that and figured 1 step at a time. Then he began to stay dry overnight, which really floored me because all the other kids took a couple of years to be dry all night, but my little man decided all at once to stay dry during the day and at night...we just needed to find out how to catch him before #2! By the first part of July I figured out the routine enough to catch him and it was going great! We had been accident free for almost 3 weeks, then we went out of town.
Now typically when we go out of town I become more in-tuned to my children and can figure out their potty needs when they were potty training, with Jack it was not that easy. He was surrounded by nature (which is his favorite, most relaxing thing in the world) and I was sunk. It went downhill from there. I don't know if I was just exhausted from all the travel, surely our routine went back to normal when we got back??
So our great accident free status went from several days to several minutes or hours. It's like starting from square one...AGAIN!!
This is very disheartening for me...I don't consider it a setback, just a reoccurring learning process. He is still dry at night, and for the most part dry during the day...but that dreaded #2 will be the death of me. I was so hoping to share with his teach all the progress he's made over the summer and with all that time he would have solidified a routine that he could take with him to school and I could tell his teacher what to expect, but this will not happen this summer. He has made a lot of progress in his speech (I think) and in some degree with the loss of his first tooth has matured. But the dreaded training saga continues! The reason it disheartens me is because I so long for him to be independent, I strive for that with all my kids, it's very important to me that they are successful all on their own so they see what they are made of.
I know that this too shall pass and I know that this will be a small blimp on his screen of accomplishments and considering when he started he's come a long way in a short time. I get it, I completely understand that is will take time and probably a year from now I'll be laughing at all of this! But now I question whether or not it is worth going away on vacation, when should be attempted again, what changes are to be made? Will it be like this all the time or is it this particular concept that is more difficult to accomplish??? I don't know the answers to this and no one else can tell me either because each child is different...it's never easy, only different, more creative, more involved....just never easy!