Team Little Kids for the Win

What a happy surprise!  We are in Boise, Idaho this evening and who should Abe cross paths with in the lobby of our hotel?  My very own cousin Andy!!! What are the chances.  He lives in Salt Lake Valley as well and I don't see him and his family nearly as often as I would like.  What are the chances we'd be staying at the same hotel in Boise for a night and run into one another!  I was so happy to see him and talk for a few minutes.  He has always had the best sense of humor!

And I needed his good sense of humor tonight because I was very much out of humors when we finally arrived in Boise.  Greta was, shall we say, not happy on this trip.  Not happy at all.  I estimate, and I do not exaggerate, she cried for at least 3 1/2 hours of the drive.  I admit, in the past, we have prided ourselves on our children being "good travelers".  Whatever that means.  Alas, I must now admit that Peter and Greta are NOT good travelers.    It's probably because we rarely travel with them.  It's probably because we've lived in fear of Peter for almost four years now.  Anyway, Greta cries the whole time and Peter talks so loudly and we can't understand anything he's saying.  So he compensates by saying whatever indistinguishable thing he's saying even louder.

Abe was a little more patient with her than I was.  He held her hand and talked sweet to her and sang to her.  

Sadly, I was sort of done before the trip began.  When we travel we usually stay up late packing and get a super early start.  Today we didn't leave until 4.  So we'd spent the whole day getting ready and anticipation building and keyed up children.  

And although I know nobody notices or cares, I would like it to be known that I do do Greta's hair.  And no matter what hairstyle I try, she rips it out of her head... along with her hair.  So she has bald spots and it's upsetting to me.  And I don't know how to get her to stop pulling out her hair.  And my nerves are seriously frazzled this evening.  And I'm going to stop now because grammatically and emotionally I'm shot to pieces.

No, I'm not done yet.  Oh, and at home, she will not keep her clothes on when we put her in her bed.  She just strips right down.  Often times, she removes her diaper as well.  Yesterday, this was the condition we found her in.  Pants on her head, shirt around her rear-end.  I don't remember the other kids being quite as resourceful as our little Gret.  

Finding pens and markers is sort of favorite past time of hers.  

Not even an ounce of remorse.

You know, I have a lot of helpers at home.  I have the luxury of built-in babysitters.  Lots of them.  These days it's not very often that I feel the little kids have gotten the better of me, but I'm calling "uncle" tonight.  Little Kids-1, Mom-0.  Team Little Kids for the Win