Good Reasons For Having Kids (And Allowing Them To Survive Into Their Teens)

After our stinky little detour, we finally make it up to the top of the gondola ride. Took some time to locate the rest of the group and when we did, this is what we saw:

Are these two girls giggling over a secret or what? Turns out that da Boo had picked a flower for me and it was hidden in her pocket. Too cute.

Let the hiking commence! The trail we took was about a mile in a loop. No worries. Kids can handle it. Oh wait, we've got little kids...hmmmmm, we might have a problem. But then again, we have two dads and two strapping young lads.

Problem fixed! Let's keep moving. Of course, da Boo just had to tease her cousin.

How can you not fall over giggling at that picture? Just look at the expression on her face! She's enjoying the torment!

Wait a minute...this fork in the road is not shown on the map. This is where having a kid with boundless energy comes in handy: send him running up one path to see if that's the way to go. With that problem solved, we soldier on. That's when the Boy makes a fascinating discovery:

"Look, Mommy! Nature!" Yes, son, and it looks better than on TV!

After the hike, we rode the gondola up and down a couple more times until I was good and afraid of heights. Then it was naptime. And the kids took a nap, too.

Here's another reason why you should always travel with teenagers: they watch the kids! My brother asked his two older boys if they would be willing to keep an eye on the littler kids while the parents went out to dinner. They actually agreed! These are good guys, these two. So my brother ordered pizza for the kids and we headed out for a local Mexican place. The restaurant was pretty good (except for the fact that our waitress looked horrified that I would select red meat over the chicken). It was a good day. If only it didn't have to end on that miserable bed...