Vegas and Back

Hooray! We made it...and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. (I prepared for the worst and was presently surprised with it being not-so-bad.)

The kids and I flew-out of Salt Lake Thursday afternoon. I was loaded down with goodies from WalMart and the $1 Store. (Thank you all for your tips. I couldn't have made it without your suggestions!)

Of course getting through the airport is always a wonderful treat in itself. (I have already blogged about this several months back about how much I dislike airports...the whole taking off the shoes and hoisting the stroller up onto the conveyor belt is such an unnecessary process.) Once we were on the airplane we were fine. Except for the fact that it was a very full flight. I was hoping some mother-type woman would sit by me. (The type of person who understands a little girl who thinks screaming is equivalent to talking). Nope. Some young army-bound kid plopped down. I said to him, "Uhm, you may want to find another seat." He replied back, "The plane's full." (At this point it was not full, and I was clear at the very back.) I told him he might regret his choice in seats. Pretty sure he did.



Myka loved the chapstick! Carsen loved the little dinosaurs


The kids did quite well. I had to keep rotating through the 'surprises' but they were intrigued and loving it. Carsen loved the mini 'etch-a-sketch' and Myka loved her baby with the binkie. If anyone is traveling with kids, take a look back at the suggestions and do ALL of them!

Here's some quick highlights:

My mom's generous boss, Gerard, took us to eat lunch at Makino on my mom's birthday. It's my Mom and my favorite restaurant. It has the most delicious tempura shrimp and vegetables. The kids loved the noodles and the chocolate fondue fountain! (That picture of them is absolutely horrible....but that's what happens when your kids touch the lens of your camera with noodle fingers)!


Saturday we went to Mandalay Bay to visit the Shark Reef. What a hit! I have never been there and I thought it was amazing--the kids loved it too. They give you a remote control to listen to a recorded message about each aquarium and both Carsen and Myka loved to push the button and listen. Myka thought she had a little telephone, and Carsen was really into it and kept asking questions about the different fish. Both kids loved touching the sting ray and were so intrigued the entire time. We followed up the Shark Reef with a little seafood of our own at the MGM Grand Buffet. (Delicious!) The kids were also able to see the Tigers (sleeping...I swear they are always sleeping whenever I go there). While my Dad and Carsen headed back to get the car us girls hit the $10 Boutique to load up on some watches!



Carsen and Pa spent hours in their swimming pool. Every spare second Carsen was begging to go outside and go swimming. His favorite was when Pa flipped him in the air! What I love about my parents pool is how warm they keep it. They have it on a solar--so it's bathtub water warm. (That's my kind of pool water!)


The weekend flew by too quickly and Monday afternoon was there before I knew it. I wasn't very excited to fly again...but it was another pleasant flight back home. The plane was really empty and we had the entire row to ourselves way in the back. The flight attendant was a cute gal who kept tabs on me to see if we needed anything. The kids played cute together and I loved having Myka strapped into a seat and not crawling all over my lap, shoulders, arms and legs!

I love my little trips to Vegas with just the kiddos. My parents always spoil us and I come home with my bags (and belly) bulging.