Las Vegas

Last week we went with my family to Las Vegas or rather I should say my family came with us to Las Vegas. A few months ago I found a killer deal on airfare so I called up my sisters to see if they wanted to come. Then I decided it would be fun to have my kids with me, but this posted a problem for late nights in Vegas, thus, my mom and dad were invited. (They knew this was why they were invited and they didn't care!!) We had a lot of fun. It was fun to go with everyone and it was great to have the kids with us. Here are the pictures I have so far.

This was Whitney's third airplane trip, though she insisted that it was her second because she only remembers going to see Kenna. She acted like a pro. We had a little turbulence on the way there. After the first time she said, "Wee, do it again." You could here a few groans form around us, obviously not everyone felt the same. This was Ryan's first airplane ride and he acted with satisfying enthusiasm for all of us watching. I don't know who was more entertaining to watch Ryan or Grandma and Grandpa watching Ryan!

We spent some time at the Shark Reef at Mandaly Bay. I highly recommend this exhibit. It is very well done and cheap for Vegas standards. The kids really enjoyed it. Ryan liked standing in the tunnel where the sharks swim over top of you. Whitney's favorite was the octopus and the jelly fish. The best part about this exhibit is that they don't have information things that you have to stand in front of to read. (any parent knows this is impossible with kids by your side and even more so when there are so many cool things to look at!) Instead they give each person a listening device. You type in the number of the fish you want to learn about and hold it up to your ear to listen. This was great because I got to learn about a few fish without sacrificing the entertainment value for my kids!

The Mirage has a dolphin habitat where they do research and conservation. Whitney wants to be a dolphin trainer when she grows up. She loved watching and would have stayed longer but the rest of us were done. The dolphins do not do a show, but the trainers come out to periodically work with them. We were there for a few training sessions. Whitney asked one of the trainers what she had to do to become a dolphin trainer. She was told to study hard, be good at cleaning because the dolphins can't do it so she will have to, and to learn how to swim. The trainer told her to practice by keeping her own room clean. Of all the advice she gave her this one was my favorite.

Of course no trip to Vegas would be complete without walking the strip late at night. Thanks Mom and Dad for hanging out with the kids for this one.

Stay tuned for our trip to Sigfried and Roy's secret garden and our journey to the top of the Eiffel Tower.