Brief Time Out...

from our Las Vegas trip. Then I will be back with a couple more posts from the trip. Here are two cute items from Christmas.

A couple of years ago I was given some cute Christmas ornaments and I bought a few more. They don't show up very well on a large tree, so this year I got a small tree to put them on. (Sorry this picture isn't very good) But it made a cute tree and looks perfect with my wooden snowman, from Karen, standing next to it.

This year Ashley made some cute gifts for each of us. She filled a clear glass ball with sand and seashells. The note inside the box says, "May we always remember what CHRISTmas is all about. Let this be our testimony to you- We love our Savior Jesus Christ with all our hearts. He lives! Though we may be compared in number to the sands of the sea, He knows and loves us each as individuals. We love you. Merry Christmas". The little tag on the ball says,  "Remember, remember, try always to be as the man who walked the shores of Galilee." It looks very cute sitting on my shelf next to my "Happiness" plaque and my willow tree statue.

Sharks at Mandalay Bay

One of our activities on Wednesday, Dec. 29th, was to go see the "Shark Reef Aquarium" at the Mandalay Bay hotel. It was a good exhibit for the kids and the adults. Somehow we managed to get there right before the huge line formed- remember we are in Las Vegas just a couple of days before the big New Years party- crowds are beginning to gather. lol

Here are some of the "creatures" that could be seen there.

This Christmas tree was in the hallway leading up to the aquarium.

Tuesday Evening, Dec. 28

After we had our daytime outing in the Hoover "dam" traffic and most of us bailed out for other activities- our car (me and the Petes) stopped at a Vons grocery store and bought pizza and toppings. They were the fresh, grocery store pizzas and we added extra toppings to one to make it a "veggie" and we also had a pepperoni and a cheese and a cheese with olives. They were really good pizzas. We also had leftover salad from what Ashley and Annie fixed for Sunday and Monday.  During the week we took turns fixing meals. After dinner we decided to take all of the kids and go on a little adventure to the Las Vegas strip. The Bellagio hotel has an amazing fountain. It is described as "spectacular dancing waters with music". It has music and a show every 15 minutes. Sam took mom and Aud in the car. The rest of us walked. Hailey, Owen, and Nicholas were in strollers, the other boys each had hold of an adult, so that adult would not get lost :) Alison had Dallin in the baby pack. The streets and sidewalks were very crowded with people. It was also pretty chilly, so we all bundled up. We ended up walking through one casino, going across one over-the-street-walkway, and taking a short cut (on the way back) through a shopping mall. It was fun to see the fountains and the other lights and sights of the city.  

Ash must have taken this picture.



Micah, Alison and Dallin



Audrey and Sam

 

Ashley and Daniel



Jaden, Nathan, and Jared



Nicholas

 

Owen




Hailey and Ashley



Dallin



Alex, Annie, and Weston



Weston



Happy Happy Birthday...

"Happy happy birthday, Nathan, dear...

Happy days to you all year!"

Keep an eye out for the UPS truck on Wednesday evening :)

"Happy happy..." Okay so I won't sing to Daniel :)

But, he has a birthday on Monday. (No card or UPS truck for you.)

Yours, was an "I paid" and "Ash picked it up deal".

Hope you have a great day and a great year, to a

great husband and father.

Tuesday, Dec. 28

Since I use this blog for my journal, the next few posts will be some details from our week in Las Vegas. The pictures are from the Pete's camera-

thank you very much :)

On Tuesday, some of our group wanted to drive out to Hoover dam. The rest of us decided to go along, just because it seemed to be the family outing for the day. Mike and Carrie were in their car. Sam drove a car which included mom, Ron, and Audrey. Al and Micah drove their car and followed Sam. I was in the car with Ashley and Daniel and we were following the Simms van. We only got a short distance outside of Vegas and realized that there was so much bumper-to-bumper traffic, all going to the dam (remember, this is New Years week in Vegas with tons of people), that a 45 minute drive was going to take at least 2 1/2 hours. Mike and Carrie made it just past Boulder City when they turned back. (They stopped for lunch, did some shopping, and went back to Las Vegas to see the lions at MGM and the flamingos at The Flamingo) Our car and the Simms van made it to a park in Boulder City for lunch and then we turned back. The other two cars made it to the dam, only to find very little parking and a couple of other complications that made their visit brief. (They soon headed back to A&W in Boulder City for mid afternoon lunch :) The Petes, the Simms, and I headed to Red Rock Canyon, which was a much better choice for the children.

 

I guess these are rabbit ears :)



Las Vegas New Years Week

Papa and the princess Pete.



Aud and Weston.



Sam and Weston.



A giraffe named Owen :)

Here are four cute pics. from our trip to LasVegas. I didn't get very many pictures on my camera, but we had about 6 cameras going most of the week. Once they are all collected on drop box, I'll have some more to post. (Plus I will be making small scrapbooks for each family :) When I made our reservation for a family gathering in LasVegas for the week after Christmas, I did not realize that, that week is the gathering for "Americas New Years Party" on the Vegas strip. 300,000 people stood out in freezing cold weather to see 8 minutes of fireworks on LasVegas boulevard. Lucky for us we were able to see the crowd on TV, watch the traffic jam on the street below our room and see the fireworks from our room at the Wyndham. (Much better than being OUT in the crowd) And, yes, somehow I managed to stay up until midnight- amazing. We did get a group photo- thanks to Sam and his camera. That photo is posted on Mike's blog and on Sam's blog. On Wednesday evening, right after dinner, and before some of our group went out to a show, we had a few minutes for pictures. Instead of stressing about what everyone was wearing and spending time getting everyone's hair just right- it was just "meet in the lobby in 5 minutes!" We took the pictures and most of the kids even cooperated. They actually turned out pretty well. Not only did we get a group photo but also individual family photos. Again, kind of spur of the moment, but they turned out okay, too. Check back, I'll post more pictures and tell some of our adventures for the week. It was an amazing week together for our family. Ron and I have actually had about 13 days of no alarm clock (the only exception was Saturday morning to get to the airport to come back to Houston.) Tomorrow will be back to "normal" and back to work for both of us. Sounds like we got out of Vegas just in time to miss the snow! :) At least three of us are glad to be back in "warm" Texas.

Paid My Dues

I guess I have paid my dues and am now officially admitted in the Old Peoples Christmas Organization. I am feeling rather guilty because I know that my children have been going crazy this week, and especially today, getting EVERYTHING ready for Christmas. And what did I do today? Whatever I wanted- haha. Today was a no-alarm-clock-day, just get up whenever we wake up. I tried to stay in my pajamas all day, but about mid day I realized that my skirt, that I want to wear on Sunday, was still at the cleaners and we needed some more eggs and we needed gas in the car. So I got dressed and went out :) Then Ron completely took advantage of the fact that I got dressed and took me out for dinner and a movie. I don't know what today was like where you live, but it seemed like the entire city of Houston was out today at the restaurants, the department stores, and the grocery stores. Traffic jams everywhere, no places to park, long lines to check out etc. What a way to completely ruin the spirit of Christmas :(
Now I just need to convince myself that it will be okay to just sleep in, with no children sneaking around early- only have a couple presents under the tree- have a nice breakfast about mid morning- have a quiet dinner early afternoon. Kind of uneventful huh? ;) That's what an "old people Christmas" is. Have fun with your "little kid Christmas"- I'll be missing it.