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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

May Days

The month of May blessed us with some truly beautiful days...

...we woke up to this right outside our front door one morning...


...'The Boy' had us to preschool for the day for Mother's Day... 


...he, so nicely, showed his sister around...

...I learned that his favorite thing to do in school is play in the home center...


...I received my first preschool style present...and cried...

...it's still on my fridge..


...we tried a new recipe for stuffed peppers that had quinoa in it and we loved it...I'll post the recipe sometime...


...we did some time at Disneyland...



...and we watched the debut (the very first run) of the new Soundsational parade.
My favorite month turned out to be so great!

Monday, May 30, 2011

Birthday Holiday

 More often than not, my birthday is during Memorial Day weekend.  Every so often, my birthday falls on Memorial Day itself.  That was this year.  It has always been tough celebrating because friends and family go out of town.  This year was no exception (even my parents were gone) but we were able to round up the stragglers for a little BBQ birthday bash.   

It was a beautiful day so we set up the baby pool and the slip and slide for the bigger kids.  We just relaxed and chatted and ate.  It was a great day.














 I just keep getting thirty older and older...


My super awesome hubby even gave my and Amazon Kindle which I still haven't put down.  I told him it may be the best gift he has ever given me.  Thanks to everyone who celebrated with me.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

At Eleven Months

Dear 'Munchkin',

You are almost a year old!  I can't believe how time is flying and I'm pretty sure I say something to that effect every month.  You are still our little gal and that is making you hold onto your babiness instead of speeding into toddler looks.  You weigh 18 lbs 3 oz, so not much of a change this month.

You have grown so much in your development!  You wave 'hello' and 'bye-bye' to just about anybody.  You are fascinated with pushing chairs across the kitchen and the toilet.  You kiss your reflection in the sliding glass door and I think that is the darn cutest thing I have ever seen.  You have also figured out how to crawl upstairs which put us in a panic until we bought another gate. 

You are an eater!  We call you our little foodie because you will eat anything and, despite your size, everything in sight.  This month you tried and loved guacamole and it was a little spicy!  You also love zucchini, tomato, eggs and chicken.

You have conversations with yourself that just go on and on and we have no idea what you're saying but you sure do.  You say mum-mum and call your brother 'bu-bu'.  You make the cutest facial expressions our favorites being the snort and sniff and the all impressive oooo.  We don't call you Munchkin that much any more.  We mostly call you 'Boo' which is short for 'Boo-Bookins baby' which is what your brother called you one day after you got shots at the doctor's.  Sorry.  It kind of stuck.


Can't believe you'll be one next month!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

The Last of Vegas

 Our vacation was starting to come to an end so, of course, we jammed packed as much stuff into our last day and a half as we could.  We started the day off swimming at the pool.




Then, 'The Hubs' said we had to go get ready because he and 'The Littles' had a surprise for me at 11:30.  We got into the car and he blindfolded me and drove me all around the strip until we arrived at the  Mandalay Bay.  He took off my blindfold and gave me directions to the spa.  They had booked me a late Mother's Day massage!  And it was a good one.

 Thank you, guys!  (Again, we tried.)

We ate a quick lunch and then took the kids to Shark Reef because after a day of watching dolphins, you have to go and see some sharks.







 This sting ray keep coming right up to 'The Boy' and he giggled every single time.




 I love petting the sting rays.  I tried so hard to get 'The Boy' to do it but he was not having it.




After our shark adventures, we took our sleep ones to the Bellagio to see the conservatory.  This is one of my favorite things to do when we come to Vegas.  They change it every season and never cease to impress me.





 Blue hydrangeas...my favorite!











He had a meltdown because he couldn't go on the ferris wheel.

We finished off the night with some more swimming and dinner by the pool.  Our last night in Vegas for a while.  Always so bittersweet.

The next morning, we woke up and packed everything into the car.  We loved our timeshare and we were all sad to leave. 




We had a view of the Sahara the whole time we were there.  They closed their doors the day after we left.  Farewell, old Vegas.  Make way for the new.


We had a drive ahead of us but we still wanted to play in Vegas until just before dinner.  So we went back to the dump Circus Circus and took the kids to the Adventuredome.








 Clearly, not a fan.








 We let Daddy go on some grown up rides.  I am fine to watch from the ground thankyouverymuch.

We intended to stay and walk the strip some more but we were all beat and 'The Littles' fell asleep as soon as we got in the car.  We stopped at the outlet mall for a bit so I could do some shopping and 'The Hubs' and 'The Littles' played some video games.


Then we started the long journey home.  Farewell, Vegas.  Until we meet again.  I have a feeling it won't be long.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Vegas: Secret Garden

We took the kids to the Mirage to walk around and see the Secret Garden.  'The Littles' both love animals so we knew it would be a big hit. 

'The Boy' loved the underground viewing.  We watched the dolphins swim for a long time.


'Munchkin' was impressed but needed a few snacks to stay busy.

This is not posed.  I couldn't have asked for a better shot.


It is so amazing how the dolphins swim right up to the glass.  They are so beautiful. 



We eventually made it back up into the sunlight and watched the dolphins do some tricks.


It was like Sea World but much less crowded so 'The Littles' got more attention.


After watching the dolphins (for like, an hour), we walked over to the garden to see the animals.

The last time we were here, some guy near us got sprayed by one of the tigers.  We knew to keep our distance but they get pretty close to you.




Lazy lions...it wasn't that hot.


Not as entertaining as the dolphins.








We tried.









'Munchkin' got a little jealous that 'The Boy' was getting a ride so, of course, Daddy had to hold her too.

We finished up in the garden and then, I swear, we went back and watched the dolphins some more.  Then we took the kids for a walk at City Center which was unimpressive.  We did ride the tram from Aria back to The Cosmopolitan which 'The Boy' thought was a train so I guess it ended up being worth it.  It had been a week and we were still having a blast!  10 day vacations are the best.