Heading Home

After a week in Vegas it was time for us to go home.  It ended up being about 15 hours from the time we arrived at the Las Vegas airport until we finally arrived home.  We got stuck sitting on the plane for over two hours in Baltimore and arrived waaaay past the kids' bed time.  Overall the majority of the kids were very well behaved, I think we all know who had a little trouble on the plane (mainly due to no nap).  It was an exhausting day for all of us and I'm so glad to be finally sleeping in my own bed.  Unfortunately, Hubby has to get up bright and early tomorrow to drive back to Mississippi.  A sad way to end a great trip.

Ten Years and Counting

While we were in Las Vegas for Christmas vacation, we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary.  Hubby was granted a special leave extension so that he could actually be with me for our anniversary rather than checking back into work that day.  Hubby surprised me by booking a room at the Monte Carlo for two nights and buying tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's "O" show. We had a lot of fun walking along the strip and checking out all the hotels.  We ended up buying discounted tickets to see the show Jubilee our first night.  Jubilee is a topless show and our discounted tickets ended us up in the front row!  Thankfully there was about a 15 foot space between us and the stage.  The show was pretty good and I'm not going to lie, it made me feel pretty good about myself.  We were surprised by the different body types in the show.  Not what we expected at all.

The Parisian's Eiffel Tower

We had reservations at Aria's Sage restaurant for our anniversary.  They were fantastic!  We had an early dinner reservation so that we would have time to eat before our show and they did a great job of seating everyone away from us so that we were nice and secluded. After a delicious dinner, we went to the Bellagio to see "O".  We both walked out of that one slightly disappointed.  I feel like Cirque du Soleil shows are a little strange to begin with, but both of us were completely lost watching this one.  It was an aquatic show, and the best part was that they could drop the floor out of the stage in seconds and it would become a pool deep enough for people to dive into.  Other than the stage/pool changes, I had a hard time following the story and staying awake.

After the show we headed over to the Parisian's Eiffel Tower.  VIP tickets got us up to the top in less than 5 minutes.  I think we were up there about 5 minutes before I was shaking so bad from the cold we had to go down again.  We were able to view the Bellagio fountain show while we were up there.  The view of the city was incredible despite the cold.

At the top of the Eiffel Tower

A bird's eye view of  the Bellagio's fountains

On our way to our show

We spent our last day doing a little shopping and checking out a few more hotels.  We stopped by the M&M and Coca-Cola stores to pick up some souvenirs for the kids, and had a yummy lunch of New York pizza at New York New York.  Then we grabbed some cupcakes while waiting for Hubby's sister to come pick us up.  It was great to get a break from the kids and spend time with each other for our anniversary.  I'm looking forward to many more anniversaries to come!

Christmas Vegas Style

If I wrote about everything we did on our trip to Las Vegas to visit Hubby's family for Christmas it would fill a book.  So I'll try to keep it short and hit the highlights.

Day 1: The Flight

The flight to Las Vegas can be summed up in one word: STRESSFUL! About half-way through the flight Hubby was telling me that we're never flying that far with the kids again.  At least until Hiccup is 4 or 5.  

Day 2: Christmas Eve

The kids adjusted fairly well to the time change and had a ton of fun looking for golf balls in the canyon behind Grammie's house.  Hiccup loved watching the different birds, especially the quail, and jackrabbits from the back patio.  That night we attended the local children's mass.  The kids behaved beautifully even though the whole family couldn't sit together and we were there over two hours.  Santa made a quick stop by after mass.  The kids were slightly confused as to whether it was Santa or Grandpa.  May need to take the kids to the eye doctor.  It was obviously Santa…

Hunting golf balls

Enjoying the sunshine

Ready for Christmas Eve mass

Santa's here!

Day 3:  Christmas

We were able to spend Christmas with not only Hubby's parents but his grandma, his aunt and uncle who drove in from Colorado, and his sister and her husband who live in the area.  It was great seeing everyone again and letting the kids get to know their extended family.

Hubby's family

The whole clan

Christmas morning

Day 4: Grandparent Time

In the morning Hubby played golf with his dad and his brother-in-law, while the kids spent some quality time with Grammie making a gingerbread house.  That afternoon Hubby and I headed into Las Vegas and checked into the Monte Carlo for our anniversary trip (separate post).  The kids went to the Ethel M cactus garden and chocolate factory tour that night with the grandparents.

Making a gingerbread house with Grammie

Visiting the Ethel M cactus garden

Day 5:  Visiting With Old Friends

Hubby's family hosted a foreign exchange student from Belgium when Hubby was younger.  They've kept up with him and his family over the years and it just so happened that his family would be in Las Vegas at the same time!  We all met for lunch at the Bellagio and had a wonderful time catching up and meeting his wife and beautiful daughters.  All of the kids were fabulous at lunch and were so adorable talking to each other about school and what they got for Christmas.  After lunch Hubby and I left and everyone else enjoyed the rest of the afternoon strolling the strip.

Day 6:  Farewell Dinner and Magic Show

No clue what the kids did this day.  Hubby and I arrived back at his parents house shortly before dinner.  We all had one last dinner with the family and then Mr. R and Boo entertained us all with their new magic tricks we bought them while we were gone.  They still need to work on their act, but it's not too bad for their first time.

Daddy's Home (for now)

So the day we've all been waiting for has finally arrived!  Hubby's home for Christmas!!

He's just minutes away and they can hardly wait!

Reunited at last!

Sharing some smiles with Daddy

Hubby drove most of Friday night and left again early Saturday morning so he could make it home before lunch time.  The kids were so excited all morning waiting for him.  When he called and said he was a few minutes away the kids grabbed their jackets and waited at the window for him.  There was much yelling and running in the race to get the first hug and kiss.  Hiccup was excited to have her daddy home but was very shy and hesitant around him.  If I left the room she would start to panic and cry.  Hopefully she'll readjust quickly to having him around.

Frisbee Week 3

The third week of Frisbee visiting has come to an end and I've got to say he's getting a little tiresome. He had a tough time deciding where to hide and several nights "forgot" to move until the last minute (oops!).  Here's some pics of what he came up with this week:

I had to point him out to the kids the morning he landed on our chandelier in the dining room.  He had an excellent view of the entire living room and stairs to keep an eye on the kids that day.

Boo loved it when Frisbee hid amongst her bows.  She spotted him right away which really surprised me because I thought he was camouflaged pretty well.

One morning we found Frisbee hanging onto the refrigerator door.  When we opened up the fridge, we found that he had dyed the milk green.  The kids got a big kick out of that.

Frisbee enjoyed hanging out with Rapunzel in her tower one day.  Unfortunately, this was another day that Hiccup decided to hijack the little elf.  Once again there were protests from the other kids that he'd lose his magic.

The kids found him hanging upside down in our pantry another morning.  The kids decided he was looking for more sweets.  With all the junk food behind him, he didn't have to look very far.

My favorite would probably be the day that Frisbee took over the countdown calendar.  He was kind enough to fill in the number of days until Hubby was able to come visit for Christmas.

Just a couple more days until our little elf makes his way back to the North Pole!

Frisbee Week 2

The end of week two with our little helper elf is upon us and here's an update on the mischief he's gotten into:

Taking a "bubble" bath with Ariel

It took the kids two days to eat all the marshmallows.  I caught them sneaking in to visit him throughout the day and taking handfuls of the "bubbles".  Thank goodness the sink was clean!

Ready for a ride in the stroller

So riding in the girl's stroller wasn't the most brilliant idea that Frisbee's ever had.  Especially with an 18-month-old in the house.  Hiccup kept pulling him out of the stroller to carry him around or to put one of her stuffed animals in the stroller.  While she was doing that the other two were yelling in panic about how you can't touch him or he'll lose his magic.  Ugh!  Why didn't I foresee that?  I told them multiple times that babies don't count because they don't know any better.  I was met with skepticism each time.

Swinging in the tree swing

Frisbee was hanging out in the tree swing on Hiccup's zoo playset.  It took the kids awhile to find him that morning.  Probably because their playroom is a disaster area and he just blended in with the mess.

Showing off his artistic abilities

This one is by far my favorite!  Frisbee used a dry erase marker to draw on the kids' Christmas picture.  I was the only one that thought it was funny though.  I had to keep Mr. R from wiping it off before I took a picture.

Enjoying a sugary snack

Frisbee was caught one morning gorging himself on jellybeans.  Everyone knows that elves love sugar!

Just hanging out

We found him practicing his acrobatics on the curtain rod another morning.

Story time 

 Mr. R's favorite so far was the morning we found Frisbee by the Christmas tree reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas to some of his Skylanders characters.

You're Invited...

One of Mr. R's friends from school holds an annual Christmas party for friends and family, and we were once again lucky enough to receive an invitation.  Mr. R was very excited to receive an invitation this year because of how much fun last year's party was.  Santa makes an appearance at the party and passes out early Christmas presents to the kids.  There is also an ornament exchange for the adults.  Grandma graciously agreed to make last minute matching Christmas outfits for the kids.  The girls had matching skirts and Mr. R had a vest to match them.  They looked adorable (not just my opinion, it was confirmed by everyone at the party)!  

Last year our best pictures with Santa were taken at this same party.  I had high hopes for this year.  I think Mr. R and Boo did a great job.  They were some of the last kids to be called and patiently waited for me to take pictures and then politely told Santa what they wanted for Christmas. When their turn was up they accepted their goody bag from Santa's helper and then they tore into their presents.  I could practically see drool coming out of their mouths.  Ok, maybe they weren't that bad, but it was close.  Mr. R received a Skylanders Giants character and Boo got a ballerina Cinderella doll.  They were both beyond thrilled.

Hiccup was definitely not thrilled.  She was quite happy to observe Santa from afar (four feet or further to be exact).  When her turn came she balked at sitting on his lap.  Santa, being the good guy that he is, offered to have all of us sit with him for a picture so that Hiccup wouldn't feel frightened.   Hiccup then accepted her gift, a book, while safely tucked in my arms.

After the ornament  exchange we gathered all of our goodies and headed home.  The kids are extremely excited now because they know that Santa is on the right track with his gifts.  I'm just excited that I survived a Christmas party with three young children by myself!  No one got hurt, they actually ate dinner, only a brief moment of tears (not due to a sibling), and they were all polite and well-behaved, talk about success!

He's Back!

Every December we have a little friend that comes to join the family.  The kids look forward to his arrival each year.  His name is Frisbee and he's Santa's helper elf that has been assigned to us.  This year he's been a little more mischievous than in years past.  Here's a look at the shenanigans he's been up to this week.

Look who just arrived!

Frisbee spelled out a little welcome message to the kids when he arrived.

Mischief with the stockings

He dumped the kids stockings on the floor and replaced them with the kids' underwear.  I thought this was pretty funny.  The kids thought the diaper was funny but not their own underwear.

Ready for a nap

All that flying back to the North Pole each night really tires an elf out!  Frisbee is all ready to take a nap in the tissue box.

Rappelling down the ribbon

Luckily it's still early enough that he has room to climb on the ribbon that holds our Christmas cards.  Not pictured was the morning that Frisbee dyed the toilet water green.  Mr. R thought that one was hilarious!  I thought it wasn't quite appropriate for a picture.  He's also been caught attempting to slide down the bannister.  That crazy elf!  We'll have to wait and see what he gets into next week!

Breakfast with Santa

Mr. R's school hosted a breakfast with Santa on Saturday morning.  The kids really wanted to go, so I purchased tickets and we headed over to the school cafeteria.  Because we prepaid for the tickets it was only $4 apiece, Hiccup was free, so that wasn't too bad for a breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and juice.  There were also activities for the kids to do, as well as the whole reason for the breakfast, Santa!

We got there right when the breakfast began.  I think we all know how I hate to be late to things and I don't like crowds either.  It worked out great!  As soon as we walked in the door the kids were able to sit on Santa's lap.  Hiccup decided to watch from the stroller.  She kept her eye on Santa the whole time we were there.

Making reindeer faces 

A craft table was set up for the kids to make reindeer faces out of popsicle sticks.  The kids had the chance to fill a bag with their choice of red or green reindeer food at another station.  On another table was a "Letters to Santa" station.   The kids were able to drop their letters in a box next to Santa for him to take back to the North Pole.

Boo's letter to Santa

Mr. R's letter to Santa

After breakfast we had the opportunity to view the items for sale at the school's Elf Shelf.  Mr. R will have the chance to shop for gifts later this week.  He picked out gifts for everyone and totaled up the prices so that I would make sure I sent in enough money.  He even patiently waited for Boo to pick out the gift she wanted him to buy her.

On the way home we listened to Christmas music and the kids talked about what they asked Santa for.  Let's just hope that there aren't any last minute changes to those lists.  I don't think Santa is going to be up for a last minute run to the store!

Boo's Drama Debut

Boo is my little drama queen.  Sometimes I feel like she could give soap opera stars a run for their money.  I know that some people don't believe me because she behaves beautifully around others.  That just goes to prove my point that she's very good at acting.  Well she recently had the chance to make her acting debut outside of my house.  The church that her school is at had their Christmas play and invited the children from the preschool to participate.  Boo was even asked to say some lines by herself.  The preschool children were to be reindeer and as a group say some responses.  Then Boo had her line by herself.  We practiced several days until she had her part memorized.  I thought her individual part was a little difficult for a 4 year old to say.  One word in particular, "warmth", was a struggle for her.  It got to be pretty funny watching her try to remember how to pronounce it.

The night of the play they gave her a microphone to make sure everyone could hear.  She was very excited to get to use a microphone.  She said all of her lines perfectly and was absolutely adorable!  I'm so proud of her and I personally don't think you could find a cuter reindeer anywhere!

Christmas Parade

My friend Sarah from Pearl Studs invited us to attend a local Christmas parade over by the beach.  The kids were excited about the prospect of a parade because to them parade = candy.  On the way over to Sarah's I had to break it to them that, while in fact small town parades may mean lots of candy, large city parades may not.  They were still excited to get to see Santa though.  After we ate dinner at Sarah's we walked a few streets down to the parade.  

Ready to watch the parade (I just love EJ's face!)

I love Boo's expression in this pic

While it was pretty cold out, we still had a lot of fun watching the parade.  Besides the typical fire trucks, motorcycles, and church nativity floats, there were a few large balloons of Christmas ornaments and a huge dalmatian dog.  The kids really enjoyed seeing the balloons.  Hiccup insisted on getting out of the stroller and I really had to keep an eye on her.  Several times she was trying her best to join the parade.  Hiccup then decided that she no longer needed my supervision and headed on over to Sarah.  Sarah's son CJ is Hiccup's favorite baby.  She has some kind of weird jealousy/attachment issues around him.

Hiccup hanging out with her favorite people

After awhile it started getting really cold, we were just about to give up on seeing Santa and head home when the end of the parade was spotted.  Santa's float was the kids' favorite.  It had his reindeer in flight and apparently Santa was visiting the North and South Pole at the same time because there were also penguins and polar bears by his sleigh.  After Santa's appearance we headed back to Sarah's place.  The kids only got a few candy canes but thoroughly enjoyed the glow bracelets they received.  Sarah graciously warmed us up with cups of hot chocolate and then we headed home.  It's definitely beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!