Viva Las Vegas

Mark and I were able to take a little get away this weekend thanks to the Grandparents watching the kids. We headed to Vegas, on the way I wanted to stop at a random "hole in the wall" type restaurant to experience something fun along the way...we ended up at this log cabin in Wickenburg...and it was so delicious! It was a great stop :).

Huge portions and we ordered the half size...Mark is holding his belly not because it hurts but because it is so full :)

We stayed at the MGM and this was our view of the strip from our room.

Spent most of the days by the pool reading and relaxing. The weather was great, not too hot or cold.

We did a lot of walking.

Watched the water show at the Bellagio (multiple times).

And the best part for me was seeing Mystere by Cirque Du Soleil. It was amazing!! My mouth was hanging open the whole time at awe of the performance. Really incredible, hope to see another show someday.

Thankful to have the time with Mark!

Aquarium

 Day 2 we spent at the Long Beach Aquarium. It was surprisingly bigger and better than I anticipated. The kids loved it because they could touch a lot of the animals and I was really proud of both Cadence and Isabelle for being brave enough to touch also!

 Jelly Fish! Who knew that they feel like rubber on top...I always thought they were just swooshy. :)

This shark made me laugh. Check out his teeth smile!

 Cadence was our photographer for this one :)

Fun time!

The weekend was wonderful. We ended our trip there with Michelle spoiling the kids and letting them pick out their own gift from Toys r Us! Cadence went up and down every aisle making sure she had just the right item...she ended up with a big marble roller. Dylan knew exactly what he wanted...more Ninjago guys. And Isabelle also was able to pick out a gift...she made me laugh because she knew exactly what she wanted the whole time we were there. She held the box the entire time and never wavered for any other toy...a boy of 6 Tinkerbell Mermaid dolls to play with in the bath. Fun to see what they enjoy :).

Labor Day Weekend Trip to visit Michelle

For the long weekend Michelle invited us over for a weekend get away. The weather was perfect and it was so nice to have a short vacation. The kids of course loved every minute and also loved being able to have some time with Michelle!

 The first day we were there was spent at the beach. The water was freezing but that didn't stop the kids from having a great time! The all got in and a big wave came and...

 this is how Isabelle came out of the wave. Dripping from head to toe and not happy! Poor thing, the wave knocked her right over. Needless to say she didn't get back it but still had a great time in the sand. She later told me that she only "likes the sand and sea shells, not the water". :)

 Crab sand finding! Cadence always surprises me with how brave she is with finding and holding them.

 Nap time!

 

Michelle met us at the beach...she did a measly 19 mile run to get there! Seriously...who does that??!!

Time with Aunt Michelle

 We drove up to L.A. for a overnight stay with Michelle.

On Saturday afternoon we walked to the nearby park and played for awhile and then headed over to
"The Grove" for dinner.

 The next day we wanted to do something close by so we headed to the La Brea Tar Pits. It's really crazy because just a few miles away from Michelle's house in the middle of the city are these bubbling tar pits and a museum with all the fossils they have found and a area where they are still working of fossils they are still finding.

Mark and Michelle remember coming here as kids...and not having a good time. So needless to say, Mark wasn't very excited about the experience but in the end I think he had a good time. At least I know the kids had fun looking at all the fossil exhibits. :)

 The museum is connected to a large park and then the art museum. We walked around some of the outdoor exhibits.

Mark captured this great photo of Dylan reading the art installation information of these cement pieces that are from the Berlin Wall. We were able to have a really good talk about freedom. :)

We had a amazing trip. Can't wait to hopefully do it all again next year!

Beach time coming to a end

 For the last morning we were lazy (and the kids tired from a long week of fun) but still had to head out for our morning walk one last time on the beach

 I love this family picture :)

 Our car was cram packed with no room to spare...but we fit!

Mark has some amazing packing skills!!

And More...

 On our last day of being at the beach Isabelle was finally brave enough to touch and play in the water. All week she didn't want to go anywhere near it...but once she finally got in she loved jumping over the very small waves and sitting down as the waves were going out. She was so fun to watch!

 Water fight!

 Cadence loved dancing on the beach. She would make up songs to sing and dance all around. It is so great to see her creativity at her young age :).

The day ended with a ginormous pizza for dinner!