Las Vegas with kids

As much fun as we were having at Tahiti Village we decided to venture out a little bit.  Of course we had to stop at Trader Joe's and stock up on the best dried fruit available.  Seriously.  My favorites are the dried baby pineapple, freeze dried mangoes, and dried montmorency cherries.  Lots of other good stuff there too.

We had to go to Caesar's Palace as that's a staple in my memories of Las Vegas as a kid.  We spent some time walking around the huge aquarium and the moving statues.  The kids were a bit afraid of the show with the fire but after the fact they said they liked it.

We were there around lunchtime and I saw that Spago actually had kids' menus.  I was quite astonished that a Wolfgang Puck restaurant inside Caesar's Palace would have these.  So we went there for lunch.

It was really good.  I can't remember exactly what I had but I know it was a halibut that was cooked perfectly and absolutely delicious.  I don't remember what Brodie had but he really liked it as well.  We were looking over the kids menu trying to decide and our waiter (who was the best waiter we've ever had) let us know that the kids pizza was actually larger than the adults.  And the pizza meal was only like $6.  So we ordered one pizza for the three kids to share.  It came out shaped like Mickey Mouse so each girl ate an ear and Spencer ate the head and between the three of them they still didn't finish it all.  I was really impressed.

From Caesar's we walked over to the Bellagio to see the gardens and fountains.  I love walking through the gardens.  Then we went outside and waited for the next fountain show.  By then Clara had fallen asleep in the stroller but Tessa and Spencer were in awe as the fountains jumped and danced to the music.  The kids also thought it was amusing to see some of their favorite characters like Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse hanging out.  Luckily they didn't recognize the large bottles of booze next to these characters slumped on the sidewalk.

Since we were right across from the Flamingo we decided to go see the flamingo habitat.  Won't do that again.  Wow, the street in front of the Flamingo was the most heavily littered with inappropriate pictures of all Las Vegas we walked through.  And the flamingo habitat wasn't as cool as I remember.  Tracy Aviary is better.

We also visited the M&M World.  The kids wanted pictures by all the M&Ms and were amazed at the wall of M&Ms.  We let them each choose out a relatively inexpensive souvenir and a container of M&Ms.

On a different day we stopped off at another Las Vegas standout in my memory.  Circus Circus.  This hotel is so dirty and run down but I remember it before all the other hotels popped up.  And I used to think the circus acts were so cool.  Since my kids have never been to an actual circus this is what they think a circus is.  And it's free so we went.  We were there for a trapeze performance.  Then we spent $10 on games to let each of the bigger kids win a cheap stuffed animal that they loved.

Then we went to the Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage.  This is one of the few Las Vegas attractions I had never been to before so I was pretty excited.  We paid way too much money in my opinion but I guess that's Vegas.  It was cool, just over-priced.  And the fact that it was over 100 degrees outside in April didn't make being outside that much more enjoyable.  We were able to get up close to the dolphin pool.  At first the dolphins were just swimming around so we sat and watched them.  Then we went to the underground viewing and got to see them swim around. It was the closest I've been to dolphins and they were really sweet to watch.  Then the trainers came and did a few tricks with them.

 

In the secret garden we saw a really beautiful white lion, some white tigers, and some other wild cats.  That's all there was though.  And in the heat we didn't want to sit around.

Then we stopped at a shopping area right by our hotel where there was a kids playground. There was a little kids' maze that was short enough I could see the kids' heads, a playground with a slide and some ride on toys, a little building/village, and a splash pad that was turned off since we had stopped for dinner first and apparently the splashpad isn't on in the evenings despite the heat.  The kids did have fun running around before turning in for the night.

 Overall it was a fun trip and I think next time we go to Vegas we will just stay at Tahiti Village the entire time.  Especially since by then there will finally be a Trader Joe's in Salt Lake!



Tahiti Village vacation

I really do love working during tax season and I know how lucky I am to be able to stay home with my kids for the rest of the year.  But I really look forward to the last day (this year being April 17).  And we decided to take a short family vacation the following weekend.  My brother's family had recently told us about their stay in Las Vegas at Tahiti Village Resort so we looked into it, booked it, and had a blast.

The kids would have been happy if we never left the hotel.  It had a full kitchen with an oven, full sized fridge, and even a dishwasher.  The living room had a couch that turned into a bed that the kids all slept on, the television, and an outdoor patio that we ate most meals at.  Then there was a bedroom for Brodie and I and the bathroom.  The kids got a big kick out of the large tub in the bathroom and Brodie loved the steam shower.

Of course the best part of Tahiti Village was outside.  They had a large swimming pool with multiple entry points.  One of the entry points was set up as a sandy beach.  I think the kids enjoyed this more than the beach as there were no waves and the sand was very soft.  There were even plenty of sand toys already there to play with.  Clara didn't leave the sand although the bigger kids enjoyed venturing out into the swimming pool sometimes.

There was also a lazy river but it didn't open up until later in the day.  The tubes were already there and there were plenty.  Going around the lazy river there was a large jug pouring water down, a set of tiki statues spitting water, water pouring off the bridge, and some waterfalls to go through.  Clara rode on a tube for a little while but mainly wanted mommy to hold her and walk around the lazy river.  So daddy took the other kids.  But then Tessa got tired of being pushed into all the falling water and being teased by dad so I ended up pushing her tube most of the time.  Spencer had fun being pushed in all the water.



 

We spent a few days here and got a lot of water/beach time in. 

Chuck E Cheese and tax day

Friday started out with getting Spencer to school 45 minutes early for running club.  Then dropping off the girls at my friend's house to be babysat and I was off to work.  Straight from work to pick up the girls, then pick up Spencer and his friend who was coming over to our house for a playdate.  Then get something for myself to eat since I hadn't eaten since 7 in the morning.  As soon as Spencer's friend left we loaded the kids in the car and took them to Chuck E Cheese.  I'm not a fan of this place.  I really think if it weren't for all the commercials on the shows my kids watch we'd never go here.  It's crowded, dark, half the games don't work, few parents watch their kids, the food is awful and expensive, and it seems to be crawling with germs.  But the kids love going.  I really blame the advertising for this, but I know as a parent I am the one actually taking them.  But no more than 2 or 3 times a year.

So we got pizza, overpriced salad bars for the adults, and drinks.  The kids hardly ate because they wanted to go and play.

Then it was off with the tokens.  That's the one good part of Chuck E Cheese is that you can get tons of tokens for not much money (always check their website before you go for coupons).  Clara's favorite are the rides (car, big truck, carousel, and a few others).  Spencer wants to get as many tokens as possible so Brodie and I put them in the fast games trying to get as many as possible while the girls go for rides.

Occasionally Spencer hops on a ride as well.

Then after a very busy day of work on Saturday Brodie and I actually got a babysitter and we went out to Epic for dinner to celebrate Brodie's birthday.  When we got home we finished up our talks for sacrament meeting on Sunday.  Then I had two more days of last minute tax returns before ending the season.

Easter

So I'm really typing this up in November but I'm back dating it so it corresponds with the actual event.  That being said I don't remember much of the cute, fun details. 

For Easter we decorated Easter eggs to leave out to show off for the Easter bunny in hopes he would leave lots of fun things for us.  The kids did a great job of decorating because we got a really fun wagon with a canopy, seats, and a trunk!  The kids have been loving it!

I also had sharing time for primary.  I felt I needed to stick with the outline in the sharing time book but I hid scenarios inside plastic Easter eggs for festivity.

Here's a picture of my super cute kids after church:

soccer, IHOP and Karl Malone's pirate ship

Spring Break for the kids.  Of course the first week of April isn't much of a break for a tax accountant.  I did block off my Friday however.  So we didn't do a whole bunch this week.  First we went to redeem our Pass of all Passes so we could attend the Real game.  It was such a nice day we went across the street to the 17th Street River Park to play for a while.

We went to the Salt Lake Real game with our Pass of All Passes.  I do enjoy going to soccer games.  These men are real athletes.  They are running for almost two hours with basically just a half time break.  Seriously not all the time outs and standing around that occurs in the NBA and NFL.  And there are hardly any substitutions so the same guys are out pretty much the whole game.  Also these guys get hit and kicked and tripped and they keep on playing.  Unlike NBA players who fall down crying if someone barely touches them in passing.  I like how high energy the games are, even if the overall scoreboard remains really low.  And I like to see the different plays get set up and all the defensive moves they have to make.  I also love the energy in the crowd.  One day my kids will enjoy watching sports as much as I do.  Maybe.

The kids really enjoyed the first 20 minutes or so.  Then they were a little bored.  And with about 30 minutes to go they began asking if we could go yet or if they could play a game on my phone.  One day...

On Friday I didn't work and instead we all went to IHOP for breakfast.  Even Brodie--since his birthday was in a few days and I wouldn't be able to take him to dinner.  Serves him right for being born a week before tax day.  Just kidding.  The kids love IHOP for some reason.  Of course they have only been for free Scary Face Pancake day around Halloween and on Memorial Day with Grandma and Grandpa.  But this time we went for Friday fun day and the kids got to order off the Lorax menu.  They enjoyed their Truffaluffala pancakes and green eggs.  Well they didn't really like the green eggs as they were eggs with chopped up spinach in them.  But they were excited about the idea of them.  And I joined IHOPs Pancake Revolution.  That was great because within 2 days they emailed me a free breakfast coupon.  And they had me put in everybody's birthday so I also got emaileda coupon for Brodie to have a free breakfast.  Crazy that with 2 free breakfasts our bill was still so high.  I'm used to kids meals including a drink so I didn't think about the fee for all 3 kids to get milk.  And the idea of fresh squeezed orange juice sounded great so Brodie and I both ordered larges, I mean our meal was free so why not splurge?  Then we saw them pour our drinks out of the Tropicana with pulp container.  The same kind I have in my fridge at home (but without pulp).  One glass cost us more than the whole container in my fridge.  But the kids loved it.

After breakfast we came home so I could shower and get ready for the day.  Then I announced as part of Friday fun day we were going to get the oil changed and brakes replaced in the car!  You should have seen how excited the kids got.  I'm serious.  That's why I pay the extra money to go to the dealership.  Because Karl Malone Toyota has free popcorn, televisions, AND a pirate ship to play on.  (Also it is very clean and they wash my car and give me a scented tree for no extra charge)  So I had made an appointment and we drove the van up and got out.  All the workers got a huge kick out of my three kids decked out in their pirate gear.  They wore their hats, hooks, and eye patches.  After all this was our Friday fun day!

We got some free popcorn and water and headed to the pirate ship.  The kids had a blast taking turns climbing the mast, steering, and playing in the living quarters under deck.  Who knows if I'm using the correct pirate terms?  I don't.  They played and played and played.  Occasionally they took a break on the raft to eat some popcorn.  After about an hour they got a little bored and put the Muppets in Manhattan DVD in the television by the play area.  Then they went back to play some more.  Karl Malone was even there in person.  I pointed him out to Spencer and told him that was a real former basketball player.  Spencer didn't seem too interested.  And honestly I wasn't either.  Seriously I was a huge fan until the end of his Jazz tenure when his head got too big and he was criticizing and bad talking the other players on his team and then gave up on his team and went to LA to try to get a championship ring.  I didn't have any reason to go clamor over for an autograph.  Besides Brodie has one of his shoes with an autograph on it already.  And that's been put away ever since we got married. 

The downside to the dealership was that we were there for 2 1/2 hours.  But it was clean and the kids had a lot of fun.  I just wish I had brought my Reader or that my phone battery hadn't been so low so I had something to do other than watch the Muppets and my little pirates.  They were pretty cute though!

April Fool's Day

So I was trying to think of some fun, kid friendly April Fool's Day pranks to pull off last minute that I didn't do last year.  Here's what I came up with this year.

First I tried to turn the kids around in their beds while they were asleep so that they would wake up with their head at the foot of their bed.  Spencer woke up while I was moving him and said, "Thanks mom I really wanted to sleep this way."  He was very sincere and I was hopeful he was sleep talking (Tessa does) but he had a full memory the next morning and thought it was so cool that I had to let him sleep the other way for a couple more nights before I convinced him to sleep the with his head at the headboard again.  Tessa stayed asleep but at some point during the night she put herself back the right way without knowing it and she had no recollection of anything as she woke up the right way.  She didn't believe me when I kept telling her I turned her around.  Well, cross that one off the repeat list.

I took the bags of cereal out of their boxes and put rice in the boxes instead.  The kids had confused looks when it first poured into their bowls and then they laughed.

I also emptied their panties and underwear out of their drawers and filled them with Clara's diapers.  I think this was their favorite prank.

Before going to bed I took a couple strips of toilet paper and drew a picture of Winnie the Pooh in Sharpie marker and then placed the toilet paper strip across the toilet.  I put it inside the bowl in the water but had the strip long enough that the edges touched the side of the bowl.  I did this in both bathrooms the kids use.  Then in the morning I said, "Hey who didn't flush?  There's Pooh in the toilet!"  And they came running and saw Winnie the Pooh (the image held up all night long).  They were amazed at how I had done that and also thought it was very funny potty humor.  And after all the times I tell them not to use potty words and potty humor.

I know I did a few other things but I have a memory problem.  I'll ask the kids what they remember and maybe update this with a few more things.