Week 13- Egg Hunt and All Things Easter

Even without kiddos I have always enjoyed Halloween, Thanksgiving, 4th of July, Christmas etc. etc.  For me, Easter is just so much better with kids in tow.  We took the little loves to see the Easter Bunny at the mall which is essentially in our backyard.

Charlie even gave him a High-5

No Tears = SUCCESS!

If I'm walking in the mall and see adults sitting on Santa's lap, I don't think much of it.  Adults sitting with the Easter Bunny.... A little creepy!   Something else I would only do with kids at Easter.  Dyeing Easter Eggs!

So special that Tia Jill could join us in creating beautiful (and not so beautiful) Easter eggs.  This is the only picture with Jocelyn because shortly after we got started she needed to take her nap.

Dance party while getting ready to die eggs.  Charlie isn't much of a dancer so I'm not sure how we tricked him into this.

Hard at work

Even harder at work

Very proud of his work!

Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the finished products.  But  believe me, you are not missing much.

Okay onto our adventure of the week.

Place: Saint Jude's Ranch for Children in Boulder City
Not too much explaining to do- just your average Egg Hunt

Waiting patiently!  

Cost: $10 for the kiddos hunting eggs  (I am certain we could have found a free egg hunt but this is for a good cause so I was happy to pay the money)
Hours: 10am-1pm  The egg hunt for his age group was at 10:30
Best for kids age: The egg hunts were designed for kids from 1 to 14
On the plus side:   The Easter Bunny was there to take free pictures with.  There was a DJ and games.  They also had a puppet show, as well as arts and crafts.  From what I could tell, there were plenty of eggs for all the kids to have several.

I forgot his Easter basket so we had to use a diaper trash bag.

On the down side:  The eggs were just thrown on the ground.   Not that there was anywhere to hide them, but I missed the "hunt" part.
Suggestions: 
Rating (on a scale of 1-5 stars) 4 stars
Go again? We may go next year or we may venture to another egg hunt.  Not sure yet.

And finally, we made it to Easter.  We actually had a really nice Easter for having just moved here a couple months ago.  The Easter bunny decided to hide the baskets.

Apparently, the Easter bunny could bounce really high!

The Easter bunny may have gone a bit overboard this year

We went to Easter mass and despite getting to Saint Thomas More early, we had to sit in the overflow.  It actually worked out well because we ended up leaving early.  The little loves were just NOT having it.

We had a fantastic Easter dinner for not being with family.  Shortly after moving here, we met a family who just moved here from Georgia.  Sarah, Scott, and their two girls McCauley (4) and Sydney (2) came over for Easter dinner.  Although, it was sad to not be with family, I love the new traditions we are creating as our little family!

Week 12- The Strip

Place: The Las Vegas Strip
We have been on the strip 3 times now.  The first time was when Becky was here.  The second time was just in Mandalay Bay to go to the Shark Reef Aquarium for Charlie's Birthday.  And this, the third time, was actually an unplanned visit with Jill.

Spring Gardens in the lobby of the Bellagio.  The lobby changes seasonally.

There was also a butterfly garden.  Unfortunately I did not get a picture.

  

Cost: free (depending on the activity)

Hours: The strip is open 24-7.  If going with kids, I would recommend between 9am- 4pm.  Around 4pm, the first wave of drunks seem to come out.  9am - 1pm is a great time!  Most people are recovering from the night before and the streets have been cleaned of trash.
Best for kids age:  The strip is a playground for adults, not kids.  But there are some cool things for kids as young as two if you go at the right time.

Just relaxing on a roof top pool

On the plus side: There are lots of free things to do here.  The casinos are built on losers, not winners and thus they can afford to have fancy and fun decorations in their lobbies.

On the down side: So in keeping it real, the Las Vegas Strip is only acceptable for this conservative momma at certain times.  When Becky was here we ventured to the strip on a Saturday evening to see the fountains at the Bellagio.  Prior to moving here, the last time I had been to Las Vegas was 8 years ago.  I had forgotten how downright terrible this place can be.   That night we arrived home from the strip and I balled my eyes out to Kirby for an hour feeling like a horrible mother.  I vowed never again to bring our children to the strip at night and I am completely committed to this.  On a Saturday night the ground is littered with cards for hookers,  drunks of all ages stumble the streets, and homeless plead for money holding signs that say something to this extent "Let's be honest. I'm going to spend it on beer."  UGH!  UGH!  UGH!

Downside (even during acceptable times to me), it requires a TON of walking!!!

Suggestions: Hmmm... if you haven't picked up on it yet.   ONLY GO DURING CERTAIN TIMES OF THE DAY!!
Rating (on a scale of 1-5 stars) I just don't know what to give it.  So I guess a 3.  A 4 or 5 would imply that  I really like it for kids.  A 1 or 2 would imply that it is horrible and I won't be taking the kids again, but I know that's not the case.
Go again?  We will go again.  Hotels like the Bellagio change decorations in their lobby throughout the year.  I will take the kiddos back to see Christmas decorations.  (And if you know me I love Christmas so of course I want to see them!)

Week 11- Lake Las Vegas and Uncle Mike comes to visit

Mike came out to see Jill and visit us here in Las Vegas on Saint Patrick's Day weekend.   He was kind enough to make a checklist of things he wanted to do here. (For the record I loved this!!)  It made it easy to plan his long weekend out here.

On Thursday Jill and Mike went to the Hoover Dam (on his checklist) and they also went to Red Rock Canyon (because Jill enjoyed it so much the previous weekend).  And that night we played Settlers of Catan (also Mike's request but to be perfectly honest my whole family consists of a bunch of closet dorks who like to play board games and cards.  And I for one, LOVE that about us!)

Per Mike's request,  another thing we did was eat at an all you can eat buffet.  We looked up reviews and found that one of the most highly rated buffets was at The M, a casino off the strip.  And we timed things perfectly for Friday!  We caught the tail end of breakfast and then moved right on in to lunch.

Yum! Yum! Yum! STUFFED!!!!!!

It cost us $10.99 a person and the munchkins were free.  Just a few suggestions for anyone coming to Vegas:  Buffet prices greatly increase on the weekends. (Seems to be pretty standard among the casinos)  Some are actually good and worth the money.  In fact Studio B buffet was quite cost effective.  We were full all day!  Something else that makes this buffet ridiculous- it includes beer and wine and a scrumptious desert buffet.  Warning- you may gain 10lbs in one meal!

I was completely unaware that Jill and Kirby staged this photo.  UGH!!!

Later, on  Friday night (with our stomachs finally settled) we checked off another item on Mike's list.  Party down!  Kirby and I were fortunate enough to find a fantastic, responsible babysitter soon after moving here.  We went to the casino that is less than a mile from our house.  Some of us got a little more rowdy than others  (Kirby? Mike?)  Mommy brain is something I don't know how to turn off.  It certainly was nice to let loose a little bit, but I knew one of us needed to be prepared for the 6:30 wake up call and I could tell it wasn't going to be Kirby.

On Saturday we went to a Saint Patrick's Day parade in Henderson.  It was a strange parade.

Not sure what Star Wars has to do with Saint Patrick's Day (or Roller Derby  moms).  Like I said, STRANGE

Saturday night we completed the checklist with a nice dinner.


Place: Lake Las Vegas

 Lake Las Vegas is a planned community about a half an hour from The Strip.  There are homes, condos, and hotels (of course with a casino) built around part of Lake Mead.  There is also a little village with shops and restaurants.  Catch and release fishing can be done at Lake Las Vegas.   The fish are chomping at the bit  so you can throw bread crumbs and they will race to the surface.  Charlie quite enjoys this!  In the village, you can rent boats, canoes etc.  Hopefully we will do this one day.

Cost: Free
Hours:  You can go there anytime.  Hours vary on what you want to do there.

I know it is going to be a while still, but I can't wait until these two have kiddos of their own.  Don't they look like a cute little family?!?!

Best for kids age: Great for kids of all ages.  Peanuts as young as Jocelyn will enjoy watching the ducks and fish.  Toddlers will enjoy feeding the ducks and fish.  There is a cute little shop that sells kites and there are open fields were you can fly them so older kids would love that.  And for the much older and much much older kids there are jazz night along the water.

On the plus side: Have I raved enough about this place yet!  Being next to the water is so relaxing.  Besides the everyday activities.  They also have special events.  On this particular weekend an Irish band was playing through the streets in celebration of Saint Patrick's Day.

Special events vary from art strolls to wake-boarding contests.

On the down side:  It can be expensive.  Walking around is free, but having a meal can be expensive.  The restaurants along the water are pricey, but there is a great Irish Pub that sets back in the village.  It's where we had dinner.

Jocelyn loved Mike as long as he wasn't holding her.  She has a fear of men right now with the exception of her Daddy.

Suggestions: Do I wish there was more fun for my little loves?  Of course!  But I don't think Lake Las Vegas was designed with kids in mind so I appreciate what my kids can do there.
Rating (on a scale of 1-5 stars) 4 stars. I only gave it four stars because as I said, it could be expensive.
Go again? Kirby and I both really like Lake Las Vegas so we will definitely go again.

It was great to have family in town!  We are having fun exploring our new city and enjoy sharing it with others.

Week 10- Red Rock Canyon

Tia Jill came to visit for the month of March.  My lovely sister is finishing up Medical School.  She is doing rotations and can do them wherever she wants as long as she pays her way to get there and get back.  Luckily, she has an awesome husband who let us have her for the month.

Place: Red Rock Canyon

Red Rock Canyon is northwest of the Las Vegas Strip.  It takes about half an hour to get there from our house now.  Red Rock Canyon National Conservative Area is a 13 mile loop you can drive.  Along the way there are 13 different stopping points where you can get out and hike.  Between Labor Day and Memorial Day you can also camp out.

Cost: They charge by vehicle.  It is $7 a day for a car.  We bought an annual pass for $30 knowing we would go back on our own and when we had visitors in town.  We've already used the pass 4 times!

Hours: The park opens at 6am.  It closes anywhere between 5pm and 8pm depending upon the time of year.  It's open 7 days a week.
Best for kids age: In all honesty we couldn't do too much hiking with two kids in tow.  So if your intention is to do some serious hiking, I would want to have kids who can do all the walking on their own.  That being said, we managed well with 3 adults and 2 kids.  Even if you aren't hiking the drive itself is pretty.

We got the Ergo Baby Carrier from my mom when I had my baby shower.  We didn't use it too often with Charlie but now we use it  all the time.   Very handy for going on a hike!

Beautiful!

Charlie loved hiking and keeps asking to go again!

All of these photos were taken at the first stop along the 13 mile loop.

On the plus side: An escape!   This is the total opposite of everything I think of when I think of Las Vegas.  The various trail heads offer easy hikes and hard hikes.  The first two stops along the route had large rocks that were easy to climb.  I am not a big hiker, but these were fun to climb.  The whole area is scenic and peaceful. The visitors center is pretty nice as well. We didn't go there this first time, but have since been.  In the visitors center there are animals, including an outside area with about 5 large turtles.

At the second stop, Kirby was kind enough to give Jocelyn a bottle and hang out with Charlie so Jill and I could do some climbing.

The arrow is pointing to Jill and I

On the down side:  We haven't had any issues with it but I could see how one might.  The 13 mile scenic loop is one direction so if you pass an area and realize you want to go there you have to make the whole loop in order to get back to it.
Suggestions: Bring water and sunscreen, enjoy!
Rating (on a scale of 1-5 stars) 5 stars
Go again?  Indeed we will