Cleaning the Fridge

We are about half way done with the messy job. Go, Brooke, go!

Just one of those things that wasn't expected...a can of V-8 juice was found spilled all the way down the back wall of the fridge. This meant taking out everything to get to the mess, because it also had fun pooling at the bottom. I had to get creative with a squirt bottle to get into places that couldn't be reached with a sponge. Brooke was more than willing to help wipe up the mess. She kept handing me the yucky sponge to rinse while I kept taking things out of her way. Brooke loves to do projects with Mom, such a big helper.

Family Trip to Vegas

Brooke, Libby and Sage on the Frog Hopper. Brooke must have gone on this 15 times while the big kids went on some rides with height limitations. Wristbands can be helpful in these situations.

Super Hero party at the game room (they served yummy cake)
Playing chess and checkers was fun to do.
Libby, Perry and Sage all participated in a Wii tournament.
Treasure Hunt that took us outside to the pools and fountains and back to a treasure chest filled with goodie bags. Then they each made a pirate hat.

Kitty playing with her toy
Kitty by her waterfall
Kitty above us (glass ceiling). These were 4 year old sisters at the MGM Lion Habitat.

Face and hand painting
Aquarium at Rain Forest Cafe. Didn't eat there, just enjoyed the storm.
Not many free drinks in Vegas, so frequently we had to drink out of the sink faucets. They are so thoughtful to have warm water for hand washing...not so great when you are using it as a drinking fountain. 106 degrees is not so bad when every place you go is air conditioned.
Gardens at the Belagio; the bear behind us is literally dripping wet from catching a fish.

What didn't we do? A lot actually...when can we go back? My parents invited us to stay at their Time Share resort in Vegas (Wyndham's grand desert). Ours was a 2 bedroom condo that included a dishwasher, washing machine and dryer, a 2 person jacuzzi tub, etc. The place had 3 TVs that kept us busy during free minutes. Best of all, no gambling at this resort. There was a game room where we all learned to play the Wii. There was an assortment of movies to check out for free as well. They wanted to sell us a time share, but we walked away with $125 towards our food and a 3 day trip instead. Our salesperson turned out to be LDS and knew a cousin of Lee's from Arizona.

When we arrived last Saturday, they were having a pool party, where the girls immediately had their faces painted, ate chips and drank lemonade. The pools are in the shade most of the day (we never applied sunscreen).

Activities we enjoyed:

• Adventuredome at Circus Circus (25 different rides, including a water ride, big roller coaster and Laser Tag)


• Magic/Comedy show starring Mac King


• Buffets


• swimming


• playing Wii


• fountains, garden and chocolate at the Belagio


• Lions at MGM


• arcade at New York, New York


• elevator and escalator rides (endless turns)


• running to our room (located down a very long hall)


• treasure hunt

I'm sure I have forgotten things, but it was so much fun. We even had a visit from my niece, Lisa (Ed's granddaughter) and her boyfriend Matt. She used to work at the Belagio and showed us around. We also had a visit from my cousin Tyler (he lives in Vegas). Jim and 2 of his kids (ages 8 and 12) came for 2 of the days. Everyone added a little more fun to the trip.

T-ball comes to an end

Libby hitting off the T.
Sage, Brooke and Libby in the field.

Libby, Brooke and Sage have been involved with T-ball for the past 6 weeks. They have learned how to hit the ball, field, run bases, etc. It has been fun to watch them improve their skills. Flag football is coming their way next. My girls will know how to throw a FOOTBALL!

Perry turned 11

Perry is also going to be celebrating his birthday for the next several weeks. We started with a dinner from Pizza Hut and chocolates from See's. Then we had ice cream and Oreos the next night ('cause we ate too much pizza on his birthday). Even up in Sacramento, grandparents didn't allow him to go without a yummy lemon cake (see Jenny's blog for a photo). We are still anticipating his campout party on the 20th. So tune in for the results.

Singing and Dancing

Sometimes the kids put on shows. This time I actually got some live shots to share.

This is Brooke's best friend. Listen and watch how they actually share the stage at the age of 4.

Libby in her zone. Please forgive all the skin exposure.

BOOK REVIEW - "New Moon"

This was the second book in the "Twilight" series by Stephanie Meyer. It continues on with a teenage love story, but adds werewolves and more problems to the vampires. It is still fast, fun reading that keeps you trying to guess what could this girl, Bella, get herself into next? I would recommend it to anyone looking for some light reading.

Going to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Sacramento

Driving the cars at Funderland!
Michaelson and Sage on the teacups
Grandma and her boys taking a break. None of the drinking fountains were working at the amusement park. Good thing they kept refilling a cup for us :)

Jacob and Brooke playing in the sandbox. One day they even flooded the entire thing with water. I think they are quite the dynamic duo.
Tim, Sage and Gavin on the slip and slide...oh how fun that was!
Perry and Ben on the Dragon roller coaster. I think we must have gone on it over 20 times. It helps when you have an unlimited wrist band pass.
Lee and Libby are also on the coaster. Each time you get on, it goes around the track 3 times. The last seat gets a little extra jump to it.

Libby and Brooke with an adorable hedgehog at the zoo.
Sage and Brooke on the tongue of a frog catching the dragonfly that Jacob is lounging on.
Sage, Libby and Brooke checking out one of the giraffes.
What is this??? Gavin asleep in the stroller! I guess he doesn't usually fall asleep in strollers or car seats...well this trip he managed to.

Arts and Crafts with cousin Jacob
Building with Legos or connectors (or please correct me with the real name)
Look at all the choices of cereal Perry had!
Sage building with Duplos. Could possibly have been the most popular toy...well maybe close to the sandbox.

We stayed 4 days, kept going like a train, we loved it all. The food was delicious...we kept hearing about the famous pancakes, waffles and eggs - we had them all. Sorry, I didn't get pictures of swimming and the nature center. We actually saw some deer with a fawn (walking close to us) that had spots just like Bambi! Also saw some wild turkeys that didn't seem bothered by us at all. The nature center had an excellent indoor interactive area with fun things for the kids and adults. The public swimming pool had a very cool water slide and diving board. I thought I could swim a few laps...but oh my abs were sore the next day (what a wimp!)