Vegas Baby!

This spring break, Craig and I were SO lucky to have help from Nana and Grumpa so that we were able to go on our first vacation sans kidlet to Vegas!!! I was so excited and had been planning this outing for months. It is my first time, not so for Craig who's been several times (he's a seasoned pro).

We flew from Bellingham to save some $$ and arrived safe and sound despite the visible haze of alcohol laced fumes in our air cabinet. The people on our flight were ready to PARTY!

One of the desert creature sculptures in the Vegas airport.

A quick ride on the shuttle brought us to our beautiful Spa Hotel, the Vdara. I don't think I've ever had a nicer hotel room, it was complete luxury. My most favourite part was the soaker tub! I stocked up on bath bombs from LUSH while I was there to get all of its worth. Ours is a casino/smoke-free hotel but it was just steps away from the Bellagio and we had a stellar view of the fountains from our 38th floor hotel room.

So we meandered there, actually, I sorta ran and Craig chased to keep up with me as I busily snapped pictures of the beautiful garden display there. It was like they pump extra oxygen into the air or something ;o)

 
There was a Jean Philippe Patisserie that we had to walk pass every time we left our hotel if we chose to traverse the Bellagio and it took some super skills to just walk by without indulging in everything there. This one had the world's largest chocolate fountain.

Another JP display at the Aria, pure chocolate!

We spent most of our days wandering the Strip, there was so much to see. I was a bit overwhelmed at first because I had a list of stuff that I just HAD to see and it kinda made me crazy and after the first day, Craig convinced me to just relax and take things as they came and it was much better.

Displays along the paths connecting the hotels, during our stay everything changed overnight from this to cherry blossoms.

The Eiffel Tower at the Paris LV. It was quite funny the amount of French I heard while in that area. It was like all the tourists were homesick and conglomerated there.

Finding the perfect shoe at the Cosmopolitan.

Craig at the Luxor.

Night-time at the Luxor.

I had to get a picture of a castle for Brea, aka the Excelsior.

We made it to the outlets for some shopping for the kiddies. And I was so happy since it took us past the famous Las Vegas sign which had been on my to-do list.

So, Craig and I are not gamblers. We did do some slots just because we were in Vegas after all. I promptly lost $25, while Craig won $22 - at least we sort of evened out. We were there for the shows and the food. In fact, my most favourite moment was eating at the Sugar Factory right across from the Fountains. There is nothing like a scrumptious lunch in the glorious sunshine with the water show going.

A most delish concoction with a candied flower garnish.

Chicken 'n Waffles!

Mussels (yes, I went to the desert for seafood).

This was at the Burger Bar - I just couldn't resist trying their Berry Beer Float.

Mostly though, I was in Vegas for the Shows! We were so lucky to have made three shows: The Blue Man Group, Criss Angel's Believe, and Absinthe.

Absinthe was by far the best of the three. It is a mix of a cabaret, Cirque and raunchy comedy show under a tent. Its really cozy environment really draws you in and creates a unique experience. It is 18+ and not for the easily offended as the language and content was quite over-the-top but it was so entertaining. I also got the sense that much of the comedy is ad lib so it's most likely that the show will have a different feel each time.

The Blue Man Group was good but I was a bit disappointed by the ambiance of it all. It really took a long time for them to warm up the crowd and it felt kind of forced at the beginning. It is worth mentioning that we were at a Monday night show so that may have played a part. Overall, though, they did deliver a good show.

Criss Angel's Believe I really wanted to see some magic while I was in Vegas so we jumped at the chance when our hotel offered free tickets to Criss Angel with our hotel package. I was a bit leery at first because there are so many terrible reviews of this show but I have to honestly say, it was not that bad. Though it is probably my least favourite of the Cirque du Soleil shows out there. Criss Angel is an amazing magician. He delivered when it comes to creating jaw-dropping illusions but this pairing with Cirque does not work very well. I think they have tried and I know this show has been re-worked several times but I feel like there could have been much more polish. Unfortunately, we attended on a night when Criss was ill (you could hear the rasp in his voice and some coughing) and there was a generator malfunction during one of his illusions (making a motorcycle appear). I was mesmerized by the slight of hand he performed with doves, that was truly breathtaking.

Arriving home was lovely as I did miss my little ones. Rhys may be a little traumatized by it all, apparently, while we were gone, every time he asked for me, he got the response of "Vegas". He'll probably never want to go near there ever. They were pretty clingy for a while but life is getting back to normal and I'm happy to have been able to have such a nice getaway.

From the forgotten files of...

I had forgotten to download some pictures from our small camera since it is hardly ever used so I thought I would put it up here since it's only been nearly a year... For your pleasure, our outings from Spring 2011!

From our fieldtrip to the fire station:
Our local fire station was so wonderful to open their doors to a bunch of tots to talk to them about fire safety. Though the kids were a bit on the young side for their usual presentation, the excitement level was about the same. Brea was so looking forward to her first "field trip".

Waiting for the presentation

One of the firemen demoed their gear... this was at about the point where one of the boys in the front row started screaming. Two year old are NOT a fan of the mask! Oops!

Brea was so excited about her fire hat.

Waiting for the water show.

It was pretty impressive and all the cars in the parking of the grocery store got a quick wash.

Posing by all the gizmos and gadgets.

From the Fingerling Festival:
Every May tens of thousands of young chum salmon are released from our local hatchery to start their journey to the Pacific Ocean. I volunteered at the hatchery during my high school days and thought my kids would enjoy the experience of being a part of the festivities.

Daddy helping Brea with her bucket o' fishlets.

Taking a good look before sending them on their way.

Rhys was along for the ride too, here's my attempt at his picture while having him attached to me.

Wordless Wednesday: Toy of the Day

And the toy of the day is...

A photographic update

I know I have been terrible at uploading my pictures, so here are a few of the happenings from the last few months that may not have been as well documented as I would have wished.

Rhys showcasing the extraordinary growth of our money tree.

The kids from our last snow day.

 

Brea has recently discovered the thrill of dressing up in Daddy's clothes.

She is seen modeling a basketball jersey underneath of a sweater with loose socks to finish the 'look'.

Rhys - in the shed that Brea built.

Last but not least, a Pretty Pair of Princesses.

Wordless Wednesday: Mommy Come Quick!

And I rushed because I thought something was wrong...

Triads

Sigh! It's something we try to protect our kids from but it's bound to happen. The terrible triads.

The reason Craig and I have chosen to only have two kids was partly because I had always said that if we go for more it would be from two to four. I have two siblings and when there are three, there is always an odd person out. Don't get me wrong, it was fun growing up with my two brothers but there were often times when someone was left out.

Brea has been really lucky to have two little girl friends whom she's known since she was born. The girls socialize really well together and are really comfortable around each other but it was inevitable that the evil triad would rear its head. Yesterday, we went on a playdate and Brea came to me upset saying her friends wouldn't play with her. When I went to see what was the matter, I watched as she asked her little friends to play and the response was "no!". Brea wailed out "but you have to play with me, you're my friends!". It made my heart ache. The situation was quickly fixed, with some cajoling and diversions towards a group activity it was worked out but for a second there, I have to say, I just wanted to hug my little girl and take away that feeling of hurt.

A Day Out

This past Sunday Rhys was not feeling well and I had a few errands to run. It seemed like such a hassle to bundle everyone up to go to a variety of stops - mall, grocery store, fabric store... so I suggested that Craig stay home with our little guy and Brea could hang with me for a day. Little did I know how much fun we would have since it has been quite a while since I've had some really good quality time with just my little girl.

There was a variety of things I did need to do but mostly I needed to get some kitchen soap. I know that might sound strange but I discovered the Cucina line from Fruits and Passion a few years ago and I LOVE it for the luscious scents they have but also because they are great at getting rid of those pesky smells that cling to your hands as you chop and cook in the kitchen. Unfortunately, the only place near enough to me to get it is at Metrotown. Don't get me wrong there is so much to see and do there but it is a crazy place to go if you aren't prepared to spend some time there.

So, Brea and I were off to the "Big Mall". She was pretty excited that it was just Mommy and her. She chattered along during the car ride asking quite a few times if we were "there yet". And she was so amazed that there were green street lamps. I suppose it isn't something that I am accustomed to looking for but when you try to find them, most street lamps are grey. It was quite funny to hear the gasp from the back seat.

"Mommy look! It's green! That light is green, that's so beautiful!"

As we neared the mall, I told her we'd be parking underground since it was a drizzly day and I could get closer to our destination.

"Are we going under the ground like moles? How will we get out?"

Inside the mall, the train chugged by laden with children and she wanted to go on it too, I suggested that perhaps next time since we had just arrived and I wanted to get a few things done first.

"But Po-Po let me ride the train when we come to this mall." - I wasn't aware that my Mom had taken Brea here so often.

We found Fruits and Passion and Brea adored the salesgirl as she tried to sell me everything in the store. Every time I turned she would have another sample for me to smell or try on, I was there on a mission for my soap but Brea was more than happy to check out all the smells. When we left the store, she had her own little bag of samples. She especially like the cream that would make her hands smell like strawberries.

A few more stops and I asked Brea if she was hungry... I knew she was because I gave her the choice of the food court or the toy store and she chose food. We headed to grab a bite to eat and I thought I'd let her choose, she asked for "saucy rice" and sure enough there was a delicious smelling curry kiosk as we drew near to the food court. Brea was not too happy that they did not have a prawn option but when she noticed the Dairy Queen and some children with cones she quickly settled on the butter chicken as she bargained with me for dessert. She ate more than half of the plate, I had the naan and she had the rice then she chose a hot fudge sundae. I placed the cup of gooey yumminess in the middle of the table and watched as it slowly moved further and further away from me with each bite that I took. After about four bites and with the cup directly in front of her, Brea said to me, "okay Mommy, one more bite and that's it!" As if, little cheeky monkey but I did give her the lions share ;o)

At the fabric store Brea ooohed and aaahed over all the colours and sequins, she loved feeling all the bolts of fabrics. She especially loved helping me choose some fabric for a gift I was making for a friend. At first she was disappointed that she couldn't keep the whole bolt of fabric but when I explained how things worked, she helped carry the bolt all the way to the cutting table to watch it being measured and cut then proudly carried our selections to the till to pay.

"Do we just take a little bit, then someone else can choose some to take home too, so we share?"

I loved the day with Brea! I loved listening to her thoughts and having the time to answer all of her questions without distractions. I had forgotten how sweet these moments of time with her and only her were. She made me laugh and smile so much.

I was mindful of little Rhys at home so we did get a few things for him while we were out too. A flashlight like his big sister's and some dinosaur slippers. He had been bemoaning the fact that everyone had fluffy slippers except for him. Brea picked up some hairbands - very glittery things too.

When we got home, she was so proud to share the special goodies with her brother. She demonstrated how to turn on the light and watched as he put on his very own slippers. He in turn noticed her nice bling and asked for some too by patting his head. Luckily, I had gotten Brea two headbands and she quickly put the purple one on him. He was so funny and cute as he preened in front of the mirror to get a good look at how pretty it was on him.

It's moments like these when I feel luckiest of all!