Vegas

My grandpa (who just lost his wife) turned 81 over the weekend, so his 4 children decided to make it an extra big deal and throw a party in VEGAS! Perfect for an 81-year-old LDS guy, right? Well, my uncle lives there along with most of his 9 children and it was something fun for Papa to look forward to for the past 2 months. So, Jeff and I didn't want to miss out on the fun, even though it was a quick trip. We packed the kids in my mom's van along with some of their cousins, my mom, and sister and caravanned to Vegas late Friday night. The boys did great in the car (which is good to know since this was half the length of the car trip coming up at Christmas).
Corbin was entertained by his cousins and plenty of snacks...

... and Quinton had an unlimited amount of toys staring him in the face, although he slept most of the time.

The next morning we tried sleeping in but the boys had other plans....luckily the hotel had a yummy, complimentary, hot breakfast, fun elevators and stairs to play on, and lots of cartoons to keep them entertained until the party. There were about 40 or 50 of us that gathered at the church for a yummy Panda Express lunch, games, crafts, presents, movies, dessert, mingling, and a birthday tribute (roast) for Papa. It was a blast to see everyone and watch Papa enjoy his day. 81 is a lot of candles to blow out...

After the party, we headed toward Las Vegas Boulevard (aka- the "strip"), after all what is a trip to Las Vegas without seeing all the Casinos right? The Bellagio gardens our one of our favorites this time of year and a more appropriate sight for the boys.

Corbin got a kick out of the talking apple trees...

... but his favorite were the Bellagio fountains. Right as we walked up to the fountains the bell tower rang 8:00 and the fountain show started so Corbin thought the bell signaled the beginning of the show... now when we ask him what the fountains did he says, "They dinged". As for me... I don't think I could ever get sick of watching the fountains, there is something so mesmerizing about choreographed water, dancing to music.

Our main purpose for visiting the strip was to meet up with our good friends the States who are back on the "mainland" from Hawaii. Unfortunately Alicia and the boys are still in Utah so we got Cam all to ourselves. It was fun to catch up with him and introduce him to a Chipolte burrito (they actually have one of those in Vegas!)

Corbin was excited to see the pirate ship we'd told him about, unfortunately Treasure Island's show is not so much a family gig anymore... so he saw a lot of dancing girls in fishnet tights cracking whips and thankfully he didn't understand the lyrics to the songs.

He did like the fire works and the explosives and the pirate diver though. After the show I asked him if he liked it and he said, "I like those dancing girls mommy." Oops...

At least the nude statues at Caesars Palace are "classic" replicas of historical masterpieces, right?

It was a great trip, despite the short stay and the lack of sleep. We had fun seeing family, friends, and the sights of Vegas. Including the new suspension bridge at Lake Mead Dam.

Although, the water is still really low....lower than I've ever seen it. So, after leaving "sin city" I felt even more prompting to be prepared in more ways than one. Prepared to live to 81 like my grandpa, prepared to safeguard my little boys from obscenity, and prepared to have a years supply of food, water, and money for a day when life as we know it just might change.