Standing underneath the glass roof - lion eating a bone above us!
Today daddy headed out for a game of golf with Uncle William, and the kids and I headed down to the Las Vegas Strip for a little fun!
Driving to the strip was already exciting enough for Alyssa! Of course she loved seeing the "castle hotel" (The Excalibur Hotel), the pyramid hotel (The Luxor), and the hotel with the roller coaster outside (The New York New York). Her favorite was watching the roller coaster go around the hotel. She promptly said, "when I get bigger can I go on that roller coaster?" I said, "sure." She said "that's so cool mom!" She then proceeded to hold her hands up and scream every time the roller coaster went down a drop. We passed a few more attractions, the golden lion outside the MGM Grand and the monorail which went from one end of the strip to another before we parked at the MGM Grand Hotel.
Grandma and Papa were staying a few nights at the MGM so we decided to take advantage of someone staying on the strip. After we checked out the hotel room, we packed up the stroller and walked to the Excalibur Hotel. They have a huge carnival game floor perfect for the kids. Alyssa played a few games, won a few stuffed animals and Jaden relaxed in his stroller. We also made our way to the lion habitat in the MGM. There were 2 lions today, one female and one male with a huge mane! Alyssa enjoyed seeing the lions but was a little scared to be up close. They are housed in a glass habitat and she didn't quite understand that the lions couldn't come through the glass!
After all that walking, we ended our day at Hagen Daaz for a huge sundae! Then, off to home for dinner and early bed!
Alyssa not sure of the lion habitat
The 2 lions sleeping on the overpass
Female lion playing ball
Alyssa standing outside the Excalibur with grandma
Alyssa playing her games
Alyssa, Spongebob and the bear she won
Alyssa and Patrick
I must say, we had a very busy holiday the last few days! Friday morning Aunt Robyn and Uncle William arrived from Texas for a little Vegas vacation. We went over to Grandma & Papa's house where we had enough Chinese dinner for 20! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa by the Water for getting dinner so we would be able to spend our evening visiting instead of cooking and cleaning! The kids had a blast goofing around with Aunt Robyn and Uncle William! This was their first time meeting Jaden and they haven't seen Alyssa since her 1st birthday. It was such a treat for them to be able to come see the kiddos.
After dinner, the girls, plus Jaden, went downstairs to give Tebow (Uncle Matt's chinchilla) a bath and to let him run around a bit in his new ball. Jaden, of course, loves balls and with every chance was trying to pick Tebow's ball up (Tebow in tow) and throw it! Alyssa, was also trying to pick him up or kick the ball like soccer! Needless to say, poor Tebow only lasted in his ball for about 10 minutes before he was ready to get back in his cage for a treat!
After some playtime, we had 3 delicious cakes for dessert! Thanks again, grandma and grandpa by the water! Then off to home for bed!
Alyssa doing her cannonball!
Alyssa trying out Nanny's new exercise video!
Jaden is 10 months old!
All I have to say for this week is 'Jaden's Walking!' I can't believe my baby boy is walking at 10 months! I'm excited that he is able to get around better and play with Alyssa, but it's quite sad to see my baby walking so early! Why do they have to grow up so soon?
He loves to take everything out of the kitchen cabinets, turn the volume up and down on the TV, chase Alyssa around, bang things on the tile to make noise, pull Alyssa's hair and go up the stairs repeatedly!
He now has 4 teeth! 2 on top, 2 on bottom! Boy was it difficult to get that last top one to come in! Many sleepless nights with that one! I remember with Alyssa, too, the first 4 were the hardest for her, too! Hopefully the rest will be a breeze!
Jaden eats all table food now! He starts spitting and blowing bubbles the minute he sees a container of baby food! He loves fruit (bananas, pears, blueberries), veggies (peas, green beans, squash), waffles, sausage, turkey, rice cakes, yogurt, yogurt drops, crackers and cheese. Just to name a few of his favorites! He pretty much likes to eat anything we eat, also! He's pretty much mastered the sippy cup now, so that's a major improvement!
He is babbling a bunch the only real word we can make out is "mamamamamamama!" I love it!
Jaden driving his car
Today, I was on call again for work! We haven't been very busy and we are a bit overstaffed, so it was my turn to not work again! Instead of sitting around the house all day waiting for the phone to ring, I decided to make the most of a sunny day with the kiddos. First, we met Andy near his work for lunch. We went to In and Out burger, or as Alyssa says "The milkshake store." We had a great lunch with Andy, then it was off to Nanny's house for the afternoon. The kids played at her house for a while and Alyssa had a blast trying out Nanny's new exercise stepper. She was so cute following the videos and doing the routines! She's never 'exercised' before, but she was a pro! After that playing around, we went down the street to Karen & Ed's house to swim in their pool for a while. The whole 3 hours we were there, Alyssa was in and out doing cannonballs. Her goal was to do 1 million cannonballs! By her terms, she met that goal when it was time to go home! Jaden spent a little while in the pool, but mainly he was content to play in his pack n play the whole time. After an exhausting few hours in the 100 degree heat, we went back to Nanny & Opa's house for dinner. I don't know how, but the kids rode bikes/cars and played outside until dinner was ready. All in all, my goal of a busy outside play day went well! Everyone had such a great time!
Alyssa "cannonball"
Alyssa exercising
So funny! Jaden, "what are you doing?"
Alyssa riding her bike
Today I braced myself for what I thought would be an exhausting day getting professional pictures taken! We haven't taken any studio pictures since Jaden was born and he pretty much just laid there for those! At that time Alyssa wasn't very cooperative or keen on the idea of posing for pictures. She literally started crying or having a tantrum the minute she saw the camera. Because I wasn't sure how they would be, I decided to have my mother in law come with for reinforcements. I got the kids bathed, dressed and ready to go and we headed out to JCPenney. This is also the first time I've used their studio, so I wasn't sure how they would be with kids, either.
I was so proud and actually in shock at how well Alyssa listened to the photographer. She smiled and posed and was such a good girl! Jaden, who is an extremely active 9 month old wanted to explore. He wasn't too interested in sitting still for pictures, but we were still able to catch a few good shots. He would be smiling and laughing and the minute she brought the camera out, he just froze. I think he was just so fascinated with the big black camera!
After we were done with pictures, we headed to lunch with Nanny and then back to the studio to view our pictures. They turned out so good! Of course it takes 2 weeks for them to come in, and I'm so excited to see them printed out. Here are few small prints, but I'll be sure to post more when they come in.
Love this!
Alyssa's 3 year old collage
Jaden's 9 month old collage
This weekend Andy decided to take the 2 kids down to California for 1 overnight. My parents were going to my sister's house to bring the girls home, and at the same time they decided to stay and celebrate Brayden's 4th birthday. Because it's only a 2 hour drive, Andy thought it would be fun for Alyssa to go down, see the new house and have a fun birthday party with the cousins.
On the contrary, this meant mama would have Friday night and all day Saturday to herself! I was thrilled, but also knew I had a few things I wanted to get done while they were gone. I decided to go ahead and go grocery shopping Friday night. It was nice to do this without kids in the cart, asking for stuff, Jaden taking things of the shelf, etc. It was actually peaceful and I was able to browse, something I rarely get to do these days. I got some take out on the way home and enjoyed a quiet Friday night. Caught up on some "mom" shows ~ thanks to HGTV and Food Network!
Saturday, I slept in a bit, cooked myself a nice breakfast and headed off to Kohl's to spend a gift card that I had received for my birthday. I came back home, mopped the floors and it was time to get ready for a girl's night out. Jo Ann bought Alan Jackson concert tickets for the 3 of us to go for my birthday gift. Michelle, Jo Ann and I headed to the "M Resort & Casino" for dinner and the show. We ate at Marinelli's Italian restaurant. It was delicious, and the best part of all was enjoying a great dinner and adult girl conversation! Then we headed out to the pool, which was where the concert was set up. We had 6th row seats for Alan Jackson! It was such a great show. Towards the end of the show we boogied our way up to the stage, danced a bit and then waited for some souvenirs. Michelle was lucky enough to catch a guitar pick and then I was the luckiest to get the play list off the stage! I was so excited!
After a great night out, we headed back home. Andy and the kids were back from California by the time I got home. Kids were fast asleep and I headed off to bed!
The girls with the playlist
Jo Ann and Michelle
So close to Alan
Today we braced ourselves for yet another swimming day at Michelle's. It seems as though all the kids want to do is swim! I guess I shouldn't expect anything more when it's 100+ degrees outside! Michelle was so great to have us over again, along with Jo Ann, Maddie & Sophia. We had a little bit of a cool down the last few days with the temperature only in the 90's! Feels great outside, but the pool was a bit chilly. The kids didn't last in the water for as long as they normally due, and everyone was a bit purple after wards, but we still had fun for a while. Jo Ann brought a nice lunch for us and we sat outside, ate lunch and the kids played in the dirt, rode bikes and just enjoyed each others company!
Michelle, Jo Ann, Alyssa, Maddie & Sophia
The pool was too chilly for Jaden today, but he is always content to just be outside!
Alyssa playing in the dirt
Maddie & Sophia swinging
Jaden standing all by himself - doesn't need to hold on much these days!
Alyssa & Aidan playing Hi Ho Cherry-O
Awww ~ this is relaxing! 
Alyssa's first pedicure!
Today we had some of our good friends, Michelle & Aidan, over to play. I was actually supposed to work today, but due to our super low census, I was put on call. Although I was hoping to be called in for time and a half pay, I was happy to stay home. The kids had a blast! Aidan and Alyssa always play so well together! They enjoyed a few games of Hi Ho Cherry-O outside, ate popsicles and Alyssa got her first real pedicure, thanks to Michelle. She sat there so patiently and had her nails cut, filed, cleaned and polished with a pretty pink color! She was so good, I just might have to take her for her first salon pedicure! Although, it'll take me a while to justify the $35 pedicure for a 3 year old to dad!
Alyssa & Aidan almost zonked out ~ what a busy day!
Standing underneath the glass roof - lion eating a bone above us!
Alyssa not sure of the lion habitat
The 2 lions sleeping on the overpass
Female lion playing ball
Alyssa standing outside the Excalibur with grandma
Alyssa playing her games
Alyssa, Spongebob and the bear she won
Alyssa and Patrick
