Vegas Vacation

We spent seven wonderful days in Las Vegas and took more than 500 pictures! I really tried to narrow them down to my favorites but there are still almost 50 pictures below...ready? :) As always, don't forget you can click on the pictures to see a larger version!

Connor watching the airplanes while waiting for ours...


We got on the plane and Logan found a new chew toy...


Connor was really excited to take off and didn't want to wait for the plane to be de-iced (it was lightly snowing that morning)


We boarded the plane only to wait there for two hours and through two cycles of being de-iced, pushing back from the gate, revving the engines and then pulling back to the gate. Apparently there was some engine indicator telling the pilots there was something wrong so eventually they pulled the aircraft out of service, took us all off the plane and we waited at the gate for another plane. Finally, FIVE hours after our original departure time, we left the ground! It was a long five hours but overall the boys did wonderfully.

Passing the time while waiting for plane #2


On Saturday we went to an Easter Egg hunt sponsored by a Las Vegas City Councilman. We felt a slight tinge of guilt when he thanked the crowd for their support and talked about how great it was to live in Las Vegas, but we got over it :) Connor got 5 eggs and a big pink inflatable bunny. Haha!

Tons of kids hunting for eggs...


On Sunday there was a balloon guy by the pool. He was amazing and made huge balloon sculptures like birthday cake hats with ten candles, mermaids, and a stuffed monkey inside a crystal ball (white balloon) for other kids but Connor only wanted an airplane. He loved it and flew it around our room all week!


Here we are in the flower garden at the Bellagio


Later that night we watched the water show outside the Bellagio. Connor found a unique way to watch :)


Enjoying the huge whirlpool tub in our room, just one of the many perks of our resort which included a full kitchen, washer/dryer, large living/dining room and king size bed. Some of those might not be exciting to you but to a mom with two kids, being able to do laundry and wash bottles even while on vacation is a life saver! :)


Logan didn't get as much camera time as Connor so I have to stick in a few shots with him :)


Connor on the Las Vegas Monorail, which he renamed to the Connorail :)


Daddy and Connor at M&M World


Connor on the big Coke bear...


We watched the lions at the MGM Grand


We did a lot of walking, of course, so by the end of each day we were all tired!


We were there over Easter so, what would Easter be without dyeing eggs?? :)



On the way to the pool one night after dinner


Connor LOVED the pool and especially loved his bright orange goggles


Logan hanging out in the grass by the pool


Connor taking a little nap before visiting Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay


They give you a device to listen to a guide through Shark Reef. Connor listened to each message intently and couldn't wait to hear the next one!


Some of the fish...


Jellyfish!


Feeling the rain and posing in front of the tank at the Rainforest Cafe


What would a trip to the Excalibur be without a complete knight outfit?

By the way, yes, that's a tent behind Connor. Though we had a pull out couch and could have gotten a toddler bed through the hotel, we thought a tent would be a fun way for Connor to have his own "room" and play place as well so we took along his 5 x 5 tent. He loved sleeping in it and playing in there with Logan! In case you're wondering, Logan had a crib on the other side of the room and they did great sleeping in the same space! All hail the bedtime routine :)

Some pool shots...



Posing in front of our rental car


We had a roaring good time at Circus Circus :)




The Frog Hopper was one of Connor's favorite rides - it raises the kids up about 15 feet and then bounces them up and down a few feet. It's similar to the adult rides that raise you up and drop you quickly, but not so scary :)


The Dean boys at the Hard Rock Cafe


Daddy gets a hug while we wait for our food


Logan hitting the bottle at the Hard Rock :)


Connor with KISS, or as he called them, the Guitar Guys


With Elvis' star


A picture I took of Connor and myself in our room


One of Connor's favorite modes of transportation...


At the top of the Stratosphere - the camera was zoomed in as I was unwilling to go so close to the edge as the rest of my family :) haha


Oh yeah, the whole reason we took this trip was to attend Grandpa Larry's wedding, which was postponed, but we got to spend a short time with the rest of the group that had already made plans to attend like us. Here's Connor with his Grandpa Larry and Great-grandma Mabel.


And finally, a picture from tonight. Apparently Logan's suffering from a bit of jet lag! :)


I'm not sure all these pictures do it justice, but we had a fantastic time in Las Vegas!!!! We had a great routine of hanging out by the pool in the mornings and then spending the afternoons exploring the city - it really helped us relax, keep the boys' naps as close to on schedule as we could and enjoy the sights too.

Nikki's favorite part
Hanging out by the pool with Connor. You all know how he's constantly on the go but we would swim for a while and then lay by the pool and watch other people. It was so relaxing and great bonding time for the two of us :)

Jeremy's favorite part
Circus Circus and Mr. Bubbles. He loved going on the Circus Circus rides with Connor and watching Connor be so excited to go by himself too. Jeremy also invented Mr. Bubbles - having Connor push an imaginary button on the tub's faucet and saying "On, Mr. Bubbles!" to start the jets and "Off, Mr. Bubbles!" to turn them off (while Jeremy slyly pushed the real button). It was a great way to keep Connor from turning them off and on constantly and he totally bought into it.

Connor's favorite part
The Connorail, the tent, the sword, the lions, jumping on and off the escalators, being in charge of pushing the elevator buttons, the airplanes, the balloon guy, the fountains in the pool, the buffets, tossing coins in the Bellagio fountains and making wishes (he wished for yummy dessert and then, to be more specific, wished for chocolate ice cream - his wish was granted later that night!), the M&Ms, the easter egg hunt, the easter bunny, the roller coaster, the sharks, "the girl" (the recorded messages at Shark Reef), the jetted tub with Mr. Bubbles, the glass enclosed shower (he took a shower every morning and a bath every night!), the breakfast bar (sitting on barstools was fun!), pretty much everything :)

Logan's favorite part
"Ma Da Ba." I think that translates to "We went somewhere? It seemed like I spent a lot more time in the stroller than usual. I liked chasing Daddy on the marble floors and watching tv with my brother. What was that whole security thing about? Why didn't I have to take my shoes off like the rest of my family?"

A funny story
On most nights after dinner we would go back to the pool for some relaxing swimming before bathtime. One night Connor got dressed and we headed to the elevator. I noticed that he kept pulling at the back of his waistband as we were walking and asked him if the tag was bothering him. He said it was so I pulled the waistband away and looked at the tag. It looked fine to me so we kept walking. As we were waiting for the elevator he pulled at it again and Jeremy and I both realized the problem at the same time - Connor and Logan have the same swimsuit so Connor was wearing the 6-9 month size!!!! No wonder the tag was bothering him! Just looking at him, though, you couldn't tell - they didn't seem tight at all on his little body!!

I'm sure I've forgotten something, but I'll post more later if I remember :) Thanks for reading!