Vegas, Baby!

To end our trip we made a stop in Vegas.  Being just a few hours from home after three days on the road was almost more than I could handle even though we had thought this little stop would be a great way to end our trip.  

We stayed off the strip at an Embassy Suites. The boys love the koi fish at our local hotel and were pumped to see that this one not only had koi fish but also two swans named Elvis and Priscilla in its atrium's pool. 

After settling in we decided to head to the strip and see the fountains at the Belaggio. We only had to walk a couple blocks, but it was about 100 degrees. By the time we got into place by the fountains with fifteen minutes to spare, we were all hot and quite sweaty. Both boys kept asking when we could leave and go back to the hotel. We finally saw the fountain show--all four minutes of it--and headed back to the hotel.

We made it back in time to enjoy the hotel's hospitality hour with free snacks and drinks. After that we headed out to the pool.  They had a beautiful outdoor pool complete with waterfall. 

Jumping through the waterfall

The boys enjoyed the pool for about 20 minutes before the wind picked up. And I mean picked up! The wind was strong enough that it blew the lounge chairs into the pool. We were dodging falling palm tree fronds and chairs and were running after our own things that were blowing around. Paul suffered the most since his shoes blew into the pool. :-)  We packed up our things since we were afraid of being knocked out by pool chairs and headed back to our room. Since we were across the street from the UNLV track, we enjoyed watching the wind wreak havoc there as well--blowing the jumping pits which took out a set of bleachers, knocking over a port-a-potty, and disrupting the baseball game. It was quite the show and was the highlight of our day!

Although our first afternoon and evening there did not meet our expectations, the next morning dawned clear and bright (and calm with no winds). After enjoying a sumptuous breakfast, we spent quite a bit of time at the pool (no danger of being taken out by palm fronds or pool chairs) before heading out. We visited M&M World which was fantastic. The boys had a hard time deciding what to buy with their birthday money but settled on a couple buddies.

At the entrance

They loved seeing all the Nascar stuff on this floor

We stopped at Jill and Mark's house to see them and Grandma B and have dinner with them before heading home (unfortunately, no pictures to document this part of the trip). It was a nice way to end our trip.

"On the Road Again" part II

On our drive back home we actually pulled off the road just for the scenic overlook, and it was worth the stop.

A timed picture--thankfully, the camera did not fall off the ledge

At one point I was looking for all the boys (Paul included) and could not find them. They had hidden under this rock so at first glance it looked as if they had gone over the side of the rock ledge where they had been standing a little bit before. The boys loved their little joke on me.

And one more shot of Paul driving while Isaac plays his 3DS.

Photo Dump

February:  

Costume mash-up

Snow near Jill and Mark's house

March: 

Wild Animal Park

Homemade shamrock shakes

First Grader of the Week--holding the class bear named Winston

Swimming--in March

It was a warm day, but the water was a little bit cold

April: 

Treats from the ice cream truck after school

May: 

Zoo tour bus

Zoo Skyfari

Near the polar bears

Skyfari again

June: 

Fathers' Day: burning a crayon in celebration before going to church

Iowa, You Make Me Smile

We stopped overnight at Vonda and Chad’s house at the end of our Midwest travels.  We have not been there for a few summers so it was fun for all of us to be there, and the boys loved playing with the kittens and playing outside.

Water fight!

 

Happy 15^th Anniversary to us! (Thanks, Vonda, for the caramel brownies!)

 

Sparklers!

 

Fireflies!

 

We also were able to visit Great Grandpa and Grandma Kooi for a short time before we headed back across the country.

Before heading out of Hawarden, we happened to drive past the park where Jill, Brad and I always played when visiting my grandparents. Paul pulled over so the boys and I could play on a couple playground things that I remembered as a kid.

  

What a wonderful time with family! We are blessed beyond our imaginations to have so many people who care for us and with whom we love to spend a good chunk of our summer.  J

Last Hoorah!

We sneaked away from the farm for one final day at the lake with Brian and Whitney while Grandpa and Grandma worked. Since it was windy and a bit cooler, we headed to Big Kahuna for mini golfing and go karts.