Spring Break in ... Las Vegas?! You bet - especially if your husband has a work conference there. It was a little unusual but we made the BEST of it for sure! We stayed at the Vdara where there was no casino and no smoking - just a hotel next to Aria and Bellagio. Here are some highlights:
First night at the "Strat" - The Stratosphere's Top of the World restaurant where the floor spins. It was great to watch the city lights and we even saw some of those bungee jumpers jump go down the building.
First Stop: Venice, Italy! The Venetian gondola tour!
Next Stop: Greece at Caesars Palace
So fun to see this giant LOVE sign since we were going to see the Beatles Love Show
We went on the High Roller Ferris Wheel sort of like the London Eye where we saw a bird's eye view of the city. It had a TV in the little pod where it told the history of Vegas - the good, bad and ugly.
These kids REALLY wanted to swim - even in the 60 degree weather with STRONG winds that made it feel like 50! The water was warm but when they came out they turned into icicles.
The Mirage Dolphin Show. Victoria said this was her highlight of the trip.
And these little guys loved seeing the exotic jaguars, leopards, lions and tigers. SO weird to think this habitat is in the middle of the Vegas Strip.
It was so windy Rebecca got some stuff in her eye that was so painful
Rebecca loved seeing her name written with picture letters - each letter is their own beautiful picture. She loved watching the artist (and staying out of the wind)
The Beatles Love Show. It was so weird - interesting song choices. But it was so trippy that the kids thought it was funny and entertaining.
Cupcakes and ice cream before lunch - no problem.
We went to Circus Circus for the indoor amusement park. They had so much to do for little kids and they had no idea that they were in a shabby casino.
After Circus Circus we saw the show Vegas! The next day started early as we met our driver at 6:30am for our tour to the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam.
A view of the Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge.
The Hoover Dam early in the morning.
We took a helicopter into the Grand Canyon and then a boat in the Colorado River. It was everyone's first time except for mom's.
Views from the helicopter.
Colorado River - they said it looks brown for a few weeks after the heavy rains.
Back on land - these three had fun feeding the chipmunks.
We all walked the Sky Walk - the U shape structure that is suspended over the Grand Canyon with a see-through floor. It was really quite scary. The girls didn't mind the height at all - but O'Neill and I were a little scared!
Notice who is missing from this picture - O'Neill was standing near the entrance.
Rebecca was trying to make O'Neill smile for the picture since he was being moody.
The part of the Grand Canyon we visited was land given to a specific Indian tribe. Their part of the Grand Canyon is the only part where you can fly a helicopter and take a boat. They had a neat little Indian village set up where the kids saw some cool tee-pees and such.
O'Neill was being moody and he put his jacket over his head.
Dance Party at dinner. We saw the old Georgetown University residents at a social dinner. It was fun to introduce them to the kids.
The Bellagio Garden
The Bellagio Fountains - and they played "Proud To Be An American"
This robot was the coolest thing we saw at the hotel - it delivers food and snacks up to your room by itself! They are painted like dogs and communicate with you so you can help them get to the correct room. We tried to order a coffee the next morning - but our $4 became $18 pretty quickly - so we went downstairs to get it.
See you again - maybe when someone turns 21...
