thanksgiving, vegas style.

November 30, 2013

We had the most unconventional, yet awesome Thanksgiving.

Remember this summer? You know, the summer where Dusty's appendix burst? All of our vacation plans were smushed to smithereens and well, it was kind of a bust. We did have a small redemption at the end of summer where we took a "mini vacation" for our tenth anniversary. Knowing we both had the week off for Thanksgiving, we decided to make this our vacation week.

We talked about several options, one of which was a cruise. We both agreed this may not be the best time with the baby. There's a ton of stuff to do in Vegas, so somehow this ended up as our go to spot. I know what you're thinking. Vegas? For a family vacation? Well, if you've never been, there's a ton of non-dirty things to do there. We could have spent the entire time exploring just our hotel, much less the rest of Vegas. The hotels there are remarkable. So much to see, so much to do. We stayed at the Venetian and it's hands down the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at. The boys thought it was ridiculous. I could have lived in the bathroom alone. Oh, and the food. The food in Vegas is to die for. Ohhh, the buffet's. And the shows. So much entertainment happening, it's hard to choose.

Here's what our trip looked like by the day:

Tuesday: We actually drove up one day earlier than we planned, so stayed at the Golden Nugget that night. It's off the strip, extremely cheap, but has one of the greatest pools ever! There's a giant shark tank with a slide that runs through the middle. The boys loved "swimming with the sharks" and really, you can't beat the price. Outstanding.

Wednesday: The next day, we made it over to the "fancy" hotel. Wow, we were blown away - not only by the splendor of it, but the size. It is stunning and simply unbelievable. I'd try to give you a detailed explanation, but really, I could do it no justice. If you ever go to Vegas, just splurge and stay there. You won't regret it.

We found a Titanic exhibit at the Luxor hotel that was also crazy amazing. There were over 250 artifacts from the Titanic including dishes, tile from the floor, clothing, decor, personal items such as a razor and a hairbrush, and even a huge chunk from the side of the ship. When you arrived you received a boarding pass with the name of a real passenger, their age, where they were from, where they were traveling to and why. At the end of the tour, there was a wall with a list of the survivors and those that deceased, so you could see if your passenger survived. They created replicas of what each class boarding room would look like, as well as the deck and the stair case. There was even a giant iceberg. It was definitely a must see and Silas was in Titanic heaven. Even Eli said, "I thought this would be boring, but it was actually really cool." We had a nice dinner that night at an Asian restaurant and then gelato for dessert. The boys loved that, let me tell ya. Hehe.. I think we about sampled every flavor {the waitress was very generous} but ended up with peanut butter cookie, chocolate chip, vanilla and almond. Let's see who knows us well enough to guess who got which flavor?!

Thursday: On Thanksgiving, we started out the day by going to the jacuzzi and checking out the pool. Dusty took the big boys to the David Copperfield show that afternoon and I hear it was mind blowing. I stayed with Jeremiah while he took quite the long nap and then he and I explored for about two hours. Let's just say I got lost in the hotel. It's that big. We met up for dinner that evening - nothing fancy - just the food court. Being a holiday, Vegas was surprisingly busy. With all the traffic and the chaos it was getting back to the Venetian, by the time we met up, we were all too hungry to care what or where we ate. We wanted something fast. So, Thanksgiving dinner ended up being Panda Express. Classy. Afterwards, we went outside to watch the Venetian Christmas show and to see the volcano erupt at the Mirage. {Eli still thinks it's a real volcano. It was that spectacular.}

Friday we took the boys indoor skydiving, which was the one thing they were most excited about for the trip. It was hilarious {and a little bit scary for mom} to watch. Basically, they suit up and go in this room with a giant fan that blows them up in the air. The instructor was beyond amazing and you could tell he was a dad, as he was great with the boys! However, since they are both so small, it was harder for them to straighten their limbs like an adult {or someone heavier} could. It wasn't quite how it was supposed to go, but the instructor made it fun for them, nonetheless. I laughed a lot, and may have closed my eyes at a couple points. {yikes}

Skydiving took up much more of the day than we anticipated. We grabbed lunch at a Denny's right next door after the boys were finished, and then headed down the strip to explore. We went to both M&M and Coca Cola World's. At Coca Cola World we got a float sample tray and this was fun for the whole family. I should have recorded video of baby J trying all the different flavors, because it was a riot. "Mmmmmmm" was the word of the hour.

The boys had been begging to get room service, so as per their request, we ordered room service around 8:00 p.m. to their fancy. The boys enjoyed milk shakes and waffles and felt like royalty. Ha, the bill was... shocking. Word of the wise - do not order room service at the Venetian unless you want to pay a pretty penny. But, hey - I told Dusty, "sometimes ya gotta order room service" - meaning - it's okay to have a ridiculous treat every now and again.

We spoiled the boys and wouldn't have it any other way. It was such a nice break and getaway for us all. We're in the car driving home and already "planning" our next vacation. In this case, what happened in Vegas doesn't have to stay there. We are more than happy to share all of our fun adventures! ;) And for all you skeptics, Vegas really can be fun for kids if you know how to do it!