In discussing summer vacation ideas with the boys, we gave them a number of options including camping, a trip up the coast with multiple beach stops, Vegas, spending several days at Disneyland, and so forth. And where did they want to go? Vegas, baby.
We went to Vegas back in November and they had the time of their lives. It's kind of funny to say "we are taking our family vacation to Vegas", because well -- it just sounds funny. It's definitely not the first idea that pops into one's mind, anyway. But, there really is a ton of family friendly things to do, including amazing hotels and pools. And what better thing to do on a vacation with kids than explore amazing pools?
So, off we went.
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This was about 5 minutes in to the trip.
It's not a proper vacation car ride without an iPad, ya know.
All is quiet in the back seat. |
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JJ even got his own special iPad case for the trip.
{He took over daddy's old iPad}
{This photo cracks me up, btw}
And, well, we made a pit stop at Disneyland for a couple of reasons.
1.) What's a Sniff trip without Disneyland?
2.) It's not nearly halfway, but a good hour and a half into the 5+ hour road trip. Our thoughts? Wear out the kids so they'll want to take a nap -- specifically JJ. Also, break it up a bit. |
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And boy was he excited to see the Mouse.
Because this boy LOVES him some Mickey Mouse.And that huge ferris wheel behind him. |
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| Really, it is hard for him to contain himself. |
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| I love his "cheese" face.Turns out I didn't get too many photos of our first hotel, but it was awesome. It was called the Cancun Resort and is roughly 3 miles from the strip. We found it on Groupon and will definitely be returning. We had a little suite with a full kitchen, so were able to save some money on food while there. The boys slept on a couch bed in a separate room and there were even two bathrooms. There was a jacuzzi tub that could have sufficed for a swimming pool. No lie. It was HUGE. |
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| At one point I couldn't find JJ and he wasn't responding to me when I called. I found this site on the bed -- two little bumps and saw a light shining. He and "Si Si" were under the blanket watching a movie. |
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The next morning, again, JJ wasn't where he was supposed to be. He snuck out of bed and this is where I found him.
He absolutely adores his big brothers. |
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| And here they are, ready for the first day at the pool. |
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| I wish I would've gotten a photo of the entire pool because it was awesome, complete with 4 huge water slides. |
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We had a movie night after a long day of swimming, watching Cheaper by the Dozen. The boys got quite the kick out of it and laughed up a storm.
And what's a movie night without snacks? Kettle corn and root beer floats? Yes, please. |
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| This night, they somehow took over our bed. |
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After two nights in the resort, we were off to the Venetian. With some time to kill between check out and check in, we explored some other hotels.
{If you have never been to Vegas, the hotels are INSANE. You could spend a week in the Venetian alone and not explore all there is to see} |
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I don't remember which hotel this was, but we killed some time in the arcade. No complaints from these guys!
Daddy taught them how to play pool. |
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And JJ loved this bowling game.
His squeal every time the ball returned was priceless. |
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| At the MGM. |
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We had to go back to the Coca Cola Factory for the sample float tray.
Can you say, AMAZING? |
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| Silas got a new magic trick and here he was performing the trick for Eli. |
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| After a day on the strip with no stroller in 107+ degrees, this boy was tuckered out. He fell asleep while waiting to check in to our new room at the Venetian. |
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| Oh, ya know - Just a boy, his iPad, and new toy bike. |
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| What's a vacation without video games? |
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| I love this room because there's SO much space. The boys were watching TV while I was working out. |
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| Checking out one of the gazillion pools at the Venetian from our room's view. |
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| JJ jumping to daddy in the pool. |
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This is such a fun escape.
I adore this hotel. |
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| JJ laying out. |
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| And, he was ready for a nap. He crawled "on top Momma" and made himself comfortable. |
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| Post swimming, naps, and cleaning up, we ventured to the Canal Shoppes at the Venetian. |
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The boys wanted some gelato, so we definitely agreed.
Yum. |
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| Then, we walked around outside a bit. |
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| The next day, we went back to the pool - again. |
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| Umm, can we please go back? Now? |
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| This was our last night. We walked down the strip a bit, seeing the sites. |
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| We asked someone to take a family photo. Unfortunately, we didn't realize Eli was hiding. |
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| So, I took a photo of the boys. |
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| Annnnd, we had someone else take another family photo. It's just not complete without a complete shot of that sweet face. |
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Again, with my three sweet boys.
My heart is so full. |
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| The next night, we went back to the Canal Shoppes. Here they are checking out the gondola rides. |
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| JJ was obsessed with this guy. After seeing him the first time, the next day all he said was, "go see guy. go see guy."We, of course, had to go back for a photo. |
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| Our last night we walked down the strip a bit, checking out the night sites. |
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| I told them they could be silly for a photo! |
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| We waited to watch the volcano erupt. I forget which hotel this is, but it's awesome. #oops |
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JJ wasn't so sure about the volcano. Within seconds of this, he reached down to me and kept saying, "hot. hot."
And, it definitely was! |
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| JJ loved getting "rides" from Si Si. |
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We were over the moon happy for this boy. He has always had a fear of his head being under the water. I could not imagine a day where he was in the pool without floaties.
He overcame his fear and is officially a swimmer. |
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| JJ is a water bug. If we weren't at a pool, he'd ask, "go pool? go pool?" |
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| We made a trip to the pool the morning we left - again, in effort to wear out the kids. This was the last photo before we left. |
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| And, in the parking garage, little man was a huge helper. He insisted on pulling the "pack pack". |
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| iPads all around. |
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JJ took a 2 hour nap when we got on the road. The pool did wear him out. Buuut, the remaining 3.5 hours after said nap were sketchy. Here, I was trying to be sneaky and check on him without turning around.
A good rule of thumb when you have a fussy kid - never make eye contact!
We ended driving straight, only stopping for icees to try and cheer up JJ. I also got him a little fan at the gas station that entertained him for a time. Finally, I played Simon Says with him and that was a huge hit.
All in all, it was an awesome trip! The boys had a blast and it'll be a vacation we'll all remember. Typically, they say "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas", but in our case - we are more than happy to share what an amazing time we had! ;) |
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