Vegas vacation

Summer was excited to go see her family in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. She got to see her Nono and Nona which is a treat that doesn't happen often. Her Nona does send her cards throughout the year via email which she really enjoys receiving. We were treated to a wonderful buffet dinner several times, and it wasn't until the last time that I realized they served free wine and beer while dining. Just my luck! Summer loved their orange chicken and fried chicken legs. My favorite was the pasta bar where you could pick the ingredients and they were cooked to order. Clint and my dad couldn't resist all of the meat they had to offer. We left there stuffed and happy every time.

One evening we went to see a few outdoor shows on the strip. The first was at the Treasure Island where we watched the girl pirates outsmart the boy pirates. It was the first time we have been to the show (at least Summer and I) although we go to Vegas every year. We also went to see the volcano erupt at the Mirage. This was Summer's favorite of the two. She even made a little friend while we were there. One this we skipped this year was the Freemont St. experience in downtown Las Vegas. We'll get to it next year though.
Summer and her cousins enjoyed playing together in the backyard. Mia taught Summer how to do the monkey bars which she was proud to show off to anyone who would watch. Lexie dared to swing on the swings despite that being how she hurt herself a few weeks earlier. They danced along with songs on Just Dance Summer Party on the Wii. Summer found a new favorite song when she won on a song she had never done before. She still was not a fan of playing against me. It seems that I win too much for her taste. If I play with the remote in my left hand, it is usually a lot closer and she can even beat me. Shhh!!! Don't tell her!

The kids built magnetic structures a few times. Of course, no one would pose with just a smile on their face. Silly faces were in order! They were followed by destruction of the pyramid by Mia's clasped hands. They really think they are funny, and I guess they are. They are cute to say the least!

Our last full day there, we spent time at the Adventuredome at Circus Circus. We were lucky to get to visit it this year since it seems they close it every year the week after the Superbowl for maintenance. Last year, we only got to visit the arcade and circus acts. We got wristbands for Summer, Amanda, Lexie and myself and happily headed off in search of our first ride. Summer was big enough to ride the bumper cars with me, but Lexie was not as lucky. They tried to ride the frog hopper, but it wasn't working at that time and they had to get back off. So, we moved ahead and found a mine train roller coaster ride for younger kids. They were both smiling when the ride started, but by the time it came around, Lexie was not looking too happy. With only one arm to hold on with, which she was not using, the ride was a bit too jerky for her and they ended up stopping the ride so she and another kid could get off. The next ride was a school bus that went up and around. It was perfect for Lexie, but a bit too slow for Summer. She did enjoy the airplanes, carousel and balloon ferris wheel rides. Later, they revisited the frog hopper and it was working. We rode to our hearts content (at least the adults) and then headed to eat at a Mexican restaurant with Nona and Nono. I think Summer could've ridden a while longer, but she had already done all the rides she was big enough for so it wasn't too hard to get her out of there.
Another highlight of the trip was Summer getting her name carved in one of the trees in front of Nona's house. Nona had told her she could do it the year before, but we never got around to it. This trip, Summer made sure that it was done. Her daddy and Paw-Paw did a lot of the work. She loved climbing the tree and even gave the other climbing side to Lexie although she was not able to climb due to her collar bone being broken. A lot of good memories were made on the trip, and I hope we won't have to wait a whole year to go back. But, we just might.