Nurses, Doctors and Cake

Brad and I decided to celebrate Sierra's birthday with the people that helped us keep Sierra in a little longer and take care of her when she still came a little early. We bought a big sheet cake and took it to Stevens Hospital for the nurses and doctors. Ted and Alex were so excited to go back and see everyone. Alex really wanted to see his favorite nurse, Beth. And Brad and I couldn't wait to show them how big and healthy Sierra has gotten. We went at 6:45pm, so that the day shift was still there and the night shift was just getting there. We were able to see two of Sierra's nurses, 8 of my nurses and the doctor that delivered Sierra. Sierra was so cute for them, showing off her walking, crawling and babbling abilities. It was so nice to see everyone again.

Happy Birthday Sierra!!!!!

So it is official, Sierra is 1! Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Moms Night Out

I am part of a wonderful group of moms/dads/caregivers on yahoo. If I didn't have this group of wonderful people I would not be a stay at home mom still. I was so scared three years ago to saty at home with Ted (6 1/2 at the time) and Alex (18 months at the time), I didn't think I would be able to do it. I found this group and they became my lifesavers. We would get our childrens together for playdates or meet at an indoor playground, or park and we would have moms night out. Now that most of our kids are older and in school and a lot of our moms are working again, we mainly just have moms night out. I look forward to going and getting some "me time" with my friends. Tonight one of my good friends, Andra, hosted a MNO at her house. I wasn't going to go because my back/leg has been really bad, but Brad thought I needed at night out. So he drove me to Andra's and afterward I got a ride home with another mom that lives by me. We had so much fun; eating, laughing, talking, and complaining! Thank you ladies for a wonderful night/morning!

Swimming Lessons

Today Ted and Alex started a new round of swimming lessons. Alex is now on PFS Level 4 (the highest level for his age bracket) and Ted is in YS Level 3. Ted has just a few little techniques to master then he can move up one more level. He is doing so well and the teacher has only wonderful things to say about him. Alex is so excited to be in Level 4 because now he is in the big pool (just like his brother)!!

Time to Come Home

We had to leave Las Vegas to day and come back home :( I can't believe how fast the time flew by. We had so much fun and we were able to do so many things and see so many people. Thank you Jennifer and Aarron and Grandma Gus and Grandpa Bud for opening your homes to us and letting us take it over. LOL! I know how much extra work 5 people can add. I woke up this morning and started packing while Brad watched the kids. When Jen woke up she helped me stuff all of our stuff plus all the new stuff we bought into 8 suitcases/duffell bags, plus 5 carry-ons. Yes, I know that is a lot of bags!! About that time Mom and Dad came over from the hotel. Dad was still not feeling good and went to bed. Mom was a little bit better and helped with the kids. Brad packed up the van while Jen and I made a big Sunday breakfast. Jen and Aarron followed us to the airport and rental car drop off, because my back and leg were so bad that I couldn't drive! Brad took the kids through security while I took the rental back. Then I meet up with them after I was done. We both got through security really fast and were able to let the kids run off some energy. We got on our plane and Brad gave Sierra a bottle and I go the boys ready for take-off. Sierra and Brad fell asleep about 20 minutes after take-off, Alex feel asleep about 30 minutes after take-off and Ted and I watched a movie and read. Alex, Sierra and Brad woke up about 20 minutes before we landed. The flight was nice and quite. Shari picked us up from the airport and we were home in no time. The boys are in bed now and I have unpacked all of the suitcases/duffel bags and have made huge laundry piles. Now it is time for me to go to bed.

Dolphin Habitat and Secret Garden

On Saturday morning we woke up and had some breakfast and Brad went to Starbucks for everyone! I was actually able to walk when I woke up this morning, my back and leg are very sore but manageable with my pain killers. We were all going to go to the Mirage and see the Dolphin Habitat and Secret Gardens, but my dad got really sick the night before and my moms stomach/gallbladder was hurting her and Jen and Aarron were not up for the trip either. So Brad and I loaded the kids into the car and took them back downtown to the Mirage. It was a beautiful and perfect day for being outside.

We were able to get some great parking and went through the casino and right out to the habitat. We didn't have to wait at all, which was so nice. Alex and Ted loved the dolphins and once again stopped to listen and/or read about everything that they were seeing. They had a baby dolphin this year and we all loved to watch it play. And once again the boys were full of questions for the staff working around the pools.

We were all a little bit hungry so we bought some hot dogs, chips and drinks and ate lunch at a table right next to a dolphin pool. The dolphins were playing and doing some tricks while we were eating.

After lunch we went into the Secret Garden area. We saw white lions, leopards (two adults, one teenager and a very small baby), Siberian tigers, white tigers and four baby tigers. The boys loved to watch the baby tigers running around and playing.

We were exhausted from walking around all afternoon and decided to head back to Jen and Aarron's. All three kids fell asleep on the way home, I think we finally wore them out. I know that I was very tired and sore.

We had some pasta bake, french bread and salad for dinner. Mom and Dad were still not feeling great so they skipped dinner and just hung out with us. After dinner we had a early birthday party for Sierra. Jen bought her a little cake to smash and cupcakes for everyone else. Sierra did not like it at first, it think she didn't like the sprinkles on the cake. She never really ate it, but she loved playing in it!

Shark Encounters and The Little Chapel of the West

On Friday morning we all got up and had some breakfast, while we waited for Jennifer to get home from work and Mom and Dad to come over from the hotel. Aarron had to work all day so he was not going to come with us this morning.

Once everyone got home we loaded up the van and the car and headed to the Shark Encounter at the Mandalay Bay Hotel on the strip. We only had a few minutes to wait for tickets then we went inside to see all of the cool animals!

When you go inside they give you a remote/recorder, so you can punch in a number (that correlates to the tank you are looking at) and it will tell you all about the animal/fish/shark inside. Ted and Alex listened at everything at every tank. They were so full of questions and really listened to the answers! It was wonderful to watch them learn and enjoy it. Sierra was in her favorite backpack on Brad's back and loved it! Mom, Dad, Jen and I just tried to keep up the boys questions.

There was a tank that you could lean over and look/touch some rays and horseshoe crabs. The rays were so soft and the horseshoe crabs were hard but smooth. The boys loved looking and touching and asked the lady working there a dozen or more really good questions.

Then we entered the last big exhibit with all the different sharks, eels, turtles, fish, etc. It has a bunch of different windows all around the sides, bottom and some on top. We were able to see some really cool things. And we were there on feeding day, so we were able to watch a bunch of them eat, very cool! A woman that worked there came out to one of the tunnels to answer peoples questions and the boys had a million very interesting and intelligent questions for her. She was so impressed with them that she took Ted, Alex, Brad and Jen into a separate room that they use as a classroom with more animals and information. And spent another 15 minutes answering more questions! The boys couldn't stop talking about how much fun they had. And of course at the end we had to stop at the gift shop to by souvenirs.

We were all very hungry at this point in the afternoon so we decided to drive across the street to McDonalds/Subway/Panda Express to get a late lunch. While we were waiting at the light to go across the street we saw The Little Chaple of the West, which is where my parents got married over 30 years ago! I was surprised that it was still there. After lunch we went back to Jen and Aarron's house and visited some more. We had a late dinner of pot roast, mashed potatoes, gravy and peas, mmmmmmmmmm good. We had a great time today!