Viva Las Vegas

"Happy 4th of July" is how my daughters greeted, err I mean "enthusiastically yelled" to every single airport personnel as we made our way through Midway airport the morning of Independence Day on our way to Las Vegas.

 The flight was great. And yes, we still strap our almost 2 year old in the Bjorn.  Having two hands free on an airplane can be quite useful. Frosty Beverage? Don't mind if I do. 

I held down the fort on the other side of the aisle with the girls.

Bella read most of the time while Mia poked and prodded Bella to get her attention.

Then the giggles began and grew increasingly louder as they began tickling eachother. And I'm all like "SHHHH" in my sorta quiet-but seriously wide-eyed-whisper yell! I gave up and ended up laughing along with them. What can I say, they were hilarious.

Greeted by the sounds of the slot machines and the twinkling lights, we knew our vacation had begun. And by vacation I mean spending as much possible time with Eugene's family before we leave. After a quick stop at In-n-Out we headed home to meet our new nephew Morgan. My ovaries wanted to explode. He is just the cutest little thing.

I immediately removed my glasses (because for some odd reason I think they're a communication barrier) and launched into my own version of You Are My Sunshine attempting the smallest of bonds with my one month little friend. 

Oh how I miss singing to a little bundle!

 Under a full moon, we headed to the local park to celebrate the 4th of July.

Holy crap ya'll, it was like a war zone. Fireworks going off everywhere, kids running around through the madness and the smell of smoke and sulfur was everywhere. It was crazy.

Remind me of this picture 10 years from now when we're bailing Chance out of jail for blowing up a neighbor's mailbox. Although I'm sure the juvenile delinquent in Eugene secretly 

loved every moment of it.

My kids are much like me in that they love the new experiences and new surroundings that only vacations can bring. Mia's bit of giddy happiness came when she set up shop in her grandparents car.

See that plastic hook there? Well bless her heart, Mia thought it was the greatest invention EVER since it held her purse right at eye level. And look! A perfect place for her sunglasses smooshed between the head rest and the arm rest. 

While we screamed in agony every time we left the air conditioning and stepped into the sweltering desert heat, the pictures will show nothing but smiles 

because after all,

we were with our family again.

Here's the girls posing with Eugene on his 38th birthday, which we made even more memorable                         

by singing to him while we took in the lights of Vegas

and gushed over the Bellagio fountains.

But it was the Bellagio indoor gardens that had me swooning!

How much do you think one of these glass ball fountains cost? Cuz, I need one.

Spending time with his family is never long enough. 

No matter how long we stay, it will always sting a little when we leave.

And saying goodbye to our newest family member stung the most.

Welcome to the family, Morgan!

Las Vegas

Summer 2012