Vegas Highlights (and lowlights)

All in all Vegas got mixed reviews from us. Madison loved all the bright lights, and swimming at the hotel and of course the wedding was the best part. As far as Nick is concerned he never needs to go back, once was more than enough. He told me he's never bringing his kids there. However, he did lament that we didn't have time to check out the Titanic exhibit, or see the replica of King Tut's tomb at the Luxor. (he's a history nut)

Some highlights- HL, and lowlights- LL are-

HL- The wedding. We've all been waiting for this day for quite awhile. It was held at The Tuscany with the chapel in one room, and the reception hall in the next. The bride was beautiful, their one-year old Carson was adorable, and the reception after was a lot of fun. They had a DJ and a dance floor, and Madison danced the entire night away. She danced with several people, insisted that John and I dance, and pretty much had the time of her life. John and I mentally added "dancing" to the list of "must haves" at her wedding. Good thing we only have one girl. Nick had a good time dancing too. He was quite entertaining. Think Elaine Bennis in Seinfeld. We all had a lot of fun.

LL- I missed the actual ceremony itself. Besides Carson, (the one-year old honorary best man) I had the youngest kids there. The people running the show at the ceremony told us they were videotaping the entire thing, and if we could please sit still and not fidget too much, that it would show up on the video and look really bad, so Christopher and I high-tailed it out of there. He was especially antsy and just wanted to run around and climb on furniture, and generally misbehave, and not in a quiet manner, so we left.

HL- our hotel rooms. Yes, ROOMS. Someone knew someone who got us their time share at a nice hotel, so for a pretty good price we got a suite with two bedrooms, three total beds, a living room with couch, 2 bathrooms, 3 tv's, kitchen, and dining room. One unlucky child had to spend the night on the couch, (they switched off) while the other two got their own beds.

LL- Christopher had to sleep with us. At least the first night anyway. After spending the night getting kicked in the back, he slept on the floor the next night.

HL- Carson's first birthday brunch buffet. Long before Carson was born, his parents settled on a wedding date, and when he was born on that same date a year earlier, they debated changing their wedding date for a little while, but ended up getting married on his first birthday. (I think it's pretty neat).

LL- Dealing with the aftermath of all that buffet food Nick ate in the confines of the car as we drove home.

HL- The kids got to see the Eiffel Tower, and the Statue of Liberty all in one morning. Where else can you do that? Also Zach and Maddie needed their picture taken in front of the PF Chang horse. (I guess they don't know that you can do that here in Phoenix too)

LL- All the other crap we tried to shield our kids from. "Just look up. Don't look at anything else."

HL- Going on the roller coaster at New York-New York.

LL- Having to walk through the Casino to get to the roller coaster, only to find out it costs $14 a person, and finding out that Maddie was too short to go.

HL- John making it up to Maddie and Zach by playing in the arcade, where they won stuffed animals- apparently Zach is quite the whiz with the "Claw" machine.

LL- Getting whiplash from the roller coaster. Seriously. My neck still hurts.

HL- Getting to watch one session of Conference with the kids all in one bed.

LL- John almost getting hit by a car.

LL- and the number one "Low-Light" of the trip goes to what is now referred to as "The Incident". While John was at the McDonald's getting take-out for the rest of us he was the unfortunate witness to an overly intoxicated, belligerent, overly obese woman clad only in her "unmentionables" stumble out of her taxi, then scream profanities, and threaten lawsuits when the staff told her to go home and put on something more appropriate. I'm just glad he was getting take-out, and we all weren't there "dining in". YIKES.