More Vegas fun...

Our last few days with Jason were spent exploring fun things to do.  

He had his final test for his course the Monday after Thanksgiving so unfortunately he had lots of studying to do.  He spent a few hours Saturday afternoon studying and then we went and had dinner when he was done.  Sunday he studied ALL day so we had a Mommy/Daughter day so he could stay focused!

We found this great park and started the morning off there.

 I couldn't help but get a few pics of my sweet girl!

 They had a giant sand pit where you could dig for dinosaur bones and she had a blast doing that!

 Then they had a gigantic climber...it's just like the one at Six Flags and she loved it.

 At Six Flags they don't let her slide down the big slides yet so she was determined to try it out here and she did great!

 There were tons of ducks so we had fun playing with them too!

 After the park we headed to the movies to see Puss and Boots!

After the movies we grabbed some lunch...silly girl!

We got to spend some time with Jason to give him a study break when we got back and then we just relaxed the rest of the evening while he went up to school to study...it was a late night / early morning for him.  

Monday we headed to a different park to play!

 When we got there we were the only ones there so Riley decided to do some swinging!

 Then we checked out all the fun things to play on...there were lots of new types of play toys and I showed her how to maneuver them!

After a bit lots of kiddos showed up and there was a little girl just her age and they played Rapunzel until it was time to go...she had a blast!

After she napped we headed to this awesome jump house place that Jason had seen.  They had the typical bounce houses but they also had a 10,000 square foot trampoline and I had never seen anything like it!  I have to admit I was bummed I couldn't get out there and jump with her!

Once again a little girl just her age showed up and they had a blast playing together!

They jumped and jumped and hit up the bouncy houses and slides too!

Needless to say after a full hour of bouncing she was exhausted!

We thought Jason would have the night off since he had a test that day but just as this course had proved in the past he didn't get a break.  They got a big group assignment due the next morning so he had to work on that.  We picked up Chipotle and ate dinner together in his room and then he headed off to meet his group and get their project done.  

This was a very intense course and we knew we wouldn't get much down time with him after Thanksgiving but even the little bit of time during the mornings, lunch, and dinner made it totally worth it.

Tuesday we headed home but not before doing a little more playing.  Jason had class so we took his truck and headed to a park near the airport before it was time to leave.  

 It was a great park in a nice shopping area and they had a full house and bakery to play in!

 Riley loved this unicorn and sat on it for a very long time playing princess!

 She made a couple friends here too and they had fun running all over the place.

I spun her really fast on the merry go round too which was a big hit!

After the park we headed to the airport.  They have valet parking at the airport which worked out so Jason could pick the truck up later.  The valet guys got all our luggage loaded on a cart and it worked out well.  I have to say though we had a lot of walking to do once inside the airport and by the time we got to our gate both Riley and I were tired, hungry, and cranky!  Traveling 35 weeks pregnant is exhausting!

I got us some food and we were ready to get on the plane.  

I was getting all of our stuff together and when I turned around I found my traveling buddy looking like this!  She wanted everyone on the plane to see her teeth!  I just love this girl!

 

 The few days prior Riley was being a bit of a toot to her mama...arguing about EVERYTHING, talking sassy, and negotiating everything.  When we got on the plane she was giving me a hard time about not having one of her toys on the plane (it was in our checked bag).  I was explaining that the bag was in the belly of the plane and she was arguing that the plane didn't have a belly.  She started talking sassy to me so I told her she would lose access to her backpack full of toys if she didn't stop...then she elbowed me...three times!  So needless to say she lost her backpack, cried and cried, apologized in an effort to change my mind, and then she was asleep before we even crossed the Vegas mountains.  Girl needed a nap...and mama did too!

Vegas Thanksgiving

 This year we had a Vegas Thanksgiving...and it was a blast!

We knew Jason would only get a few days off and he had a lot going on with his school right after the Thanksgiving break so we decided to head out to Vegas for a week to spend some time with him...and my parents decided to meet us out there for Thanksgiving!!!

We left out of SFO late Tuesday night and this was Riley's first flight where she got to sit like a big girl!

She is almost 4 and I was not about to lug her big carseat on the plane being 34 weeks pregnant so now was the time...and she LOVED it!  She was so enamored with her new way of flying that she didn't even want to watch a movie or do anything...it was a pretty quick flight and we got some hot chocolate and before we knew it we were there!

 We were both so excited to see Jason but nothing beats this little girl running through the airport to jump in her Daddy's arms.  Before we got down to the baggage claim she was quickly thrown into the world of Vegas...we were about to go down an escalator and there was a huge Chippendale's sign and Riley spotted it and said "ooohhhh why are those boys naked?"  I hadn't seen the sign so I was caught off guard but quickly figured out what she was talking about and she said it loudly so there were many people around us tickled with her comment.  Oh goodness!

We got to Jason's room and got all settled.  We were in tight quarters but just happy to have some time as a family!  Jason had made a special fort for Riley next to our bed and her tent fit under it perfectly...she loved it and we got her to bed!

Jason had class the next day so Riley and I found a park on base and she got some swinging in !

 We got to join Jason and his classmates up at their school for lunch...the cadre brought in Mexican food and they had a "GraciasGiving" lunch!  It was fun to meet everyone.  Riley was a hit...especially when they dressed her up!

 Jason was done for the day after lunch and we all went and took naps before we packed up for a few nights on the strip!

My parents flew in that evening and we picked them up and headed to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner!

 We stayed at the MGM Grand and my parents stayed at Paris.

The next morning was Thanksgiving and we met my parents at their hotel to start the day off checking out the strip.

There are lots of people looking to make a dime by dressing up as characters which of course is a big draw for kiddos.

Riley spotted Batman and Spiderman off the bat so she had to get her picture with them!

We walked across the street to check out the Bellagio first.  They always have a great display in the atrium and we had heard there was a talking tree that Riley needed to check out!

 Silly girl posing with Grammie and JoePa!

 Family pic!

The talking tree...Riley did love it and just kept talking away to it as if she were the only one in the room!

After the Bellagio we walked over to Caesar's Palace...and Riley decided she needed to dance for a bit!

She had two dance partners and they each got their turn to dance with her!

We eventually made our way to the Venetian where we had a fabulous Thanksgiving brunch.  The food was great and the company was even better...no leftovers but also no cooking!

We had a good walk back to Paris so we were able to walk off some of that food!

Of course we saw some crazy things on our walk back...check out this dog with huge sunglasses and a hat...only in Vegas!

 Riley stayed with my parents and Jason and I headed back to our hotel to take a nap...Riley was supposed to nap too but she was having too much fun playing with Grammie and JoePa!

We met back up in their room later to watch the Aggie game...that's all I have to say about that..a bad ending to a great day! 

The next day we decided to spend the day away from the strip...you can only be in Vegas for too long (especially with your kiddo) before it's just time to get away.  Since Jason had been in Vegas for a few months he knew of some other places to go and see.  Our plan was to head to Red Rock Canyon to walk around and take pics...but first we had to grab some lunch.

We headed to the Red Rock Resort and Casino and found had lunch at Yardhouse.  We were checking out the resort which had a casino, several restaurants, a movie theater, and a bowling alley.  It was VERY nice and there were no seedy people like you find on the strip.  Jason went walking around and realized they had a Kid's Quest where Riley could go play for a bit while we had some adult time.  We checked it out and it was AWESOME...they had a full playset with tunnels, a basketball court, an iPad station, dress up area, and much more.  She saw it and decided she wanted to play right away so while she played we went and did some gambling with my parents.  Basically the way things went was that I won money and then Jason would go and lose it...haha!  After a couple hours we went to get Riley and she said "are you just checking on me?"  She was having fun but we told her it was time to go!

They had a cool arcade next door that was basically a much nicer version of Chuck E Cheese and we spent some time playing games and winning tickets with her!

First off was air hockey which is one of my favorites too!

 Next was some guitar hero with her Daddy!

 And some Deal or No Deal with Grammie!

We all played and won tickets so Riley could pick out some good loot before we left!

Her choice of items was priceless!

She picked out a crown, a princess bracelet, a sparkly pink ring....AND THESE TEETH!

 I love this girl and her oh so fun personality!

We all got a kick out of the teeth...they were surely a hit!

 What started out as lunch ended up being an all afternoon adventure but we all had a blast!

Finally it was time to head to Red Rock Canyon just before the sun went down!

It was beautiful and we got some good family photos! 

Riley insisted on a funny face photo too!

 We let Riley ride in the front seat between her Daddy and JoePa since it was a scenic road with very slow traffic...she LOVED it!

 We drove a little further and got a few more pics from another scenic view!

We were able to get all our pics in just before the sun went down!

We took my parents and Riley back to their hotel...Riley spent the night with them and we got a date night...woohoo!

We had already checked out of the MGM and I just assumed we would go back to the base that night but my hubby had different plans!  He got us a room at another off the strip resort called the Aliante and it was great!

We had an awesome room and we had dinner at the Italian restaurant at the resort and did some gambling...same trend as earlier...I won..he lost :)

We had a great night just the two of us...it was possibly our last date night before we have 2 kids!  Thanks to Grammie and JoePa for giving us that time!

We had plans to have brunch at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill the next day so we got ready and picked up my parents and Riley and headed to brunch.  

She had a great time...they went to the M&M store, to the movies, and to see the Fountains at the Bellagio.  She hadn't had a nap that day and it was a late night...so you know some drama was in store!  Apparently she was all tucked in with JoePa and it was looking like she was about to head off to sleep when all of a sudden she said she needed her teeth...you know the beautiful teeth she had won earlier in the day :)  My parents told her she didn't need them and she tried to convince them that those teeth were her nightguard and the dentist said she had to sleep with them every night...oh my goodness!  You see I just got a night guard and she had been to all of my appointments with me so that's why she had all this knowledge about a night guard.  They still weren't buying it and that led to a total breakdown and she pretty much didn't let it go until she passed out in shear exhaustion...crazy girl!

So off to brunch we went and one of Jason's classmates and his daughter were able to eat with us as well.  The food was amazing...everything was great and it was fun to try lots of different things.  We were totally stuffed by the end!

Riley had fun meeting Steve's daugher Terren and they kept each other entertained during brunch!

Silly girls!

After brunch it was time to take Grammie and JoePa to the airport.

We had such a fun Thanksgiving...Vegas style!

Thanksgiving Feast

 Riley had a Thanksgiving Feast at school and I volunteered to help and got to hang out with her!

It was funny because their feast consisted of chicken nuggets, cornbread, fruit, and jello...not your traditional meal but kid friendly for sure!

We cooked all the food in a tiny kitchen and I had fun meeting some of the parents!

Here's Riley and her friends getting ready to feast...she felt the need to bust out a silly face!

 Riley and Maddy...her BFF

 Chowing down!

 Riley and Wyatt...oh how she loves Wyatt!  These two have a little crush going on...good thing he's a sweet boy and his dad is a cop so I think we're good!