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| That's a BIG Dam! |
Everyone slept this morning until 6:30. Anderson was the first to stir and the first thing he did was grab my foot that was hanging off of the bed. Soon Graham was up and moaning. We just listened to him until he finally stood up and joined Anderson in his spot. The laid together for awhile until it became a wrestling match. Even though it wasn’t cold in our room and even though Reagan never covers up at home, she was all covered up with her sleeping bag this morning. Campbell also slept well and we had to wake her up again this morning.
The boys had a bath first this morning and Campbell soon found her way into the bathtub so Robby put her in. If he didn’t put her in that baby was going to find a way to crawl in the tub. They played until the water got cold and then we started getting everyone ready. Reagan said she didn’t want a bath and since we are on vacation, we didn’t insist. While everyone finished getting ready, Robby and Graham went in search of laundry and breakfast. They started looking for the guest laundry on floor 6. Robby said they walked one way and then walked the other way-and just imagine how long the floors of this huge hotel are. They never found it and I eventually called and they said they didn’t have it anymore (Graham would have appreciated it if they would have updated their book because his little feet were worn out and the day had just begun.)
They came back with McDonald’s breakfast. It is nice to have everything right here in the hotel-you would never really have to leave (and I guess that is what they want.) The boys and Campbell devoured pancakes. Reagan had an egg, biscuit and part of a potato cake. Graham had the rest of the potato cake and the rest of the egg along with his pancake. You just can’t beat a McDonald’s breakfast.
If you remember yesterday, Anderson walked right into the trash can. Well, today as we were walking down the hall of the hotel Graham had his accident. He should have had plenty of hotel hall walking practice from earlier in the day but apparently not. Poor Graham walked right into the wall, fell down and then ended up with a huge goose egg on his forehead. He was pretty upset but calmed when we let him sit in the buggy by Campbell (yes, the same thing that made Anderson happy yesterday. They all fight to sit near her-she is so popular.)
We were getting in the car about 9:45 to drive to Hoover Dam. On the way Robby spotted a grocery store and he ran in to buy our picnic food. He came out with bags of food and drinks-and ended up spending the same as we spent yesterday for lunch. You can’t beat a McDonald’s breakfast but you can’t beat a picnic lunch either. We drove over the new bridge (which I saw from the air) and then back across. Next we drove across the dam and parked on the Arizona side. We tried to explain it to the kids and they might have caught some of it. Earlier in the day, Anderson had told Graham that we were going to see a beaver’s house-pretty close.
We walked over the dam and then we looked back and saw how very far we had come. So Robby went to get the car and it was quite a hike for him. We waited and while we waited Reagan and Anderson played a little chase to blow off some steam. One family walked by and said “wow, I feel for you. And we just have one.” I just smiled and should have replied “oh, I love my kids.” Doesn’t seem like people like their kids anymore. Anyway, off the soapbox. Robby stopped in the middle of the road and I threw the kids and strollers in the car-and yes, someone did honk and yes, I did stop what I was doing to give them a stare down. Patience is a virtue and it literally took us 1 minute.
Last time we were here, we had stopped at Ethel’s chocolates and decided to again. It was perfect because right out front there were picnic tables so we had our picnic lunch there on the sidewalk. Graham slept but the rest of us devoured our food and Reagan and Anderson were very grateful that Robby had bought them more apples. Anderson and Reagan were making patterns with the different color apples-red, green, red, green…. I asked Anderson who was teaching him about patterns and he replied “Jesus” Um, that wasn’t the answer I was expecting but I will go with that.
The highlights were watching the planes fly overhead since we were near the airport and watching the buses unload a few feet from our table. One bus driver even walked by and gave us a big package of M&Ms. I guess the bus drivers get something free and he said he had zillions of M&Ms, so many that his nieces call him the M&M man. So he shared with us and the kids were very excited-except for Reagan who said they were “too sweet”-not our child!
We walked through Ethels and their M&M store. At the end of the factory walk through we were gearing up for their generous samples-that is what the book said. But the generous samples were one piece and you couldn’t even swing by and get another. Poo on them. Anderson had finished his and asked Robby for another one by the time the rest of us had even gotten ours. I had thought we would buy a little something in the gift shop to cap off our sweet tooth but no, the gift shop seemed pricey-seeing as though we had cookies and candy in the car.
The kids didn’t mind because outside we had the cactus garden to walk through. They enjoyed being able to walk for a few minutes and go down the paths. We tried to take a group picture near their Valentine’s scene but it didn’t work at all. Back in the car, we stopped at a 7 Eleven to get a few slurpees. Robby was in the store for a very, very long time. He said it took a long time to get 5 cups, 5 lids, 5 straws, fill 5 cups, balance 5 cups while taking them to check out and then pay for 5 slurpees. I had wondered if he was grinding the ice himself in the back.
We had seen a park on the way to Ethels and stopped on the way. The kids were so into the slurpees that they didn’t even realize we were just sitting in the parking lot of a park. Finally someone asked why we weren’t going and we got out. It was pleasant during lunch but at the park it was pretty windy. But that didn’t stop them. Reagan learned how to do the Fireman’s pole thing, Campbell loved playing near the slide and the boys just loved climbing and sliding. Soon we headed back to the hotel.
Back at the hotel, we laid Campbell down for a nap, Reagan and Anderson each laid on a bed and Graham laid on his sleeping bag. They all watched a movie while Robby went downstairs to see if he was lucky. He was gone for a long time and should have stopped while he was ahead but came back a loser! When he returned, I left and after playing some of my money that Robby had given me and losing it all before my seat was even warm, I decided that I would just go shopping for a Christmas ornament. I finally found one in the mall part of the hotel and ended up leaving up about 15 dollars (only because that money never left my pocket!) Back in the room, Robby had gotten the kids up and they had all eaten supper. Sandwiches again but no one seemed to complain. Robby even bought peanut butter to change things up but they didn’t want it yet.
We then cleaned up and headed back out again. We had planned on parking at the Bellagio but could never really get to their parking garage so we parked across the street at the Paris. Everywhere in this town is a long walk and once we made it to the street the fountains were going off. We were on the other side of the street so we were pretty far from the action but the girls were all into it. Campbell was watching intently and kicking her feet. Anderson was okay with it but not thrilled and Graham had his head turned around in the stroller so he couldn’t see a thing.
By the time we made it to a cross walk and made it across the street, it was time for the fountains to go off again and we had a pretty good spot. This time Graham just sat in the stroller with his hands over his ears. Anderson wanted me to hold him but Campbell and Reagan still loved it. We then walked back through the Bellagio stopping in the conservatory to show Graham the horses and bunnys-he slept through it yesterday. We even found the world’s largest chocolate fountains. Anderson said that he wished it was all “cheese dip”-that is my boy!
They have a monorail at the Bellagio and since it was the only one we haven’t done in the town, we hopped on and road to the end of the line and then back to the Bellagio. We finally found our way out of the hotel and ended up at a Toll House Cookie Shop. And since the kids had been so good, we thought we needed a snack. Everyone picked out their cookie and Campbell noticed that she wasn’t at the window with everyone else. She tried to point to them and get me to push her up there-and then Robby didn’t even buy that girl a cookie. But everyone shared and she had plenty.
We then made our way back to the Paris and back to the parking garage to find our car and go back to the hotel. And yes, every casino we have walked in today the kids have asked “is this our hotel?” and finally tonight we could say “yes.” It was near 10 so they were all pretty tired. Graham and Campbell had already fallen asleep in the car so it didn’t take them long to go back to sleep once their heads hit their bed. Graham is moving up and sleeping between the two beds and not in his cozy little cage spot from the other two nights-Reagan wanted to sleep there tonight.
Tomorrow is Death Valley and who knows what else!
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