It's December and you know what that means...Vegas vacation time! We lugged way too much stuff to the airport, but we're ready for take-off!
It's Gannon's first time flying the friendly skies.
Your sister will serve as your in-flight entertainment.
Happy baby = happy plane of passengers.
They even complimented us on our well behaved children! (Side note: We did not receive any compliments on the way home, unfortunately. Nobody was happy to be coming back to Chicago, I guess.)
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas!
Upon arrival, Poppy serenaded us with a song. (Not really.) But Isla had to check out Poppy's guitar to make sure she knew just the kind to ask Santa for.
Day 2: A day of make-believe
YiaYia and Poppy took the kiddos out for a fun visit with Santa (he's even in Vegas!) and to see cool fish in giant tanks inside a casino. As a special surprise to Isla, there was a real mermaid swimming around too! Through the glass, the mermaid taught Isla how to make a heart with her hands and made Isla love mermaids even more!
YiaYia and Poppy also surprised me with an evening of Phantom at the Venetian! Paul was in on this surprise and I can't thank him enough for tolerating another performance with me. This show was absolutely amazing, the best one I've ever seen!
Day 3: Rice Cereal Gamble
Ok, Mr. Man. Time to eat some rice cereal for the first time.
If you bet it all that he likes it...
...you lost!
Even YiaYia couldn't make it taste any better either.
Ahh, just what I needed. A nice relaxing bath after a bland meal.
Day 4: Cookie Pops for Poppy
Isla loves to help in the kitchen. Especially when there are cookies involved.
What better way to eat a cookie than on a stick!
Official sprinkle taste-tester.
Delicious! Poppy was pleased!
Day 5: Viva Las Zab-athon!
Here he is, ready to run AGAIN! But, it was kind of like running for the first time because this Vegas marathon was at night!
The glowing green guy is Paul, fresh out of the gates from Mandalay Bay, zooming past us at mile 4.
Next stop: Mile 13ish on Las Vegas Blvd.
The second half of the marathon was run on the strip – along with 35,000 other half-marathoners. Can you say disaster? Having the marathoners converge with the halfers probably seemed like a good idea on paper, but I could see the problems first hand and knew our Zab-athoner might have to throw some 'bows to finish with a decent time.
Despite the unanticipated human obstacles, Paul finished with an outstanding time of 3:10!!
The super-proud support crew!
Here are a few of Paul's great running friends who participated in the race too:
Kevin, Flo, Matthew and Steve
Day 6: The Magical Forest
Believe it or not, it gets cold in Vegas and there are plenty of other lights and sights than the Strip. YiaYia and Poppy took us to a fun little "forest" for some holiday delight.
Baby, it's cold outside!
Day 7: Lady Luck
This (non)native was getting restless, so luckily we found a really cool children's park at Town Square and spent the morning exploring.
This park had it all: bouncy animal rides, a performance stage, a hedge maze, a princess tower playhouse with slides and sliding poles, a bakery cafe playhouse and even a pop-jet fountain (which would've be shooting icicles on this chilly day)!
All of Isla's activity wore Gannon out.
Isla even took a few spins with some new friends. She could have stayed here all day! But we sure worked up an appetite...
I <3 Burgers!
Town Square not only has the playground and awesome shopping, but great restaurants like I Love Burgers. Love at First Bite is their slogan and boy are they right! Not only were the burgers and fries delicious, the atmosphere is very kid-friendly. How much more fun can you get than chalkboard walls everywhere!
Isla <3 chalk!
"I don't get what all the burger fuss is about."
"I don't either. I had the chicken fingers."
"Ha! Guess we just have to humor mom and dad on this one!"
A Memorable Anniversary
December 6th marked YiaYia and Poppy's 8th wedding anniversary.
Paul and I made them a special dinner to commemorate their special day although they didn't even remember it themselves! Whoops. Must have been distracted by the Kapellas Khaos that overtook their house. They'll never forget now for sure!
Day 8: What gets built in Vegas, stays in Vegas
The last activity of our trip was building a gingerbread house, Vegas style. There were plenty of candy "lights". Well, at least there were before Isla starting helping.
One candy for the roof and two for Isla...
Looks good enough to eat! And a great idea to send a nearly 3-year-old on a plane with a sugar high.
Our budding photographer took this picture.
I think this pretty much says it all of our trip to see YiaYia and Poppy.
We love you and miss you very much!
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