Not so Sinful City

My brother and sister-in-law live in Las Vegas and we thought it was high time to pay them a visit. I am not a Las Vegas fan so imagine my surprise when we had a fabulous time and saw and did tons of family friendly activities.

First of all, before I forget, thanks guys for having us! It was lovely to be with you. We had a fabulous time. My mouth is watering for the egg and cheese muffins. They deserve a blog mention. Oh and the coriander and orange, huckleberry, and peach sodas from Rocket Fizz were not "cheers" worthy. The kids didn't even finish them. I think the Pink Grapefruit and Ginger Beer were true to their names and worth purchasing again.

Now on to the events, Las Vegas parks are insanely awesome with canopies and flood lights so you can play night or day, large grassy areas where my niece-dog, Scout could play fetch, state of the art amphitheater, life size reptiles, and splash pads that are only activated when someone touches a pole with a sensor on it. We were in love.

How you doin'?

J did not want to play in the water so he sat out with Daddy.

D had a wonderful time at the splash pad until I walked away. We spent time hugging to make up for my misdeed.

We checked out the Ethel M Chocolate Factory which would have been neat if they had been making the chocolate. We now know chocolate is not made in the afternoon heat.

Then we meandered through the Cactus Garden. Here is a fun fact, my mother in law gave me an ornamental plant that has now overtaken my yard. I have been trying to figure out what it is so I can kill it properly. At the cactus garden I learned the plant is an Arabian weed called Gopher Plant. (When we got home I read an article and it was identified as Creeping Myrtle Spurge.) Regardless of the name, I have my hands full trying to eradicate it. Good times.

The chocolate factory and cactus garden are under the airport flight path.

The other big adventure was hiking in the free zone of Red Rock Canyon. We didn't know how the kids would handle it, but they were troopers. So were Steve and my little brother because eventually they each got to carry one of the boys.

 

Steve started off carrying D, but once J decided to stop walking things got loud.

D was passed to my brother and they did not get off to a good start. My brother decided to sing to D in a desperate effort to stop the screaming reverberating off the rock. It worked.

Relaxing in the shade of the boulder.

Once rested, the exploration began.

J insisted on being carried until we found a miniature cave, more like a crevice really, and then he wanted to get down and run around. They only downside was that ten feet to the left of this hole was a several hundred foot drop off.
That was nerve wracking.

The miniature cave.
Once M learned where J had been she wanted to go too.
So we went back.

Their baby is due soon. Isn't it nice that we allowed my brother the opportunity to practice hiking with D?

Now for a little story. My boys don't love big dogs, but by the end of the first day they were learning to coexist. D even learned Scout's food weakness and tormented her every time he sat down to eat.

D would not feed her, but he would allow her to sniff and lick his fingers. D was even so cruel as to hold food out to her, allow her to lick it, and then quickly shove it in his mouth. Gross and cruel, Son.

We spent the morning and nights exploring Las Vegas and the afternoons napping. So stinking nice. When all was said and done M declared the splash pad and hiking her favorite activities. After three days it was time to return home. Scout wanted to come with us.

On the open road.

Driving home went well because we made a discovery in Fillmore. All I-15 travelers take note: The Maverick gas station at the south end of town has a playground. Yes. I know. It was a miracle. A place to pee and play. It is every parental travelers dream and every germaphobes worst nightmare. I was in heaven, Steve was in the other place.

Now a sad story with a happy ending. We took great care when packing up, but M's Kitty was left behind in a drawer safely out of Scout's reach and as you know, out of sight, out of mind. M cried herself to sleep that night so Steve called my brother to report the oversight. This is the email we received the next day:

Dear M,

Thank you so much for letting your Kitty stay a few extra days with us. Scout and Kitty have been having so much fun together!! I thought you'd like to see:

Scout and Kitty wrestling:

Cuddling up to a movie:

Sharing a delicious lunch:

Kitty showing Scout how to climb trees:

Relaxing on the patio:

Watching for desert squirrels:

Getting some ice to snack on:

And of course, playing with toys:

As you can see Kitty and Scout are very good friends, but Kitty misses you a lot so I am sending her back to you today. I hope that you haven't been too sad without her. She is going to be so happy to see you in a few days! 

Thanks again for sharing her, we've really had fun! 

Love, 

Aunt, Uncle, & Scout.

Needless to say, this lifted M's spirit and every day until Kitty arrived in the mail we talked about all the things Scout and Kitty were doing together.

To my Sister-in-law: Best. Email. Ever.

Let's do this again sometime!