Las Vegas day 5

Today was our last day. We had a slow morning getting things packed, making and eating breakfast, and then cleaning up the condos. Everyone pitched in and when all was said and done, it was time to head out.

Before getting on the freeway, we decided to make a detour and stop at the Temple. When we got there, we got out and walked around for a minute before getting back in the cars and heading home. 

The ride home was considerably less eventful than the ride there and I was grateful for that. Now that we were home it was time to unpack and get back to the normal day-to-day. It was a short trip, but it was a fun one.

Las Vegas day 4

Mom hasn't spend a whole ton of time with us because she couldn't do all that walking, but this morning it was all about her. She planned a few games for the kids and we did those right after breakfast. One that the kids absolutely loved was bingo. Who doesn't love bingo. The kids had a blast and they got a ton of candy by the time the game was over. When that was done, the kids helped to clean up and we played a few more games before having lunch and then heading out again.

We found a place to park, which luckily was free, but I'm pretty sure that was only because it wasn't that close to the strip. Once we were settled we made our way to the strip and our first stop at the M&M Factory. This place never gets old. We've been here many times, not always on the strip, but we still get a kick out of the museum/store of M&M's throughout the years. We watched the 3D movie, checked out the toys, and the transformation of the M&M's through the years. Our last stop (before the gift shop) was to check out the race car. This of course was the boys' favorite stop. 

When we were done we of course stopped at the gift shop before leaving the store. Each of the kids got to make their own bag of M&M's. They bounced back and forth to all the flavors trying to decide which ones to put in their bags. After a good 15 minutes, they were finally done and we made our way to the register to checkout. With our bag in hand, we headed outside and to the next stop.

Our next stop was next store at the Coca-Cola Factory. I was surprised to see that there was a line to get inside. They were still limiting the number of patrons in their store to help with COVID. While we were waiting in line, the kids were bouncing all over the place. They were antsy and didn't want to be in a line. When it was finally our turn to go in, we all went in or at least I thought. Once inside, I was trying to keep track of the boys and I found William, but couldn't find Owen. I started to panic, asked everyone if they had seen him and they all said no. I ran out of the store to see if I could see him and it took a minute, but I found him trying to take a picture of the hotel across the street. I wanted to wring his neck for walking away. I wasn't the only one who gave him a talking-to either. I could tell he felt bad, but there is no describing the feeling of a lost child for a parent.

Now that I had caught my breath and Owen was within sight, we were able to enjoy the Coca-Cola Factory. There wasn't as much to see here as in the M&M store, but they seemed to be entertained. We went through the store pretty quickly. I let each of them pick out a drink and then we headed outside to wait for everyone else.

We then went back to the hotel to relax while the boys went back to the Venetian to do a virtual reality game that they had signed up for yesterday. When they got back to the hotel they showed us the video of them playing the game. It was funny to see them moving around playing their games. They were bumping into each other a little bit and you could tell when something jumped out at them. We were all laughing as we watched their playback.

When it was time, we loaded up in two cars and headed to the Excalibur. We decided to pay for parking because it would be dark by the time we were done and we didn't want to wait for the shuttle again. When we got there the kids were really excited. We were about to go inside for the dinner and show of The Tournament of Kings. We've done it before, but its exciting every time. 

Once downstairs, they weren't letting anyone in yet, so the kids walked around the arcade. When we saw the line start to form, we all got in line and headed to our seats once inside the arena. The kids' eyes were wide, taking it all in again. We were in the Dragon section this time. This was going to get interesting. While in our seats, they came and got our drink order, and when it was time, they brought our dinner and the show started.

The show of course was great. It's basically the same each time, except for the winner changes for each show. The cheering was a blast and the kids were really getting into it. They also ate up their dinner. Maybe I should serve food that you can eat with your hand more often, they might actually eat it all. 

When the show was over, we made our way to the parking lot. When we got to the doors we were taken aback by the amount of rain that was coming down. It was huge raindrops and there was so much rain. No one wanted to go outside. So Jeff and I ran out to get the cars and when I got to the gate to get out, I realized I had left my purse with Gabbi. I was to back up, making others do the same, and wait for Dad to run my purse out to me. Once I had my purse I paid at the gate and went and picked up my carload and we headed back to the hotel.

Everyone was drenched and fought for the showers when we got back. Once everyone was cleaned up and in jammies, we went to bed.

Las Vegas day 3

Today was another relaxed do with no official plans. This morning we opted to drive instead of use the shuttle. We made our way towards the Fashion show mall, we wanted to go to the Lego Store. When we got there we had to wait a minute to get in the store because they were limiting how many customers could be in the store, but once inside, the kids were going crazy. I told them that they could get 1 set, but I had to approve it. They had a really hard time decided which one to pick. When they finally did, I made our purchase and we headed out the door so others could come inside.

When we were done we decided to walk through the mall to see what other stores we could come across. We all made a few purchases and by the time we were done, we had our hands full and headed back to the vehicles to put them all away.

Now that our hands were free, we went and walked the strip again. Our first stop was at the Venetian at their Grand Canal Shoppes. They had a lot more to look at than the shops yesterday. We got to see a river inside a hotel that even had some boats on it. The kids really wanted to take a ride on the gondolas, but were bummed when they saw the line. We were able to get a treat and the boys (bigger boys) made an appointment to come back for a virtual reality thing. 

After seeing all we could see at the Venetian, we continued our walk of the strip. It wasn't a long walk, just the block around the mall. We didn't go inside any of the hotels, but took in the sights on the outside. We checked out the Mirage and Treasure Island before heading back to the parking garage.

Now that we were back at the vehicles, we decided that we would go for a little drive. We went to the Hoover Dam. When we pulled into the parking lot the kids were kind of bummed. They said that we already went here and I just laughed. I told them that this time would be different because we were with different people than we were last time. They smiled and agreed and got out of the van.

We started out together, but it didn't stay that way. We all kind of went at our own paces walking across the bridge and through the different exhibit plaques. Everyone made it all the way across the bridge safely and eventually we all met back down at the bottom. When everyone was done we got back in the vehicles and headed back to the hotel.

When we got back to the condo, Mom had dinner ready to go and waiting for us. After we were done eating, we all decided to go do to the pool and swim. The condo had 3 different pools and the kids were all over the place. The were having a great time and I was just glad that they weren't disturbing anyone else. A fun surprise was to see a friendly face, Taryn. Her family and her parents were here as well. We visited and laughed while the kids were swimming. It was nice to see her. After we were done talking it was time to wrestle the kids out of the pool since they were closing it all down for the night. That took a minute, but once they were out, we went back to our rooms, got cleaned up, and went to bed.