We are the Workmans!!: National Workmancito's VEGAS VACATION

At 4 in the morning on April 19th, we packed and loaded in the car and headed to LAS VEGAS! It had been a year since we took a vacation as a family, so we made plans to go and visit Jeannie and her family in Las Vegas. We left really early in the morning hoping that Olivia would sleep at least half of the way to help the drive pass by quickly for her. Thankfully the drive went very well, thanks to her favorite Baby Einstein video. We arrived at 1 in the afternoon, and had time left in the day to play with the family. Frankie, however was a bit incapacitated due to his lack of sleep, but he still managed to put on a happy face. I must say, though, while everyone up here in Utah was freezing and putting up with snow and rain, we sat out that night in a very warm 75 degree evening and ate ice cream. It was so warm! We loved it!

"Hey guys! I'm on my way to sunny Las Vegas today!
I'm hoping to find a good strike of luck here, but Dad say's
I'm too young to gamble. What he doesn't know, though..."

"I figure as long as I'm here I may as well
enjoy a bit of festive Easter-Egg coloring.
I think it would be cool to be able to make
one of these eggs camouflaged and hide it
somewhere cool!"

"The only thing more cool than camouflaging
Easter Eggs is getting to do it with my cousins.
These guys totally get me!"

Our trip to Las Vegas included plenty of shopping and lounging, but this time around, we decided to avoid the main crowd on the strip and stick to more local amusements. For instance, it has become a tradition for us to eat at In and Out Burger at least once and to also hit one of the famous buffets in one of the casinos. That little venture to the buffet at the Sunset Station Casino proved to be one of the most entertaining outings with Olivia we have had yet. Not only did she manage to eat everything we offered her, but she even managed to make off with her mommy's dinner a number of times as well.

"I don't think Mom will miss this turkey...
Uh oh! she does! She's chasing me! Gotta go!"

"Whew, I escaped! I told you she wouldn't
miss that turkey... but man, I think I
should have. Man, I'm beat!"

"I love sunny days that involve just chilling out
and suckin on a pouch of the good stuff.
It's funny too, cause Mom and Dad both think
this thing contains juice... Hee Hee Hee!"

Our trip also includes a visit to one of the malls there simply because there is a pet-store there that Olivia just totally loves. We even had an opportunity later in the week to take her to a petting zoo in the nearby mountains at Bonnie Springs and visit the Ethel M Chocolate Factory where they make M&Ms. Everywhere we took Olivia, she just had to chase the pigeons around. Jeannie also managed to find someone in her ward to watch Olivia and her children while we went to the temple there. That temple is so beautiful inside!

"I'll bet mom and dad didn't know I could pull a total
wind-mill here in the children's area Boo Yeah!!"

"Pigeons!!! I'll catch one yet!"

"Here I am with my cousins enjoying some
good ole sunshine here in a cactus garden.
Unlike the Prickly Pear, though, we make quite
a pleasant pair of kids."

"Ooh! A Peacock!"

"Yeeeah! I'm touching a pot-belly Pig!
With any luck, mom will let me keep him..."

"Here we are at Bonnie Springs enjoying the warm weather."

"Ok, seriously, what are Mom and Dad doing?
I'm so glad I was off to the side on this one!"

"We're waiting to board the train here.
I don't know, but it's kind of hot here."

The day we left, we took Olivia to an outside shopping district where she got to participate in her first Easter Egg hunt. She did quite well, actually and managed to collect about 5 eggs. Her favorite part of that venture, though wasn't the Easter Egg hunt or even the candy, but the outside water-spouts in the childrens' area. She loved the splashing water and managed to walk away completely drenched! The weather was so warm there and it was so pleasant to not feel rushed to be anywhere or to get something done. It was very strange indeed, though, to go from 90 degree weather at 4 in the afternoon to 32 degrees that night as we refueled in Cedar City. I hope that warm weather gets here soon enough! We had so much fun Jeannie's family and can't wait to play with them again this summer!