Las Vegas Trip '07

Well, we went on our yearly trip to Vegas again, and it was fun as usual. We did some things a little differently time.


So, if you can tell by the photos, I got to take a photo with Captain Jack Sparrow and Will Turner. I am telling you, they were very nice and did not mind at all standing very still for the photos! Carl took a photo with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, of course he had to go back in time to get that one, and to the moon at that! Wow, some feat huh?

Sorry about how the photos are arranged, I am still working to correct this weird placement of photos, if anyone has any ideas please let me know, it is driving me batty! Anyway, the photos of course are of Carl and I in various areas of Vegas including dinner and a couple of us at Madame Trussaeau's Wax Museum. Let me tell you, standing up close and personal to these figures is totally creepy, especially the ones that looked 100% like the real deal. Some weren't as good as others but the ones that were the best were standing in the middle of the room, you almost said "excuse me" to them as you passed! Weird, but interesting.

Then of course there is the Vegas sign, just so you know where we were. The restaurant pictured is Blackstone's Steakhouse, very yummy, we had Filet Mignon, and some side dishes and appetizers. We also had yummy desserts too, Creme Brulee for me and ice cream for Carl.

We stayed at the Monte Carlo, which we will probably not stay at again, very noisy plumbing and the pipes knocked all night! Very loudly too! We like the Luxor better. I would really like to stay at the Bellagio or the Venetian, but they are way out of our price range! Maybe Mandalay Bay next time? Hmmmmm.... we shall see.

Knott's Berry Farm-Was it Worth it?

Well, the kids have been asking about Knott's Berry Farm for a while and since we nixed the plan to go to Legoland this summer, we decided (since we had coupons) that we would go to Knott's. Our first disappointment was seeing tons of school buses and we found out that a bunch of elementary schools come at this time of year, weird, but anyway...

We did find out that the park was open til 8pm and that the schools usually leave between 3-4pm, ok, better. Then the killer....the Log Ride was down for refurbishing!!! Huge disappointment for the kids, that is their favorite ride! The dumb thing is they won't be open til the END of summer! What kind of thinking is that? Then we decided to do some other things and that was ok. The Birdcage theatre is no longer open and some of the other little rides around the park (other than in Camp Snoopy) no longer exist. We were trying to decide what to do next and we did watch a cornball performance in the Calico saloon that was cute. We then wanted to grab an early lunch at The Grill restaurant that was supposed to open at 11am. Well, we got there at 11:15 and the doors were still locked, we asked around and no one knew anything. Those we asked were of the younger generation and didn't really even try to answer our questions. We then watched the blacksmiths for a moment and they took time out to call and inquire as to what was going on. Apparently someone decided to just not show for work today and so they were scrambling to get people in there to open. There were two older gentlemen that found all this out, and we were very thankful that they were there to help us! We found the same thing throughout the park, the young people ranged from merely disinterested to outright rude! We were pretty surprised. We don't expect much, granted, but this was ridiculous! The nicest and most helpful were the blacksmiths and our waitress in the restaurant once it opened. They were all over 40!

When you pay good money to visit an amusement park you would think you would get your money's worth! Your child should never say, "I'm not having that much fun." (which Kaleigh said at the beginning because everything we tried to do wasn't working! We did get back some of the fun by going to Camp Snoopy and going on a lot of rides there, and they did really enjoy the Ghost Town and talking to the "Horse Thief" in jail. (that is a whole other story)

All in all it was a fun day, the kids don't notice the things we older ones do and for that I am thankful.

Our first Pool Day!

Ok, so it isn't a real pool, just a largish kiddie pool, but it is enough to cool our family down, plus a neighborhood kid too! Today was the day Dad decided to put it up (mainly because the kids kept begging him to do it!) and now they are having a good ol time cooling off. Hmmm, something to do later for me! The house stays pretty cool until about 3pm, then the heat from outside comes inside and within an hour when the sun is actually starting to go down and the outside is actually cooler than the inside! That is of course when all the windows that can open get opened. Our house was painted very cheaply by the previous owner and all the windows were painted shut. Carl actually managed to put screens on some and get them open, but there are still quite a few that don't. Maybe a summer project? Anyway, the pool is a nice way to just cool off. Swimming doesn't exactly work, however.

Cole's Graduation from Kindergarten!

Well, my last one is out of the early education system! Cole graduated from Kindergarten this morning and it made me think, he will be graduating from High School in the year 2019! That is what you see on the T-shirt, "Class of 2019" Kaleigh's is 2017, which is neat because her oldest cousin graduated this year 2007! He did great at the ceremony and his Grandma came too! I was able to go to the ceremony and spend a little time in his class before I had to go back to my class! Cole's teacher gave him his final report card and it was all good! I am so proud of him and I know that his Omi and Opa and all his Aunts, Uncles and Cousins are proud of him too! Look out next year, First Grader comin' through! Good Luck my Shnookle-bookel!

Last Day, Hooray!

Well, today was my last day teaching for this year! The kids could definitely tell something was different! They all were a little out of control...but not really, not in my class! We did have fun dressing up in Hawaiian clothes and having a Luau with the other classes. I took one nice photo of all the kids and then told them I wanted a goofy one, and gee...well surprise surprise, they didn't disappoint! So here is the last day of school, with all my little friends and their goofy faces! Happy Summer!