Highlights from Las Vegas area

Sometimes a project is just so big and daunting that you just don't want to tackle it. I feel that way about most Christmas scrapbook projects. That's how I feel about blogging our 2 and a 1/2 week Utah trip. So I will probably spend several days adding on to it. Feel free to skip parts, look at pictures, or come back to it later.

The flight was very exciting for the boys as this was their first memorable trip on a plane. Having a portable DVD player helped the flight go by faster too.

We flew into Vegas VERY LATE Weds. night June 11th. Once we got off the plane,(at 1 am. York time) with all our car seats, carry-ons, and tired children, we had to walk through half the airport to get to the car rental place, then take a bus to actually pick up the car, then drive to the hotel. By the time we were in our hotel room putting kids to bed, it was 3 am. York time! The kids were so good though and didn't complain or cry at all.

The next morning we ate breakfast and went down to the pool. That was nice to relax for a while. Serena's first time in a pool. She liked it as we had suspected.

After checking out, we cruised the strip, first by car, then by foot. We started out at Treasure Island so we could show Hayden the pirate show. Well, he got to see the ships, but the shows are only at night, and apparently they cater to a gay crowd now (not so great for kids!). We showed them the Venetian which I really like. The inside mall with the water and real-looking sky are my favorite.

Next we went to the Bellaggio to show the kids the fountain show. These guys should have been in Ocean's 11.

Our last stop was the M&M store. The kids were really tired, but boy did they perk up when we walked in there! About 4 or 5 stories of M&M merchandise, most of it overpriced. Like a pound of choose-your-own M&M's-$10.99/lb.!

Some things were really cute though.

Notice the orange M&M face next to Connor.

We left Vegas early evening to visit our friends Jay and Willow and there kids in Overton (an hour north of Vegas).

It is very different there. We went from green trees and grass everywhere to ...sand everywhere! Jay wasn't kidding when he asked if we liked sand! The boys loved it! Whenever they got a chance they were out in the yard exploring. Hayden was excited that he got to see a lizard before we left.

On Friday Jay was nice to take off work, so after a relaxing and delicious breakfast, we all drove to Lake Mead to feed the fish and do a little swimming.

This is what the water looked like after we started throwing in some bread. There were so many carp, the kids were petting them and Jay tried to step on them!

Then it was time to go swimming. The lake has gone down 100 ft. in the past six years, so there's not really an easy place to get in the water anymore. In fact, they have to keep moving the boat dock further down. So when Mike went to get in the water with Connor on his shoulders, he immediately sunk in the mud to his knees! Jay grabbed Connor from him as he tried to suction his legs out of the muck. He had to go back in to retrieve his flip flops. So Jay tried another spot, same problem. We thought we were done, but Jay kept exploring until they found a narrow passageway where he didn't sink (we're not sure why, maybe a different kind of soil). So we got to cool off in the lake (the desert is pretty hot this time of year!), Hayden was happy. He even had a mud fight with Jay-unprecidented! And even if we wouldn't have been able to get in the water, the scenery was beautiful and I'm glad we got to see it.

Their oldest daughter Cheyenne who is 4, loved holding Serena. She will be a great babysitter! Their second daughter is in the Elmo bathing suit- that's Adria. Her and Connor were fast friends, so were Hayden and Cheyenne.

This is a family picture on Sat. morning before we left. The girls love getting their picture taken! Brianna is the baby, she is 9 months. When I asked them if they were done having kids, they said, "oh no!" They are going to have 6 or 7! Wow. Willow is such a great mom and so much more patient than I am. That actually doesn't seem too big for them because they both come from big families, but I am an only child so having 4 seems like too many for me!

I'm going to end this entry here and pick up on a new entry because it's getting too long.

Veggie Garden

So far this year my garden seems to be doing quite well. The nice weather plays a large roll in that, and I just love gardening. There's just something revitalizing about working in the dirt and nurturing plants that will produce delicious food to eat. It has been my 2nd baby this year. Up until now I have been able to keep on top of the weeds. I'm a little nervous to leave it for 2 and a half weeks, but I have people watching it for me. Our peasThe one problem was a very brave bunny that liked my immature tomato and pepper plants. So one night while I was at work, the boys constructed this fence. They even put in a door which is one of the old screens from their bedroom window that we replaced. Hayden thought to hang their watering cans on the one post, and his shovel on the other side. Although the lighting on Mike's face is not good, I still like this pic of him. This is a fun pic of Hayden and Daddy feeding the fish.

Updates on Hayden

Hayden's last few weeks of school were jam packed with fun activites. They went to Stausburg for a field trip, then Friday a week ago was Fun Day at his school and I signed up to be a volunteer. That was a mistake. He has afternoon kindergarten so I was there during both Serena and Connor's naptimes, not to mention it was over 90 degrees with about 150% humidity. Needless to say, I was at my assigned area for about half an hour, the rest of the two hours I was trying to keep two tired kids from screaming. The picture is of the inflatable caterpillar that was a hit. The other popular stops were an inflatable slide, Rita's ice, french fry vendor, and tatoo and face painting booths. Hayden had fun, mostly without me. This past Friday the 6th was Hayden's last day of school. Each parent scheduled a time to go in and talk with the teacher about their child's portfolio and report card. We are amazed at the progress that Hayden has made this year. He went from perfecting his letters to writing stories and reading whole books! Before he started school he was frustrated by words, now he loves to read. We have his wonderful teacher to thank for that. This is a picture of Hayden with her, Mrs. Raffensberger. As we left the school I got a little sentimental again thinking that my child is no longer a kindergartner, and that he will be in school all day next year. I know I can't turn back the hands of time, I just wish that sometimes they would go by slower. Another milestone in the life of a child-Hayden lost his first top front tooth on Weds..

Then just two days later (after his last day of school)... he lost another tooth!

Strawberry picking

We went this past Tues. on the first day at Raab's farm. The plants were full of fruit and the weather was perfect. We had a very enjoyable morning of picking, and I got to see my long lost friend Jamie. Her, Zane and Ewan met us there. The next day I froze about 7 or 8 pints of strawberry jam. There is nothing better than some home-made strawberry jam spread on a piece of fresh baked bread.

Updates on Serena

Okay, I sort of got a picture of her rolling over. She doesn't do it on demand yet! I love this picture-I call it her karate chop! Serena all dressed up for church. Mike said she looks like a birthday present. She started rice cereal this past week-she hates it. If it doesn't come out of Mommy, she doesn't want it. She'll get the hang of the spoon soon enough.

Memorial Day 2008

The hammock was one of the highlights this year.

My cousin Eric. Uncle Bob. My cousin Jen (married to Eric) holding Serena. Uncle Dan with Serena.

I like this picture. It looks like Serena's going to eat all that yummy holiday food! Another hit was the sprinkler. It was a really nice day though-for once it wasn't too hot or humid. Three cousins-Addy, her sister Nora, and Connor Connor and Nora were fascinated by Bob's outdoor train. Frankly, I am too! Mike having fun with the camera.

News Flash!

Just in... It has been reported that on Sunday May 25th, on her five month birthday, Serena Noelle Brandt rolled over for the first time. There were no witnesses on the scene, but her mother reported that when she went to get her out of bed, she was on her back instead of her belly. More converage and photos later.