Vegas, Baby!

Thank you for all of your comments on yesterday's post.  Although Jackson is no longer with us, he is still a part of our family & I am happy to be able to share him with all of you.  We miss him very much, yet thank God everyday for our two miracles that are with us today.

We returned home yesterday from a wonderful visit to Las Vegas.  Most of Marc's family lives in Vegas, so while we were down there we were able to see all of his immediate family, not to mention aunts, uncles cousins, & friends.  And let's not forget about his grandpa too, who came all the way from Arkansas to see us (and of course to see the rest of the family too).  The weather was perfect while we were there.  Sunny every single day & in the 50's & 60's.  Perfect!  And the girls did great too!  Very well behaved & polite. Not to mention they slept great too! I was telling Marc yesterday that I think this is the first trip that was 'easy' with Ashby.  We didn't have to chase around after her, in fear of her breaking things, or hurting herself, or getting into things she shouldn't.  We had a wonderful Christmas & visit with everyone, & we were sad to see our 6-day stay come to an end.

Here are some highlights from the trip:

Playing With Cousins

The girls adore their cousins.  Marc's brother, Adam, has twins who are only a few months younger than Ashby.  And Marc's sister, Lisa, has a son & daughter.  They were all great with the girls, but especially Luke & Samantha.  Luke is 10 & Sami is 8, and they were awesome with the girls.  Constantly playing with them, sharing their toys, and making sure to include them in everything they did.    They took care of the girls & we really appreciate all that they did with them while we were there. 

Visiting The Magical Forest

Grandma really want to take us to The Magical Forest while we were there.  The Magical Forest is at the Opportunity Village & all proceeds benefit individuals with disabilities at the Village.  It is a forest with hundreds of beautifully decorated trees, holiday lights, a carousal and train, along with many other wonderful things.  Unfortunately, it was packed when we went so the lines were super long, it was very cold, and we had three 2-year olds with us.  So we were not able to stay as long as we had liked, but we had a wonderful time with everyone & what we did see was very beautiful!

Celebrating Christmas

We had an amazing Christmas with everyone!  Christmas Eve Grandpa & Grandma gave the girls their Christmas princess pajamas, which were adorable.  The girls were ecstatic to see that Santa came to Grandma & Grandpa's house Christmas morning, and they were also spoiled with way to many gifts from everyone too.  Everyone came over to Marc's parent's house to open gifts & we enjoyed a delicious breakfast made by Grandma.  And then in the afternoon we went over to Aunt Cathy's house to enjoy some more yummy food and visit with the rest of the family.  There is nothing better than spending the holiday with the ones that you love.

G-Pa Came To Town

The girls' great-grandpa, G-Pa, lives in Arkansas with his wife, Jo Bess (or Jo Jo to the girls), so we do not get to see them very often.  G-Pa really wanted to come to Las Vegas while we were there because, believe it or not, he has never met Ashby!  I didn't believe it at first, but thinking back, I guess he is right.  He has never been there visiting when we have been in town since Ashby was born.  We were so happy to see him & glad that he was finally able to meet Ashby.  We were sorry that Jo Jo wasn't able to come, but it was great to see G-Pa!

Beautiful Weather

Like I said, the weather was awesome!  I tried to get the girls outside as much as possible while we were there, as I knew how terrible the weather was back home.  The weather temperatures felt great, not to mention the sun. Oh, the sun!  We enjoyed every minute we were able to be outside!

Two FIRSTS

We took the girls to their first movie while we were there.  The girls love the Chipmunks, so we decided to take them to the newest Chipmunk movie.  It was a super cute movie, but I am still partial to the Squeakquel movie.  Kennedy loved it & although Ashby said she liked it, I don't think she liked how loud it was or how big the screen was.  Multiple times during the movie she asked to go home.  And then after the movie, we went out to lunch to celebrate Luke's birthday at Chuck E. Cheese.  Another first for the girls!  This germaphobe mommy has never taken the girls there, but I gave in & decided to take them while we were there.  Lisa kept telling me how surprised she was that I was there.  Ha!  I am happy to say that we all survived, however, I made sure to use lots & lots & lots of sanitizer when we left! :)

Luke's 10th Birthday

On December 26th, Luke turned 10!  I cannot believe that he is 10 years old!  Marc & I started dating when Luke was only 3 months old, so it is hard to believe that he is this old!  Time flies when you are having fun!  He is turning into such a fine young man, and I am so happy that we were able to be there for his special day.

Grandpa & Grandma

Pinkalicious room,  eating all of the special & yummy food that Grandma buys for them, getting lots of cuddle time (especially from Grandma), reading books together, playing with their iPhone & camera, and getting & giving 'a million hugs & kisses'.  

Thank you to everyone who made this trip so wonderful!  It was great to see everyone & spend the holiday together.  We miss you already & cannot wait to see you all again soon!