Vegas Trip

My sister turned 21 on Sept 10th. To Celebrate she went to Vegas with a bunch of her friends. My parents and I wanted to join in the festivities, so we tagged along. Well, sort of. We decided to go to Vegas on our own and just meet up with my sister and her boyfriend for a day.

 We left Friday around noon and got back Sunday evening. It was fun, not the best time I have had in Vegas, but that is because I am 7.5 months pregnant and have a lack of energy and stamina to walk around all day and night. It was still a really fun trip. James had never been to Vegas before so it was really cool to show him everything for his first time. 

On Friday night we went to Freemont Street. I really enjoy the music experience they do every hour. It instilled my love for the band QUEEN once again. We were there for hours it seemed, but it was great and I liked that it was busy, but not too crowded. Tons of fun people all dressed up as famous people or characters and of course, about 5 Elvis' including "Mini Elvis".

On Saturday, we met up with my sister and Kevin and we ate at the Excalibur hotel buffet. My sister had always wanted to eat at a big huge buffet so we picked one that was somewhat well known and closest to us. Let me tell you, this is the WORST buffet ever and I feel bad my parents wasted their money. For such a known hotel, I would assume the food would be somewhat tasty, but not in the least. Anyway, the day got much better from there.

 We walked around all day visiting the different hotels and sight seeing. My parents played a lot of slots while James and I explored. I really do love exploring although I have to take a lot more rest now a days.

Around dinner time we at at Gilly's at Treasure Island hotel. We were seated right on the balcony and got front row seats to watch the "Sirens" show.

 One of the highlights of the whole day was eating at Gilly's because they have AMAZING SWEET POTATO FRIES! It even came with a marshmallow cream and molasses syrup for dipping. YUM!  I am really obsessed with sweet potato fries it is hard to find a restaurant that has good ones.


I like walking around the strip at night so much more because of all the glitzy lights!We watched the water show in front of the Bellagio and caught the tale end of the volcano show in front of the Mirage. We saw the lions at MGM, walked around the shops at Cesar's forum (where I got a bloody nose from all the insane heat) and found the Flamingo "paradise" garden, among many other things.

By the time we had met back up with my parents, James and I walked around for 12 hours . At the end of the day, I could barely lift up my legs. I really had overdone myself. My feet were hurting so bad that I had to soak them in hot water once we got back to the hotel, but I still loved sight seeing with James.

I am so used to California, where it is illegal to smoke almost anywhere these days and totally forgot that you can smoke inside and outside in Vegas. The cigarette smoke was killing me, i wish we would have gotten to take the trip before I was preggo and I hope that all that second hand smoke didn't hurt Chloe.

James and I don't really gamble so it was much more of just sight seeing for us. Since I am preggo, we really didn't go to any clubs or anything. All in all, I was glad he was able to go at least SEE Vegas before Chloe was here. Another "to do before we move" to check off our list. YAY!

♥ Michelle

Last Trip to Phoenix

Phoenix is hot, I mean like really, really, hot. Every time we go there, it seems no matter what time of year it is, it's just too hot to do ANYTHING outside. We got o Phoenix at least once a year to visit my side of the family out there. My Grandma, Aunt and her two daughters, 1 of whom has a family of her own all live out in Phoenix. They are pretty much the only family I grew up with. We have not been able to go out there as much this year with everything happening and then the pregnancy as well. In fact, the last time we went out there was almost exactly a year ago. I went to help throw my cousin's baby shower and a week later she had her son, Dylan.
 We finally got a chance to go out there for my cousin's baby's 1st birthday.  He was as cute as ever and even though he slept through most of the party, I am sure he enjoyed the party and all the cute little Toy Story gifts he received. We were able to spend some quality time with Grandma, which is always the best. I had the realization while I was out there that this will be the last time I will be visiting in a loooooong time, if ever. Now that we will have the baby and we will be moving to Oregon, we will not be able to visit family in different states as much as we do now. When we do have vacation time and money, I am pretty sure it will be to come to San Diego to visit all our family we will be leaving here. Sad, but true... Although, I should never say never.
 We didn't get to take too many pictures, but we did finally snap some photos with the dino and snake we ALWAYS pass in Gila Bend and we promise each other we will take pics with them on the trip back and never do. Finally something to check off on our list..

 ♥ Michelle

Baby Bump - Week 30

 " Your baby's length is about 16 inches—about as long as a laptop computer—and she measures almost 11 inches from crown to rump. She weighs approximately 2 1/2 to 3 pounds. Your baby has doubled in height over the past six weeks, and from now until delivery, she'll gain only a few more inches in length. (Thank goodness! There is seriously no more room for her to grow!)  Your baby's most important organ, her brain, continues to develop at a rapid pace. Her eyes are able to track light, and some researchers have theorized that exposing your belly to light may stimulate development." - FIT pregnancy

We tried laying in the dark last night, moving a flashlight over my tummy to see if she responded... No such luck. Maybe she was just too pooped from all the crazy moving around I was doing yesterday. We also put headphones over my belly and played some Vitamin String Quartet... She actually kicked the headphones a couple of times as I moved it around on my belly... but it wasn't enough for us to get too excited over... definitely trying again tonight. :)


♥ Michelle