We went to Las Vegas for Spring Break, an odd place for a family vacation, especially with a 2 month old. However some friends of ours were renewing their vows for their 10 year anniversary and invited us to come. We arrived a day before everyone else so we spent the afternoon playing on the midway at Circus Circus (our hotel). Joaquin became quite the fan of skeeball, although his technique still needs work. Then we walked over to the Mirage for their dolphin and wild cat habitat. Joaquin loved the dolphins. You could see them from below and watch them swim or sit next to their pools on the top and watch them do tricks while their trainers fed them. It was very entertaining. They didn't have formal shows, but the dolphins were basically like dogs, doing their tricks for treats. And dolphin tricks are pretty impressive! The cats were thrilling as well since they were only five feet and a heavy chain link fence away from you. Eeek!
We did not rent a car which, while feasible on the Strip, ended up being quite a lot of walking. Eliana spent a lot of time in the sling, bonding with Daddy and Joaquin clocked up an impressive number of miles for such a little guy. According to Daniel's pedometer we did 30,000 steps one day. Obviously that's more for Joaquin, but it's about 12 miles anyway you look it. When our friends arrived the next day, we did some more sight-seeing, including the M&M store! It was really cute, fortunately Daniel stopped my shopping urges because I wanted to buy lots of stuff. We did buy Eliana a cute little M&M onesie as a costume and lots of cool colored M&Ms for fun.
The next day was the vow renewal, time to dress up! Since this was a costumed event, Daniel rented a dancing taco costume. He, along with the groom and several others actually went to a costume shop there in Vegas (fortunately since who wants to schlep a Dancing Taco costume through airport security). However Eliana wore her new M&M onesie and I had a Carnival mask. Joaquin refused to dress up, don't really know why, but after he saw everyone else having fun, he did try on Daddy's hat! The ceremony was performed at "The White Chapel" which was about as fabulously Vegas kitschy as you'd expect. Notice our beautiful family shot surrounded by the heart-shaped wrought iron. Very romantic except for the Tuxedo rental sign on the door behind!
After the ceremony we had a reception at a local restaurant rented out for the occasion. Very nice, since it let the kids run around and be crazy. Daniel had fun dancing with Eliana, which was very sweet, even with the taco costume. Joaquin played with the child's menu, discovering he can do word searches if they have a word list to guide him. He didn't know what the words said, but he could find them in the puzzle. I was very impressed. Even with all the excitement, we managed some quiet family time in the hotel room. Travelling with friends who also have small children is very convenient sometimes! Daniel and Joaquin had a great time 'kindling' (Joaquin has a bit of a Kindle problem), even with Eliana's occasional contribution. That's the danger of touch screens, anyone can work them! Despite the fun we had, it was definitely an exhausting vacation (don't worry after taking that last picture, Daniel rescued Eliana from my sleeping grasp). I'm glad we went, but I'm also glad it's over! We needed a vacation from our vacation!
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