Vegas, Baby!

Last week, I "had" to go to Las Vegas for a one day conference. I took Tyler with me so we could have a cool mother/son trip. And... we had a blast! We actually flew up a day early so we had almost 3 days totally to ourselves. Believe me, we made the most of it and must have walked close to 15 miles in those 3 days. There are TONS of fun things to do there, and we didn't even have to gamble or partake in the smut...

First, we stayed in a very NICE hotel... the J.W. Marriott (Click the link to see pictures). The room was HUGE and the bathroom was even HUGER. (Okay, I know "huger" is not a word, but it really sounds good in the context.) The bathroom had a separate shower (complete with two showerheads, a regular and a rainfall one). Then, there was a massive jacuzzi tub that 3 people could fit in. Plus, there was a separate potty room complete with a phone. And... the pool was absolutely spectacular! Woo hoo!!!

We spent the majority of our time on the Strip. In fact, there happened to be a red carpet event at the MGM Grand Hotel and we passed right by it. We saw several stars and they were so nice! We got a picture taken with quite a few of them... Johnny Depp(!), Tim McGraw(!), Bono(!), Sylvester Stallone(!), Bette Midler(!), Elton John(!)!!!! Can you believe it??

Okay... I have to confess something. We really didn't see these stars in person... (Did I have you going??) They're actually wax figures from Madame Tussaud's. But let me tell you, they are AMAZING. They actually look less real in the pictures because the wax reflects the flash. When you're standing right up next to them, they look REAL. And the cool thing about this wax museum... it is like a party setting and you can go right up to them and pose any way you want. Here are some more that I couldn't show you before, because you would know I wasn't telling the truth about meeting them.... a basketball player (I don't remember his name, but he's very tall), Elvis Presley and someone I always admired... Princess Diana.

One of the experiences we had on the strip was getting kicked out of a casino. Yes, Ms. Goody Two Shoes and her wonderful son. You see... Tyler is only 17 and was not allowed to "loiter" in the casinos. He could walk through them, but he couldn't stop. And a lot of times, you have to walk through the casinos to get to a lot of places. We were in one and Tyler wanted me to put a dollar in one of the slot machines and then he actually gave me a dollar. I noticed a casino employee watching us and told him I couldn't do it. However, we kept walking out and there were slot machines right by the door. I thought we were safe at that point. I sat down and Tyler just paced back and forth behind me, and did not "loiter." Low and behold, the lady was following us and came up and asked Tyler how old he was. Tyler was honest, and she told us to leave. That was a fun Vegas experience!

You've heard of Caesar's Palace, right? In case you didn't know, that is where "Friends" filmed their fantastic Vegas episode that ended up with Ross and Rachel getting married. Of course, we had to go there! Since we were scared of "loitering" in the casino, we didn't get pictures there. However, we did get pictures of the Forum Shops (the mall). Keep in mind these are all INSIDE. It is so beautiful...

Look who's coming to the Flamingo in September!! None other than... DONNY and MARIE!! Would you believe all their shows are almost sold out?? I would... they are HOT! And, in case you didn't know, my birthday is in September... (hint, hint). Another trip to Vegas to see D&M would be totally cool and best birthday present... EVER! Just kidding... (I think).

Tyler's favorite part of the trip was walking through a Lamborghini showroom. He was in heaven... the look on his face was priceless!

We did a few other things that we didn't get pictures of. For one, we saw the fountain show at the Bellagio. It was BEAUTIFUL! The water shot up from the ground to at least 15 stories in the air.. totally amazing. We also went up in the Eiffel Tower at the Paris hotel. It was a beautiful view, but the pictures didn't really turn out. And... we actually saw the Bellagio fountain show again from the top of the tower. It was awesome from there as well.

We finished off our trip doing something in honor of Adam and David. They absolutely LOVE SpongeBob ("BumBa") SquarePants right now. So... when I saw that the Excalibur hotel had a 4D SpongeBob ride, we had to go. Not only was it in 3D, but we got splashed with water and bubbles, smelled pickles and got stung by jellyfish. Totally awesome!

Tyler and I had a GREAT time in Vegas and I'm so glad we had the experience. He's going to be a senior this year and will be going off to college very soon. My baby is growing up... (sniff, sniff). I'm sure it is something we will both remember for the rest of our lives!

Fourth of July

To celebrate, I dressed the boys in patriotic clothes and took them to a "children's parade." I wasn't sure what it was at first, but I figured it out. Children from the town decorated their bikes and wagons and marched in the parade with their parents. Despite the heat, the boys seemed to enjoy it while munching on pretzels and drinking juice.

Kayleigh, who used to be their nanny, spent the holiday with us. I think she enjoyed it too...

Posing with their dear old mommy...

Were the Streetman Twins stylin' or what???

Later on, after we took a nap and ate dinner (that Kayleigh cooked!), it was time for FIREWORKS!

Adam liked them...

But David REALLY liked them! Look at that adorable and mesmerized face!

However, the excitement only lasted a couple of minutes. Pretty soon, they got wiggly and grumpy. It was kind of past their bedtime though...

Random 18 Month Pictures

Playing in a fountain at my Uncle Jerry and Aunt Linda's house when the light was just right. This is a beautiful picture, but Jerry had to make a few repairs to the fountain when they were done with it.

We visited my Aunt Catherine in Covington, Tennessee. She is my GREAT aunt and Adam and David's (and Tyler's) GREAT GREAT aunt. Adam saw her walker and thought it was a "mo-mo." In other words, they think their GREAT GREAT Aunt Catherine drives a motorcycle!! And... she even took them for a ride on it! They were so impressed...

Aunt Catherine has a BIG farm with an old barn. We tried our best to get the boys to pose in front of it, but it so hard to do with twin toddlers!

A beautiful picture taken at Aunt Catherine's house...

We spent a night at Camp Nebo in Arkansas. Randall's brother, Tim, and his family came up to visit us. Here is a shot of the boys with their cousins... Alan, Kim and Bradley.

Adam and David sitting with Kim, watching the campfire.

Back home... and Adam is being silly again. In case you couldn't tell, he's got his shorts on his head. Does this mean he'll be partying with a lampshade on his head when he's older?

Mitchell Family Reunion - June 7, 2008

On June 7, my dad's family had a reunion. My dad is one of five brothers so it is a pretty big family when you add all the kids and grandkids in there. We had a wonderful time and hope to do it again and again and again. Unfortunately, my uncle Mark and cousins Jennifer, Courtney and Mason couldn't make it this time.

The "Blood" Mitchells

(I also had pictures of the WHOLE family, but they didn't turn out. Big Bummer!)

We were originally all supposed to camp (in a tent or a cabin) at Mt. Nebo in Arkansas. However, due to the rising gas prices, we reunioned at my cousin Jay's house in Mississippi. He has a HUGE backyard and a BEAUTIFUL pool. It was perfect!

My uncle Bob and his girlfriend

My uncle Mike and Randall

My cousin Shannon, Aunt Linda, Alex (my cousin once removed?)

and Griffin (my other cousin once removed?)

Aunt Linda and her precious grandson, Griffin

My cousin, Greg, and my Daddy having a deep conversation.

Tyler, working on his tan. He also managed to take the SAT earlier that morning in Memphis.

Adam and his Daddy

Me and my twins

My dad ("Tack") and David

David jumping to his Tack... and liking it.

Adam jumping to Randall... This is just the beginning. Stay tuned!

Adam (I think) and Tyler

Greg wearing a twin hat...

Tyler threw Adam up in the air and he LOVED it. Every time he came back down,

he would sign "more" and say "Mo!". So cute!

Our little adrenaline junkie... also known as Adam. He really enjoyed jumping off the diving board and going under water. And then, he couldn't get out of the water fast enough to go and do it again. Keep in mind the water was slightly over his head, like about by 8 feet.

The twins playing with their soon-to-be cousin, CJ. The "thing to do" according to the one-year-olds, was to yell and run at the same time.

My Uncle Jerry and his grandson, Griffin. On the surface, this appears to be a very sweet picture. Take a closer look at Mr. Griffin's nose and Jerry's shirt...

Volleyball!

My cousin Jay's son, Alex.



The campfire I always wanted. You see, I had visions of all the Mitchells around the campfire eating s'mores. Even though we didn't go camping, my Uncle Jerry still helped to make my campfire dream come true!



The End.

(Until next year!)