Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Livin It Up In Laughlin

Sunday afternoon Eric suggested we pack up and head out to Laughlin for a quick getaway. I am always up for a spontaneous night away, so I was all for it.

We stayed at Harrah's which was really quite beautiful. Especially outside. We arrived in the dark, but trust me when I tell you there is a beautiful pool behind us along with the Colorado river.

However when we got to our room we discovered it had not been cleaned, and there were bags full of garbage in it. But on a happy note, when we informed the hotel, they upgraded our room!

After our half-price breakfast buffet the next morning (when you don't go on a Fri. or Sat. night you get all sorts of free or discounted items), we headed out to explore the private beach for hotel guests.

We had the entire beach to our ourselves, and it was seriously relaxing. Unfortunately we had to check out of our hotel, and leave it behind.

However before we left the kids were insistent on playing at the arcade.

With our 100 tickets we won Eric and I convinced the kids to choose the Whoopee Cushion. The amount of entertainment it provided the remainder of the day was well worth the money we had to spend to win it.

Megan came down with a sudden fever, to go along with her cough and stuffy nose, so we had to take a detour to the Dr.'s. Who knows what she has, but they gave her a prescription for Tamiflu, so for once I am hoping it is viral and she will get better quickly. Oh, and also that the rest of us don't come down with it. Megan has had a tough sickness year. Just to mention, the Dr.'s visit along with the prescription ended up costing us more than the whole trip! Good grief!

We were going to head over to Oatman about 30 minutes away to visit an old ghost town, but given Megan's illness we decided instead to check out a couple of places that were more on the way home.

Jackson checked out the view from Davis Dam (the other 2 kids were asleep). And what a view it was.

Check out how blue that river water is.

We then headed over to Grapevine Canyon to check out some Native American petroglyphs and climb the rocks.


As usual, Sadie was none too please to be told what to do. Heaven forbid we ask her to sit still for one picture!

The weather was so beautiful, and being there during the late afternoon was perfect. Jackson noticed this mini-cliff with soft sand underneath it, and decided to jump off. We then all got in on the action, and had the most fun I can remember having in a while.

Jackson was definitely the best jumper. He jumped with complete abandon, and fell head first into the sand many times. But by doing so, he also got the best pictures.

Check out how much air he got, along with his arms flung out behind him. He was cracking us all up.

Even though Megan wasn't feeling 100% she too got in on the action.

With a little help from Eric, Sadie insisted she not be left out of the fun.

I jumped twice, and that was more than enough for me. The first jump ended up with me rolling down the hill and landing on my face. Good thing the sand was soft.

Eric was a pro-jumper. Just seeing him do this made me fall a bit more in love with him. I didn't even know that was possible.


We have been to Laughlin twice and I have really enjoyed myself both times. There is plenty of outdoorsy stuff to do with kids, and if you go during the week, it is super cheap.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Halloween Part Three-Halloween Night

We started off Halloween night, trick or treating around our neighborhood.

Sadie after being scared by our neighbor B.J. He has managed to scare each one of my children, over the years. Other than this one scary experience, Sadie loved Halloween this year. She was a pro at saying trick-or-treat, and was overwhelmed with excitement over all of the candy.

Then we headed over the the Truck or Treat. But once we got into the car, it wouldn't start. Luckily, Eric and our neighbor Mark jump-started the car and we were ready to go. Have I ever mentioned how much I love all of my neighbors?

The kids got tons of candy, went through the haunted house, and played some street hockey. Megan managed to get both of her pucks into the goal, and ended up hitting the teddy bear inside so she won a prize! Woo-hoo!!!

Halloween Part Two-Pumpkin Carving

Friday night we carved pumpkins with some friends.

I thought I would include this picture to document Megan's standing extremes. The girl will not sit down.

Megan's finished bat pumpkin! She did it all herself, and I think did a great job.

Jackson and Eric's finished pirate ship pumpkin!

Sadie and Sarah's finished polka-dot pumpkin!


Our pumpkins lined up ready to greet the trick-or-treaters.