Viva Las Vegas!

All I can say is... WHAT GREAT FRIENDS WE HAVE!! Our latest trip to Las Vegas wouldn't have been half the trip without the two awesome couples that were able to tag along with us. Here is a run-down of our fun-filled week in the city that never sleeps:

Monday - Flew in from Cleveland (4½ hours - yuck!) and ate at Fatburger for lunch. Stopped at the ABC Store and got a few necessities for the week. Hit the pool and/or the bed for a nap and then to Jimmy Buffet's Margarittaville for dinner. After dinner, we walked down the strip to Harrah's where they had karaoke from 6-9 and then the piano bar at 9. What an end to our first day!

Tuesday - Woke up and had a great breakfast of eggs and toast in the suite (thanks, Audrey). Then we made our way to the ticket booth to get same-day tickets to the Cirque du Soleil show "KA". After piecing for lunch and hitting the pool again, we walked to the MGM Casino and ate at Emeril's New Orleans Fish House (yummm). When our bellys were full, we then made our way to the KA Theatre and saw an awesome show - complete with people flying through the air and rapelling off the walls.

Wednesday - The day of much walking! Woke up once again to Audrey in the kitchen making pancakes. After breakfast, we headed out for the Venetian (which for those of you who know Vegas, is NOT a short distance from Planet Hollywood Casino near our resort). Then, since we were already at the Venetian, we decided to keep walking to the Wynn and cross the street to Treasure Island. After hoofing it back to the resort, we showered and dressed for Benihanna's Hibachi Grill at the Hilton for dinner. After eating, we decided that the piano bar was so much fun on Monday night, that we wanted to go back. Instead of going to the same one, we hit the Bar at Times Square in the New York, New York Casino where the pianists were even better. Great times!
Thursday - On our last day in Vegas, we decided to go south and hit the casinos we hadn't seen yet. Mandalay Bay, Luxor and Excalibur were among these. After our venture south, we got dressed for our last meal at Olives (at the Bellagio Casino). Not only were we on a balcony overlooking the Bellagio fountains, but we were there when they were going off every 15 minutes! All I can say is WOW! If you are willing to drop a pretty penny, I have to recommend Olives to anyone traveling to Vegas. We ended our trip stopping at the Rio for the party in the sky and then finally at the Orleans where Matt and I walked away with more money than we started with (which is always a plus).

I couldn't have asked for a better trip or better company. Can't wait to do it again soon!

Big Sister!

Yes, it's true! Lexi is going to be a big sister. Matt and I are expecting our second child around May 2, 2009. It hasn't fully sunk in with Lexi yet, but I am sure as mommy's belly grows bigger she will become aware that there will soon be a change to life as she knows it. Hopefully next fall we can get her into a preschool class a few days a week so she can have her own special thing and we can have some alone time with the baby. Until then, we will just keep on living and she will continue to amaze us at the new things she says and does every day!

Labor Day at Van Wert Fair

We spent the Labor Day holiday at Gra-Nola and PawPaw Gary's house and of course had to check out the big county fair before heading home on Monday. Lexi was overjoyed! She experienced many "firsts" at the fair this year. We took off for the Baby Animal Barn. There, she saw piggies, puppies, chicks, ducklings, kittens, 2 sheep being sheared (and making a lot of noise), and even a baby horse! The next stop was the pony barn. It was pretty dark, so the pictures didn't turn out very well. The COW barn was next... yes the COWS! Finally Lexi was able to see and even touch a cow up close. After seeing the animals, we ventured off to find some food. Lexi had her very own corndog (the whole thing!) while mommy and uncle Benny shared a Texas Tenderloin. Lexi also liked the tenderloin and ate her fair share of it as well. She also had some of mommy's nacho chips (without all the topings) and several bites of elephant ear! It was a good thing we packed plenty of juice. After walking through several of the display buildings, we decided to head for home. Of course we couldn't leave without grabbing a bag of cotton candy. I will let you know how that goes as soon as mommy is brave enough to open the bag and actually give her some. What a great close to a busy and awesome weekend.

Double Dedication

On Sunday, Lexi met her newest second cousin Lillian Ginter for the first time. Granny hosted a double dedication service for the two Ginter children (Lillian and her big brother Connor). It was really nice and the weather was beautiful! Connor and Lilly's great Uncle Gary performed the dedication service outside in Granny's back yard under a big shade tree. You won't find two more proud parents than Andrew and Jessica (and what cuties they have!). With about 40 people attending, you can imagine lunch was quite a feat, but Granny outdid herself once again and everyone enjoyed quite the feast. Many pictures were taken and many memories made. Granny even got a picture made with not only her grandkids, but also all her GREAT-grandkids that were at her house! I can't wait until the next gathering of the Ginter family (hopefully sometime around Thanksgiving) to see how much all the kids have grown.