Admittedly, Vegas is not the first place I’d choose for a family weekend but when you have awesome grandparents, Cirque du Soleil tickets, and a mission to kick some heads then…well…it’s not so bad.

Starting the trip off with a kiss.

Stopping for snacks.

Crack Honey Sticks

The boys.

The two bedroom suite at the MGM Grand.
(Thing 1’s favorite)

Nothing like a good book, a view, and an apple.

I failed tried to turn our visit to the Luxor into a history lesson on Egypt.

Rockstar.

Movie star.

Starbucks.

Eric Clapton from 11th row center.

He was awesome but I wouldn’t have minded…

…seeing Steel Panther.

Speaking of panthers…

…my “min-pan” (mini-panther) was very happy to have us home!

It’s rare Brent and I get a day to spend together alone at leisure.   So rare that when it happens, it feels like we’ve been sent out on a scavenger hunt without directions.   Where to go?  What to do?  Saturday in our hunt for adventure, we ended up at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.   In high school, this was one of my favorite places to go and escape my teenage angst.   As an adult it’s a perfect place to slow down and  hold my husband’s hand while glimpsing  into the worlds of others.

Peek-a-boo.

On the 3rd floor, right before being getting in trouble for taking pictures.

 

Can you imagine the chaos if there were such things as winged cats.  They would take over the world.

After the museum we headed over to Broad Ripple to share a pizza at Bazbeaux and a walk along the canal. 

As if the day couldn’t have been more perfect, we slipped into Indy CD and Vinyl where there was live music (and strange things called “records”).  Mike Reeb was playing an acoustic set of original material and this Radiohead cover.

Days like this.  Love them.

Nathanael loves fancy things.  Noah loves history.   Mommy loves getting out of the house art.

So a trip to the Getty Villa has been on the to-do list for years. Unfortunately, sometimes when things are nearby they easily slip off the radar.  (Beautiful ocean sunsets?) It’s easy to dream about taking the boys to the see the Eiffel Tower (we are all wearing berets) but it’s hard to pack lunches, remember cameras, and get motivated to drive 50 miles south.  When the boys new school (they are now going to school part time and being homeschooled part time) planned a field trip to this fantastic “warehouse” of Roman and Greek antiquities, I was excited.

After our school group left, we stayed behind to explore a bit more on our own.

Noah says, “They look like legos!”

For Brent who is intrigued by the idea of “metal wings”.

The Getty Villa has a hands-on family forum.  However, you have to have advanced reservations and we did not but…

…after a little pleading from mom. 😉

The warrior and the musician.

The warrior and the musician.

Creating our own antiquities.

While we were in the neighborhood, we met with my friend, Deb.

Deb made us treats and prepared a scavenger hunt for the boys.

Reading the clues.

She even included geography.

“Hmmm…what do you think?”

At the end….hacky sacks!  Deb gives a demo!

Noah also enjoyed playing with Ellie.

I think he wore her out.

Wink!

Antiquities, beauty, friends, games, and kitties.

It could not have been a better day.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

The boys and I went camping at the beach at Pt. Magu Navy Base this past weekend with our cubscout pack.

The boys had a great time playing lots of games. Friday night after our arrival & setup we walked to the paintball range & played capture the flag… in the dark!

Saturday there was tug-o-war

Three legged races

gunny sack races

crafts

monkeybridge

water balloon wars, bike ride/hiking (not pictured)

and …

naps!

It was great to get a chance to know the other families better and spend time with my boys.

More pictures on Flickr

The boys like walking the dogs but when Brent said they could put them in an empty shopping cart you would of thought he offered them a trip to Disneyland!

Make sure you wash that produce when you get home because you never know.

Sometimes I wish I wasn’t so cheap concerned with being a good steward of our money.  Like when we were waiting to get into the fair 5 minutes before the dollar day price ended.

We dropped my parents off near the fair then Brent and I had gone to find free parking.  The closest spot we could find was about a mile and a half away.  By the time we reached the gates it was 2:50 and the dollar admission ended at 3 pm which would be fine if half of Ventura county wasn’t trying to get in for a buck.  Brent who is normally content to be somewhat passive managed to push us through to the ticket booth in the nick of time.  2:58.  Yay Brent.

I love the fair.  I love the smells.  Yes, I like the smell of farm animals.  I love watching the people the fair brings out of the cracks.  (Certainly not the Trader Joe’s crowd.)  I love that they have booths devoted soley to serious animal shirts.  I love watching my kids on the rides even though I’m praying that the ride holds itself together.  I love listening to carnies try to sell their games.  But most of all I love the goats.  Even though they chew my dress and eat my hat.

Every time I go I talk to breeders and get emails and numbers hoping one day I will actually find myself the owner of the world’s greatest pet.  (There is a lady in Camarillo who is selling brother and sister Pygmies and a young blue-eyed Nigerian Dwarf doe.  I will happily accept late birthday presents.)

This year Older Brother  and Younger Brother were getting along particularly well.  It’s interesting to note that since they quit going to school we’ve noticed a dramatic improvement in their behavior.  We are spending more time actually watching/listening to them play instead of being referees.  Hallelujah.  At the fair, Older Brother, wanted to make sure Younger Brother didn’t get lost so he held his hand most of the day.  These are my favorite pictures of the bunch.   (You may have already seen them on Flickr)

Big Brother hates, yes HATES, rides that spin, flip, jerk, or go faster than .5 miles per hour.  I thought I was going to lose my life after I convinced him to ride this.  It goes up and around fast…sort of. On a lighter note, if you’re looking for family-friendly activities, consider exploring commercial soft play equipment uk. These entertaining and safe play structures can offer a thrilling yet secure experience for kids, ensuring a fun-filled time for the whole family.

Younger Brother, however, believes the faster the higher to better.  I can just see the future.  Can someone get me a Xanax please?

Here are a few more pictures because…well….fairs are fun.

We had our first official day homeschooling yesterday.  It was great!   I would have blogged about that but this post has been sitting in my drafts for well over two weeks.

xoxo
j

Tubing from Jenn Nims on Vimeo.