The Big Day!

Today started a little slowly, considering we were out a little late last night. But, nonetheless, we were up around 8:15 and the boys were gracious enough to go get us breakfast. They went to a place in the hotel, which was nice...and convenient! After breakfast, we wanted to just relax for a while before the big ceremony and rest of the day. So, we headed downstairs to the pool in our own hotel today, the MGM. Our pool was really nice, and in fact, it was one of many they had at the hotel. We spent the morning at the pool, relaxed and then needed to get ready for the big day!!

We spent the next few hours getting ready, eating Subway for lunch, and just hanging out. Mom and Marc had rented a very nice stretch limo to pick us up at the hotel. It arrived right on time about 2:30 that afternoon, and boy did we feel pretty important. We were all dressed for the big day, looking and feeling good, and couldn't have been having a better day! The limo was a perfect idea and allowed all of us to be together when driving to the church and the festivities afterwards.

The ride to the church was so excited. The anticipation of the ceremony was wonderful and everyone was so excited. Mom and Marc seemed to be on cloud nine and it was great for all the kids to be there to celebrate with them. The weather was beautiful and we couldn't have asked for a better day. We arrived in style and didn't have to wait long. We were waiting outside in a beautiful gazebo, which we took advantage to get several pictures of us all. First the girls, then the boys, then Mom and Marc, etc. You name it, we left no stone unturned. :-)

Then it was our turn. We went inside and all took our seats. What a special moment for our family. It was beautiful and wonderful and truly special. We were all a little emotional that we were able to experience this with them, as we were not there during the first ceremony. So, this meant so much to all of us. And you could tell it meant the world to Mom and Marc as well, they were able to have all their kids be a part of this special occasion. It was truly an amazing event and one that is hard to put in words.

After the ceremony, we were back in the limo and as we were waiting for them to sign the necessary documents, we had put together a special gift for them. It was a newspaper dedicated to them that represented their lives. Each "section" of the newspaper (birth announcements, classifieds, sports, etc) were dedicated to them and shared many of the wonderful memories they have had over the ten years they have been together. As the returned to the limo, all of us kids were each reading a copy of the newspaper. It was another special moment and one that turned out to be emotional again. There were laughter and tears as they briefly read some of the articles. And although they wanted to read it straight through page by page right then, they wanted to truly concentrate so decided to wait until they got back to their room that night. So, they read a little bit and then we focused on the rest of the evening. And, there was so much more to come!!! Pictures of the limo, ceremony and newpaper gift are listed below.

Ceremony Pictures!

The Happy Couple

Mommy and Daddy

Uncle Scott and Aunt Amy

Adam and Sarah

Daryl and Beth

The handsome boys!

The beautiful girls!

The beautiful bride....getting ready to walk to her wonderful husband!

The wonderful groom waiting for his bride!

After ten years....I would do it all again!!

Congratulations to the happy couple!

All the kids reading the newspaper, waiting for the bride and groom!

Much laughter....

....and some tears!

To the best parents in the world!!!! We love you!!!!

Off to a Great Start!

Shane and I were up at 6:30 this morning cause we just couldn't sleep. I think we were so excited to be there, and although we didn't go to bed until 2:00 am, we wanted to get the day going! Uncle Tim had been told there was a really great breakfast place off the strip, so we took a cab to The Egg and I. The food was wonderful, but I'm not sure it was worth the $30.00 cab ride there, considering it was more than our entire meal. Nonetheless, we were there for the experiences, and now we can say we ate at a really great restaurant. Not to mention the wonderful words of wisdom we received from the cab driver. He was in a nutshell, a dirty old man with terrible jokes!

After breakfast, we called the others and decided to spend the day at the pool. Well, the girls were going to the pool, and the boys were dying to get in a poker tournament. Shell and I met Mom and Marc at their pool. We took the tram over there, which was really nice. It went right between our two hotels, so that was perfect! We stayed there for the better part of the day, and Adam, Sarah, Beth and Daryl made their way to the pool too. It was nice to see everyone and spend some much needed time in the sun. Their pool was amazing, and although we didn't want to spend our entire long weekend in the pool, it could have been easy to do!

Shane didn't do too well in the tournament and apparently was out the second hand. He had bullets, but ended up getting beat. That is never any fun, so Uncle Tim, Scott and Shane went golfing near the Mandalay Bay. I don't know if they were more anxious to play poker or go golfing, so lets call it a wash. They had a really great time, and then met up with us later at the hotel.

Before heading back to the hotel, we went to see Mom and Marc's room and to share our opinions again about her outfit for the big day! All the girls went to their room to see all of her options, she actually brought several dresses, just in case she changed her mind. However, the vote was unanimous and we picked the perfect outfit that would match Marc's clothes too! It was going to be a great day and we couldn't wait!

After taking the tram back to our hotel to get ready, we headed to dinner at Toby Keith's Bar. I had heard of this place from a friend of mine, and so we were looking forward to checking it out. They had a live band playing, Left of Center, who were awesome. We had a great dinner and managed to get out on the dance floor several times. We were having so much fun and didn't want to leave, however Amy's cousin worked at a place in town, so we decided to meet up with her for a while.

She actually works at Sapphire which come to find out was a strip club. So, I guess we went knowing we wanted to exprience all aspcts of Vegas, and considering I had never been to a strip club, what better way to get acclimated than in Vegas. So, off we went. Her cousin actually sent a party bus to come and pick us up and take us there, free of charge. And they paid the $30.00 cover charge for each of us, which was also nice. And, we basically drank for free quite a bit of the evening, altough I know Uncle Scott picked up quite a few rounds as well. Surprsingly, we had a really great time, and I am contributing that more to the company we were with, rather than the surroundings, although the boys seemed to like that part too! If I am going to be honest, it was kind of like watching a train wreck, you don't want to look, but you can't help it. Regardless, we were all having a ball and drinking quite a bit, so it was time to head back to the hotel. We made our way to the tram to head back to the hotel, and were all ready for bed. It had been a long day, and we were quite tired. The only other question I had in my mind, was how was I going to ecplain this to my Mom!! :-) The pictures for day two are listed below (No pictures taken at the strip club)!

Day Two Pictures

The Egg and I...couldn't resist the picture!

New York, New York

MGM Grand

Another shot of our hotel.

The Mandalay Bay pool.

This was the wave pool, and they had a lazy river as well.

All of the chairs were on the sandy beach, which in and of itself sounds fabulous...until of coure the blazing sun shines on the sand all day and literally burns the bottoms of your feet!

All the girls helping Mom make the big decision of which dress to wear for the big day!

Aunt Shell, Amy and I stopped at the M&M World to get the kids some gifts before going out to dinner, and while the boys were still golfing. It just wouldn't be a Vegas trip without a little shopping!

Mommy in the big city!

The girls all ready for a night out!

Mommy and Uncle Tim

Aunt Shell and Uncle Tim

One of my favorite pictures of Uncle Scott and Aunt Shell!

Mommy and Daddy were ready for dinner!

Outside of Toby Keith's Bar!

We sure did wish he was actually there in person! But we had to settle for the cardboard cut out!

Mommy and Aunt Shell having a great time on the dance floor!

The gang!

Just the boys!!

Vegas, Here We Come!!!

Today couldn't have come fast enough! We were leaving for Vegas today and were so excited to get on our way! We started the afternoon by going to see Olivia's tumbling class and then she was going to be going to Grandma's for the weekend. She was excited, but I'm not sure she really knew we weren't going to see her for a few days. However, she knew she was going to Grandma's and that was good enough for her.

As we headed home to pick up our bags, Shane decided that he could not leave before cleaning out the fish tank. Really!? Was that honestly necessary? But, he was adament, so I didn't say anything else. He needed to get some of Olivia's sand tools in order to clean out the sand, so off he went to the backyard. I could not believe he was going to so much trouble, but I patiently waited and finished packing.

Once we were all ready to go, we were headed down the street and Shane realized he didn't have his wallet. So, we turned around and went back to the house to get in. First tragedy averted....or was it. He couldn't find it! He traced all of his steps since we had been home, but it was nowhere to be found. After searching all over, I was starting to get a little nervous. Who was I kidding, I was hysterical and freaking out. We were going to be late, and there was no way he would be able to get on a place without his license. So, I was panicking. It was the worst feeling. He kept asking if the DMV was open? Seriously!? We did not have time to get Olivia to Grandma's, go to the DMV, and get to the airport. So, we kept looking...it had to be there somewhere. I was getting more and more upset, which I realize now didn't help the situation, but I didn't know what else to do. We looked everwhere..except of course in the backyard in Olivia's sand box! Are you kidding me! When he went to use her toys to clean the fish tank, it dropped out of his pocket into the sand box. Unbelievabale! I was never more happy and mad at the same time. The good news was that we found it and we were on our way...again!

So, we made it to the airport and had a few minutes to spare, so we waited for Mom and Marc in the bar. I needed a drink and so did Shane. Of course I had to relive the scenario several times as we were waiting. Finally, we were on our way. We had a safe uneventful trip, and made it to Vegas!!! We met Scott and Amy at the hotel and they had managed to get us all on the same floor, so that was really nice. Mom and Marc stayed at the Mandalay Bay with Beth and Adam, but Shell, Scott and I stayed at the MGM Grand. So, we met up with Scott right when we got there, got ready for dinner and headed to a place in the hotel. We stayed at the MGM since it was just as good as anywhere else. It was all new to us, and we were loving every minute of it! We did have to sit at a slot machine for a few minutes before we ate, just to get started. But, we didn't stay long before going to a buffet dinner. It was awesome and more food than we could have ever imagined. They had everything! After we stuffed ourselves, we went back to one of the casinos to play a little more. We didn't win of course, but were having a great time!

After some gambling...more watching than actual gambling...we met up with Mom and Marc and Beth and Daryl. Adam and Sarah had not yet arrived, so we went on without them. We headed across the street to the New York, New York and rode the outdoor roller coaster. It was awesome...kind of a bumpy ride, but so much fun! I hadn't been on a roller coaster in quite a long time. Mom loved it too, but not sure how considering she closed her eyes the entire time! The picture they had for sale was priceless...eyes closed as tight as can be!!
After a while, I think we were all a little tired, so just headed back to our room. Mom and Marc went back to their hotel, and we were going to meet them in the morning. Shell, Tim, Scott and Amy came back to our room and we stayed up visiting until about 2:00 am. So much fun!!! We were just so excited to be there! Day One pictures are listed below.

Day One Pictures

Mommy and Uncle Scott

Uncle Scott and Aunt Amy

Our first attempt at the slot machines! Look out Vegas, here we come!

Mommy and Daddy having a great time!

This was the first machine I put any money into...so had to take a picture. Trust me, I didn't take a picture of all the machines I played!

Taking their turns at the machines!

My camera didn't do too well, but wanted to get a picture of the strip the first night we were there!

Mommy and Aunt Shell enjoying our first night in Vegas!!

The boys hanging out in our room on day one!