It's Official!!!

I have used too much space on this site and cannot upload any more pictures! So, I had to compromise and start a new blog. I certainly cannot stop now that we have another one on the way. So, as a contunation of this original blog, I have created a new one at www.babycline2.blogspot.com. Same addres just with a 2 at the end! Sorry for any inconvenience!

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

Mandalay Bay Pool

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

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 dinner!

Mommy and Uncle Tim!

Aunt Shell and Uncle Tim

One of my favorite pictures of Uncle Scott and Aunt Shell

Mommy and Daddy

Outside of Toby Keith's Bar

Don't we wish he was actually there!!

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! Pictures are listed below.

Day One Pictures

Mommy and Uncle Scott

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

Uncle Scott and Aunt Amy

Taking their turns at the machines!

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!

Mommy and Daddy having a great time!!!

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

The boys hanging out in our room the first night!

Mommy and Aunt Shell enjoying ourselves in Vegas!

Shop til we drop!

Aunt Shell and I took Nana shopping for Vegas today! It was such a wonderful day to spend with just the girls, and boy did we shop! We went to lunch and must have tried on a thousand dresses! However, we were extremely successful and Nana took four dresses home to let Paw Paw be the final vote! We were all excited we found the dress she would wear to renew their vows!!! Vegas here we come!!!

A night with friends..

Tony, Kristie, Jeff, Aunt Shell, Mommy and Jessica

The cake to celebrate four June birthdays!

The kidlets...minus a few!

Mommy and Kristie

Miss Olivia enjoying a nice quiet spot...at least for a minute!

Too much fun!!

The trampoline...surprisingly, no one got hurt!

Shane had a golf tournament today, so Olivia and I started off the morning taking Winston to the groomer and going out for breakfast. This has become a tradition on haircut day, and is special Mommy and Olivia bonding time. We had a great morning, and then later on met up with the gang for dinner. We haven't seen these friends in quite some time, so it was long overdue. We had been meaning to get the kids together to play for a while, so what better time. There are several of s with birthdays in June, so Kristie actually bought a cake for all of us, which was so thoughtful. The kids really enjoyed it too!! They played so hard outside all night, and had a ball on the trampoline, the swings, the bubble machine, the blow up bouncer, etc. It was fun for them, and great for the adults to catch up!! Thanks for hosting Kristie and Tony, we will do it again sooner than later!

Weekly Dinner

Olivia and Grandpa

Relaxing in the grass...

We are still trying to make it to Gma and Gpa's ever week for dinner, which also allows us to see Dad too. The kids really enjoy it, as do the adults. Today was fairly nice so the kids were playing outside. They love to roll down the hill in their backyard, and for some reason Olivia was alreay in her jammies!? Not sure what that was all about, but they had fun, nonetheless!

Tumbling!!

Practicing our cartwheels!

The backflip, which ultimately resulted in her laying there while the instructors picked her up, and flipped her over! So cute!

Front somersault from the splits.

Look at your knees!

Patiently waiting our turn in line. The boy in front of the line in the red shirt is Dalton and Michaela is the little blonde next to Olivia! Obviously, Olivia is the youngest one in her class! :-)

Miss Olivia has started a tumbling class with Michaela. It is only once a week and is actually at the instructor's house, which makes it convenient. What makes it even more convenient is that it starts just before I get of work, so Kathy has graciously volunteered to take her there and I get to pick her up from there. It is right on my way home from work, so it works out great. That way, I get to see her in action too! She is doing really great in the class, and couldn't wait to show my all of her moves. As soon as I walked in, she looked at me after every single move, which was wonderful. She really seems to enjoy it, so I am looking forward to keeping her involved. They were practicing all kinds of things, and she was so excited to show off!!!

Sweet Kinley Mae

Such a little angel!

Mommy cannot wait for this moment again, to hold a little one in your arms!!!

We went to visit Kinley Mae now that she is home from the hospital. She is so precious and such a little miracle. Of course, Olivia couldn't wait to get her hands on her, and I can honestly say, I don't blame her. She is too cute! Congratulations again to Crystal and Patrick!

Mackinaw Valley Vineyard

Mommy and Olivia...

...and Daddy and Olivia.

Juice anyone??

Looking cool in Mommy's shades!

The lake

Went to the vineyard tonight for the first time. It is such a fun place, and we saw Jam Sammich play outside. We went with the Cline family tonight, but will definitely have to get the gang over here for a night out. Olivia went and enjoyed being outside as well. We walked by the lake and she pretty much landed on the dance floor the rest of the evening. It was so much fun for her to just run around and have a great time. We will most certainly be coming here again!