Thanksgiving In Las Vegas

 Baylee, Will, Ben, Megan, and Ashlee

 Will and Baylee- love??:)

 Lexi, Emily, and Carly

The Scow and Wiser kids (minus Baby Anna)

We try really hard each time we are in Las Vegas to visit the Scow's- such a great family. I love that even though it's been a couple years since the kids have seen each other it only takes minutes of pretending to be shy and then they are off playing like it's been no time at all!

Shark Reef- Mandalay Bay

 The kids LOVED seeing all the "creatures"

 Baylee did not like the tunnel's - pretty much freaked her out

 Trying to be brave and touch a sting ray

 Almost...

 They did it!

 The lady next to Lexi grabbed her and made her touch it with her- pretty funny!

 Baylee showing her black eye- yes, she is pointing at the wrong eye:)

The GIANT Christmas tree

My sister Kymber can get tickets to anything anytime for really cheap- she has some crazy connections through her work. She got us tickets to go to Shark Reef. I wondered how my girls would do in a place with all kinds of things they don't really like- but they LOVED it! Baylee was in heaven as long as she didn't have to walk over or through the aquarium tunnels. Ashlee was brave and touched the sting rays first, then she did it with Carly and Lexi was last. Well- Baylee doesn't count because she wouldn't even go near the tank.

Thanks for a fun afternoon Aunt Kymber!!

Cousins!!

The best part of visiting Las Vegas is COUSINS!! The kids had fun seeing so many- of course we don't have pictures of all of them- but here are the few I took.

We are so thankful for family! Darrell and I have both been blessed with great and strong families- I love that my girls have so many aunts, uncles, and cousins to look up to and follow.

The end of our trip had a little drama. Darrell's younger sister has struggled for years with an addiction to prescription pills. She is a great person- just so messed up because of the drugs. She and her husband have had social services involved in their lives for a while now and unfortunately they have just made a lot of mistakes that their three kids end up suffering for. The kids have now been removed from the home for a while and they are both starting programs to hopefully get them the help they need. I just keep praying they will find some inner strength and be able to do what's right- their kids have been through enough.

One last picture....

I never thought we would be one of "those" families traveling with luggage on top of their van. But, my sister Lea Ann had pedestals she wasn't using for front loader washer and dryer- and she gave them to us. I didn't care what it took, I just wanted to bring them home so i didn't have to bend over so far to switch laundry! We were able to make it home with out anything flying out!:)