Having Fun at Valley of Fire State Park

Today we headed out to the Valley of Fire State Park. The kids had so much fun at Red Rock Canyon we thought this would be fun as well. We were right. The kids just wanted to climb on every rock they saw. It really was beautiful. This park is also really neat because there were drawings on many of the rocks left by Indians over 4000 years ago. Bailey said she was studying this in Mrs. Myers’ class just last week. We had to take lots of pictures for her to bring to school. Mom, the scenery picture is what I was looking at when you called. What a sight, huh? Well, it’s off to Williams, Arizona in the morning. We are looking forward to another world of adventures there! It looks like it might even snow on Sunday or Monday!

Museums and Cowboys

After Red Rock Canyon on Wednesday we went to see a really neat Christmas light show, The Gift of Lights. Then we stopped by the Ethel M. Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden which was all lit up for the holidays. It was beautiful.

Yesterday we went to the Lied Children’s Discovery Museum. The kids had fun playing with all the hands-on exhibits. Next it was off to the cowboy show. This week is the National Rodeo Finals and everybody in Las Vegas is a cowboy. The kids were able to get some autographs with some of the cowboys competing in the finals. They thought that was really cool.

A Visit to Red Rock Canyon

Today we headed to Red Rock Canyon. I think today was probably our best day here yet. We had so much fun exploring and climbing. We even took our books up to the top of one of the mountains and relaxed and read a bit. This trip just keeps getting better and better!

Hanging Around Town

On Monday night after the Hoover Dam we went and watched the fountains at the Biligio and they were really beautiful. Then yesterday we decided to hang around town and check out the sights. The hotels are really incredible. Adam loved ESPN Zone the most. Jer’s favorite was the Pinball Hall of Fame that we just had to go to. We ended our evening at Fremont Street with a Christmas tree lighting and ice skating show.

A Day at the Hoover Dam

Did you know the Hoover Dam is 726.4 feet from foundation rock to the roadway and weighs more than 6,600,000 tons? Today we went to the Hoover Dam. We took the tour and got to look over the edge from the top. We saw some really huge fish way down in Lake Mead. We went underground and saw the power plant. Did you know the Hoover Dam separates Arizona and Nevada and two time zones? This was a really cool day so far and it's not even over yet!

Just Some Additonal Notes

We started our morning yesterday looking out our window to see the Las Vegas Marathon going on. We saw lots of Santas, brides and Elvis characters. Quite the sight.

Also, yesterday's trip to Mt. Charleston took us from Las Vegas to an elevation of 10,236 feet. Way above what we are used to...sea level in Florida.

After the mountains we headed to the M&M World and the MGM Hotel to see the lions. The kids thought both were fun.

I've also posted a picture of the view from our condo balcony. Mom this one is for you.

Hopefully, the time change won't take too much longer to get used to. Bailey is falling asleep by 6:00 p.m. and everyone is up and ready to go by 4:00 a.m. At least we are getting an early start.

First Time Seeing Snow on the Mountain

Today we went to Mt. Charleston to check out the snow. We went to Las Vegas Ski Resort and made snow angels and threw snow balls at each other. It was a blast! Everybody decided that they liked the snow.