I'm not a baby. Say "That's Vegas, Big Girl".

outside New York New York Hotel & Casino ~ greeting an M&M

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outside the Paris Hotel & Casino ~ inside the Bellagio Conservatory

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cactus gardens at Ethel's Chocolates

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the Rainforest Cafe in Las Vegas

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I never thought we'd take our children to Las Vegas. We had been there several times over the years before the kids and always had a great time, but gambling?, alcohol?, shows??? It isn't an environment for children. But at the same time, it's a town unlike any other with so many unique offerings and some of them are suitable for children. And with our kids at 2 and 4 years old, it seemed like the perfect time to go. They're too young to understand anything adult they may see, they don't know what gambling is and they already know that we like a beer or a glass of wine sometimes. To them, Las Vegas was just another adventure that our family enjoyed together.

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Last year we spent a few days in Santa Monica during Thanksgiving week. We hadn't been anywhere since that little trip (besides Portland) so this year we decided to again go somewhere fun. We chose Las Vegas. It's a bit of a drive -- roughly 5 hours, half of which is through the desert -- but the kids both did great. Mike had downloaded some stories and kids' music for us to listen to on the drive and that kept them entertained, along with some snacks. During the weeks before our trip Mike and I would occassionally say "That's Vegas, baby!" to which Meredith would always respond "I'm a big girl. I'm not a baby. Say: That's Vegas, Big Girl!"

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During our first trip together 13 years ago we stayed at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino. Given the castle/medieval theme, we thought it'd be a fun place for the kids. They loved sleeping in a castle and especially enjoyed having their own hotel room (adjoining rooms gave us all some space) and their own beds. We probably could have spent an hour in the hotel room and called it good. Seriously. That's how excited they were to choose their own bed and get settled.

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Everyone had a great time! Highlights were seeing the "green lady", visting the M&M store and selecting our own colors, walking for miles up and down the Strip, shopping at FAO Schwarz with money the kids had saved up for the trip, visiting Ethel's chocolate factory, dining at a Rainforest Cafe, sampling everything at the Mandalay Bay dinner buffet, sleeping in a castle, eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts, seeing the MGM tigers, and watching the dancing water fountain display at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino.

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I don't think our family will go back anytime soon given the long drive, but it was definitely worth the short 48 hours we spent in Vegas. And if we fail to travel the world with them before they are adults, we can show them photos from this trip and tell them we did take them to Egypt, Paris, NYC, Italy...