We head out to the pool to meet up with with other moms and kids that we are with. Faith has, luckily, fallen asleep in the stroller during our trek thru the casino. Now the task at hand is to find Lily some sort of flotation device for the pool. We find a little shop on the other side of the pool. They have water wings! And they are for sale for the bargain price of $17.99. They look no different than the ones available at the Dollar Store. . . but, i am in no position to be picky, so we buy them. Off the the pool to take pics and catch up with the ladies. We sit on the chairs that are pool side and watch the kids enjoy the water. I don't know how they are enjoying themselves because we are not wet, and we are freezing. We are wrapped up in towels that are performing the act of blankets. But, then we see the cute gals bringing drinks around, and decide that even though it is basically WINTER in Vegas - those drinks DO look pretty good! So, we all order one. Virgins, of course. (Side note: did you know that even if you order a "virgin" daquiri in Vegas, that it is still $7? amazing, since i know that the non-alcoholic mixer from the grocery store is like $2 for a huge bottle - the ice in Vegas must be pretty stinkin' expensive...cause the "free" alcohol in that town flows like water!! Lol!)
So, the kids swim for a couple hours, and then it is back to the room to shower and get ready for dinner. Location: Rainforest Cafe. Here we go - all 20 of us, back onto the elevator, back thru the maze of bridges, escalators, and crosswalks. The kids are excited. They are everywhere. Looking at the fish, the snakes and gorillas hanging from the trees. The birds and elephants. It is nearly impossible to keep everyone seated during dinner - but, we are here for the kids. . . this is fun. (Probably not nearly as fun for the people seated all around us. . .Lol!)
We finish dinner and head back to the hotel. We need a good nights' sleep...big day tomorrow - we will be heading to Circus Circus to the Fun Dome for the day, and then to Tournament of Kings for dinner and a show in the evening.
We (the moms) meet in the hall after getting the kids settled to make our plans for the next day. We decide to meet at 9 am to grab breakfast and then head out to Circus Circus.
Luckily, my kiddos are all exhausted and sleep comes relatively easy tonight...until 3 am, when Faith wakes up and wants to come into my bed...which already contains me, Lily, and Grace. So, I pull her in and try to sleep...on the very edge of the bed..it's a long night. The morning comes early at 7 am, when Mason, my early riser, decides he is done sleeping, and that we all should be done too. We wake and begin the showers and baths to get ready for Circus Circus.
We arrive at Circus Circus at about 9:30 that morning and the the kids are all thrilled to be there. Ofcourse, we have to divide the mothers and children because we have a significant age gap amongst us...some to the huge roller coasters, some to the kiddie land. We play and play, and it is finally time to gather everyone and head back to the hotel to get ready for the dinner and show. Where is everyone? The Texting begins...lets all meet at the entrance we decide. So, everyone starts to arrive, and i begin to realize the Grace, my five year old, has since dissappeared. Hmmmmm. Don't panic, i think...she was just right here. We begin looking for her...ten minutes pass...still no Grace. Now, one thing you should know about Grace is that she is friendly...overly friendly. We find the security guard and tell him we have lost one of our many children. The search is on. We look another ten minutes, still no Grace, and i am panicking. Finally, one of the kids in our group spots her on a ride, laughing, having a great time...oblivious to the fact that she is missing. I could kill her and smother her with kisses all at the same time. Crisis averted, but we are now running half an hour behind. The rush is on to get back to the hotel for the show.
We arrive back at the hotel, and as everyone pulls out there tickets, i reach for mine...i know i put them in my diaper bag last night when i purchased them...they were right in the zipped pocket in the front of the bag...but, amazingly, no dice. I think to myself, "really?! Am i honestly, yet again, another hold up for my group?"...apparently i am. My friends want to help, but i can tell they are frustrated - and for the life of me, i cannot IMAGINE why!! Lol. I tell them to go ahead to the show, i will head back to the ticket desk, explain my situation, and we will be right behind them. Not likely, you say? right you are.
So, my kiddos and i head to the desk, in the middle of the casino, and realize there is one heck of a line. We wait. Ten minutes pass, then fifteen. I check my watch...the show starts in ten minutes. We wait a few more minutes - while my kids slowly start to inch away from my place in line - until finally i think, "I gotta take the bull by the horns, and be that rude woman who cuts to the front of the line " (you know, the one that slides in the front, off to the side, and says, "I'm sorry, i just have a quick question?...")when in all reality, it is not at all just a quick question! So, i do this, holding Faith in my arms because she is done being in the stroller, and Grace and Lily are getting restless, and i can tell i don't have much time before they all but disappear on me. So, i do the rude lady thing, which is met with many the eye-roll, which i ignore, and explain my situation to the woman behind the desk. Yes, i lost the tickets...no, i don't have a confirmation number...yes, i realize the show started ten minutes ago...no, not two adults, just one and five kids...oh, and can you make sure im seated by my group?...no, i don't know who the reservation was made under for their group...maybe try under this name...no? that's not it? ok, how about this name?...and on and on until i realize the Grace and Lily are no longer with me. Oh my goodness! I look at Savannah and Mason and ask if they have seen them, do they know where they are?! Both look at me blankly...Panic, again. The Casino is packed. Lines all over for people checking in, picking up show tickets, slot machines...and the front doors that exit into the wonderful world of Vegas are right behind us. If i was directing this in a movie, it would have been to the sound of a million slot machines, blinking lights, loud talking and laughter everywhere, and me spinning in circles trying to zone in on two missing little girls. I Grab the tickets the lady has printed, and tell Mason and Savannah to stay with me, and the search begins. I try to text my friends...phones have been turned off. I'm not wasting time, i look straight for the security desk...and there they are...my little girls. Huge sigh of relief. I begin walking that direction, with overwhelming gratitude in my heart for the workers that they are with, until, as i get a little closer, i hear one say to the other, "What kind of mother do you have to be to lose your kids in a Vegas casino?"...and right or wrong...i'm pissed, and say, "this kind of mother. The kind with five little kids, trying to give her babies a fun spring break...and i'm not perfect...but, you'll learn, one day when you are old enough to have kids, and i hope no one judges you when you little ones run off!" Abrasive? Yeah. A little much? Pretty sure. Proud of it? No. But in that very small moment, it felt pretty dang freeing!
So, we finally head down the stairs to the show...we are thirty minutes late. We are seated the second section from the opposite side that we entered in the middle. Great. We make our way in, apologizing to people the whole way. My kiddos are in a trance at the show...i have to keep going back to move them along. Dinner is being served already, so we are trying to make our way thru the dark, avoiding the waiters with trays full of food and drinks, its an effort, to say the least. We finally make it to our seats, and as we are served our meal, my kids are disgusted. We are at one of those medieval shows, and the meal is an entire chicken and a broth you drink out of a bowl...for each person. Im trying to quietly de-bone the chicken for my kids and keep everyone happy, and i can tell everyone around us is pissed that we have been seated by them...by the way, my friends are two sections over...so, im apologizing all over myself for my kids and hushing them...not exactly how i saw this going! Everyone is finally eating and watching the show. PEACE. Oh happy day! For two minutes...and then, Faith knocks a full glass of rootbeer into my lap. I am wearing white capris...ugh! I know, not my smartest wardrobe choice, but, remember, i planned and packed for all six of us for this trip all in one hour! Lesson learned.
The show ends, and everyone is happy, and i meet up with my friends and relay the evenings events to them, and we all laugh, because, it's finally hitting the funny stage...and i'm thinking to myself, "Good Glory...thank heavens we leave in the morning!" And usually, What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas...but, lucky or unlucky for all of us involved, this didn't, because i blog about the chaos that comes with being a mother of five...and i never run out of stories, because i never out-run the chaos! AWESOME.
