You pick the place. . . I'll bring the CHAOS!!! Part 2

So, i get back up to the room, and the bell hop is a few minutes behind me with all the remaining luggage. When he gets there, I pull out the pac n' play, and set it up for Faith. I make her a bottle. I help all the kids into their jammies. Mason, Lily, and Gracie will share one queen bed - and Savannah and I will share the other - and Faith will sleep in the portable crib next to my side of the bed. Its 1 a.m. and i am exhausted! Luckily for me, it appears that my kiddos are spent, too. i tuck everyone in, say prayers with them, and give kisses, and climb into my side of the bed. Mason and Savannah are out in 2 minutes flat. Gracie is right behind them - and i am awfully close. Faith finishes her bottle and stands up and chucks it out of the crib. It hits me in the head. Faith can see me, and starts crying. She wants to get out and come lay with me. "Shhh!" i whisper to her as i think, "please don't wake everyone!". I pull her up with me and snuggle her. She can't settle. Lily wakes up and decides that it is not fair that Faith gets to sleep with me, and she doesn't - so, she makes her way over Mason (who stirs), slides off the bed, pulls herself up onto my bed using Savannah's leg (who shouts), and wriggles in between me and Savannah. So, now in this little bed, lie Savannah, Lily, me and Faith - its a little crowded - but, I'm too tired to care. Obviously, the night of "sleep" is almost non-existent. I hold Faith on my chest all night because i am worried she will get sandwiched in between all of us. Every time she falls asleep, i try again to move her to the pac n' play (for a total of 4 times) at which point she immediately wakes and starts crying, and i pull her back up with me so she doesn't wake everyone. Last time i look at the clock, it is 4:48 a.m.

my next moment of awareness comes from my 7 year old son, Mason. Now, if you have read any of my previous posts than you know that Mason has one level of volume control: LOUD.

(Now, to really get this right, you need to use almost a "shout" volume.)

"Oh my gosh, mom, I cant believe we are in Vegas!" to which i immediately respond, "Shh! Mason! If you wake everyone, so help me. . . "! And he continues, "I know mom - but I'm just so excited that i can't sleep!" as he flings open the black out drapes and in pours the sunshine which is met with painful protest from everyone else in the room. I look at the clock. Oh My Hell. It's only 6:23 a.m. - someone shoot me now. Every one is awake now, and all clamoring at the window saying, "wow - look at that" and "oh my gosh - look over there" - and i am thinking to myself as rub my eyes - i can only imagine what they are looking at! I go turn on the shower, and thank my lucky stars that there is an ice cold Red Bull in the cooler in our room (Hey! Don't judge mama, love mama!). And so, our day begins at 6:30 in the morning. . . and we are not meeting up with all the others until 9 a.m.. Have you ever tried to entertain and keep quiet 5 young children in a hotel room in Vegas for 2 and a half hours?! Take it from me. . DON'T!

So, 9 a.m. finally rolls around, and i am on the floor, screwing in the wheels on my new stroller (did i mention that i have 3 at home?) so that we can head out. On the agenda today? We are going to walk down the strip and head over to the M&M Factory, then to the Coca-Cola Factory, then to lunch, then back to the hotel to change into swim suits and head out to the pool (Did i mention that it is only 56 degrees, and windy?!). Here's a quick look at us heading out - shoving all 16 kids into one elevator. . . because this is not the right city to lose a small child in. .. but, don't worry, that's coming in part 3 of this blog!

Now, anyone who has ever walked the strip in Vegas is well aware that in order to cross the streets you must basically go through a maze of escalators, bridges, and crosswalks. And, this "maze" becomes so much less appealing when you do it with 16 kids, including one in a stroller! But, on we go. I am pretty sure that i have never counted to 16 so many times in my life as i did that one day in the space of 4 hours!

So, we head to the M&M Factory. Pure delight for eyes of all ages. By the time we get to the 2nd floor of the factory, both Mason and Lily have already have escalator accidents - nothing serious. . . but enough that now Lily does not want to get on the escalators. Awesome. We spend about an hour at the factory, and leave there to head to the Coca Cola factory. (side note: Did you know that you can get a bag filled with all the "special" (hot pink, aqua, lime green etc.)colors of M&M's for the bargain price of $11.99. . . PER POUND?!!! And i almost got sucked in to this "fun" purchase until i realized that after all my kids got their bags filled. . . we would be the proud owners of about $100 BUCKAROOS of M&Ms. MADNESS!!)

So, we visit the Coca Cola Factory, and now it is time for lunch. We Decide to hit the Food Court on the strip so that there are lots of options for everyone. By the time we get to lunch - my kids are awnry and tired. They are falling apart. Everyone wants something different. There is crying and, yes, EVEN talking in whinese (a language in which my kids are fluent)! I have reached the end of my rope. I announce to my kids, that, although all the other kids and moms that we are with are in fact going to the swimming pool when we get back to the hotel - my kids are not. They are going to the room for a much needed nap. They are devastated. How could i do this to them?! I'm the meanest mom in the world! No other mom would make them stay in the room instead of go to the pool!! I look them all in the eye, and just say (in my "here comes mother with a loud voice tone") "Really?" And they are quiet. . . for about 13 seconds, and then it starts all over again. So, i tell the ladies that i am with to go ahead - and we will meet them down there. We get everyone in swimsuits and head back out of the room. Where - pray tell - where is the pool, you might ask?! Well, it is up the hill, past the slots, through the heart of the casino, past "Dick's Last Stop" bar (pure trash), back past more slots, down the little hill, through one set of doors, through another set of doors, down the hall, and out the back doors of the hotel. We finally make it, Mother Duck, and her 5 baby ducks . . . and as we are walking out to the actual pool, i realize that i forgot to buy Lily a lifejacket when we made our infamous stop at Walmart the day before. Seriously?! Seriously.