April Celebrations

(WARNING: SUPER LONG POST. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK)

It's been an eventful April for us Robertsons. We had a fantastic time on our vacation to Las Vegas. It was definitely a fun-filled two weeks!

Wednesday, April 7

We started our long journey Wednesday and drove 1028 miles to Salt Lake City, Utah to visit Greg's sister, Amanda & family. It was a long 14 hour drive.

Thursday, April 8

The Clarks were the first family members to meet our little guy, Chance. Annabelle absolutely loved holding him & giving him lots of kisses. And after a long winter being cooped up inside, Caleigh couldn't get enough of playing outside with her cousins. Greg & I were even able to fit in a session at the Salt Lake Temple. It was our first time there & it was absolutely beautiful!

Friday, April 9

From there, we drove an additional 425 miles to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada to surprise my parents with an unexpected visit. We arrived Friday night, but unfortunatley, they were not home. Go figure. Anyway, we found them at The Palms Hotel & Casino & gave them the surprise of their life. They had no idea we were coming & were in complete shock once they saw us. They couldn't believe we were there! And once they saw their beautiful grandchildren, they were in heaven!! It took a little while for the kids to warm up, but after dinner at Garduno's, they were all best friends.

Saturday, April 10

The following day called for more surprises. My cousin Jen planned a surprise 40th birthday bash for her hubby, Pat. It went off without a hitch. He had lots of friends & family who came from near & far to help him celebrate his BIG day - including US!

Sunday, April 11

We caught up with our old ward family at The Sunset Ward on Sunday. It was nice to see everyone again. It felt like home. We definitely miss it there. The rest of the week, we spent time visiting with friends. Gina came all the way from Cali to spend a couple of days with us. We've known each other since we were in sixth grade, & used to always get in trouble together. Even though those "fun" days are behind us, we still managed to have a good time.

Monday, April 12

Gina & I took the kids to Serendipity 3 at Caesar's Palace & shared an amazing Frozen Hot Chocolate. Wow...was that yummy!!! We enjoyed it up until the point when a certain two-year-old decided to throw one of her uncontrollable temper tantrums. We went home & made sure Little Miss Cranky got her nap. Anyway, Chance absolutely loved the "bucket hold" Tita G used to put him to sleep. I tried to rock him to sleep that way, but to no avail. Come back G...we miss your magic touch!!!

Tuesday, April 13

Jolyn came to see us bearing gifts on Tuesday. She usually shares "belated" birthday greetings, but to my surprise, this year it was a week early. Although she would hate for me to share this story, I feel I must. It's too funny not to tell. Okay, so as I was opening one of the gifts, I let out a big scream. Everyone was wondering "Why all the yelling?" Greg & my mom were thinking what on earth could Jolyn have gotten me that would cause me to shriek the way I did. Well, it turns out there was an unexpected visitor in the wrapping. One with six hairy legs & two long antennas. Yup, it was a cockraoch! Ewwwwww!!!!!! We were all curious as to how this creature made it in the bag. Guess it was the lovely scent of the Tahitian Tiare Flower candle that it was drawn to. Thanks for the memorable present Jo.

Wednesday, April 14

One of the things I miss about Vegas is "doing lunch' with the girls. I made sure to fit it in as much as possible. One of my favorite places is Cafe Rio. I had made plans with Meredith for a lunch date there, but after Caleigh's previous outage in a restaurant, we decided that a day at the park would be a better place for our kids to let loose. Cal enjoyed her time with her "boyfriend" Daemon. They eventually ran each other ragged & once we left the park, Caleigh had a nice, long nap.

And although I missed out on Cafe Rio, I made up for it when we had dinner at TGIF with steak & lobster....something hard to come by back in South Dakota. It was delicioso!

Thursday, April 15

Food, food & more food. Couldn't pass up lunch at Thai BBQ. Met up with Rachel, Melissa & Cathy so they could finally see Chance (and Caleigh too, of course). The Pad Thai & Thai Ice Tea were to die for, as usual. The girls fell in love with my little guy, but who wouldn't, right? We talked & visited for a couple of hours, then it was off to the dentist office for a cleaning for Greg & me. No cavities... YAY!

Friday, April 16

Greg took Caleigh for the day, so Mom & I were able to do some shopping. We roamed around The Boulevard Mall & picked up some makeup from MAC (again...none in South Dakota) & a few tops, plus a necklace & earrings. I love shopping with my mom..she spoils me! Afterwards, we went to Seafood City so I could stock up on some Filipino goodies I've been missing. That night, once we got the kids to bed, Greg & I snuck off to see "Clash of the Titans" in 3-D. It was the first movie we had gone to in over a year. We need more date nights!!

Saturday, April 17

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! You don't look a day over 50! My mom has to be the best looking 68 year old out there. We celebrated her birthday, once again, at The Prime Rib Loft at The Orleans. Spending time with her & the joy she had in her eyes was most definitely worth the trip. She said it was the best birthday gift we could ever give her.

Sunday, April 18

After church, we made a trip up to Jen's again so that we could do some grillin & chillin in honor of my mom's & my birthday. Being there always makes me realize how much I miss my family. We enjoyed a beautiful day outside with the kids in the pool, burgers & ribs on the grill, and a humungous chocolate cake to top it off. Good times!

Monday, April 19

The kids & I spent the first part of the day visiting Nicole, Dylan & Dalton with Jolyn & Cheryl. It had been a while since the kids got together to play, so it was a nice to see them again. They acted shy around each other at first, but soon warmed up & played just like old times.

Later that afternoon, we attended a memorial service for our friend Drenna. She had passed away the night we arrived in Vegas in an apparent murder-suicide by her husband. It was so hard to believe that something like that could happen to such a wonderful person. We worked together at Wynn & she was a good friend. I'll always remember her making the best tasting cakes whenever one of our birthdays came around. I'll miss that this year. She left behind four children who undoubtedly will miss their mother, as well as countless friends & family members whose lives she touched. We love & miss you Drenna!!!

Tuesday, April 20

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! & HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY WONDERFUL, LOVING HUSBAND!! I truly feel blessed this time of year. Not only am I grateful to celebrate another year of life, but I can also say I'm sharing it with the person I know I am going to spend eternity with. Greg & I were sealed for time & all eternity three years ago on this day, so what better place to go on our anniversary than to the temple. We had the kids with us & had a good time on the temple grounds. Just before we arrived, I got a call from TJ in Florida wishing me a Happy Birthday & he played "Hey There Delilah" on his guitar for me. It was a great present to hear his voice & hear him play his guitar so well. I miss him so much!!!

For lunch, my mom took me out for sushi at Makino's with Jenell & Youlie. I was so glad to get my sushi fix (once again...no sushi in South Dakota). Jenell tasted some edamame & told us not to try it because it tasted bad. I turns out she ate it...shell & all. LOL! She always makes me laugh! Love her.

For our last dinner in Vegas, we ate at Garduno's with my parents, Jen, Payton, Jolyn & Cheryl. I felt very lucky to be surrounded by people I love.

Wednesday, April 21

Every good thing comes to an end. Spent the day getting things packed so we could head home. We had one last lunch date with mom & the girls at Appleby's. It was hard to say goodbye to my parents again, but am so glad we got to see them & spend time with them. Thanks for everything!!! Can't wait til we surprise you again!!! Be on the look out :)

We miss you all already!