A Happy Vegas Fourth

What started as merely a Lake Mead fishing trip, leaving Grammy at the grandkiddos' house while the men fished, turned into a really fun time with part of the family. Since it is quite an ordeal to feed an extra four adults, I asked Allison if she would let me invade her kitchen and bring all the food, and she graciously said we could. Planning...shopping...packing...all done and we took off on July 3rd late morning. Ethan and Cameo's awesome truck pulled the boat and we rode in icy comfort (icy meaning that the men in the front seat gave us quite an airconditioned experience, making that Toyota Tundra truly a Polar Express!

Day 1   Arrive...Cousins meet Kaylee for the first time...Papa's Chinese Food for dinner...water balloon attacks...first fishing outing on Lake Mead for Papa, Ethan, Cameo, and Adam

Grace and Kaylee meet for the first time

Kaylee LOVED being OUT of her car seat...she was such a trooper on the 4+ hour trip

Josh seemed to be okay with this cousin...even though she is a baby, and a girl...since she has this pretty cool ball!

On the boat...

Cameo and Adam with their headlamps ready to catch stripers... Adam did get one, but it got away while Papa was getting the camera ready. 

 July 4th...Happy 53rd Birthday, Grammy

Grace reads the card that she made for me! "You are 53. So old!" 

Miss Kaylee all ready for July 4th!

 Breakfast: Cereal, Pop Tarts, Granola Bars, Fruit

 Hide and Seek Practice...

More birthday surprises from Ethan and Cameo and Kaylee..

While I read the nicest card from them, my husband gives me my gift... No comment necessary!

See's Nuts and Chews

Accessory for the Cars Racing House they gave me for my North Pole Village at Christmas

"This is MY Mommy time...Do NOT touch me, Grammy!"

Patriotic Family!

Papa, Ethan, Cameo, Adam and Grace went to Bass Pro Shops

Practicing Casting Accuracy...Papa

...Cameo...

Papa and Kaylee

...Adam...

They were there for the fish feeding too!

Papa and his Duck Dynasty Buddies

Love this!

 They had special activities for the kids...

Ummm....wishing she had a beard too????

While they shopped, Grammy stayed home and played with Josh, Mommy made the Wilkins' Fourth of July Tradition: Homemade Ice Cream, and Daddy (Mike) rested and recovered from working two jobs!

Official Ice Cream Taster and Dasher Cleaner. He got to taste not just the vanilla batch but the mint chocolate chip batch that was absolutely to DIE for...

 We played hide and seek after this...Josh is an excellent hider AND seeker! Found Grammy every time!!! Then we did puzzles to create...

 Thomas the Train Puzzle Land

 We built a fort...

Mommy, laundry folder and unsuspecting victim. 

Fire Bombs...

Ready...Aim...Fire...

Oops...she caught us!

Joshy put Grammy in "jail" in the bathroom, with some Hot Wheel Cars, books, and a nectarine.

Joshy and Daddy went out to finish their firework budget off...

 They brought Joshy home a Gecko to decorate from Bass Pro...

Grammy: Victim of Fire! Photography by Adam Wilkins

Daddy and Josh stood in a hot parking lot and got some awesome fireworks and a push pop!

 Then, it was rocket building time...

 And then, rocket launching time...

 And then rocket "losing on the neighbor's roof that refused to let us retrieve it" time. So sad!

Grammy treading water while taking this picture of Grace enjoying the boat...NOT. Actually, it was in their  side yard...but I had you there, didn't I!

Dinner was Papa's pulled pork on a bun, hot dogs, Cameo's macaroni and cheese, beans, chips, and then...

FIREWORKS

In Las Vegas, they don't enforce the Illegal fireworks laws, so we had a great show, thanks to the neighbors and the floor show by Ethan and Mike and Adam!

We returned to the house for Happy Birthday and Homemade Ice Cream...

Photography by Ethan Rice...

 July 5th...Breakfast Burritos for Breakfast, Swimming Lessons, Coloring, Water Balloon Attacks, Sandwiches for Lunch Nutella, Rainstorm, Albertson's Fried Chicken at Lake Mead,  Fishing, Swimming, Rescuing

Joshy's swimming lesson...

 Adam practicing skills...

 Grace's Water Ballet Class

 More skills practice: treading water and diving

Kaylee...in a blue chair...chewing on a dinosaur tail??? Never!

 Coloring...

 First taste of Nutella...

Joshy went to the front door, looked out and said, "It's raining."

We all laughed.

We said he was crazy.

 We apologized!

 On the way to Lake Mead, in the back seat of the Wilkins' Van, we played the dot game...

 Swimming...the lake was low...and windy...and wavy!

 Rice Tradition: Lake Swimming and Albertson's Fried Chicken...

 Joshy loved this...all the rock throwing he wanted...as long as no one was in the way!

 There are no pictures of a stuck boat, Papa in the water pulling, Ethan in the water pulling, Ethan hooked by numerous fishing hooks, Grammy pulling the rope, Papa sinking in silt, Grammy losing her Crock in silt...and then finding it, Ethan and Papa saving the boat and loading it on the trailer, Grammy and Grace looking unsuccessfully in the silt for Adam's sandals (yep, that silt tried and tried, and finally ate Adam's sandals!), tired and happy people, tears of gratitude from a Grammy that her hubby, her son, and her grandkiddos were all right!

July 6 - Pancakes for breakfast, loading up, driving home, Kayty's surprise for Mom!

Grace had a plan to surprise Mommy with a gift, so she had a plan and instructed Grammy as to how to accomplish getting wrapping paper, hiding the gift, and wrapping. 

This trip, Papa completed his reading of Jesus The Christ by James E. Talmage

 Kayty decorated Mom's bedroom for a birthday surprise!

Kaylee loved Grammy's balloons. 

Great trip. Thank you Allison and Mike for letting us invade. Thank you Ethan for your driving skills and your awesome truck...and rescue. Thank you Papa for putting up with this Grammy. And thank you Kayty for making coming home never better!