A Month in Las Vegas

This past month we have been in Las Vegas living with my parents while Sheldon was looking for a job after his graduation.  My parents have been in Hawaii for several weeks for a vacation so it's just been us at my parent's house.  We've been having lots of fun trying to think of inexpensive things to do that would be fun for Jace.

We've taken him different places to let him ride his train.  He especially liked this ramp and went up and down it over and over again.

We've gone to lots of different parks!

He's gotten to play with his cousins a lot.

We've seen a couple of movies and Jace loves looking at the Cars 2 advertisements.  We're excited to go with grandma and grandpa when they get back.

Jace has played in the backyard a lot.  He loves playing with water balloons and water guns and he loves this little kiddie pool.

We went to the Shark Reef Aquarium with my mom on her last day of school to celebrate summer starting.  I have to get the pictures from her though so I haven't been able to post about it.

We've also gone to lots of places that have water sprayers.  It's hot in Las Vegas so anything to beat the heat is always enjoyable.

We went to the Bellagio to see the flower garden.  Jace loved the birds...

...and the water show too.

We've also been able to hang out with some of my high school friends, my aunt and cousins, and Natalie and her kids a lot.  It's been fun to spend time with everyone especially because we don't get to do that very often.

Goodbye Lake Havasu

Sheldon's last rotation had a goodbye party for him.  They invited us to the optometry office for lunch and cake.  Natalie was in town so she came too with her kids.  They had a really nice lunch and a cake that said, "Best Intern Ever."  Sheldon really enjoyed his last rotation and all the people he worked with.  On Friday, Sheldon's last day as a student EVER, I brought in 4 dozen doughnuts for everyone to enjoy.  I wrote little corny notes on the doughnut boxes that said, "Congrats Sheldon.  We love you!  You did it!  Way to Go!"  Sheldon said everyone enjoyed the doughnuts and also enjoyed teasing him about my mushy I love you notes.  I guess I was just caught up in the moment because we really do love Sheldon and we are so proud of him for completing nine years of school to become an optometrist.  I was kind of crying off and on all day because of how significant his last day as a student really was and what that means in the future for our family.  Thanks Sheldon for being able to provide for us and all your hard work!!

That night we went out to Chile's to celebrate and the next morning we got all packed and ready to move to my parent's house temporarily until Sheldon finds a job.  We were about ten miles out of the city and Sheldon's car broke down.  There were no mechanic shops open during the weekend so we had to wait until Monday to take the car into the shop.  It turns out we have to buy a new engine for the car and that would cost more than it's worth.  So we made a quick decision to rent a u-haul and haul the car to vegas.  Thankfully our landlords let us stay in the house for two extra nights.  But by Monday morning we were more than anxious to leave Lake Havasu and get ready for all the upcoming graduation events in Portland that were happening starting on Wednesday.  We made it safe and sound to Las Vegas thankfully and we said farewell to Sheldon's time as a student.  




Here's a list of all the nick names they had for Sheldon at Eyes of Arizona.  They kept adding to the list throughout his time there.  I think they liked to tease him a little bit!!!


We had fun celebrating at Chile's and afterwards took Jace to the park one last time. 

And here's a photo of Jace on our last Sunday in Lake Havasu.  We kept all of our stuff packed in the cars and only got out what we needed for the last few days.  When we went to church everyone kept asking us, "Wasn't last Sunday your last time in the ward?"  Sheldon's broken down car gave us a few more days in Lake Havasu whether we liked it or not.  :)

Graduation or BUST!!!!!

Last Week in Havasu

This was the start of our last week in Lake Havasu and Sheldon's last week as a student!! I decided to take some pictures of our rental house so we could remember where we spent a month and a half in Arizona while Sheldon worked at Eyes of Arizona as a student intern.
Here's Jace in his high chair enjoying a cookie. Does this boy ever eat anything that's good for him??? Seriously though...getting him to eat right has been pretty hard since he discovered sweets. It's a good thing he still enjoys healthy food too!!

Here's Jace's room. He loved the motorcycle decor and has been sleeping in a pack n' play.
Here's Jace's bathroom. He's learned the words moon, star, and sun and pointed them out on a daily basis. :)
Another bedroom...we only used it when people came to visit.
The kitchen
Dining room
Master Bedroom
Master Bath
Living Room
And......the pool!! This was the highlight of our rental house and we enjoyed swimming everyday. After Sheldon got off work each day he would take Jace swimming while I finished dinner. We enjoyed many dinners outside by the pool.

Only one more week in Havasu!!!

Rental House

We were able to move into a three bedroom furnished house in Lake Havasu. It is so exciting to have some space, our TWO cars, and a yard to play in. Jace loves his new backyard and loves throwing the rocks and putting them in his dump truck to dump them. Sheldon and I are super excited about the hot tub. I think we're going to enjoy our new rental house!!

Our rock backyard-there is no grass in the desert

Living Room
2nd Bedroom
Third Bedroom-AKA Jace's rom
Kitchen
Living Room after Jace plays in there
Hot Tub!! I forgot to take a picture of the master bedroom so I will have to do that soon.