Vegas Baby!

Last week Jared need to be in Vegas for a trade show so I had the chance to pop on over and stay for a few days while he was working. I am so thankful for Mimi, who watched Caleb while I went to Sin City! I had been there about 6 years ago for Sarah's bachellorette party so quite a few things had changed. Most of my time there was by myself since Jared was there working so I set on foot to discover all the strip had to offer. I came back with wide eyes and sore feet! My favorite hotel had to be the Wynn hands down. There was so much color in their decor and they had fabulous water features. Here are a couple pictures of the Wynn inside and out:

This beautiful waterfall is displayed on the left hand side before you enter the hotel/casino.


Floor of the Wynn

Indoor courtyard

We also had the chance to eat dessert at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Paris.
and see the Bellagio water show from where we were eating:

Matt & Ashley Shillito's wedding

A couple weeks ago we were honored to celebrate with the Shillito's and witness a beautful ceremony as they pledged their vows to one another. The celebration was held in Newport Beach at the Island Hotel and St. Marks Presbyterian Church. We had a great time catching up with friends and meeting new ones. Most pictures are posted on FB, but here I wanted to post the pictures of what the hotel did to celebrate Caleb, it was pretty fun.This was on the tub, his name spelled out with multi color sponges.
This was on the desk. The plate is full of a yummy treat, it was a tic tac toe game and m & m's. So much fun, what a treat!!

Cousins

Last weekend I went to Atwater (my home town) to pick up my cousins for a couple days of adventure, work and FUN. On Thursday I picked them up and we made our way to whole paycheck I mean whole foods, where we purchased some lunch and a $6 vanilla bean. Alton Brown has this amazing vanilla ice cream recipe which required the bean, it was SO YUMMY! On Friday we went to boomers where Katelyn beat her brother and I at miniature golf (she was flawless on the first 9). After that we went on the bumper boats desperate to survive the 109 degree weather, Katelyn and I shared a boat and these little boys kept getting us wet, then I dropped my glasses in the yucky water at the end of the ride. Here is a picture after we were dry, hydrated and fed right before we left.
On Saturday we made our way to Bass Lake to do some hiking. Caleb really seemed to enjoy himself which made us all happy, here is a picture of them in the water.

Caleb McQueen

Last week Caleb came up to me and and whispered, "I am speed". It was priceless! Of course you can't mimic those things for the camera but here is out best shot:

btw - thanks to my cousin Nick for the editing!

Edible Cookie Dough Recipe

As most of us know, cookie dough is so yummy to eat but not the best idea due to the raw egg mixed in. Here is a recipe w/o the egg and it tastes oh so good. Make sure to have a glass of milk nearby. Also, you might want to half the recipe for those of you who will not get any help eating it.

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter -- softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a small bowl, mix flour, soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter with sugars; mix in milk and vanilla. Gradually blend in flour mixture; stir in chocolate chips.

Now grab a spoon and dig in! Store remainder in refrigerator or freeze in blobs for a fun treat later.

July 4th celebration

To celebrate the USA's 233rd birthday we were able to gather together with family to play and feast! Caleb really enjoyed spending time with his cousins (once removed), Jessika and Jeremiah.He was also introduced to croquet (which he called golf for the first half of the day).
We tried doing fireworks at the end of the day but Caleb was not a huge fan of the loud ones so he watched from inside the house. Here is a picture of most of us...
Hope you all had a great 4th of July!

He sleeps

Some of you may be aware of the drama that is getting Caleb to sleep. I will spare you the long list of reasons why and just give you the recent run down. Yesterday for nap time Caleb decided to mess up his blinds and climb on his bookshelf to take the decorate pillows off the wall. Today however, he asked if he could sleep in "dada's" bed. I normally say no and put him down in his bed, but today I figured I would give it a try. I told him that if he got up that I would put him down in his bed and to my surprise...

Anderson's visit

There are times when I miss my friends so much that my heart aches to see them! This is why we are so thankful we had the opportunity to host the Anderson's this weekend. What a joy! Each one of them is such a blessing to us.
Caleb and Parker hit it off (this is the first time they met). Caleb was giving Parker hugs and they were "communicating" by screaming. Parker would squel/scream and Caleb would bust up laughing and scream back.The McAvoy's also came down to see everyone and celebrate my birthday. Mark made "camp" donuts for us. For some reason instead of a cake I wanted some home made donuts - they were good but they didn't taste the same as my mom's recipe (of course that was a long time ago!).
We went to our local Zoo where Sarah got us both in free! It was only $2 to feed the girafees so she took the opportunity while we looked on. Did you see how long the tongue is? It was interesting how the girafee starting to linger around the feeding spot just mintues before feeding time began. We had such a great time but they still aren't anxious to move to Fresno anytime soon. Oh well, we'll keep trying!

What is the word I am looking for?...

An Oxymoron?

Bugs

Yes, I know...I have issues with them. So does Caleb apparently but we are praying that it is just a phase. So tonight after Caleb went to bed I rushed outside to use whatever day light I had left to spray the perimeter of our house for bugs. They just broke ground on the houses next to us so I noticed more "activity" lately. I sprayed the fence line and the perimeter of the house. While I was finishing up at the front of the house I noticed a significant spider web and sure enough a large black spider started booking it up the wall of our house heading towards a window. So I started blasting it as close as I could for as long as I could for a VERY long time. It finally died...I think. The whole time I was thinking, "I should just go get some Windex to kill this thing". So here is my question everyone....this is the spray I used. Should I have expected it to kill "on contact" or does it die later? Either way I need some advice. Let me know what your experience has been.