"O" so much fun!

It's so hot here that the only thing to do is get in the water. Angela's good friend, who happens to be the Bishop's wife, invited us over to swim at her house. They have a fabulous back yard and pool. There's a waterslide, waterfall, and a big shallow area for small kids to play. Then the grassy area has a big play structure and the whole thing is lined with a path that made a great track for driving the toy cars. We had a picnic lunch with her family and spent the hot part of the day playing in the water.

Jeff and James hanging out under the waterfall.

James got brave enough to do the slide by himself. It was actually better this way since he went way under the water when he went with an adult. His own body weight allowed him to just pop right up.

Jeff getting tricky on the slide.

This is James "jumping" off the waterfall. I was amazed he even wanted to do it in the first place. He sort of sat/fell off the edge.

Harrison mostly sat around the edge but towards the end he was adventurous enough to walk around the shallow part.

James and Zachary enjoying cool treats in the blazing heat.

James and Harrison loved riding the kiddie cars around the border of the grassy area. The sidewalk made the perfect car track.

James ran over to the playground and immediately started climbing the wall. He never even hesitated, even when he was really high. What a daredevil!

We had a scare with James in the water. It was getting dark and all the adults had gotten out to sit away from the pool area on chairs by the house. A few older kids kept swimming despite the call to get out. We took James' floaties off and he was eating some crackers. He said he wanted to eat on the chair in the pool area which we said was fine. A little while later we hear him crying, and not just a little cry but full on sobbing. I ran to the pool and asked what had happened. Between shaking sobs I figured out he had gone under the water. He had gotten back in the water and was wading around in the 2 foot deep area which was pretty big. However, it drops off to the 5 ft depth and with it being dark I think James didn't see the edge. He had fallen off into the deeper water and gone under and somehow climbed back out. I don't even know how he managed to get out since he was probably panicking and it was dark. I was just sick to think of what could have happened. We never heard any splashing or any signs of distress until he came out crying. We could have been one of those sad child drowning stories. I know Heavenly Father was protecting James and my prayers for safety for my children on this vacation were not only heard but answered. This is the second time in James 4 short years he was been kept from severe danger, the other time being in a parking lot when he was 2. I really feel the Lord has a purpose for James and is taking special care of him. I just feel so blessed that He is watching out for my precious children.

We had James' birthday coupon from Red Robin for a free kids meal so we decided to eat there for dinner with Darrel's family. James didn't quite know what to think when they all came out and sang to him and gave him an ice-cream sundae. He really did love eating it though!

After we put the kids in bed Jeff and I headed back to the strip for a 10pm showing of "O," a Cirque Du Soleil show at the Bellagio Casino. We picked such a late show because we could get 25% off our tickets and I wanted to make it easier on Darrel and Angela who volunteered to watch our boys again.

The show could be summed up in one word- AMAZING!! From the entertaining pre-show clowns in the audience to the amazing acrobatic feats throughout, the show was incredible. And it was all done on an amazing stage with a giant built-in swimming pool that would raise and lower the depth. Actors would be running across the stage on dry ground and then suddenly they were high diving into a pool. Talk about an engineering feat!

The official description of the show:
"Cirque du Soleil weaves an aquatic tapestry of artistry, surrealism and theatrical romance in the timeless production, "O." The international cast of world-class acrobats, synchronized swimmers, divers and characters perform in, on, and above water to create a breathtaking experience."

My favorite part was this giant ship suspended in the air carrying a dozen acrobats. They would swing back and forth off the ends and flip people around like on a flying trapeze. Then they started swinging the ship and flinging people all around. All the while there is an entire synchronized swimming show going on in the water below them.





There was just so much to take in during the show- I had no idea where to watch!

After the show we had to walk through the Bellagio Casino to get back to the parking garage. We stopped at this amazing garden of huge flowers and bugs. They even had jets of water shooting sporadically in arcs around the plant area.

It was so late we didn't hang out very long after the show. I really had no desire to spend any more time on the strip. My eyes were all watery and my nose stuffy from being in all the smoke plus it was just so hot. It's hard going from Oregon where basically you can't smoke anywhere to here where any building is fair game.