Adventures in Parenting - on Vacation. By Kimberly Teichrow

Sometimes you get lucky in Vegas. Sometimes, not so much. I suppose it’s all about the odds.

We have been vacationing in Vegas for 6 years now – and yes, we take the kids. Neither my husband nor myself gamble, but we all really enjoy the city. It’s typically our one true vacation, where we lounge by the pool, take in a few fun sights, and enjoy the wonderful food that Vegas has to offer. Most of our other vacations take a certain amount of energy and this one – well, we work really hard at relaxing.

Our boys look forward to Vegas every year – mostly for our traditions. We always get Gelato at the Venetian in honor of my husband’s and my trip to Europe before we had kids (although Max likes to claim he was there – at 9 whole weeks in my belly). We always visit Circus Circus and win way too many (but way much-loved) stuffed animals. We love buffets, and full days at the pool at our timeshare, M&M World, and one big show each year. I’m sure you can understand the draw, and how much the boys anticipate the trip.

 Needless to say, my oldest son was completely distraught when, upon landing at McCarran Airport in Vegas, he proceeded to get completely sick in the men’s bathroom. I wish there was some way of tracking down the poor soul who had to clean it up. The rest of the evening was, and I’ve given him permission to say it without reservation since it truly was, hell. Poor kiddo – up all night. Clearly not food poisoning, I crossed my fingers that the bug would stop with him. He was a trooper and managed a dip in the pool the following evening, but we were down one day of relaxation and fun.

We rallied the troops once Max felt better and knocked off a few of our traditions, including a full day at the pool, and even a trip to the Hoover Dam, where once we were down in the “belly” of the Dam, the elevators malfunctioned and we “evacuated” out through areas where the public rarely visits. Which was, in a word, cool!

By Tuesday evening, we were feeling great and looking forward to the rest of the week when, alas, poor Dave was bug-struck. Poor hubby. Up all night. One more day out of commission. Dave was a trooper, though, and joined us for a bit at the pool the following day.

A day later, just when we were all ready to press forward and visit the much-anticipated (well, by the Mom-tographer at least) Valley of Fire State Park, followed by our big show, the Jabbowockeez the next day. I get bug-struck. Poor me. Up all night.

Really? Three of us? On our favorite (and not exactly cheap) vacation? I guess the odds were not in our favor this time.

The boys took it all in relative stride – and while we did have to take it a bit slower than normal, we did manage to have a whole lot of fun. Maybe not as many gut-busting meals, but is that such a bad thing? We managed to cover a good portion of our traditions – we ARE hauling back to Bend a fresh crop of well-loved Circus-Circus stowaways. I did manage to get myself out of bed, slowly, and make it to the Jabbowockeez show at the Monte Carlo – which was, by the way, amazing.

 

I’m considering this vacation an offering to the Gods (we’re Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series fans) – and will hope that the next few years of vacations will be full of health & wellness!

I mean really, the odds are in our favor, right?

Kimberly Teichrow, staff photographer for True North Parenting, lives in Bend, Oregon with her family. They love to take adventures, and Kimberly loves to capture them through her lens. You can see more photos, and read more about their travel adventures at Wildfire - Kimberly's new travel & photo blog.