~Vegas!~

Simply put ...  Vegas. Was. Awesome!!

Ryan and I spent 3 days in Las Vegas with our friends from down the street

and had an absolute blast!  So many memories, things to laugh about, and fun times shared!

I elected to not bring my big girl camera, so it was captured on my phone only, but that

didn't slow me down from snapping a million of photos!

Here's a little photo documentation of our time there!

We arrived Wednesday afternoon, checked into our hotels, and met up for some drinks and

dinner!  We hit Sushi Samba, and oddly enough, didn't have any sushi... but the rest of the food

was good and drinks were delish!  We then wandered a bit and wound up at the Chandelier bar at 

the Cosmo... SUPER cool place! Loved the decor there!  We watched our friends play a little

Blackjack back at the hotel, then it was time to crash.

Arrived and checking in!

Sushi Samba

At the Cosmo! 

The next morning we had a deliciously large buffet breakfast, including the sushi we didn't get to eat the night before!  What?  People can eat sushi for breakfast, right?  

After breakfast, Ry and I wandered out to check out the pool.  Our weather app said it was 67 out and we figured that would be a little chilly yet, but thought we'd take a look anyway....  Well, we were out there for about 6.7 sec before heading back to our room to get our suits on and gather our stuff!!  Katie Liz joined us a bit later while Bryan spent a little time at a conference there.  The weather was amazing, the drinks were delicious, and the music started playing by noon! All around, just wonderful fun in the sun!

Pretty lady!!

Reading in the sun!

Yard of booze anyone?!  Bryan... might want to steer clear of Sailor Jerry next time! ;)

Bryan was working on his tan!

After freshening up (and yes, some much needed nap time) we got dolled up and went out for dinner!

Unfortunatley, Bryan wasn't feeling stellar, but hung in there with the rest of us through our meal.  Ryan and I got to try Oysters for the first time, and I'll be honest and say, I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed them!  

Oysters at Gallaghers

Following dinner, it was on to one of the highlights of the trip for me...

ZUMANITY!

If you are easily offended, embarrassed, or opposed to foul language or 

blatent sexuality in all forms... this is NOT the show for you.  

However, if you love an amazing visual performance, sensual fun, and love to laugh,

I highly encourage you to try and see it!  The whole experience was amazing! 

After the show, we watched the fountains at Bellagio (they end at midnight, by the way)

and just wandered for a little while.  Checked out a few of the casinos and enjoyed the sites!

Our last day there, I think overall, was probably the most collective fun!  

Time in the sun, a private pool party at Tao, more vodka lemonades than were probably

necessary... then drinks at the hotel, and a night on Freemont street!  What more could

you ask for?  So. Much. Fun!

Oh My... the deliciousness!  5 pitchers may have been a bit in excess... but hey, it's Vegas!!!

Party at Tao!

Bryan- The turban man!!

~Welcome to Freemont Street~

Adorable, aren't they?!

 ~Note:  Zipline was really fun, however... spend the extra $20 and do the Zoomline.  It's twice as long, and the line moves twice as fast!  We spent an hour in line AFTER our registered check-in time!~

KL was a little nervous at this point

~Bryan... thank you for ever so patiently waiting for us to make our 30sec trip down the zipline!

Not sure if KL paid her debt, but I still owe you... call in that favor anytime! Haha ;)

She looks a little concerned even though we're done!  Time for another beverage!

The whole trip was one for the record books!  Thanks a million Sternbergs!

Things to Remember

As I said, I'm hoping to get back more to working on taking note of the small stuff.  The little things

that one day will be big things I'll be happy to have mentioned for remembering.  This may be long and boring for some, but as it's important to me and my family... well... here it is!

 Lila: 6 1/2 years

She is busy and creative... always seeking new information.  She loves to make projects and pictures and writes letters to everyone.  She is constantly covered in marker and sticky stuff.  She is still our messy girl and we are working on reminding her to wipe her face and hands off!  She is doing very well in school and has had great comments at both of her conferences so far. She reads well above her grade level and is asking us to start buying her chapter books, as she is getting bored with the ones she has (and she has a million).  At school she goes to the library each Thursday, and has recently been bringing home mostly non-fiction books, usually about super girly stuff like snakes, crocodiles, and various subjects along those lines ;) Got a bow for Christmas, and now that the weather is nice, she loves to go out and shoot! She is enrolled in dance, but isn't a huge fan.  She likes to look nice, but has an "unusual" sense of style and often looks a little bedraggled and mismatched! She does love her "brown boots" though, and looks pretty snazzy when she wears them! Still very emotional and cries easily, but that's getting better.  She LOVES being outside, and now that the weather is warming up, she is thrilled to be back out riding her bike and her scooter!  Sleeps with her blanket and the stuffed puppy she's had since she was a baby.  That's only recently become a favorite of hers.  She is still our "sturdy" girl and is solid in every way, but she is slimming out and looking more and more grown up every day.  Her top front tooth has been loose for months and I think we're just on the verge of losing it.. that gappy-tooth smile is such a game changer in their appearance. She has quite the crush on one of the neighbor boys (5th grade, much older boy, as it happens, sheesh) and gets all giggly and goofy when he's around! Has lots of friends at school and her teacher, Mrs Moorse, says the other kids like to be around her.  Oh, and she sends me selfies and text messages when I'm at work, and it melts my heart!!!

Elaina: 4 (almost 5)

Sassy and hilarious. Still in love with her babies, but is now very into dressing up and doing her "makeup".  She will likely be our little fashionista, and gets quite distressed regarding her clothing if she feels that something doesn't looks right!  She is very proud that she can now put her own hair into a ponytail and, being her willful self, is reluctant to let us help her most days.   She loves watching music videos on her phone and just like daddy, will listen to her favorite songs on repeat for days on end!  We've just gotten through the Megan Trainor (All about that bass) and Taylor Swift (Shake it off) phase, and are now moving into Ariana Grande (Bang Bang) as a current fav.  She is quite the little dancer, although I'm not sure studio dance is quite her style.. haha.  She definitely has her own Ellie-variety of movement! ;) She is also doing exceptional in school and I'm told over and over how she is excelling at Montessori.  She reads and writes very well and most of the time is willing to let big sister "teach" her about the stuff learned in Kindergarten.  Elle is quite an instigator though, and is as stubborn as a mule.  She isn't often in a bad mood, but if she is, she'll make sure everyone knows it and is as miserable as she is! We struggle with her eating habits, but I think are making a little headway.  She still has "taggie" and sleeps with it every night.   Still a willowy slim girl, she has maxed out at 38lbs.  Huge personality in that tiny little package! She is very friendly and is adored at her Montessori by the other children and teachers alike.  She also loves to snuggle in the mornings... some things never change (and I'm not complaining about that one bit!)

Ryan and I: married 8 years

Ryan continues work at Toro and enjoys most of his time there.  His passion is fitness and he spends a lot of his spare time (which is sparse) seeking out new information and researching about lifting, nutrition, and all things related.  He is extremely dedicated and motivated in this regard and it shows in his physique!

I love my job as a labor nurse and am settling into my new hospital... (I've been there since July, but still feel "new") My emotions have been all over the map in the last few months, but I'm very hopeful that with the coming warm weather, and no major life changes on the horizon, that my internal chaos will also settle and be more at peace.  I'm loving the sunshine and warmer weather (as are most Minnesotans) and look forward to a summer of fun and time with my family!  My fitness goals have had multiple recent setbacks which is extremely frustrating for me, but I feel like I'm getting back on track and have a few goals I want to reach in the next few months!  Ryan is a great motivator, so I've got great support!

Trending current info:

Warmer weather than we've had in the last 2 years, but the random snow has thrown me off. 

Current favorite artists/music : Ed Sheeran - Thinking out Loud,  Hozier - Take me to church, John Legend, Kip Moore, Eric Church...

Shows: Still watch The Walking Dead, are into Dexter on netflix, love Big Bang Theory.

Last week we were in the 60's... Today, we had snow.  A lot of it.  Ugh.

This is how I felt about the snow...

This is how the girls felt about snow today...

This is going to be an exciting week for us, so I'll have plenty to post next time!  

Looking back

So, I've been a little emotional lately. Not that that's a huge change for me, but let's just say my roller coaster is a little higher/faster/crazier than usual! Haha.  

Anyway, I was recently looking back through the blog and peeked at the month of March, every year since I started it.  I once was so good at capturing all the little things.  The day to day stuff that made up our life.  And i'm SO happy I have it, because I can now look back and remember!  Little things that get lost and forgotten in the day to day chaos.  Now all my posts seem to be... "it's busy, here's a few photos... " 

I feel the need to put some more effort into paying attention to the little things.  Some day in the future, I will forget the funny things the girls say, or how they LOVE to sing and dance, or the creative ways they spell words... Cherishing the memories is worth the effort and it's time to put the effort back in!  

Because I feel like it, I went and collected a few photo favorites from each year in the month of March to share.  Like a 6 year story book! Enjoy!

~2009~

Lila was just a chubby baby!

~2010~

Awaiting baby #2

~2011~

Elle had just started toddling around

Lila's first swimming lessons

* and this video is just too cute!! *

Ellie 2011 - http://volovsek.blogspot.com/2011/03/because-its-funny.html

~2012~

Sweet sisters

~2013~

~2014~

Loving all the boxes as we started to pack for our move

The Move: part 1 - http://volovsek.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-move-part-1.html

I'm so happy I have this place to look back at our life.  How our babies have grown and the joys and challenges we've shared over the years!  Thanks for sharing with us! 

Have a great day!