Rozelles in Vegas 2013

I did not think I would like Vegas. Maybe if I had boys instead of girls, I would have liked it less. Maybe if I had stayed in a party hotel with a casino right on the strip, I would have liked it less.  But I liked it.

We stayed at Trump International. I am not a fan of the Donald - we hotwired this. But I must say it was super nice and just perfect for what our family wanted.

We did a lot of hanging out by the lovely pool. It was in the 80's and we actually came back sporting tans.

You could rent these cool daybed things with an umbrella too. You weren't allowed to bring in food or drink but could order it from the waitstaff walking around making sure you were taken care of. You could get used to luxuriousness here fast. I almost talked myself into getting a spa treatment that would've cost one week's minimum wage paycheck. I did not totally lose my soul in Vegas;) I will say that those drinks must've been expensive, because my usually generous husband was making the girls share smoothies...

The first night we walked our legs off touring the strip, checking out all of the hotels.

We ended up eating a super nice meal somewhere in Caesar's.

The girls loved the ceiling in the mall at Caesar's. I think girls don't pay attention to the same kind of things as boys at all. I must say there are parts of Vegas you can go that are fairly family-friendly if you're careful.

The Bellagio was probably our favorite, as far as spectacles go.  The fountain show was lots of fun.

We loved the conservatory too. It was easy to think you were in Wonderland.

Anna was a huge fan of the poppy motif the hotel had going on.

Hundreds of flowers in all colors - tulips, mums, calla lilies...

Lots of gorgeous mosaic tilework too.

You weren't really supposed to take pictures: on our second night we went to the Tournament of Kings show at the Excalibur - totally great for kids! You eat at big long tables with your hands, sit in a section that's your "country." It's interactive: you cheer for your king when he's battling. There are pyrotechnics, horsemanship, jousting - Anna was loving it. The girls bought Merlin hats to get in the spirit (it was loosely based on King Arthur) that I suspect will show up in Harry Potter play.

The seating was all around the ring, where the action was and it felt close. Anna posing with our king - King of France.

Bye Vegas strip (at the far right). Bye West! It was so nice to visit your big-sky loveliness!