I survived!

Shark!

She didn't believe we were inside the pyramid (Luxor), but liked the statues just fine.

I have been hesitant to take my two young and willfully disobedient children down to the Strip by myself. Traffic, tons of people, unfamiliarity with where to park and where everything is located, etc., had me anxious that someone would get lost or stolen. I wasn't sure that the girls could handle the walking involved, or that they would obey me enough that I wouldn't lose them. So we took the stroller (used OFTEN for the wandering toddler who thought it was fun to run away from me) and a map and started out on our adventure.

After driving around Mandalay Bay approximately 4.5 times, I finally found the valet entrance that I wanted (my God, how many parking lots exist in this town?), and we were off. We passed the beheaded statue of Lenin at the Russian restaurant, threw too many coins into each fountain we saw, and finally arrived at our destination for the morning: the Shark Reef.

First on the agenda was the golden crocodile, the likes of which the girls had never seen. Its tail didn't tick, so I'm not sure if it had the desired scary effect. Next was the Kimodo dragon. I cannot imagine running into one of those in the wild. I hear they are vicious and would certainly eat me for a snack in no time. Claire tried to climb into the pirhana tank (thankfully, there was a guard standing by to bat her fingers away before she tried to pet them), and Kate learned that some fish bite (after I told her to stop trying to clamber into the tanks). We saw lion fish, jelly fish, a giant pacific octopus (which wasn't that giant), starfish, and lots of sharks. We even saw scuba divers cleaning the shark/fish tank. This was one of the highlights for the girls, until one of the divers began using an air gun (?) to power wash the rocks. And they're worried about the noise caused by kids tapping on the tanks? I could barely hear myself think over the racket. When asked later which exhibit she liked best, Kate replied, "The fishies." Of course.

After the fishies, we walked to the Luxor, where Kate was unimpressed. I'm not sure what she was expecting (I'll have to watch The Backyardigans Egypt episode again for insight), but I don't think she believed me when I told her we were inside the pyramid. Before leaving, we stopped for gelato, where Kate picked out mint chip for us to share. I'm pretty sure she chose that flavor over lime and strawberry cream because it was the last one she tried. And since the girls were so cute, the clerk gave us an extra cup of gelato for free. So, approximately 1 cup of gelato for $5! Kate thought having her own cup was the best; Claire was not pleased when she had to share my scoop.

Claire fell asleep on the way home, and I'm pretty sure that is the only sleep either child has had since waking this morning. Tonight should be interesting.