This'll Just Take a Minute

Eri is digging in the sand to create an ocean. The boys and I are taking her sand and using it to build a giant volcano.  Ohhhhh the metaphors! The dinosaur exhibit at the Horseshoe on the Las Vegas Strip was made for Kenzo and Osamu. Mechanical dinosaurs, dark passageways, and coloring. This crazy digital sandbox was the best. I could've played with it all day. We visited the Bellagio Hotel and took in its wonders, one of the most notable being the dude outside smoking a serious jazz cigarette. Woooo weeee we're talkin' contact high level smokin'. We watched the Bellagio water show and Mr. Reefer provided the "atmosphere". I'm going through pictures from the day, as I often do, and delete the duds. I have to take between five and ten shots of everything with the boys in it, the reason being at least one of those is bound to be a decent photo.  Sometimes I'll take a dozen and every one is a bust. Today at the Bellagio Hotel conservatory Eri and my mom ...

Everyone was suitably pooped after yesterday's adventure, so we layed low today and hung out with grandma eating pizza and enjoying sangria. A major goal of the day was laundry, the least exciting yet most satisfying part of traveling, and I had a look at some old boxes in grandma's closet that contain old albums and books and journals and letters. I'm gonna need at least a week to properly go through those things. And a tad more bourbon. Some of those letters I saw through the neatly sealed ziplock bags are from over 20 years ago and from people who write sensational letters. It's gonna be better than any Netflix series I could imagine.  Grandma caught up on some business with the boys. Ollie dog got so much attention and tons of treats from the boys. He's such a good dog. Eri and the boys love grandma's house because it's so cozy and charmingly decorated. Everything on the walls, all the little curious items on the shelves, even the chairs, they all have a...

We had another lazy morning. Grandma rocked out last night at an awesome concert that, in retrospect, I should've gotten a ticket for as well.  The boys are still getting used to the time zone and didn't fall asleep until late, so it all worked out perfectly. Everyone was takin' it slow. I'm not sure how much more perfectly a day for little boys could go.  A shark aquarium on the Las Vegas strip with mama, papa, and grandma. Mac and cheese and fruit bowls for lunch. For them of course. The grown-ups had grown-up food. I split a turkey sandwich with my mom and wow it was amazing. Actually I didn't split it. I just don't order food. There's always plenty left over. I'm like the family hyena. Eri ordered a crazy delicious salad that I also finished off. The M&M Store. Super Mario. These guys were really nice. They offered to take a picture with the boys and said they don't charge. I'm still angry about a photo scam on the strip from 15 years ago...

When we met grandma yesterday I was so busy with managing suitcases and bathroom breaks and dealing with the throngs of people around us at the Las Vegas Airport that I didn't have a chance to process the moment. However, our first stop was grandma's house, and that's when it hit me. In the calmness of my mom's suburban Vegas condo. Kenzo and Osamu know grandma from our FaceTime chats, but they haven't seen her in person in nearly five years. Kenzo claims he remembers, but Osamu was just a few months old and definitely doesn't. Today we slept late again. My excuse is jet lag. I'm generally bad at waking up at any hour regardless of the time zone. Luckily Eri and the boys were right with me. I've never seen them sleep like that. It must've been 10 a.m. before we were really up and at 'em. Grandma had a previous, particularly awesome, engagement tonight, so that allowed us a little more time to adjust to the time and recuperate from the journey we ...