Viva Las Vegas!

March 20 - 23, 2010
A view of our hotel from a veranda at the Venetian...do you see the Volcano going off in the distance?So, I have now officially been to Las Vegas and the infamous strip, and whoa! What a fun, whirlwind vacation. Talk about entertaining....there is so much to take in...from the grandiose and opulent hotels to the cacophony of ringing slot machines..this place is over stimulation to the max!
We were very happy with our stay at the Mirage and all its accommodations....the pool area was so lush and relaxing, and the eatery and lounge options within the hotel itself were definitely worth the stay.
One thing any "virgin-Vegas" goer should be aware of before going: bring money and lots of it...there is a reason Vegas has so much wealth. There is a definite energy to this place that will pull you in to all its glory...do not, I repeat, do not go expecting to win...expect to lose....I had a difficult time dealing with losing, especially when I thought of all the "things" or little vacations we could do with the money lost...I'm not sure why I had this notion we were going to strike it big with some absurdly large jackpot...I suppose it's every Vegas goer's fantasy, and unfortunately for us, did not come true. The trip was worth every penny though....and the two shows we threw in were highly entertaining, especially Cirque Du Soleil's Mystere (everyone should see this at some point). The Cirque Du Soleil show Love (featuring The Beatles's music) was much more like a musical, and conveniently located in our hotel.
We visited many hotels and their casinos on our trip...and I have to say The Wynne/Encore towers were my favorite....their decor was amazing and I was a total sucker for their exquisite mosaic floors. The feel of the hotel was warm and much more like a boutique hotel...unlike many of the compound mammoths. Aria was my least favorite...way too modern, industrial and monochromatic for my taste. I was in awe with the fantastic color scheme and mosaic work. Two other favorites were The Bellagio (incredible floral garden) and The Palazzo mostly because of their unique and memorable landscaping, inside and out..



An art-glass lover's dream....Brad in front of The Bellagio.We could not have been happier with our hotel choice. I am a huge fan of hotel reviews, and this place lived up to its reputation on tripadvisor.Our friends Callie and Rob went with us...so much fun!

Gotta love Galveston!

March 19, 2010
Brad and I are headed to Vegas in a matter of hours, so my mom has been gracious enough to take Madelyn for the weekend when we leave...since it is Spring Break, we had the opportunity to spend two extra days with Omi. The weather has been incredible this week, so we took full advantage. Yesterday, we hit up Kemah and the popular boardwalk, and today we spent the day in Galveston...it was packed!!! The water might not be the clearest (or remotely close!!), but I love Galveston and all its charm. Really, just being on the beach is pure bliss...a favorite of ours!! Maddy and I walk and search for shells with holes to make jewelry...even though we collect quite a few each trip, we have yet to actually take the next step and something out of them! Any ways, here are some pics! It was pretty cold when we arrived on the beach, but Maddy quickly became quite brave (as usual, she did not want to leave)...We headed to the Rainforest Cafe after the beach...this place is a kid's paradise...check out our treat for the day..."The Volcano"Our last stop was some strolling within the historic Strand District...the oversized lollipop from the candy facotry was the perfect "activity" for Maddy while we window-shopped. You really should ckick on this pic for an up-close look at her expression...

Rodeo Ready

March 15, 2010
The annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is a big deal in these parts. The three-week event transforms Reliant Park into the world's largest rodeo featuring everything from "Mutton Busting" to deep-friend butter...yes, that's right. It really is a treat you shouldn't pass by, and we are lucky it is in our backyard! This year we saw Tim McGraw and the Black Eyed Peas (AWESOME show), and as the tradition goes (see rodeo blog from last year), we took Maddy to have her "rodeo day" with Toe (Abuelito). This year she wasn't really into the carnival scene as much as she wanted to be with the animals...here are some highlights taken from my phone (cannot believe I forgot my camera that day!)
This picture was taken immediately following a goat jumping up on Maddy...can you see her fright? Ok, notice the llama on the bottom left...as soon as I took this pic he bolted towards my hand and devoured my cup of food without much warning...can you see his pre-determined look of perseverance?? Oh, and he was HUGE (the pic does in no way do him justice)!!!

This was Maddy's only wish...to have her face painted...she opted for the pretty unicorn.

Schneider Wedding Weekend

March 12-14, 2010
This weekend we celebrated the union of Brad's cousin Clinton to Roslyn Kyle. Brad was an usher so we arrived on Thursday night to help decorate and set-up on Friday. It was wonderful catching up with family...the ceremony and reception were awesome...ohh, and the flowers were SO lovely! Highlights definitely include the cream cheese roll, wedding march, Aunt Dinah's sangria, wedding and groom's cakes (YUM), polka band, and so on! Congratulations Roslyn and Clinton Schneider!
Madelyn and her older cousin Madison....what a cute flower girl...oh, and check out the gorgeous flowers!!!Definitely my new favorite picture of Madelyn and Brad...love it!Brad's sister Christy and her fiance Gabe...congrats on your recent engagement lovebirds!

M & M

Madelyn made a beautiful bead necklace for Maya this afternoon...I caught this picture of Maya giving a lick of thanks...giggle, giggle...

New Boots

Maddy and I went to Cavendar's today to buy her first official pair of cowgirl boots! Of course she wanted a pink pair...and we upped the notch a bit by buying some all blinged out with rhinestones... she wore her new get-up to school today in celebration of "Go Texan Day!" The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo gets under way this weekend, so hopefully we will be able to catch the parade on Saturday morning...I'll let you know...

Zoomania

We headed to the zoo yesterday, which also happened to be one of THE coldest days of the year. Ironically, it was my favorite trip to the zoo to date with Madelyn. We met up with my dear friend Ange and her sons and really had a nice time exploring and discussing all the animal exhibits. The place was virtually empty, and the animals were mostly all alert...the kids were remarkably well-behaved too! Good times!!! Here are some pics:I swear this orangutan was working the camera...he was really hamming it up and providing tons of photo opp...didn't seem like a loner to me!

Mardi Gras Mania...

So it's the same old story...it's been FOREVER since I have posted...opps...oh well...nothing wrong with starting anew... thought I would post some pics from our trip this past weekend to New Orleans for Mardi Gras...Our weekend started out at Aunt Bea's on Friday...we stat around and drank bloody Mary's while playing the Schroth favorite game of Scrabble...then we finished the night with homemade Oyster Poboys...yum, and of course two games of Scrabble more!!! Check out my crazy hair!We decided to hit Iris (name of all woman's krewe parade) early on Saturday...the weather was PERFECT and we had an awesome spot...Madelyn was spoiled from the different storybook-themed floats...this children's parade was THE BEST!!!...Heading to the next Parade...Krewe of Tucks...definitely not the most child-friendly in theme, but a MUST for comic relief!!! Check out one of my favorite floats below...
Ok, this parade had such great handouts...aside from the usual beads we received miniature toilets, plungers, toilet bowl sunglasses (as you see me and Maddy wearing), oh, and the best was one Aunt Bea came running to me with a pre-packaged edible Muffalatta...yes, that's right...they were throwing out sandwiches, and they WERE YUMMY...the guy next to me gave me his(hehe)!!! Ha! After the parade we headed to "the end of the line" at Carolton and St. Charles for a delicious Bloody Mary and Shrimp Po-boy...I love this town! After a day of parades, great music, food and King Cake Ice Cream (Cold Stone had it special, and it was incredible!)...we headed over to Aunt Ana's on the Westbank to meet up with the Mora Crew...Aunt Ana made some delicious Gumbo and Black-eyed peas and we just sat around all night and talked...it was great to meet our new little cousin, Abraham...Yes, this is mean...it's one of the plungers (it was clean!) we caught at Tuck's...heheMaddy totally clinged to Astrid all night...it was so cute...Madelyn is always drawn to Astrid when we are together. The night we had a really great time without the kids...we all took the ferry from Gretna to Canal St...with out drive-thru daiquiris...ahhhh...One of my top favorite things about southern LA... We went to Harrah's for a while and brad won on Texas Hold 'em and Blackjack, then we headed out to watch Baccus...

One fish, two fish, three fish...more

We spent last weekend in the company of loved ones in Marlin, Texas....I don't think there has ever been a visit to Marlin that has gone "unfished..." therefore, we carried on the tradition, except this time... something very special occured...Brad cut the standard-issued plastic blue fish off of Maddy's pink Barbie fishing pole and let her fish full-on bobbin-style...the result: Madelyn's first catch...a little perch. Maddy was thrilled and was "hooked" from that moment forward. She went on to catch a bass and another perch...she would have caught more had she grasped the reel better and reeled 'em in faster before many "got away." It was all too cute and great fun, and we can't wait to go back for more! Maybe next time Madelyn won't gawk at the thought of actually touching the fish she brings in!!!