We just got back from a long weekend away in Carlsbad, CA: home of Legoland! Paul has become a huge Lego fan so we thought since he is tall enough for most of the rides that now would be a great time to visit the most Lego-themed theme park of them all.
First off, let me say that older kids could easily see the whole park in one day. That being said I am really glad we did two days. We saw and did everything we wanted to do without rushing and taking time for feeding Laszlo, stopping for snack breaks, potty breaks, and photo ops.
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| Paul was totally geeking out. |
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| First thing's first, meet your hero! |
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| Laszlo slept through his first theme park ride. |
Legoland has some amazing playgrounds, and there aren't long lines so it was the best part for this energetic little guy:
I think Paul is going to be a real roller coaster fiend. He seemed to like all of the rides, even the fast ones! He was not crazy about waiting in lines (we had a few meltdowns the first day) but he came to accept what he could not change: Theme Parks = Lines.
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| Not pictured: Meltdown over wanting a blue boat. |
Any ride that Laszlo wasn't allowed to ride (most of them) We got to do a rider swap. Paul got to ride them twice, once with Me and once with Lee. A pretty good deal for a kid. The baby got the short shrift, but he is a baby and cares not at all.
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| New York, Miniland U.S.A. |
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| Han shot first. |
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| Anyone know how many legos it took to build this? |
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Paul ran through this Adventurer's Club thing like 12 times.
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| Now we know how Legos are made! |
We wrapped up the first day with the Sea Life Aquarium and dinner at the Legoland Hotel. Paul took the aquarium at a break-neck pace so I can't give it an adequate review. I barely saw anything, just chased down the 3 year old with a burning desire to stick his hand into every tank, regardless of whether or not he was allowed.
Just looking at these pictures is starting to make me tired. That first night Paul didn't even make it to pajamas. He curled up on his bed "for a rest" he said, and the next thing we knew he was asleep. After the second day of Legoland He and Laszlo were asleep before 8:00 and Lee and I were drifting off by 9:00. I guess the secret to early bed time is non-stop walking and over stimulation!
Our second day in the park was easier for a lot of reasons, the biggest one being that Paul knew what to expect. He didn't fall apart over waiting in line and didn't run himself quite as ragged. He rode in the stroller more and when we pulled out snacks he actually ate them.
We did not plan or schedule any character meets into our day, but we kind of stumbled upon them. Paul does love the Lego Movie so he was excited to see Emmet. Paul is also a Ninjago fan and Kai--Paul calls him "Fire Guy Kai"--is his favorite. We just happened to be passing by and Paul really wanted to meet both of them so we went with it. I've never been super into meeting characters at theme parks, but Paul was so cute about it that it made it a highlight of our trip.
We spent a little time at the beach Saturday morning before starting the long drive home. It was cool and foggy, a complete contrast to the 99 degrees and blazing sun that greeted us in Arizona. I already miss the California weather.
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| We tried building a sand castle, but Paul just stomped on it every time. |
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| Our sweet little sailor boy |
And now we are back home, playing with a few new Legos and hoping all our family trips go as well as this one did.
