Lovin' it at Legoland

The anticipation had been building since Christmas...when Santa left certificates for a visit to Legoland California in Abby and Isaac's stockings...  The appeal of legos had always been great at our house, but the combination of a recent interest in Star Wars and the interest in legos has created as strong a desire for any toys as Isaac has ever had.  He literally drools when he stands in the lego aisle at any store - mostly over the various Star Wars ship models.  Abby also loves to spend hours building houses and whole towns out of legos in the basement.  So, the idea of an entire theme park centered around legos was almost too exciting to stand.

Matt loaded all four kids up with pancakes before we headed out to meet Debbie and Tony at Legoland for a full day of jam-packed lego fun.  Andy and Bryan have been to the park several times, so they told us all about their favorite rides and things to do as we drove up to Carlsbad.  The weather was still foggy and even a bit drizzly in the morning, but the moisture stopped before lunch.  We all decided that it helped postpone the crowds - at least for a while.  Debbie and Tony had a plan for the rides we needed to get to quickly before the lines got too long, and it worked!  Before lunch, we had already done most of the larger attractions - roller coasters, a laser shooting game ride, and even a water shooting ride that was too cold for me...

After lunch, we continued making our way around the park looking for shorter lines - picking and choosing to maximize our time as best as possible.  The rides were fun, but definitely geared for the smaller set - maybe 10-12 and younger.  I was most fascinated by the various lego models around the park - my favorite probably being Harry Potter and Hagrid that we found in one store.  I also could have spent the whole day in "Miniland", an area of the park where they have build models of several cities around the world and have lego models of various world landmarks.  I wandered around taking pictures of each of the areas until it was clear that the kids were bored and ready to move on.  It was amazing to see lego models of several of the places we have been on the trip, and even Las Vegas - where we are headed today.  We even saw a model of the fountain outside Matt's office building in San Francisco where Isaac fell in and got soaked when we were there...

A full day at Legoland = four tired and hungry kids (and maybe four adults as well).  We parted ways with the Janssens at the camper where we shared pizza while Debbie and I exchanged pictures and said our good-byes.  Our two days in San Diego were packed with new adventures, but also a much-needed break from our schedule on the road.  We were able to kick back and relax a bit...the perfect recipe for re-charging before the last part of our trip.  Thank you Debbie and Tony - for your hospitality and your friendship.  You have a beautiful place in San Diego!

Tracy