Day 1-
We checked in at midnight and while it would have been nice to catch a little extra sleep the boys were up early. We stayed at the Hilton across from the beach in Carlsbad so that we would hopefully have easy access to the beach so Matt could do a little surfing and if the boys got tired of the beach I would be able to bring them back for naps. That was the plan anyway. Matt took Ollie out for a walk to check out the beach and they came back reporting that the waves were small and it was a bit of a walk for the little guys so and all of our stuff so we decided to can the beach and just head for Legoland. The fun thing about little ones is that you have to time everything around there naps. So we packed up and got in the car at nap time so they could take a nap on the way to Legoland, since it was only 15 minutes from the hotel and the boys fell asleep in the car as soon as we left we drove around and got some lunch taking our time so they could get enough rest so that we could have an enjoyable afternoon. I really don't mind any of that, just being away on vacation with no schedule with the boys and Matt is all I ever need these days!
We got to Legoland and parked, eating our lunch in the car waiting for the boys to wake up. Ollie woke up first and his reaction made us both laugh- why is it so fun to see your kids light up in anticipation of the adventure ahead? I grabbed my phone to record him but he really toned it down for the camera...(he was also excited about all the cool cars in the parking lot haha!)
Even better than seeing Ollie excited was seeing him telling Jed about it and lovin' all over him. There are moments when these two are feisty with each other, but there are lots of moments where they make each other laugh and adore each other and this was one of those!
After getting all of our sunscreen, loading up the stroller, and making the trek from the parking lot we finally arrived!
This was a first time for all of us and we had no real plan so we turned right and took the very first ride "Coast Cruise" because it had no wait. Floating down the river in a boat looking at all the animals and city scapes made out of legos- relaxing but a tad on the warm side and Ollie kept wanting to reach over the edge and not sit in his seat, but it was still enjoyable.
After that we were off to the next adventure which took us to the Build and Test room in the imagination zone. It's where you can build your own race cars and then race them on the tracks. Ollie was beyond excited, a little too excited. He built a pretty basic car that got better with time. He loved the racing part but would jump right on the track and a few times he picked up other kids cars and we had to help him give them back. He really would have stayed there all day if we would have let him.
After leaving the Imagination Zone Ollie wasn't tall enough for the next few rides we encountered. I thought he would be disappointed and whine about it, but he was too busy fighting the Robots outside the ride to even notice!
I quickly learned that just being in Legoland seemed to be enough for Ollie, he found these two random Lego guys off to the side and was happy to introduce himself and play with them. He cracks me up!
We eventually made it to what I considered his first ride "Cargo Ace" (the boat ride doesn't really count) Ollie and I got to go together while Matt and Jed hung out and took pictures. The line was somewhat short, I got to hold Ollie and talk to him while we waited- which is always fun for me, and when it was finally time for the ride, Ollie was not disappointed. He made me laugh the whole time and as soon as it was over he said "Let's do it again!"
Next it was Matt's turn to take Ollie on the "Beetle Bounce" a ride that shots them up 15' in the air and then bounces them a few times before coming down. I fed Jed while they waited in line and got him to fall asleep.
Our next few encounters were not as successful. We decided to try "Lost Kingdom Adventure" it's a ride where you go inside a building in a car and get to shoot lase beams at ancient looking Egyptian artifacts so it seemed like it would be fun for Ollie. But it was starting to hit Ollie's nap time and he was getting hungry, it was hot, the wait was long and all of that mixed together wasn't a good mix.They have areas where the kids can play while you wait in line but unfortunately it was in the sun so it was too hot for him to sit and play, instead I got to struggle with him in line tryig to get him to eat. We ended up having to exit the line for him to go to the bathroom, which was not super close and made it back right in time for Ollie to get on the ride with Matt. Since we waited so long for the ride we did the parent swap where Matt got to ride with him once while I watched Jed and then Ollie got to go a second time with me without ever having to exit the ride. But as soon as Matt got out Ollie wanted out and nearly threw a fit when I got in with him. I did manage to go again with him but he wasn't really into it so it wasn't as fun as our first ride together.
After that experience we decided to just sit in a coolish theater and watch a 3D Chima movie. Ollie didn't like the 3D glasses, and Jed was fussy, the movie really didn't make much sense to either Matt or me so it definitely won't be on my list next time we go back. At least we got a little rest. After that we headed over to see if we could get wet in the Pirates Reef area. We passed through Miniland USA on the way- it really is amazing what they have built with Legos.
Had to take a picture of the Millennium Falcon merely because it reminded me of the one my brother had when he was little that fell off the shelf on his head cutting it wide open when I was baby sitting him.
We stopped to eat a churro together before we finally made it to the "Pirates Reef" ride. Matt and Ollie got in line while Jed and I enjoyed getting squirted by all the ships passing by us, it was fun for them to squirt us and felt good to get a little bit wet, Jed was sleeping through it all so I didn't mind. After at least 30 minutes of Matt and Ollie getting practically nowhere in line we abandoned that plan and headed for the splash pad. Ollie was more than entertained, I love how he runs around in water with total freedom! But the splash pad was only the lead up, they have an area called "Soak and Sail" that has slides and bridges and a ginormous bucket that fills up and dumps water on the whole place every 5 or 10 minutes. Ollie and Matt ran around first while I found a place to sit, and then it was my turn to run around with Ollie. The water was freezing! And kids up above you could squirt you with water guns, not to mention the big bucket so I didn't last as long as Matt did, he purposely got right under the bucket to get soaked, I tried to avoid it! Ollie loved the slides but he started to get cold too so we finally headed out. It was definitely one of the best parts of the park though and no lines!
We had passes to get into the water park so we headed there next, taking a break for "Flight Squadron" on the way.
We finally arrived at the water park only to discover that we had to pay for the boys to go in. It wasn't much but it was also late in the day and we were going to be coming back tomorrow so we passed on the water park. We wandered a little further until we ended up at the Junior Driving School. Technically you are supposed to be 3 to ride, but Ollie is...close to three and we rationalized that he is a smart kid so we let him go on the ride. The funny thing is he always says he is three but this time the lady asked him how old he was and he said "two". Haha Matt had some explaining to do! It was pretty apparent why they don't have two year olds driving, he couldn't steer! He was the cause of a few "accidents" and "traffic jams" but in the end they still gave him a drivers license anyway.
It was getting late in the day so we passed on the next few rides that he could have gone on that we didn't want to wait for or that just seemed to be similar enough to other rides he had already been on. (Like the third little plane ride). We mozied through the park until we came across another small splash pad. This time Jed was awake so he got to play. He has just started taking a few steps in the last few days and I keep missing them so it was super thrilling to see him take about 5 steps by himself. Of course we didn't actually get his 5 steps on camera but we got a few baby steps. How fun that some of his very first steps were at Legoland!
Our last few adventures were looking at all the Legoland Movie sets- it was so fun to see the double decker couch and other favorite scenes. Ollie an I went on the "Safari Adventure" next. We got to ride in a jeep and spot all the animals on the Safari- unfortunately I wasn't the best guide. I recognized all the animals but there were a few that I couldn't tell him the names!
The last ride we went on was the very best- I was shocked that Ollie was tall enough to go! It was the "Coastersaurus" a real rollercoaster! Ollie was in heaven, he went with Matt first and wasn't scared at all, Matt even got him to put his hands up when they were going down dips and whipping around the curves. He was more than happy to go again with me, and even asked to go another time.
That pretty much topped the day for us, such a fun adventure. Our first trip with the boys to an amusement park and we were so happy that it was a success! To finish the day off we stopped at Claim Jumper on the way back to the hotel. Ollie was asleep before we ever got there, that's what happens when you party hard and miss your afternoon nap!
