Spring Break part 4: Legoland and cousins

We weren't sure what we were going to do on Friday.  We talked about a few things and finally decided on Legoland since we had a good coupon.  We hadn't been there since Claire was 2, and we thought that Grant would really enjoy it.  It was a bit overcast and breezy throughout the day which was a change from LA. There are a couple of small roller coasters that Danny took Andrew and Claire on while I took Grant on a couple of rides his size.  Andrew loved this ride when he was younger and I got Grant all excited about it. But when we were standing in line I noticed that there was not only a height requirement, which was not a problem, but it said that the riders had to be 4 years old.  I knew he would freak out if I told him he couldn't ride, so I told the lady he was 4.  Grant didn't seem to notice, so I hope he isn't traumatized.    He loved the ride.  He rode it again with Claire when she was done with the roller coaster.

We found this knight's helmet, sword and shield that we got for Grant to wear for Halloween.

There are so many neat Lego creations here and one of the new things was a whole Star Wars "land"  They re-created not only characters but also large scenes from each movie.  Here they are with Chewbacca.

As well as a mini Darth Vader.

Our favorite ride from the past visit was the pirate ship where you get to shoot water cannons.  They loved this and since there were only 4 seats I opted out to take pictures.

The next favorite was the cars.  There is a track for big kids and one for little kids.  This was a big hit, and Andrew quickly learned to make wide turns around the corner after he got stuck on a curb.

Grant was quite upset that he couldn't ride the cars until he found out that there were some for him too.  He also had some trouble with the turns but was so excited to do this himself.

We watched a fun show in the outdoor theater where the kids got wet and then we rode the helicopters.

There was no line for the fairy tale boat ride.  Grant kept asking if it was going to be scary.

They liked the large castle and the Lego dragon inside.

More car driving through the jungle safari.

The last ride was this water ride that Andrew really wanted to do.  He first rode by himself and then convinced Claire to ride with him.  They got a little wet, but really liked the ride.

Because we forgot in the morning, we took a picture out front on our way back.  We ate a quick dinner at Taco Bell and then headed to Erik's house for the rest of the weekend.

On Saturday morning the kids woke up early of course.  Taylor showed us her karaoke skills and Claire joined in to sing Let it Go.

Not to be out done by their older siblings, Grant and Mackenzie also took turns singing.

The kids played in the backyard and then we had lunch and headed to a park to play.

There was a playground with a small climbing structure that Andrew and Claire tried out.

Grant and Mackenzie tried out the slides, swings and other fun playground things.

Then they hung out in the soccer goal and exchanged battle wound stories. 

We headed back to Erik's house and had a BBQ.  We rented a movie for the kids and Lisa and I had a little bit of time to do some quick shopping.  Then we brought back some ice cream and also watched  a movie.  It was a great end to a really fun, but busy week.  We always enjoy time with grandma, grandpa and any cousins that we can find.

Spring Break part 3: The beach and pool

On this vacation we stayed at the Newport Villas.  It was a beautiful property and had a gorgeous view of the ocean.  It was really bright when we got there, so this picture didn't turn out so great, but the kids loved everything.  

Three views from our room.

After dinner the kids explored the grounds.  Claire and Grant played in the sand and on the play ground.

Andrew played basketball and practiced his putting.

On Thursday morning, we drove the short distance to the Newport Beach Temple.  We passed it on the way to Disneyland, but we finally had a moment to stop and look around the grounds.

We went back to the hotel and took a short shuttle ride down to the beach.  This saved us a parking fee and it drops you off closer than you can park.  We stayed for 2 hours and the weather was perfect.  We were able to rent sand toys and chairs at the hotel.  The kids ran around in the surf and played in sand. 

Grant and I checked out some tide pools, but he thought they were scary, so we didn't stay long.

Back at the hotel we were taking this picture which is near the lobby and we ran into some friends from church.  Small world!

We had lunch and then headed to the pool.  There are actually 3 pools here, so we wanted to go to the one with the kids pool.  It happened to be the farthest away, and we should have taken the car.  By the time we got there they were hot and not happy, but that quickly changed.  Luckily on the way back we flagged down a shuttle driver to take us back up the hill.

Ron and Jan watched the kids for us on Thursday night so that we could go out for dinner on our anniversary which was on Friday.  They all went out for pizza and were tired at bedtime, so that was a win.