Legoland

Our Thursday in California (a second dark blue shirt day), Glen and I spent the whole day at Legoland with Jacob's family. The other families did not want to spend the extra money to go there and opted out. I can say that I, personally, enjoyed this particular park a whole lot.

Here's our first Lego reminder that we parked in parking lot C and we were so close to the park entrance there was no need for a tram ride.

Oh look, we joined in with another family who was going into the park that day.

 There is a Legoland Hotel right next to the park. It was very colorful.

It was amazing to me all the things that were made out of Legos. And HUGE Lego creations. How many Legos did it take to make one giraffe? And how much time? And who made up the design? And how would it be to have a job where you put together Lego creations all day long?

The kids loved posing in front of every Lego person or animal--oftentimes striking up the same pose.

The displays were crazy good and so enjoyable to look at.

Look at this cute mommy and baby who are as happy to be in a non-crowded theme park as I was.

Because there were so few people there, we didn't have to wait in lines to get on the rides. And there were such fun rides I wanted to go on them with the grandchildren.

Most of the rides there were geared toward younger kids. This ride was not for the faint of heart.

The kids are standing by the measuring pole to see which level of ride they qualified to go on. Natalie wasn't tall enough to go on the most intense level.

The willing riders got secured into their seats and then the mechanical arm would move them all around and upside down and face down and sideways--whatever their level allowed it to do. Both Natalie and Emma were willing to ride that ride with their grandpa who loves thrill rides.

 And this is the thanks Natalie got for her bravery--a lock-up.

This park looks deserted. It was so perfect to be able to look at everything and take it all in and ride all the rides you wanted and enjoy the peacefulness.

Lunchtime. This picture is so cute it makes me wish I were in the picture, too, to document I had been enjoying dining at this picnic table with these adorable family members.

Splash battle turned out to be correct when the warning sign before entering the ride said "You WILL get wet on this ride."

 The boat water guns could shoot passing ships and also people standing by the fence looking at the riders.

After Glen got off the ride, he immediately found an unoccupied water gun by the fence so he could be ready for any boat that passed his way.

And one boat that went by just happened to have Laurie and the kids in it.

 He was a good shot because they came ashore looking drenched.

Another boat ride with no one taking aim as you floated by.

Oh dear! Looks like Emma got her arm bitten off by the shark.

There was artwork on the walls made out of Legos. It was all amazing to me.

Logan must be freezing on that block of ice.

Jacob's arm has met with disaster in the frozen tundra. He and Emma now have something in common--part or all of their arms have been bitten off.

This is Glen "watching Claire" while he's taking a nap. Laurie asked me if he can really sleep like that and I assured her he could.

Another awesome Lego display.

And look at this car all made out of Legos. Amazing!

This was a fun ride for Natalie, Emma and Logan where they got to drive their own car all around Fun Town.

Now they are trying their hand at flying a helicopter.

This is the view Luke and I had from our vantage point high above the ground. There is Laurie sitting on a bench holding Claire. Hint: look for the blue shirts and there they are.

More pictures of Legoland coming soon. There was so much to see!

Quotes of the Week

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."
--Winston Churchill

"The only way to make a man trustworthy is to trust him."
--Henry Stinson

"Initiative is doing the right thing without being told."
--Anonymous

Tom Sawyer's Island at Disneyland

Every morning when we got up, it was a beautiful day. Most of the time it was misty and cloudy outside, but then it would clear up and we would have a great-weather day. And what better way to start the day than with Glen's famous French toast breakfast!

Despite what it may look like in the pictures, it was light blue t-shirt day. The pictures are deceiving because some slept in the shirts they had been wearing the day before and came to breakfast with the previous day's shirts on.

While the big people were getting ready for the day, Logan and Spencer entertained themselves playing with the little cars and trucks.

Brooke and Natalie decided to have a snack.

Natalie was showing me her crazy socks out front while we admired the beautiful flowers on the porch.

Sarah slicked down her sons' hair and got their stroller ready.

Okay...finally... Time for everyone to pose in front of the castle wall in our matching t-shirts on our way out the door.

Notice Brooke posing as she learned to pose during her school photo-taking session. She hasn't forgotten it.

We purposely planned going to Disneyland during their less busy time. Does this look less busy to any of you?!? Stroller parking lots were jam-packed.

 Is it time for a snack already?

I got such a kick out of Caroline as she frequently could be seen with a map of the park on her lap with her studying it as she ate. Spencer kept that sticker on his leg for a long time.

 Standing in line for a ride, which is a great time to give your spouse a squeeze.

We spent a lot of time on Tom Sawyer's Island and I loved it. The parents didn't relax and enjoy it as much as I did because there were caves the little kids would go in and out of and the parents would be nervous when they lost sight of one of their children. But, after all, it was an island. The kids had to be somewhere on the island.

Sarah didn't like the places where there were just bushes between the trail and the water. She wished there had been a fence all the way around the island as she worried her kids could fall in the water if they ventured too close to the edge of the trail.

The kids loved the caves, rocks and stairs they could go into and climb on and they were having a great time.

The best part was when they found the pirate's lair. Even though all the loot was secured into place, the kids played make-believe for the longest time in that area. It was so darling to watch.

Our dinners every evening were quite delicious. The Goldens were the last to arrive home this particular evening and they were thrilled there was food re-heated on the table for them to enjoy.

Another fun day had come to a close.