Life Within the Cuckoo's Nest: Carlsbad Vacation/Legoland/Celebrating Dad's Birthday!!!

The happiest people in one of our new favorite places!!

Oh my goodness, as always, I have so much to catch up on! This was our latest adventure and it was incredible! We took a break from our usual Disneyland vacay to explore something different! We went to Carlsbad and stayed at the Legoland Castle Hotel!!! It was seriously the most incredible hotel I have ever stayed at in my life! Everything was geared towards little kids from the decor to the activities all around the hotel, to the restaurant that actually focused on kids having fun with their meal! Our room was the best part! Everything was Lego castle themed so we slept inside a castle chamber complete with a stained glass window, and a treasure chest that the maid filled up daily for us! In order to open the chest, the kids had to do a scavenger hunt around the hotel to find out the code to the lock and they loved it!! The staff was incredibly helpful as we dealt with the usual problems that occur with kids, like the middle of the night call down to housekeeping for extra towels because Austin didn't make it to the toilet in time and pooped all over the bathroom floor, or because Mom spilled pickle juice all over the bed in my desperately tired attempt to have a snack before we set off on our next adventure (Yes, being 28 weeks pregnant and doing a trip like this definitely had it's draw backs....). The kids also got their own room with bunk beds and their own TV and Lego building wall!! We were all in awe of it all. Seriously, it was overwhelming when we first step foot in the lobby and was greeted by so many kids and activities and things to look at! Breakfast was included in the stay, which the kids loved the most, because they got to wander around the buffet and choose what they wanted for breakfast each morning instead of our usual poptarts or no breakfast at all routine during our hotel stays :). There was also an INCREDIBLE swimming pool that had giant floating Legos to play with and a never ending supply of kids to make friends with! Our kids are so good at making friends and are never without a play mate everywhere we go. When we weren't swimming, eating, or hanging out in our awesome hotel room, we were out in the courtyard playing at the playground! Yes, this resort had it all and I would stay there again in a heartbeat! I thought it was even cooler than the Legoland Park itself!!

The hotel lobby was incredible! The kids had fun playing in the Lego pit!

Legos Legos EVERYWHERE!!!

There was even a slide!!! Yes! A slide in the lobby!

The playground was a huge hit!

Of course there were Legos at the playground ;).

Austin bought Ninjago gear with his birthday money at the park and had a fun sword fight with his Dad, Evie, and other little kids around the playground!

Ninja down!!

There was fun entertainment at night and Evie loved this one! It was a dragon puppet show! :)

Pool days are the best days :)

Austin spent hours collecting and organizing the pool Legos :). It makes me smile how he can be so social and yet so introverted at the same time. If other kids wanted to help him, he happily obliged. But he also didn't care when they left :).

Even the lounge chairs were Lego themed! Like I said, this was one very cool pool!!

We spent two days at the Legoland park, riding rides, eating yummy BBQ and apple fries, and playing carnival games. Dad won this giant Squirtle that has been the prized posession of the kids ever since. They carried him all around the park and he accompanied us everywhere back at the hotel, including the outdoor movie! hehe!! It was adorable! We even caught the kids reading to him and trying to feed him! :)

Squirtle and the kids enjoying some outdoor movie time :).

And then there was the amazing beach day! We always make our first stop in California the beach because it gives the kids a chance to run around after a long car ride and it also kills some time before hotel check in time. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we all enjoyed a day of playing in the surf and soaking up the sun! Evie, true to her nature, was covered in sand from head to toe from literally being buried in it and not having a care in the world as she rolled around in the dirt. Austin, true to his nature, spent most of his time in solitude hunting for the "perfect seashells". Dad ran around in between the two and I spent most of my time on the towel watching. This pregnancy has been a painful one that doesn't allow me to frolic and play like I usually do. So for the first time ever, I just sat and observed. It was a beautiful day and the perfect start to our amazing trip in Carlsbad!

My whole world in one beautiful picture :).

They couldn't be cuter if they tried!

Taking a snack break. See what I meant by dirty from head to toe? :)

Oh how I love this boy's smile :).

Playing a game of football

Happiness is.... :)

Wandering around the surf with my two girls! :)

Burying Evie in the sand! haha!

We also celebrated Dad's birthday while we were there! He turned 35 and we partied from morning until night! The kids had been working on their surprises for weeks and it was so fun that morning to put it all together! When Josh woke up and went to the bathroom that morning, I woke the kids up and we snuck out and decorated the whole room with homemade cards and pictures before he came back out! The kids hid all of his presents all around the room and had him search for all of them before he could open them. This part was so adorable because they got so excited every time he found one and then they ripped into the wrapping paper for him, unable to contain their excitement about the gifts they had bought! :) We had a nice buffet breakfast that morning and then spent the rest of his birthday out by the pool! Mom and Dad read our books in the sun while the kids played for 10 hours straight in the water! They didn't even stop for food! I reserved a nice dinner for later and we had fun singing Happy Birthday to Daddy later that night over cupcakes! It was so funny because all the other little kids in the restaurant chimed in and we had quite the moment! :) It was so nice to celebrate Josh by relaxing and just enjoying his company in the most fun atmosphere one could think of!! He works so hard and never gets time off, so this was a really special birthday for us all :). We love you Josh and don't know what we would do without you!!!! Muah!!