Traveling with Lucy

My parents take the grandkids to Legoland when they are 5 so this meant it was Lucy and Oliver's turn to go and I got to tag along with them. The first step to our vacation was getting to Arizona. Flying makes me anxious so I usually try to get to the airport early. Well this time I outdid myself and Lucy and I got to our gate over 2 hours early on Saturday. We had so much time to kill but at least it was just us two so that made it a little more fun. We took the train to Chick-Fil-A, went to a store and got a treat, rode the train some more, found a play house to play in, and found a giant chess set to make patterns with. Time seemed to drag but somehow we survived and I think she even had some fun. When it came time to board I got a bit nervous because our seats weren't together and I thought I would have to ask someone to switch seats with us but ironically they called us to the desk and asked if we would switch seats so we could be by each other- of course we would! Everything went smoothly, minus some nausea when we landed, I have not been doing well with landings.

After arriving in Arizona, we got some food and a had a low key night because the next day we had more traveling to do. On Sunday we headed to California where we stayed at my cousin Chris's house in El Cajon. The drive went well and I was able to go a few hours before my mom took over the driving. We of course had to do a traditional stop at McDonald's and the kids did great rotting their brains. I had accidentally left our cheap tablet on the airplane so I made a spontaneous decision to buy an Amazon Fire Tablet, Kid's edition the night before. It was quite fancy and Lucy loved it- only problem was it's battery was crummy and I ended up taking it back when we got back from California. I still can't decided if I want to buy another one or not but it was good entertainment on the drives.

Chris's entire house and yard had a nautical theme- the kid's particularly loved playing pirates on the boat in the yard. Lucy loved Chris's dog (I can't remember it's name because it was a weird name but it was a little dog with a pink bow). I loved their pet turtle. Chris and his wife Jackie could sure chat it up and sometimes I felt like the kid at the grownups table but they were sure good hosts, providing us with a yummy dinner and breakfast and even sleeping in their RV so we could take over their house at night. Monday morning the grownups chatted some more and I spent some time in the yard, enjoying the view and getting poked my sticks (apparently that's a fun game kids play ;) )

When it came time to leave, we headed to the Torrey Pines State Beach because I was insistent that we go to a beach while in California. Unfortunately all the free parking was taken up (and cars were circling, waiting for people to leave) but I decided it was worth it and paid $25 to park in the paid lot. It really was worth it. I thought Lucy wouldn't want to get in the water because it was chilly so I made her stay in her cloths and brought her swimsuit in my backpack to appease her. Turns out she is brave and not deterred by cold weather and I ended up changing her into her swimsuit and letting her chase those waves. She had so much fun and poor Poppy got his jeans so wet playing with her. Oliver, on the other hand, did not get in but he had fun squealing as he ran away from any sign of water and he enjoyed digging at the dirt with rocks (and his hands). I really wish we had bought a shovel and bucket and grabbed some lunch so we really could have stayed awhile and made it worth the cost. Something to remember for next time.

After we left the beach we picked up some groceries and lunch and then headed to the Legoland Hotel. My mom had thought check in was at 3 but unfortunately it was actually at 4 so we ended up being at the hotel 2 hours early, not just one. That meant for a lot of waiting time in the lobby. We took advantage of many photo ops and playing with legos while we waited.

When the wait time was up the kids were super excited to check out their new Ninjago room. I think it lived up to their expectations.

After checking out the room we headed to the pool. The water was warm but the weather was cool and there was a chilly wind. I did not enjoy the swim one bit. The kids did though and gratefully Lucy did not last too long in the deep end so I didn't have to suffer for too long ;)

Afterwards the kids had dinner that Grams had brought and then they went to an event called "Heroes Training." During it, Poppy and I skipped out and got some food at the hotel restaurant. I had some overpriced popcorn chicken but at least it didn't cost $27.50 like the buffet across the way. I can't believe how pricey that place was and how many people still ate there. When we came back from eating it was time to call it a night so we could have lots of energy for the park the next day!