Legoland Day 3

On our third day in Florida we once again woke up and had a yummy breakfast at the hotel. This time they had Lego brick waffles instead of pancakes which were both fun and delicious. After that we took a break in the room and then headed to check out Peppa Pig World. The entrance is right by the hotel as well. Peppa Pig World is definitely geared towards littles but the girls still had a good time. They got to see Daddy Pig and then ride on his roller coaster- it was a favorite of theirs. They rode on it twice with all of us (Poppy even went on it) and then one time all by themselves. The line weaves through Peppa's house and it was real fun to see the living room and kitchen. The girl's used to have the Peppa Pig doll house so it was fun to see it in our size.

We did Peppa Pig's Balloon ride, the girls rode some tricycles, and then the girls got to ride a Dinosaur all by themselves and do the boat ride all by themselves. They were very brave and independent at Peppa Pig's World.

That was about it, it was a really small park, but of course we couldn't leave without visiting the gift shop. Grams and Poppy were nice again and got Penny a Peppa Pig doll. Lucky kid!

After we left Peppa Pig World, we walked to Legoland to revisit some of the girls' favorite rides. But before we went on any rides, we grabbed some pizza. When the girls finished their pizza they watched a video about the creator of Lego's and Penny actually learned a lot. She told me how his factory burned down twice and how at first the Lego's didn't even click together. She's so educated now ;)

After we ate pizza, we had to walk Poppy down to another place so he could get a burger. Grams and I sat with him while Mike took the girls to ride the Flight School roller coaster again. Then we met up with the girls at Driving School. Penny drove better this time but she had a bum car that kept stopping randomly. Maybe there is hope for her after all? When they finished up there, Mike was nice and bought the girls some slushies. After that the girls rode without us on the Safari Trek. Penny looked more thrilled about the ride than Lillian.

When they finished the trek we all headed over to Lego Movie Masters of Flight. I was not going to go on that one again because it made me so nauseous but Grams and Mike went while Poppy and I chilled on a shaded bench. Then the girls wanted to go one more time and that time Poppy went and Grams sat with me on my shady bench.

When they finished that ride, they did the Beetle Bounce and Grams and I got Apple Fries with ice cream and caramel. That was a yummy treat. At that point it was time to head out and go to our airbnb at Clearwater Beach. The airbnb itself was not super fancy (kind of old) but it was spacious and in a really good location- literally just a 5 minute walk to the beach. So as soon as the girls got in their bathing suits we headed to the beach. I did not wear a bathing suit which probably not the best choice since I ended up in the water with Penny and got pretty wet waist down. The water never did get super deep so that was awesome. Also there were seashells everywhere, it was super fun hunting for pretty ones. Penny and I also had fun jumping waves. At one point a giant fish was spotted and that made me nervous for what else might be lurking but overall a really nice beach outing.

When we got back to our airbnb we dipped our feet into the pool their for a bit and then changed out of our wet swimsuits and tried to figure out some dinner plans.

We ended up deciding to walk to the Sandbar but Lillian was not pleased with that. She was tired of walking and threw an epic fit- the nieghbors decided they needed to check on her *eye roll*. Luckily Mike was able to calm her down and we walked to the restaurant. It was a good choice. The view was beautiful and food was really, really good. I shared quesadillas and chips and salsa with my mom. Best Mexican food I have had in a while. It was the perfect way to end our day.

Legoland Day 2

Sunday morning we were all up early so we could enjoy our day at Legoland. We had the yummy hotel breakfast. They used to do a buffet but since Covid, they just deliver a giant platter of food to your table. We all are apparently fruit and pancake eaters because we had to request some extra of both.

Afterwards the girls had some fun playing in the lobby at the castle/pirate boat play area.

Nothing was opened yet so we decided to kill some time by walking the hotel grounds and checking out Lake Eloise. There was a sign warning of alligators but we never did spot any- probably a good thing.

And then it was time for Legoland! Grams and Poppy had some trouble with the metal detector- Grams with her pacemaker and Poppy with all his change in his pockets. Once we were inside the park, the rides weren't open yet, but they let us into one of the building where the girls attempted to build something to attach to the giant Lego world globe they had- it fell apart when they attached it but Mikey Dude helped them fix it.

When the park officially opened we started walking towards the back of the park, figuring we would work our way forward. We just stopped at a couple of rides on our way. The first ride they went on was the Royal Joust (basically riding a Lego horse), then we did the Lost Kingdom Adventure where we got to shoot things and the girls and Mike did the Beetle Bounce. The Beetle Bounce was the one that Lucy went on a billion times and then got sick- Penny learned from Lucy's example and only went on it twice that day.

By that time we had gotten to the back of the park and the girls both had to go to Driving School- they wanted their licenses. Lillian deserved her license, she was a really good driver. Penny, on the other hand, takes after me. She kept running into things so the attendant basically just followed her around so he'd be ready to help her out.

Once they got their license, we had the girls get their faces painted. I had let Lucy get hers painted when she went so I had to keep things fair. They both ended up getting a butterfly on their faces. When I sent a pic to Tyler he asked her why she had a bug on her face. Ha ha. The beautiful face paint didn't last too long though. Right after Penny, Lillian and Mike went on the rollercoaster-Flying School. Well Penny forgot to take off her hat and almost lost it. This traumatized her and she came off with tear streaks down her pretty face paint. Mike was nice enough to do a redo with her and that time she left her hat with me and enjoyed the ride a lot more.

Our next ride was Rescue Academy- that ride required way too much work from us. We had to push a lever up and down to get the truck to move and then pump out the water to "put out a fire." Not a fan. The next ride we did was the Coast Guard Academy. Those boat do not turn well and we hit the side a few times but thankfully it bounces you off so you don't get stuck (I was worried about being stuck). 

We hit up Ninjago world next. We thought it was a rollercoaster so Mike took the girls but it was more a virtual experience- you use hand motions to throw Ninja stars at bad guys- so we all went on it when they came back. I would think with all my weight lifting, my arms wouldn't get tired from all the waving around, but they did *sigh* 

By this time we were all starved so we got some lunch. I opted for the kids meal because it came with a water bottle and a fruit cup. The fruit cup decided to explode all over me so that was fun. I had juice all down my shirt and shorts but with some wet napkins I managed to clean myself up. The kids and my parents also had exploding fruit cups- those things were dangerous. When we finished eating lunch there were a few nearby rides we hit up- Technicycle and the Aquazone Wave Racers. I went on both of those, they were fairly lowkey, just going in slow circles. After that the girls and Mike all went on the Great Lego Race (more than once) while Grams and I enjoyed some funnel cake.

Our next stop was a quick visit to see Unikitty because who doesn't love Unikitty? At this point Grams and Poppy went back to the hotel for a bit of a break while we had some more adventures. While in Lego Movie World we went and did Masters of Flight. Not a fan. In that ride you sit in a chair with your legs dangling and watch a 4D movie that is supposed to make you feel like you are flying. It just made me feel nauseous but the girls really loved it. 

Then we went and rode the Safari Trek which was a nice, chill ride- exactly what I needed because my tummy was still rolling.

The last place the girls wanted to visit was Heartlake City. To get there we got to walk through the super cool Miniland USA where we saw the awesome San Francisco and The Pencil (aka the WA Monument). The whole thing put our little Lego exhibit at the Henry Ford Museum to shame.

The grandparents met back up with us in Heartlake City. The girls rode on the carousel and then Mike and Penny went on Mia's Riding Adventure. That one looked terrible- spinning while moving up and down- but they seemed to enjoy it, although not enough for Penny to go a second time. 

By that time the girls were dying to go to the gift shop- sometimes I think gift shops are the only reason Penny goes anywhere. The grandparents were nice and got all the grandkids something which meant I needed to buy an extra tote bag so I could bring the souvenirs home- I did not have enough room in my one carry on and 2 backpacks.

After that we went back to the hotel and Mike was the awesome grown up that took the girls to the hotel swimming pool. Grams and I sat on the balcony chatting while watched them swim from afar. Then after they came back, dried off, and changed, we went and had a delicious dinner at Culver's. Culver's is fast becoming one of my fav places to eat- their pretzels bites and cheese are soooo good.

When we got back from dinner, we grabbed our s'more kit and had some s'mores by the fire. A pesky racoon tried to approach us but a worker scared him off. Later on that evening, when I was talking to Tyler on the phone on the balcony, I saw that same racoon trying to eat some trash by the pool. Must be a Legoland Hotel regular. 

Things and Day 1 Legoland

Monday and Tuesday were not super eventful. School things happened, Steven had driver's class, the house got cleaned, and I returned some shoes I had bought on a whim (and had to wait in a long and slow line- why must people be complicated with returns?).

On Wednesday Steven took his driving test and passed (76/80). We have an appointment next week to get his level 1 license and then he can start driving with us. In 3 months, after he has logged 30 driving hours, he can take the next driving class and work towards his level 2 license. SO crazy.

Also Wednesday I took Ben to his church activity and got roped in (along with my friends) playing basketball with the young women. I was a mixed bag. I passed the ball to someone who was not on my team---twice. But I also made an incredible long distance shot so not a total fail. It was actually pretty fun.

In seminary Thursday we talked about King David and my super fun student could do nothing but offer him hate. I understand he did some very bad things but focusing on "what a bad person he was" and how much she dislikes him undermines any lessons that can be learned. She also decided to go back to the Hosea and Gomer story in our ride to school and somehow twisted that into Hosea being a horrible person. Ugh. Points missed.

Thursday was a bust. The roof at the kids' school was getting repaired so they canceled in person class and did zoom meetings instead. That meant the kids were home all day and that I had the joy of helping them when technology had issues. Lately the kids have been prone to easily melting down. Penny and Ben especially are easy to trigger. I am not a fan and need to find someone to help them cope with things not going thier way. Penny's fav complaint is that she is having a bad day (often accompanied with a foot stomp and tears).

Friday was candle day. I was able to get 5 3-wick candles at $8 each. I just love a good deal and an added bonus was that I didn't have to wait long in line for them this year. But Tyler is not a fan of the one I burnt shortly after buying it. It's called crushed candy cane but he thinks it smells like burnt plastic. I disagree.

Saturday was the big day! Penny and I headed off to Florida in the afternoon. Everything went smoothly with our flight but my parents and Mike and Lillian's flight was delayed by an hour. This meant that Penny and I had some extra time to burn at the airport. While we waited we got food (some Panda Express that was under the heat lamp too long), we strolled some shops, snapped some pics with the giant flamingo and I did word searches while Penny watched some shows.

They were hungry when they finally arrived so they grabbed some food, and then we went to the car rental place which took a lot longer than it should have- especailly since I did an online check in. Once we got our rocking mini van, we had an hour drive to Legoland. I was pooped and grateful Mike was there to drive. The Legoland Hotel had a fun Christmas Tree in the lobby- forget the new tree we bought, we need a Lego Christmas tree instead.

And since it was midnight by the time we got in our room- it was off to bed for everybody.

Thanksgiving, Christmas Decor

On Sunday Ben gave a talk in sacrament- I think maybe it was his first talk? He did a really good job reading at a normal speed and made everyone laugh with his joke "it doesn't really taste good but it's yummy". He tied it in by saying that was how he tried to show gratitude even though he didn't like the food. He got lots of compliments. Later, after church, we attended Jake's missionary farewell party (he was in our seminary class). His mom is an excellent baker and the treats were amazing. I chatted with a few people but I was glad Caroline was feeling better and was there. She was my main buddy until she had to leave for choir and then I had no one left to talk to. I wanted to go but Tyler had to talk to someone so I had some awkward waiting time. I hate parties.

Tuesday morning in seminary I got told by my liberal student that I should always use "they" if I don't know someone's gender (I called someone's dog an "it" because I didn't know its gender and that was apparently offensive). I made the mistake of responding that that is hard for me because I was taught in teacher school that "they" is used for more than one person. She then had to tell me how Shakespeare used "they" to cover multiple genders and it has been used throughout history as such. Ugh. I feel like she always takes off on these tangents that are just not for seminary.

Later on Tuesday I took the younger 3 kids to the Henry Ford Museum (Steven had school but they didn't). The museum had some fun Disney costumes on display and they also had a huge Lego city up. The Lego City was awesome and the kids all wished they had thousands of Lego's so they could make one too. It was a good little outing. 

At the end of our outing I bought them all candy sticks as per tradition and then proceeded to drop Lucy's while she was in the bathroom. This was not the only thing I dropped and broke that day. After our museum visit I picked up my pottery that I had painted with my friends. When I got home I decided to take it into the basement to show Tyler and I dropped the top part of it on the basement floor. Didn't even get a good picture of it before I destroyed it. Ugh.

Wednesday I had a lazy morning (we had cancelled seminary for the upcoming holiday) and then I did some prep for Thanksgiving dinner- the rolls and a pumpkin cake (because that sounded better than pumpkin pie to me). I struggled to get the dough to rise for the rolls but that just seems to be my usual problem her in chilly Micigan. In the end they turned out alright but I never feel like they taste as good as his mom's rolls.

Thursday was Thanksgiving so the day consisted of cooking and dishes on repeat. Ben helped me make the custard for the banana pie and he helped make the sweet potatoe casserole. After that he was done but he made for good company in the kitchen while he lasted. He's getting better at being helpful and not a pain, lol. I was glad we did Thanksgiving on our own, it helped it not to be so stressful and I enjoyed it being on the quieter side. We had lots of food- turkey (made by Tyler), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, stuffing (not my fav), rolls and Tyler's Christmas juice (aka dragon blood). Then we had banana cream pie, pumpkin cake and oreo pie for dessert. We were all properly stuffed and I did not take one single picture. '

Friday was another lazy morning and then I spent the rest of the day decorating for Christmas. We ended up buying new Christmas trees because all of our trees had dead lights. Also, with the seminary room taking over our usual Christmas tree spot, we really needed a slimmer tree. I found the 4 foot trees for the kids on a Black Friday special so I am not sure how long they'll last. But Tyler and I splurged on a new Christmas tree for us, it has LED lighting so I am really hoping it lasts for a bit. I tried something new with the ribbon because the branches wouldn't work for the way I used to do it. Then I felt like I needed to make a ribbon bow to match my new ribbon technique. I think it turned out ok, hard to see in the pic, but the kids insisted it still needed a star on top...

Friday evening Tyler and I went to go see the first two episode of "The Chosen" in the theaters. It was nice to get out and they were uplifting as per usual. 

Saturday Steven had his driving lesson in the morning. While he was at it I took the girls to the mall, they were dying to go. Unfortunately Lucy is actually not much for window shopping like Penny is. Lucy wants to buy all the things and she also doesn't really have the patience to stand around and look at things she is not interested in. After the mall, when we picked up Steven, he was really upset. His instructor had reprimanded him for driving too slow and Steven does not do well with correction. He kept trying to blame the instructor saying that the instructor was wanting him to drive too fast. Driving with him is going to be super fun.