Legoland

 

Luke had a break from school on Thursday and Friday, so the kids and I decided to take a road trip.  The thought of being cooped up in our small NC apartment for several days while Mark worked was not appealing to me, so we went back to our "South Carolina house" (as Leah now refers to our home in Greenville).  Each time we go home to SC, it's wonderful, as we are surrounded by our own furniture, toys, and friends.  The children love being able to play in our yard and playroom, and Mommy appreciates the comfort of our easy, familiar routine and places.  We filled our few days with a visit to the Children's Museum, went out to eat at some of our favorite restaurants, and relished sleeping in our own beds.  On Friday, we took a day trip to LEGOLAND Discovery center in Atlanta.  This attraction has been on our to-do list for several months, but we weren't able to find time to visit before we moved.  I had high hopes that during the week would be a great time to go, when there would be potentially fewer visitors.  Luke is starting to really enjoy playing with small Legos, and I was looking forward to our somewhat spontaneously-planned trip. 

 

We pulled into LEGOLAND shortly after it opened at 10:00 a.m., to find that we were right behind 4 large school buses = Field Trips!!  We managed to have a fun day despite the crowds, but it was very busy and there were LOTS of (very loud) children everywhere!  Luckily, we were able to divide our time among the different attractions there, including a neat 4-D Lego Movie that we all enjoyed, and a small group demonstration of how Legos are made: 

Do you recognize one of these characters?!

 

Lego Miniland was my favorite:  It was an entire city built out of small Legos:

There were displays throughout LEGOLAND which encouraged building and imaginative free play.  Once the crowds thinned out, we were able to play at these, and both children constructed their own creations: 

 

 

Luke also especially liked the racetrack display, where children could build Lego vehicles and race them down ramps:  

 

There were two fun rides at LEGOLAND, and giant Lego displays throughout the facility: 

 Of course I thought nothing was cuter than my kids climbing and posing on the large Lego animals in the toddler area, and took lots of photos here.  I wondered why a couple of people were staring at us, and it wasn't until right before we left that I noticed the sign above Luke's head= oops! 

 

 

I plead that a simpler, clearer sign stating "Please Don't Climb on Animals" would have been easier for this busy mom to spot.

 

Luke bought a Lego figure souvenir with his own money, and Leah happily tagged along for the entire day. Despite the crowds, we had a fun day at LEGOLAND, and I'm glad that it worked out for us to go before we permanently live too far away to make this an easy day trip!