A Picture Says a Thousand Words, So....

...can you tell what kind of a weekend we had? Everett wanted to pretend the marker he found was a lipstick and Lionel's hair had a life of its own after hours of swimming.

And a One, and a Two!

Mama was trying to do a workout video and Everett had to show off his skills. And then, he just watched...

Laura, Are You in There?

This was me trying to rest on the couch by myself. Yeah, that doesn't happen anymore. I'm a little boy magnet!

New Swing Set

The much-anticipated swing set! I think it fits our yard great and I think the boys like it a lot.

In Conclusion....

.....our next vacation with the kids is VERY far off, but hey, our rooms did have telephones!

Santa Monica, CA (AKA Memory Lane)

So in a last ditch effort to salvage this vacation, we drove up to Santa Monica and stayed at the hotel right next to our old apartment. We walked down to the promenade, saw my Anthropolgie, had dinner, and walked down to the pier. The boys did really well and loved the ferris wheel. That night, like all the others was filled with disaster, so we packed it up and headed home first thing.

P.S. It was really nice to be back in Santa Monica!

Last of Legoland

After lunch at the "Round Table", we played in the giant treehouse next door. We were in the King Arthur section, so it was all knights and armor and damsels in distress. Everett took off and Lionel tried to, but I tried to keep him busy so he wouldn't try everything the big kids were trying. It was fun for a bit, but then, you guessed it! More whining!

At this point in our day, Everett was BEGGING for the water park. We finally decided to give in. We walked all the way back to our locker for our swim stuff. We walked all the way across the park again to the water park. We changed them, sunblocked them up, and put them in the water. They both smiled! Everett went down a water slide! This was great! And then, whistle blows!!! Pool break! Evidently, every THREE hours, they do a 10 minutes pool break where everyone gets out. This would not have been a problem if we hadn't just started swimming. Insert tantrums here. I couldn't blame them. It had been a long trip. I didn't go into detail, but there had been sleepless nights and throwing up along the way, and now, someone telling Everett he cannot do the only thing he's truly wanted to do all day. After the 10 LONG minutes were up, Everett declared, "I want to go home." Not to a hotel, but his home. We all did. But we were exhausted. One last stop before Phoenix.....

Legoland Part 3: Mini World

In the middle of the park were hundreds of models of various cities, towns, and places. It was phenomenal! The detail was just amazing. But it was terribly hard for a certain 3 year old and a certain 1 year old to understand that these legos were not for playing, just for looking. Insert more whining here.

There was also a huge Star Wars section - this summer's special exhibit. It brought Billy back to his youth!

Legoland Part 2: Only 3 Rides

I loved Legoland. It was adorable and had multiple themes with great landscape and decor. The boys went on a train ride together and then each one rode a ride. That is all.

Legoland Part 1: Night & Day

"Look, it's Bob the Builder! Everett and Lionel, go stand by him for a picture!"

You will observe an obedient, happy Lionel and a stubborn, cranky Everett. That about sums up Legoland.

The Beach!

The Beach!

The Beach!

Lionel saw the ocean for the first time! He and Everett loved the waves, but it was FREEZING!