Legoland 2016!

I took time off in July to get a little time in with Tyler before school started. At first I thought we'd just do a little staycation. But the beach kept calling to me. I asked Tyson to take the week off too, and we started thinking about Arizona vacation spots.  And then Turtle died. When I told Tyler about Turtle dying (and sharing stories of all the trouble young Turtle and Vader used to get into), he cried, he laughed, and the next day he asked if we could take Vader to the dog beach, pointing out that Tyrien had never been to the dog beach before. 

I looked up potential rentals, bracing myself to not be able to bring a dog despite our intentions. Surprisingly, I found a beach rental near the dog beach that would accept our dog. Spoke to Tyson, and booked it. Got Vader vaccinated for the kinds of diseases dogs tend to get from dog beaches. And then Tyson pointed out that even if we left at 4am, Vader would still suffer when we drove through Yuma. He'd be in a crate in the back of the pickup truck. It could turn into a little hot box. He might not survive. 

It's been a tough year financially, so I couldn't justify renting a minivan. We decided to go without Vader. Heartbreaking for me, but everyone else seemed okay with it. 

We left our house at 7:30am. Somehow that meant we didn't leave Tucson until 8:25am. Still, we made awesome time, getting to Ocean Beach at 2:15, except the beach house wasn't ready yet. So we went to Ocean Beach Brewery, which was brand new. We sat on the rooftop terrace, somehow making it through the meal without allowing Tyrien to dive over the roof or crash through the glass barricades. The beer was good, the food was better. 

Tyrien had a terrible infection, so he wasn't allowed in water until he healed. The first night, I thought we could just walk along the beach. Tyrien managed to fall in and soak himself within 10 minutes. So based on that experience, we decided to stay dry the next day by going to Legoland. 

Tyler and I first rode a helicopter ride. Next, he went off to drive a car.

This car was stationary, but a huge hit with little kids. Tyrien wasn't thrilled about his older brother being so helpful and supportive.

Tyler flew his own airplane next. This was the ride where I finally took Tyrien up to the 34 inch bar, thinking maybe, with shoes on, he could pass. It was obvious he could not. Now we know why they let kids under 3 in for free.

We stumbled across the Star Wars exhibit. Tyler was thrilled to find his favorite droid.

Thrilled. He just wasn't happy that I told him he had to stand next to R2 instead of right in front of him.

He decided to have a private conversation with Boba Fett.

And a private training session with Master Yoda.

I don't think I could ever stand so casually next to a clone trooper.

And here's my idea of heaven.

I'm with Vader, I was contemplating decapitating the boy, too.

Wait, were we in San Diego or DC?

After lunch, we went back to ride mode. Which meant one of us entertained Tyrien while the other waited in a long line. I found a playground for Tyrien, except he seemed to think this pole was the best part.

I finally convinced him to play on the actual playground structures...

Tyler and Tyson returned from their ride, and Tyler built this structure, defending his pieces from would-be bandits, and showing surprise when another kid actually brought him supplies and offered to help.

Later we found this cool ball play area. It was two stories. The structure to Tyrien's left sucked balls up and deposited them on the second floor. The structure to the right sucked balls up and blew them all over the first floor, like a rain shower. I think the look of trepidation on his face here is because he thought I was going to tell him it was time to leave. This was his favorite place. We stayed a long, long time.

 Tyson and Tyler went for the carnival ride. Lame. I held out for the Technic roller coaster, which was actually really fun. Tyler described it as "A little bit scary." He informed me as we climbed the first hill, "I am NOT going to put my arms up. I just hold onto the bar." I kept my arms up. It was great. My first real roller coaster ride in years.

Tyson finished up the day by taking Tyler on the Ninjago ride.  We were at this park from 11:30am until 7:30pm. We were worried about getting the kids dinner before they fell asleep. It occurred to me to call Pizza Port and order carryout. We had a Carlsbad and a meat lovers' pizza. Hooray for Pizza Port, Tyson dropped me off, I walked in and got to go right to the front, the food was ready, I walked out and Tyson was waiting for me across the street, and we were able to eat in the comfort of the beach house. The food hit the spot and was the perfect way to end the day.