COOP Newsletter

I thought I would share the cute pitcure posted in the most recent COOP newsletter...

Carlsbad Sunset

On our way back from the aquarium, we noticed the sun would be setting soon. So, we stopped to drop a few things off, grabbed some light jackets, and walked down the steps one last time to see the sunset.

Madelyn had a great time while we waited, dancing around the sand. She even gave us a few hula performances. Here's one of them, followed by some sort of rock star dance (according to Madelyn):

And here's the best shot of the sunset. The clouds covered it up quite a bit, but that's pretty typical here. It was still beautiful.

We're already planning our Fourth of July trip back to Carlsbad... anyone want to join us this time? ;)

Sealife Aquarium

I am a fairly frugal person, always looking for a good deal on things. This trip was no different. As soon as we knew we were going to Legoland, I jumped on eBay and scouted out a coupon so it wouldn't be so expensive. I found a "buy one, get one free" coupon (for $2.50) that saved us $101! We got a free adult admission, plus the coupon also gave us $10 off Madelyn's ticket! YAY! It was still expensive, but who doesn't like to save a hundred bucks? ;)

The coupon was only for the park hopper that included either the water park or the Sealife aquarium. It was waaay too cold for the water park, so we got the hopper to the aquarium. On our last night in Carlsbad, we decided to head over to the aquarium, and that proved to be a nice relaxing way to end our trip. The aquarium wasn't that big, and quite honestly, I wasn't nearly as impressed as the aquarium here in Arizona (which was strange), but it doesn't take a lot to impress a five-year-old, and that's all that counts. :)

HUGE crab (yes, it's real)!

Madelyn wasn't too sure about these little tubes at first, but once she tried it with Daddy, she was hooked! She thought it was so cool to "be in the water" with the fish! (Hmm... do I hear snorkeling lessons in her future??)

Madelyn quickly reminded me of my jellyfish sting last summer!

They looked much prettier here!

Note to self: Take these kinds of shots at the end of 

the day when no one is standing in line. :)

Let's go to the Beach!

After our little jaunt to Oceanside, we got our swimsuits on and head down to the sand! Finally some time to relax and play on the beach!

Shopping in the Village

A Carlsbad trip would not be complete without some time walking around the shops in the village. We had breakfast at Señor Grubby's, which quickly became a new favorite!

Then we walked around town and even took another Coaster ride, this time to Oceanside. (Daddy wanted a new skateboard from his favorite skate shop).

"I wish for more Lego Friends Legos..."

Lego Friends!

This year, Legos came out with a new series of Legos (made especially for girls) called Lego Friends. Now, a lot of you know that I'm not a girly girl myself, and I would be just as happy if Madelyn loved to play with Lego cars and trucks and dinosaurs (or anything else "related" to boys). But, you also know that Madelyn IS a girly girl, and we knew as soon as we saw these Legos someone would have their eye on them! Chris and I had agreed beforehand that we'd get her a new set, but we didn't tell her that until the day was just about over.

She couldn't wait to get back to the condo and start putting them together! She was excited because they were "girl" Legos, but she was also excited that they were not Duplos (the only other kind of Legos she's had up to now). Fortunately for us, that was a good incentive for her to behave while we stopped at Pizza Port (our other favorite restaurant/brewery) to pick up dinner.

Soon after everyone ate their pizza, Chris and Madelyn started building the new "Heartlake Stables."

Chris helped Madelyn put each little piece together. It was fun to watch them working as a team each step along the way.

Toward the end of this project, Chris was a little disappointed because Madelyn had gotten the hang of it and was doing it all by herself. And while most of us would be excited by that, he was sad because he really loves to build Legos, too! :) We were both impressed by her complete interest in these tiny Legos, and truly couldn't believe that she was able to just sit and follow the directions, step-by-step until it was finished (at around 10 pm, by the way)! There was NO WAY she was going to bed until it was finished! :)

A Legoland Play Date

Okay, so how crazy is it that two five-year-olds managed to arrange a play date while on vacation in another state?! Well, crazy as it is, that's exactly what Madelyn and Lily did! (Of course the moms worked out the day and time, but had it not been for the two kiddos working up the grand scheme it probably wouldn't have panned out in the end). 

The last time we were in Legoland Madelyn was three, so we knew it would be fun to see things in a new light. We arrived just shortly before Lily and her family, so we took a few photos and jumped on a couple rides while we (anxiously) waited for them to get there.

And then, it finally happened.... LILY'S FAMILY MADE IT!

We got right down to business and hopped on the Dinocoaster! I even found myself a new Legoland Buddy! Thanks, Izzy! I am so glad you rode the roller coaster with me! :)

The next stop was the Legoland Driving School. Madelyn was super excited about this because the last time she was one day shy of making the 3-year-old cut. Seriously, people. One day. Anyhow, she didn't get to go during that trip, but this year would be different! Madelyn couldn't wait to get her driver's license!

Here's a quick video of Madelyn and Lily driving around the track:

Here's Madelyn with her new driver's license! We told her she had to drive back to the condo, and she said, "Mom, I can't drive a real car!" We told her we'd get her a booster seat. ;)

The day continued on a fun-filled path....

Ready. Set. Go!

This ride cracked me up because Lily kept saying it 

wasn't very scary and we weren't going fast enough! 

Just before closing time, we made our way to Miniland. The kids really loved running around checking out all the small buildings. As did the adults! The new Star Wars figures were open this time, so that was fun, too!

After an awesome day with friends, Chris and I decided we needed to plan more of these kinds of play dates! :)

San Diego Day Trip

I was extremely excited to find out that my cousin, Jackie, was also in southern California (visiting all the way from Georgia). After finagling some of the finer details, we planned to meet in San Diego for the afternoon.

This was especially exciting for Madelyn, not only because she would get to meet Jackie for the first time, but also because going to San Diego meant riding on the Coaster! :) Riding the Coaster has been a long-time favorite of Madelyn's, and we like it, too, because we don't have to fight traffic. Win-Win.

Once we arrived at the Santa Fe station in San Diego (about a 55-minute ride from Carlsbad), we walked to meet Jackie and her friend Charleston at BarleyMash for lunch. It was many blocks from the Coaster, but was the perfect way to stretch our legs after the ride.

After lunch, we walked around a few blocks in the Gaslamp District, and decided we would take the ferry to Coronado Island. Chris and I quickly realized this would be a first for Madelyn, so we all were excited! After walking several more blocks, we got our tickets, but had just under an hour wait until the next ferry would depart. At this point (actually quite a bit sooner), Madelyn had decided that Jackie was her new BFF. She has lots of BFFs, so please don't be sad if you are also one of her BFFs. She still loves you. Very much ;)

Madelyn hanging with her new BFF

We finally got to board the ferry and head off to Coronado Island!

Ferry Poser

There were lots of small shops on the island so we took some time and walked around shopping for good deals. We didn't buy anything (except cupcakes!) but we shad a great time nonetheless!

After about an hour of perusing the shops, we knew we had to make the last ferry back to San Diego, so we said our goodbyes. Even though the day didn't last real long, we really had such a great time with Jackie and Charleston! And we hope to see them again soon!

Jackie and Charleston had to take a separate ferry that took them to a different port, and Madelyn was so sad to watch their boat pull away. She insisted that I text Jackie this picture:

UPDATE:

We were excited to receive this wonderful email from Jackie today...

Thanks for making Madelyn smile, Jackie! :) We hope to see you in June for the Family Reunion!