So my son had high hopes of a really exciting vacation to Chicago this Summer. Complete with a train ride there on Amtrac and a Cubbies game. Well, Mom couldn't get excited about planning a trip that far, possibly because we had to take a crazy 1 1/2 year old that can't sit still for longer than a minute with us. And Dad doesn't plan anything but when his next trip to the coffee pot happens so I opted for Wyatt's next best idea. Legoland in Kansas City. Turned out to be a really great trip and one he has been talking about since we went! Since it happened to be my birthday weekend, two of my Aunts and an
Uncle were so sweet and had a cake for me and you can't beat lunch at
K&M BBQ in Spring Hill. Yummo!
We were going to stay in a hotel while we were there, even though we have family in the area. It is always so special for kiddos to stay in one and there would be a pool so we could swim at any time. It turned out, my sister was headed to Canada to visit her boyfriend for the weekend so we got to apartment-sit for her while she was gone! Totally great idea! Nothing like having a separate room to throw the kids in, a full kitchen and' the complex had a really great salt water pool. Score.
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| Swimming at Aunt Shelley's |
Our first day (Friday) we met with the aunts and uncle for my bday fun and then headed to the apartment. Wyatt was super excited to head straight to Legoland until he saw Aunt Shelley's pool. His world stopped and nothing else was happening until he went swimming. So, in the pool we went. After we finally got him out it was Legoland time. We weren't sure what to expect. I had read that you should visit there after 2pm due to lines so by the time we got there it was 4pm and we walked right in. Total little boy and girl love at first sight! Both kids couldn't get enough of the place. It wasn't too bad for Mom and Dad either. There are Legos to build with everywhere so wherever your kid plopped down, you could sit and build with them. They had a couple of little rides that were fun and Wyatt especially liked the area you could built cars in and then dropped them down a ramp to see if they would stay together. I think he must have put that car together a hundred times!
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| The Ramp At Legoland |
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| Ride At Legoland |
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| Blowing Out The Candle |
Lorelai's favorite part was the little girl area. It had a little swimming pool sized container full of Lego cupcake parts. She carried a cupcake around with her everywhere! We spent a good 3 hours there before Mike and I decided we needed food. Fritz's is right across the street in Crown Center and a favorite place of ours. Just burgers and fries but a total family friendly place and the best part? All meals are delivered by little trains suspended on tracks above your table! A must see place if you haven't been before. After dinner, it was back to the apartment and bed to get ready for day two!
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| Waiting For Our Dinner Train |
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| Crown Center Fountains |
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| Put Him In Coach! |
Saturday, we got up and of course went swimming AGAIN. I swear Mike and I are raising a school of fish at our house! In looking for something different to do while in KC, I came across tours of Royals Stadium. Wyatt is a Blue Crew member (something well worth the 20 bucks if your son likes baseball) and they always give him a coupon booklet. There was a coupon for a free stadium tour and it was a blast. We did the $15 tour that lasted an hour and a half. They take you in the dugouts and out on the field. In the interview room and then on an elevator to the press box. We scrunched into the elevator with the rest of the group and oh you know, Ned Yost! Mike I think about passed out. Friendly guy although he looked a little worn down. If you watch the Royals, you know why. :) Mike, Wyatt and Lorelai had a blast pretending to be interviewed by the press and then we got as much time as we wanted in their Hall of Fame Museum. Really neat!
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| I'm Going To Win One Of These! |
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| Changing Pitchers |
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| Overlooking Royals Stadium |
After the tour, we decided to head back to Crown Center to take in the aquarium and grab some lunch. Just a note... Crown Center is a busy place on Saturdays, especially Legoland and the Aquarium. Looking at the incredibly long lines outside both places made us wonder if we would ever get in so we had a Panera lunch while we decided what to do. Never mind the heat too, I didn't want to stand in line that long. Then I remembered something I may have read in all my planning. Did I remember if you had pre-purchased your tickets you didn't have to wait in line? Maybe. We walked across to the aquarium and Mike asked. Let me tell you, there are times I do things right and this was one of them. As the worker walked us around the long line with families baking in the heat and children losing their patience we both decided to keep our heads down and our smiles to ourselves. Holy cow we are walking right in! Yep, that is right. You have a ticket (which we purchased the night before when we went to Legoland), no waiting in the line. We were looking at fish in 30 seconds! Lorelai was screaming with joy. Total fish lover she is. I think the people around us thought she was being too loud but I didn't care. Enjoy those fish Lorelai! Wyatt loved all the little hidey holes they had for you to crawl in and he wanted to touch a starfish but just couldn't make himself do it. To cap off the night, we ate Mafia Mike's pizza and got some sleep.
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| FISHHHHHH! |
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| Inside the bubble |
Whew! Mike and I made it! We felt a sort of personal victory successfully navigating the kids easily through all our stops. Wyatt of course wanted to swim one last time before we drove home and then we bid KC goodbye. Pretty great vacation for the Sullenger Family!
Notes for those of you thinking about headed to KC: Legoland is great and probably a place we will go again. The Aquarium is a one time visit. Neat for the kids but not as great as I thought it would be. Buy your tix for both in advance and no waiting in lines. KC Royals tours are awesome and so is Fritz's!
