A Weekend NEAR the Queen...Legoland Fun!

Do you know where Her Majesty The Queen spends most of her weekends?  You might think Buckingham Palace in London.  Although that is her official residence, she spends most weekends at Windsor Castle in Berkshire.  It is the largest occupied castle in the world. 

We thought about taking the kids to visit Windsor Castle to have some tea with the Queen, but instead we went to Legoland, just past the castle.  It was about an hour and half drive for us.  We saw the castle on our drive.  You really can't miss it.  The picture on my phone did not come out well so I borrowed one from a website.

The kids were on their half term break, and we wanted to do something fun as a family.  We enjoyed three days at Legoland in Windsor.  It was a nice amusement park, except that it was built on a hill.  It's not so bad going down on your way into the park, but hauling three tired kids up the hills at the end of each day really wore us out!  Dylan and Amelia loved the rides, and we were all amazed to see the countless structures they built out of Legos! 

There is Windsor Castle in the distance.  See, we were NEAR the Queen.

 

"Recycle" your gum here.  Really?

Yes, it was very crowded.

BEST baby ever!

The view of miniland from the ride.  They have exhibits from several countries around the world including the USA, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Scotland and of course England.  It was amazing and educational at the same time.

Standing in front of London in miniland

Dylan LOVED taking pictures!

Wembley Stadium, where we saw the U.S. Women's Soccer Team win a gold medal

The J.F.K. Space Center

It was really cool.  Every few minutes, it had a countdown and smoked.  There was no real blast off, but it was still fun to watch.

Naptime while they waited in line for a ride

Amelia was a crazy driver!

Amelia chose Flash for her face paint.  We were both surprised.

Bathroom signs: My favorite is the baby!

Our boat ride through Fairy Tale Village

One of Dylan's many photos

Best idea of the day: to change into p.j.'s in the parking lot IN CASE they fell asleep on the way to the hotel.

We truly enjoyed our three days at Legoland, complete with fireworks and swimming at the hotel's indoor pool.  It was a nice mini vacation for us.  I cannot tell you how many people asked where in the states we were from.  I guess our accent gives it away.  Most people there were friendly, but nothing like Disneyland in Paris.  The workers here just did not seem excited to be doing their jobs.  But the important thing is that our kids were excited, and we had fun right along with them.  Dylan was thrilled to come home with a new Star Wars Lego set, and Amelia chose a stuffed zebra.  That doesn't surprise me at all.  She loves stuffed animals!  Cora was an angel, of course.  Thankfully, she still naps easily on the go. 

A Trip to a REAL Farm!

The kids had their half-term break last week.  They were due for some time off school after 7 weeks of waking up early each morning.  Amelia is still going half days to school, and she is worn out from that!  We have a good friend who owns a horse at a local farm.  Dylan has been to the farm a few times with his friend, Daniel.  They drive to the farm every evening to feed the horse "tea" (dinner), and bring him back into his stall for the night.  Dylan loves to go and help.  He even picked up poop twice! 

Daniel's mum, whose name is also Angie, invited all of us to the farm to see the animals and meet their horse, Basil.  She arranged to borrow a friend's pony for the kids to ride.  It was such a special treat for us!  We saw the pigs and horses, and the kids took turns riding the pony on our long walk to the meadow and the stream.  I know, that sounds like a fairy tale..."meadow" and "stream", but we were truly out in the countryside.  There were sheep in the meadow, but no cows in the corn. :)  Here are some pictures from our fun at the farm.  What a great way to start our half-term break!

Feeding the pigs cauliflower

Cora, Daniel and Dylan in front of Peppa Pig

She had 3 piglets the very next day!

Amelia and Casey heading out to get the pony, Callie 

Casey is preping Callie while Amelia watches.

The girls were bringing Callie down to prepare her for riding.

Amelia loved Callie!  Callie was the sweetest pony.

The boys enjoyed playing hide and seek around the farm.

Callie picked up some weeds.

Amelia wore Casey's helmet, which I thought was pretty cute!

Callie was all brushed and ready to go with her saddle.  Amelia was ready too!

Our walk to the meadow. 

Callie did not have horseshoes, so she preferred to walk on the soft grass.

Perfect fall day for a pony ride

Dylan's turn.  He did not mind wearing the pink helmet.

Giddy up, Dylan!

Everyone ran when we reached the meadow.

The sheep ran away when the kids start running.  I don't blame them.

This horse is named Lily, just like my sweet niece!

I did not get a picture of their horse, Basil.  He was out in the field, and then I was busy with the kids when she was feeding him.  He is a beautiful black horse.  Our visit to the farm was very fun!