fun times at the brand new legoland beach retreat

We love Legoland. Forget the other theme parks that Central Florida is known for -- our family has major Legoland loyalty. We've been members for a couple of years now and frequently make the not-too-terrible day trip (two and a half hours each way) often. A couple of years ago, we got to take a sneak peek at the Legoland Hotel and were so impressed that it was hard to contain our excitement at the news that Legoland was set to open their brand new Beach Retreat! The Beach Retreat is now open, but we were honored to be able to take another behind the scenes stay to check out the property prior to the public opening. Unlike the hotel which is located on theme park grounds, the Beach Retreat is conveniently located across from the theme park. This gives it a more vacation-y (work with me) feel and really gives it the full #BrickBeach effect. If you're thinking that staying adjacent to the park is an inconvenience, think again -- because literally everything about the Beach Retreat screams convenience (especially if you're a parent).

For starters, as soon as we drove onto the Beach Retreat property we were greeted by check-in staff. Yes, you read that correctly: it's a drive up check-in. No getting out of the car, yielding luggage and overly excited kids. Everything is done from the car. Once checked in, you are given directions to the cove where your villa is located. The villas, keeping in typical Lego theme, are bright and bold and colorful.

Each cove has it's own playground and I feel the need to touch on that, because the focus on play that Lego and Legoland always brings to the table makes my heart so happy. Play is always the focus when it comes to Legoland -- imagination, creativity, all of it -- and I love that so much about the park. The Beach Retreat is no different. As I mentioned, each cove has it's own playground, nestled in the center of a cluster of villas. This means that parents can sit on the little porch, sip coffee and watch the kids burn the last of their energy. Our villa in particular had a beautiful lake view. You don't really think picturesque views when you think theme park hotels, but that's one of the things that sets the Beach Retreat apart -- the view was very scenic and relaxing!

Once we entered the villa, Ethan was the first to notice the flower leis on the bed which totally tied in the tropical vibe! A big box of brand new Duplo blocks awaited both kids who couldn't wait to tear into them and get building. The villas have a main bedroom that includes a safe, drawers, a refrigerator and a coffee maker (a necessity when traveling with kids, of course). To the left is the kid's nook which actually sleeps three, as the bottom bunk is also a trundle bed. There is a privacy curtain that you can pull closed to give both parents and kids some privacy and a good night of sleep. The bathrooms are also pleasantly big and I loved that the toilets included a kid-sized toilet seat! (It's the little things.)

We changed the kids into swimsuits and then made the short trek to the main resort lobby which houses a gorgeous (and gigantic!) pool. I love that the pool had a beach-style entry so kids could walk in at their leisure -- and play with all of the big, floating Lego bricks. In addition to an awesome pool, the pool area (which has floors made of sand to perfectly keep with the beach theme) also has a walk-up bar, live music (which encourages kids to join in the fun with some percussion instruments), a popsicle cart and an incredible playground.

Inside the lobby itself is the resort restaurant, as well as a gift shop (that carries all of the essentials parents inevitably forget, even pacifiers). After getting the kids changed back into regular clothes, we checked out the restaurant for dinner. Even with our food allergies (my husband has Celiac disease and must be gluten-free), everyone was able to find something to eat. Dinner was buffet style and there was something for everyone: Carmen went the black beans and rice route, whereas Ethan opted for Italian food.

As soon as you enter the restaurant, there is a massive Lego structure for kids to build. The little hands and little minds never stop! This building activity was especially fun for Ethan the next morning while I talked to friends and fellow bloggers after breakfast (which was also delicious and I wholly recommend the French toast sticks).

Check out was just as easy as check-in, and done as a drive-through service on our way out of the hotel and into the park. All Beach Retreat guests receive early access into the park which is a perk in itself when you have early risers. The new Beach Retreat is fantastic and is a definite must to check out for your next trip to Legoland Florida. We promise -- you'll get hooked as much as we did! At Legoland, everything is awesome -- and the new Beach Retreat is no exception!

time waits for no one and other unbelievable truths

I have always been a self-proclaimed tortured soul, dating back for as long as I can remember. As a preteen, I discovered black eyeliner and the picturesque way it drips eerily down your face when you cry while writing poetry and, well, I was home. I would always call my grandmother to rant and rave about my woes and troubles, as she was somehow always the only person who didn't attempt to solve my problems or trivialize the ache I was feeling. For hours, she would listen to me read poetry about heartbreak and loneliness tied up in neat little analogies that showcased death and cyanide quite often. She never tried to give me advice, although I wouldn't be surprised if she was rolling her eyes on the other line as we spoke. The one thing she did always slip into every conversation was: "just try to enjoy your life. It goes so fast." As a teenager, it didn't go very fast. As a college student, well, it didn't go very fast, either. It wasn't until I became a mother that I realized just how loose my grip on time truly is.

I became a mother before most of my friends and, as a mother, I struggled to meet people who I was comfortable letting into my truest self. Due to all that and also our decision to redshirt Ethan, he is a good year older than most of his friends and a couple years older than some of the friends he's made in his extracurricular activities. As a gentle giant, this doesn't phase him. He seems to not notice that he towers over the children in his gym class, which would probably happen anyway because he's tall for his age, too. But around me, my friends are all filled with relief they have another year of preschool before Kindergarten. And around Ethan, his friends are all gearing up for the final round of preschool come the fall.

...And then there is me, with Kindergarten taunting me on the horizon and me crying myself to sleep 4/7 nights per week in utter disbelief that this is here already. I mean, I can still feel the sensation of my water breaking as Ethan made his surprise entrance into the world. I can still remember the burning exhaustion and newness of those first days as a clueless new mother. I can still feel those meandering afternoons spent at the park, wasting the hours until dinnertime because each moment felt too precious to waste sitting at home. They felt like they would last forever, those long days. It felt like there was always time. Other people would post their children's first day of school pictures and I felt like I had dodged a bullet because we had forever to go.

---

If two years ago you had asked me to imagine what my life would be like now, two years later, I never would have pictured this. I wouldn't have pictured prepping one almost-six year old for Kindergarten and mommy and me classes with my one year old. I wouldn't have pictured like rolling so smoothly -- too smoothly -- into the next phase as if it was the most normal thing in the world. But then I guess it is the most normal thing in the world, children growing up and life going by in the blink of an eye. "I'm independent now," Ethan told me this morning as he slipped his legs into his favorite pair of whale leggings. "We're still a team, though. I can be your baby when I'm 100. I'm just independent right now because I like to put my own pants on."

discover the dinosaurs unleashed

A couple of weeks ago, my family and I had the privilege of attending Discover The Dinosaurs: Unleashed as it made it's way through West Palm Beach. Discover The Dinosaurs is a traveling exhibit that makes it's way across the United States, bringing wonder and amazement -- and dinosaurs! -- to children in every state. In West Palm Beach, the exhibit was being held at the South Florida Fairgrounds which speaks volumes as to how expansive it was.

When you walk into the building, the entire ambiance fits the exhibit perfectly. The lights are dimmed, and all you can see are these magnificent animatronic dinosaurs. The dinosaurs themselves are lifelike, even moving and showing children the types of sounds they may have made. Children are able to learn as they walk through the incredible exhibit which features information about the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. As they begin entering the exhibit, friendly exhibit employees give each child a scavenger hunt booklet to complete as they walk through the exhibit. At the end, they're told they receive a prize -- so naturally, Ethan was into it! It was also a great way to make sure the children are absorbing the facts and educational opportunities in front of them in addition to being amazed by the moving, roaring dinosaurs.

There are booths scattered throughout the exhibit that offer activities (dinosaur etchings and crayon rubbings, temporary tattoos, and so on) as the children walk through and admire the dinosaurs. There are also plenty of opportunities to get up close and personal to dinosaurs!

The exhibit also features some cool artifacts for the children to see up close -- as well as perhaps Ethan's favorite part of the whole day: the chance to ride a real dinosaur! Children use a ladder to climb on top of the dinosaurs (Ethan rode a T-Rex), which move!

In addition to the dinosaur exhibit, there is also an exhibit for crafting, golfing, car racing and filled to the brim with cool inflatables!

Discover the Dinosaurs Unleashed is an amazing traveling exhibit that you just have to catch when it arrives in your town! Follow Discover the Dinosaurs on Facebook and check out their website for where they'll be stopping at next!

carmen's enchanted forest: a woodland fairy first birthday party

I love parties. Love them. Sure, in the weeks leading up to the big day I become frazzled and a total stress case, but I love them. From meticulously planning the little details to watching it all unfold, nothing makes me happier than planning a party. Carmen's first birthday party was a labor of love, for sure. We held the party at my parents home and initially decided we should have woodland animals. This is not such an easy feat in South Florida, so we opted for farm animals (true story: children do not care what kind of animals there are when it comes down to having animals to snuggle with). Then it spawned into unicorn rides. And then it morphed into "she loves the carousel at the zoo, maybe we can rent a carousel." (Hey, your last baby turning one is a milestone for both mother and child.)

Keeping with the woodland fairy theme, I wanted to incorporate natural and wood-textured elements into my set up. I made the donut stands using a $0.50 dowel sawed in half and hot glued onto a wood round from the craft store and found the birch napkins and wood plates from Webstaurant Store. The disposable wood silverware came from Amazon, as did the birch-textured paper straws.

My mom and I do this thing where we panic there won't be enough food. Without fail, there's enough food leftover to last seven families two weeks. We had sandwich and wrap platters catered from the local grocery store, four different quiches, spinach dip, vegetable and fruit platters, macaroni and cheese, popcorn chicken tenders, salads and an assortment of snacks (chips and hummus, etc.). There was plenty of food (for days). I definitely dropped the ball on getting photographs of the finished table, but these pictures from the setting up stages give you some idea. The moss table runners and circle mats are all from Michael's.

Our golden unicorn smash cake topper is from Topper and Twine and our custom Carmen's Enchanted Forest golden glitter cake topper is from Topper That. I worked for weeks hand making the cake stands, the tassels and the backdrops and wall hangings. The high chair birthday skirt was one I purchased from Stuff So Simple.

Inside the house, I had three stations set up: a fairy garden making table (using tiny 2.5 inch ceramic pots), wand decorating and also a rainbow fairy face painting table manned by the incredible daughter of Ethan's art studio owner (thank you, Art Paper Scissors in Parkland!).

Outside, we had the "enchanted woodland" (farm) animals, unicorn rides and a carousel. The carousel was the absolute hit of the party, perhaps even overshadowing the unicorns.

Also outdoors, I set up a photo backdrop with some assorted props from Party Ears and The Gipsy and the Yarn along with some fairy wings from the dollar store. The kids all loved the "photobooth" and everyone got so many cute pictures! Ethan's gym teacher assistant also came to help with the party by dressing as a fairy and taking pictures with all of the kids. Everyone loved the "magical fairy" who came to play with them!

For favors, I made enchanted forest themed word searches and mazes and put them into treat bags with wooden color pencils from World Market online. These pencils were so cool and such a perfect (and affordable) fit for our theme!

It was the perfect day to celebrate my little woodland fairy as she turned one -- cue the emotions, because I'm not sure how this past year has flown by so very quickly.