It's been way too long since I've written. But now that I'm stuck in bed with a head cold, I don't have the excuse of being too busy with housework, or laundry, or German homework, or running kids around. Momma's taking a sick day, and that is the perfect excuse to blog.

A couple weeks ago, over Halloween weekend, we took our kids to Legoland in Germany. Halloween is still a very new holiday in Europe, and there isn't much fun to be had for the kids here, so instead of dressing up this year, we went to go have our own fun elsewhere.

The kids had no idea we were planning this trip. Since I love surprises, I decided to create a series of clues for them to find before they could discover what the big surprise was. (I also used these clues as a way to highlight their accomplishments and let them know we are proud of them.) When they arrived home from school around lunchtime on Thursday afternoon, I asked them if they wanted to do a treasure hunt... and really, who doesn't like a treasure hunt? Here's the whole video if you're interested (approx 10 mins):

I had already packed for our trip, and Eric had come home early from work - so as soon as the kids found out the big surprise, Eric went and picked up the rental car, we threw our bags in, buckled up, and we were off!

The kids were super excited, to say the least. They were all giggles and excitement on our way out of town - but given that it was just after lunch, during regular naptime, it wasn't too long after we got on the road, the urge to sleep overcame them...

The 6 hour car ride was nice. The countrysides in Austria and Germany are absolutely breathtaking during this time of year. Picturesque, really, with all the trees full of rich fall colors, rolling green fields, and quaint little villages with homes that look like they've come straight out of a Thomas Kinkaid painting.

With plenty of snacks, and a couple potty stops, we didn't have much trouble at all - except for three minor hiccups...

1) The traffic at the german border. With the refugee crisis in full swing, and mandatory border checks in play, we sat in traffic for a good long while (about 45 minutes) before making our way into Germany. We had heard that crossing the border was slow going... but for that type of thing of well - we can't go under it, can't go over it, can't go around it, so we just had to go through it.
2) After we finally made it through the border crossing, I wanted to get out and stretch our legs, get a breath of fresh air, and take a short walk in the countryside. We decided to pull off at a public rest stop where the foliage was especially nice. I figured we could find a path into the trees, and walk for a bit in the nearby woods. Little did I know that these pretty little nature stops are often used for people who don't want to pay to use a public toilet. I learned very quickly, that the little path just beyond the trees, out of the view of the road, is full of man-poop.... and my boot got a double dose. Yuck
3) We booked a holiday apartment in a little village about 15 minutes away from Legoland. When we arrived into town, it was well past dark, and we had to navigate through the windy roads of the tiny neighborhood before we found the place. Exactly five minutes before we pulled into the driveway, Tucker got a sudden wave of motion sickness and threw up all over himself and the car. And, well, there's just nothing good about throw-up.

But in the end, we made it. The place we stayed was very nice. We all slept well, and the next morning we headed to Legoland. We spent Friday and Saturday there - rode all the rides, saw all the cool stuff, and had plenty of fun.

We started our morning out right with Krapfen - The European version of jelly-filled donuts.
The buddy system comes natural to these two...
...and these two. I think Eric had as much fun as the kids!
There were lots of rides for the little kids...

...and the big kids

Everyone had fun...

The life-sized lego statues were amazing. The kids (including Eric) especially liked the Star wars characters.
R2D2 and Tyler
May the force be with you.
Addie made some friends as well.
These two...
There was a really cool aquarium there too.
Who wins the trophy?
The kids played for a long time in this room full of giant, rubberized, lego bricks. They were so much fun! Eric and I thought it would be fun Christmas present... until we saw the price tag! (over $500 for 80 blocks!)
This giant giraffe was constructed out of Duplos!
Dinner time after our second day of Legoland... this little guy just couldn't quite make it.

So, in the end - we had a very untraditional Halloween. We didn't dress up in costumes, we didn't Trick-or-Treat (did you know there isn't even a word for Trick-or-Treat in German?), and the kids didn't come home with bags full of candy... But I'd say it was probably one of most fun-filled Halloween's we have had thus far.