Lego heaven
Mandy Dawson went on a trip her son will never forget:
Being the parent of a first grader means we don’t have a lot of spring breaks under our belts. Still, our first spring break — the year Joseph was in preschool — has so many happy memories I can honestly call it our best spring break ever.
Joseph’s birthday falls close to Easter most years. We used that as a justification to take a surprise trip to Legoland for his fifth birthday. Already, our boy was showing signs of becoming a Lego-aholic. He’d started his collection shortly after turning 3 and by the weeks before his fifth birthday, he was already in the Lego Club, devouring his monthly magazine.
The night before our trip, we put full suitcases in the trunk of the car. The next morning, we casually asked if the kids wanted to go to the beach. They both clapped and exclaimed the beach was a great idea. We got in the car and started driving south. We passed the beach because it looked “too crowded” and then, as if we’d just had the idea, we decided to keep driving. The kids were excited and intrigued by this spontaneous adventure. That night, after dinner, we checked into a hotel because, after all, we couldn’t drive all that way home in the dark. The next morning we “got lost.” We finally decided to drive up a long driveway and ask directions.
I’ll never forget the look on his face when we pulled into Legoland. He was afraid, at first, to hope we might be going there. And then, when he realized what was happening, the biggest grin split his face. I know we’ll have a lot of spring breaks, but that one will always hold a special place in my heart. My little boy, so innocent and unsuspecting, got the surprise of his life and, as he later told us, had the best birthday ever.
Leave a Comment