It was finally time.  We had some M&D alone time and it was finally time.  To go for a ferry ride to get a Balboa Bar.  Can you see my anticipation?  I think I can see it!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…

And to top it off, another Ferris Wheel ride with Daddy!  Maybe this vacation stuff isn’t so bad after all.

But I do miss playing with my trucks at home.  I have to settle for the little one I have here at the beach.

Then Madeline and Lauren arrived.  The next day we were off to the big wave beach!

Boy those waves are big!  And they move fast!  They sure are fun to run away from when they come in!

While I was there, I invented sand surfing.  It’s kind of like skateboarding, but with a Boogie board on the sand.  And you don’t go anywhere.

Later, I taught sand boarding class to Mommy and Lauren.   They were very good students.  (Beginning students practice on the sidewalk.)

After all of that playing and teaching, I sure was tired.

(Note to M&D: This does NOT constitute proof that I don’t sleep with my eyes open.  I must have been blinking.)

What a fun vacation!

Well, it was time for another day at the beach.

On this day, Ma and Avery buried my legs in the sand, just like when Curduroy goes to the beach!

Later, Ma and I saw some artists painting pictures of the boats.

Then we had a visit from Natalie, Olivia, and Addison.  They were fun to play with on the beach!

After all that hard playing on the beach, I decided to relax and do some drawing like those artists I saw earlier.

The first order of business was to get some holes dug and sand castles built, stat!  Luckily, I had Avery there to help me.

Avery stayed over, so we got to keep having fun even after pajama time.

The next day, it was time for a ride over on the ferry.  There’s lots of things to see from the ferry…

… like… the Fun Zone!  Boy did I have my eye on that Ferris Wheel!

First, though we went for a walk out to the pier to see the big waves.

There they are!

On the way back was the big payoff!  A Ferris Wheel ride with Daddy AND Avery!  Weeeee!

The first visit on our trip was at Ma and Pa’s.  As always, I like reading books with Ma.

And it’s always fun to play with my favorite LA cousin.  Daddy says she gives me a run for my money on the noise making front, and I said, “Uh huh”. Pbbbbbbbbffffttt!

This trip was special because I got to meet my newest cousin, baby Oliver!  Do babies really start out that small?  I was never that small!

After visiting at Ma and Pa’s, it was time to see Grandpa and Nana.  As always, I start with cleaning the pool.  The pool at Grandpa’s is sooo fun.

Then, some more relaxing and book reading.   I wanted to share my new Airplane book with Grandpa.  I know he likes airplanes because he has lots of papers with pictures of them on his table.

Then it was time to go to lunch where we saw some big vacuum trucks!  Very cool!

After that, it was time for a trip to the park and some exercise.  Look at how strong I am!

Thank you Ma and Pa, and Grandpa and Nana for letting us come stay and visit you!

Next – on to The Island!

Every year Grandpa Stark and David A. come to visit for my birthday and they bring Grandpa’s race car! We got to go to the races again this year. I’m a pro at going to the races.

First, you have to inspect the car before the race to make sure it is ready to drive.

Then it is time for me to do a little driving of my own.

Then we watched Grandpa’s race group line up in pre-grid.

Grandpa is in car 71. I kept a close eye on Grandpa and David to make sure they saw the race coordinators give them the cue to start driving!

Mommy and I watched the race from the grandstand. Those race cars are really loud, so I’m glad I had my ear covers.

I saw Grandpa drive by lots of times!

After the race, we all had chocolate chip cookies. This is one of my favorite parts of going to the races!

And, as a special treat now that I’m four, Grandpa took me for a ride on the moped. I can’t wait to go to the races again next year!

We had a quick trip to visit Avery and Ma and Pa’s house.  Avery and I really cleaned up on the Easter egg hunt!

Better yet, we got to enjoy the spoils!  As Pa would say, Mmmmmm Mmmmm!!

Ma told us some scary Little Mermaid stories before bedtime…

… and Aunt Danee read us some way cool Star Wars stuff.

I can’t wait to visit with Avery again!

Ma and Pa came for a visit, and we went to see the Big Trees.  I’ve been here before, so I could tell them all about the trees.

Here’s a nice shot of some wild Grandparents, and a wild raccoon!  Just Kitten!

(Ed. Note: “Just Kitten!” is Ben’s way of saying “Just Kidding”.  Just in case that wasn’t clear.)

Ma and Pa came to visit, and Ma helped me color some Easter eggs.  We made green, yellow, blue, and pink ones.

I used my very careful hands with the food coloring and eggs.  Don’t they look pretty?!

The second unit finally delivered their footage, and it turns out there was some good stuff on the gag reel.

Boy, that Avery can be silly!

It’s always fun when Avery comes to visit.

This time we went to the Farmer’s Market, and we saw a band playing some music!

I also got to do story time with Avery (& Mommy) before naps…

…and before bedtime.  As an extra treat, Uncle John read us stories!  And he even let me hold on to my ambulance while we read Emergency!

We also went for a hike together.  Avery didn’t wear a hat, so I wore two.

And nothing makes bath time more fun that a giggly cousin!

Avery, you can come visit any time!