Grandma and Grandpa are visiting, and it’s been loads of fun waiting for the Christmas guy to come.

Grandpa is really good at playing. He builds the toughest Lego firetruck! He climbs into my ambulance and turns his hearing aid down when I scream, “Wee oooh, wee oooh!”

Grandpa is really energetic too… we hunt for alligators and ride horsie. When my horse breaks into a sweat, I let him sleep a little. Boy he snores!

Snacktime is better with Grandma than with Mommy… I get fun food that I’ve never eaten before, like Ichiban noodles and butterscotch pudding. I made Christmas cookies with my very own rolling pin… my favorite shapes were the airplane and the letter R.

Grandma reads my advent calendar to me every day. The other night when we were all playing in our backyard around the firepit, we saw a bright light and debated whether it was a UFO or the star of Bethlehem.

On Christmas Eve, we went to the beach for a bonfire. They had whiskey and chips while I built roads in the sand with my machines. Every once in a while, I’d run up the lifeguard tower so Daddy would chase me. When he caught me, he rolled me all the way back to the firepit… I had so much sand in me that I had to shower outside before coming into the house.

Before bedtime, we put carrots on the roof for the reindeers, and sugar cookies out for Santa Claus, along with a note describing how sweet and funny I’ve been all year.

Oh! It was finally Christmas morning! I only made it half way through my presents because I had to play with each one before opening the next.

Thank you:

– Grandma and Maggie, for the Thomas the Train drawing book!
– Judy, Jesse, and Sydney for the Telephone truck! (I took it to the beach for the day!)
– Grandma for Mater and Lightning McQueen and ten of their car friends! (They join me in my bubble baths!)
– Grandpa for the wooden digger, and my favorite books: “Trucks” and “Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site”!
– Mommy and Daddy for the kazoo, whistle, and tambourine! (Next year, it’s a ukulele or bongos like everyone else in Santa Cruz!)

For Christmas afternoon, Daddy, Mommy, and I rode bikes to Capitola beach. 75*F… perfect for mud pies and Champagne!

Ahoy, matey! We’ve moved the sailboat to San Francisco. Nothing like jammies when you’re crewing!

I’m really enjoying my new stomping grounds! We walk from AT&T park along the Embarcadero. I love the Bay Bridge under a full moon, the strobe lights of the Homouroboros, and playing near Cupid’s span.

After we have dinner, we get a bike tow back to the boat ‘cuz two miles to Pier 39 is pretty far when you’re two. When we get home, I bathe in my baby tub with a flashlight! Not a lot of wiggle room in here anymore.

The next day we go for pizza in South Beach, and we visit Fire Station #35 because they have a fire boat and a shiny brass bell!

When we get home on Sunday nights, I help Daddy in the yard and take out the garbage.

I spent Halloween at Grandma’s house with Maggie. Daddy and I dressed up and ate lots of ice cream and candy.

I didn’t want to leave Maggie at Grandma’s house… I told her, “My taking Maggie my baby dog on the plane.” But she wouldn’t let me.

I’m always happy to come home though… I love kickin’ it around the house. Sometimes I like to be a flower child, making potpourri for Mommy.

Sometimes I like to work in the backyard, categorizing my toys and lining them up precisely.

Other times I like to help Daddy, like when the tractor came to grate the property, or when we cut a gigantic tree down in the front yard. Daddy cut a nick into the trunk and then wrapped chains around it, pulling it out with our truck! What a thunderous crash it made!

The landscaping has been exhausting, so Daddy and I need to sleep in sometimes!

I’ll tell you the best way to sleep: surrounded by stuffed animals, trains, books, and face down in the middle of a pile of cars. Or with a frog on your head. Actually, I’m regressing a bit. I often hollar “My want to sleep in the crib!” And as for potty training… well, I prefer to have my butt up in the air getting sprinkled with baby powder.

Some cute things I say and do:

“My hair is closed” (while Mommy is trying to brush my mange).

“Is the airplane gonna poop on us?” when I see aircraft above us.

“No way!” when Daddy tries to convince me to put my face under water in the bathtub by saying, “But your penis will be 20% larger under water!”

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” while pumping one arm with a clenched fist.

“My didn’t done it!” when struggling with pronouns and double-negatives.

“Right on!” when delighting in the joy of eating Jello in jammies!

“You’re my big Mommy!” when Mommy calls me her big boy.

“They’re too crunchy for my teeth.” when eating nuts.

“My going to Canada!” when Mommy asks which planet my rocket ship is landing on.

“Daddy won’t like you if you floss your teeth. Daddy wants you to pick up dirt.” when Mommy is getting dressed up.

“My bum is not here. It’s in Palm Springs!” when Mommy tries to bathe me.

“Hoppergrasses!” when we find grasshoppers in the yard.