Ben used to be obsessed with climbing up and down the steps to the house refusing to come inside without hysterics. 
Ben and I visited the Play Palace again today-- less crowded, still fun. He even ventured into the bouncy castle to retrieve a ball. Here he is in a play house... or maybe it's a store. Ben was a big fan of this one since there were a lot of things to open and close- the windows, the doors, some kind of tray thing-- and he could move around it easily since there was always something for him to hold onto. 
Our adventure at Kerrisdale Carnival Days continues. Today the Play Palace was open and it was free! Ben and Rick played there, while I shopped at the GapKids down the street. :P 
So today was sunny and my plan was to take Ben to the beach this afternoon. On our way there, I went a different way than usual (as in I forgot to turn) and happened upon this magnificent playground/off-leash dog park that overlooks a marina! Amazing. 
Ben in a laundry basket! 
This morning Smudge took himself on a walkabout while we were all playing in the backyard, so Ben and I ventured to the front to see if we could find him. It was overcast and windy, so the streets were sprinkled with pink cherry blossom petals! 
Now Ben enjoys playing with running water, no longer content with a tub of water to fill his cups, it must be coming out of a faucet. This game is fun when I happen to be running the tap for whatever reason, but then Ben wants to keep playing and gets mad when I turn it off. Luckily, I found this super awesome toy that you stick to the side of the tub and it pumps up the water and has a continuous flow. It distracts Ben so much that I can dump water on his head during his bath and he doesn't care!
Ben was mad at me this morning and threw a mini tantrum. He was laying on the couch crying and nothing I did calmed him until I turned on the Wiggles. He immediately stopped crying and proceeded to lay there in his newborn frog leg position for like 10 minutes mesmerized.
Lately there hasn't been anyone to skype with Ben when he wants, but I figured out how to just turn on the webcam in hopes that seeing himself would suffice. Yeah, no dice, but hey, maybe now I can get a picture of Ben and me smiling at the same time... which uh obviously didn't work this time.
Ben is really into playing with water. This usually involves him filling up a cup and then dumping it out in front of him and then taking his hand and swishing it in the water. Not so good as an indoor game. 
So apparently Robeez are intended for indoor use, not outdoor. I find this amusing since I usually only put Ben's Robeez/Fauxbeez on him when we were going outside to play... OOPS. Anyway, Ben is not a fan of trying to walk in the tanbark or grass or sand in his Robeez, so we decided to get him real shoes now that it's warm out and we've been going to the park and out in the garden quite often. Ben doesn't walk by himself yet, but he pulls up and walks holding onto stuff (me) so we figured he needed something more while outside anyway.
Yay! Ben kissing his Cabbage Patch doll. 
Ben and I explored the big jungle gym today at the playground. Ben's favorite part was that corner and calling out "Aaaaaah" to the other kids there. We attempted to go up the ladder, but the rungs were too far apart for the young Benjamin and I was too weak to lift him any higher.
Tooth No. 5 has arrived! Ben's upper right side incisor!
I noticed a boo boo on Ben's hand...
This is my copycat picture of one that my cousin Mike took of his kids pushing a shopping cart from the bottom. I did not fully appreciate the hilarity of it until Ben started doing it a couple days ago. 
