Ben's Birthday In Monterey

Ben is officially in his last year in his 20s, so to celebrate we went to Monterey for the weekend. It was a nice little break from things, and even though the kids were quite a challenge, we had a great time.

After we were all checked in to our hotel, we walked around and ended up at Fisherman's Wharf. While trying to decide from clam chowder samples and restaurant menus where we should eat at, we saw one place that had cheap oysters for Happy Hour. Ben and Baylee went in to eat two at the bar. Baylee was curious enough to try them.

She ended up not liking it though, and spit it right out onto the plate. I don't think Ben minded downing the rest on his own. We ended up having dinner at one of the first places we had passed, and enjoyed the great view of the ocean. I had Baylee try to get a picture for me, but I ended up with several of just the water with the window reflecting her shirt and the sun shade. After dinner, we drove around, grabbed some cupcakes, and called it an early night.

Saturday was Ben's birthday!!! He took the kids with him to grab some Jamba Juice for breakfast, and then we did presents in our hotel room.

After we were all ready, we headed to the Aquarium. We grabbed a cinnamon roll and this cute cookie for the kids on our way. Baylee was very excited about that seahorse cookie and insisted we get a picture.

Baylee loved the big tank and had fun pointing out all the sharks that were passing by her.

Outside on the deck, this little spot was perfect for Payton and Baylee. They got to see what it looked like to be underneath when a big wave comes by.

It's not a successful aquarium trip without touching the starfish and stingrays.

Payton stood and just watched these little seahorses for a while. He laughed and thought it was the best thing ever. The people next to him were getting a kick out of him.

Baylee and Payton got an idea of what it's like to be a clam in this giant shell. Payton was probably ready to take a nap in it.

Of course, they were too busy tickling each other to look at the camera when Ben wanted me in the picture too. We had a lot of fun at the aquarium, but were pretty disappointed that a big chunk of it was closed for remodeling. We missed a lot of great stuff.

We walked around after the aquarium, and ended up at a little beach area. The kids loved playing in the sand for a minute, and getting close to the water. They were definitely destined to live by the beach. I'm still trying to convince Ben to move back to Hawaii.

Payton fell asleep on the little walk to dinner, and slept through all the fun at Bubba Gump's. It definitely made dinner a little easier and mellow though, even in a place like Bubba Gump's. It was a good dinner, even if I was a little bummed that they forgot to sing to Ben.

Sunday was Mother's Day. After Jamba Juice for breakfast again and checking out of the hotel, we went to Carmel and hit a candy store. The kids had to have these lollipops. Payton had a little sticky rainbow on his face when they ate them on the ride home. We ate at a little bakery and deli in Carmel before heading to do some shopping on our way home.

To celebrate Ben's, Mike's (Ben's twin brother), and Ben's dad, Dan's (on Tuesday) birthdays, we went to Chevy's for dinner on Monday night. The singing and birthday sombreros at Chevy's never fail to entertain.

The three of them also got to share a birthday cake after. That was a lot of candles on a little cake!

Happy Birthday Ben! The kids and I love you and are so grateful for you in our lives! We appreciate all that you do for us and all your hard work to make sure we are taken care of. We couldn't ask for a better daddy/husband. Thanks for everything! We hope you had a great birthday and enjoy your last year of this decade of your life.