Carson is Four!

Carson is four today! We had such a fun day celebrating him all day long! Miles was supposed to have a baseball tournament. It rained hard enough this morning to cancel the tournament, but then turned into a beautiful day. We took advantage and did all the things that Carson loves.

We celebrated with pancakes from McDonald's.

The plan was to get donuts, but he decided on pancakes from "Donalds" at the last minute.

We had to wait on the rain to pass before giving him his present. He didn't ask anything about a present, so it wasn't a problem to make him wait. He clearly had no expectations for the day. He had a birthday party a couple weekends ago, so I don't think he knew what to expect for today.

He didn't have much of a reaction when we gave him the bike. He was a little frustrated in the very beginning as he was getting the hang of pedaling, but then he was off.

He is not a fan of a helmet. Miles has always been agreeable about wearing one, but Carson does not like it. It's not a big deal to me now, but we may have to put our foot down when the training wheels come off.

I can't wait for them to be able to ride up and down the street together.

We went for a 4-wheeler ride over to "Mr. Warlick's" which a nearby neighbor with lots of 4-wheeler trails. That is probably his favorite thing to do, ever. I don't usually go b/c it is hard for Darrin to drive with the three of us on there, so Carson was telling all the things as we were riding. He told me about all the water, deer, mud, and fallen trees. He has memorized what is around every corner.

While we went on the ride, Miles went fishing at another neighbor's pond. We sure do love our neighborhood. We have the best combination for us...we have neighbors, but we each have a little land too. It was such a gamble when we bought our house and I am so thankful the Lord lead us here.

After some time playing outside in the heat, Carson took a break with his stuffed animals and watched Mickey Mouse Roadster Racers. He loves his stuffed animals, especially cow, sheep and Baby Yoda, and Roadster Racers is his current favorite TV show.

Darrin asked Carson if he wanted to go to Pinson Mounds, a small local park with ancient Indian burial mounds. We went recently, but the stairs to the top of the largest mound were closed. We said then that we wanted to go back when it was open.

Carson wanted to take a picture of us. Not bad!

There weren't that many stairs, but they were steep! It was quite the workout. We made it to the top with little trouble, but then my legs shook for the rest of the day! I think we just went too fast. Carson's little legs were very tired after we climbed back down.

It was fun though and the views were pretty. Miles was worried the whole time that someone was going to fall off. Darrin sat on the top rail and Miles couldn't rest until he got down. Admittedly, I didn't like it either, but he would have only fallen to the top of the mound, not all the way down. Still, Miles wasn't having it. He was very worried about Carson too. We didn't stay up there long.

It was hot outside, but surprisingly tolerable. Darrin gets a migraine 3-4 times a year and unfortunately he started getting one right when we got there. He took meds fast and that probably helped a lot, but he didn't feel great. We didn't stay long, but still had a fun time.

This is a good picture of how steep the stairs are!

We stopped for shaved ice and then had tacos for dinner once we got home. After dinner, we played frisbee, whiffle ball, road bikes, and played with chalk before it was time to go inside for showers. 

I think this boy cherished his day. We told him happy birthday at least 20x.

As we were closing up the shop and all the toys for the night, he told me that he loves his bike. He also said, "Thank you mom and dad for my bike." This kid can be incredibly volatile, stubborn, and enraged, but he also might be one of the most sincere four year olds I've ever known. When his heart is full or thankful, he is quick to vocalize it. Miles has always been a deep thinker, but I think Carson is a deep feeler. He randomly tells us all the time that he loves our house. He often tells us thank you for dinner and how good it is. He talks about his grandparents, Granny, Pa, and Marmee, all the time and loves them fiercely, just as he does all of his family. He is ready to go to school everyday to see his teachers and friends. Even the way he loves his stuffed animals is loyal and kind. He has a love for life and lives his life in a big, expressive way. It's a joy to watch and I have no doubt that he was put in our little family to teach the rest of us a thing or two. Happy birthday, Carson Lynn!