Carson's Party

We celebrated Carson all.day.long. He woke up to a decorated door, which he has wanted since we decorated Miles' door for making the baseball team. 

He got to open his presents from us before daycare. I like to spread the presents out so he remembers who got him what. 

He took donuts to daycare for all of his friends and teachers. 

He got to spend some time with Granny & Pa...

...and Marmee before his friends arrived for his party.

Then it was finally time for his long awaited baseball & pool party. He got some bases for all of his baseball loving friends to play during the party. 

He chose pizza and popsicles to eat.

The popsicles were a big hit.

Swimming was second to baseball. They could have played baseball all night long. 

After everyone left he opened all his gifts and cards and loved it!

I think I may have met my match with someone who loves their birthday as much as I do. I think his big day lived up to all his expectations :)

Happy Birthday, Carson!

Carson is 7! I can't believe it. Time has passed so quickly since the smallest baby I had ever seen entered our world.

Carson lives BIG! Big emotions and big love for everything and everyone around him. We watched our city fireworks last week for 4th of July. Since it was lightening, we had to sit in the car which would have been a bummer to a lot of kids. The fireworks were only 10 minutes. In the middle of it, he sincerely said that it was the best day of his life. 

He's a popsicle eating fool!

Because he's always been around Miles' friends, he thinks he's twice his age. When I asked him if he was nervous about something recently he said, "I'm never nervous or shy" which is precisely Carson. He walks into any situation without inhibition. 

He drives Miles crazy (often intentionally) but he loves him so much. Miles was upset about something recently and Carson said, "I'm sad for Miles." 

As the baby of the family, he wants everyone to do everything for him! Miles is taking off his cleats in this picture. We are having to be a little harsh with him about doing things for himself, such as getting a snack, a drink of water, throwing something away, putting his dishes up, taking off his clothes, etc.

He loves music, which is in theme with everyone in our family. The other day he walked to my bedroom and asked the name of the Rob Zombie song that he likes :) He always wants us to "play music and show it" which means he wants to see Amazon music on our Apple Play in the car. 

He loves life. He loves his friends, family, activities, school, trips, staying home, church....everything. He never complains about having to go somewhere or if we have stuff to do around the house. He just goes with whatever we have planned and he doesn't have to know the plan.

He still loves his stuffed animals. We set a deadline of his 7th birthday that he can't take his stuffed animals in the car anymore unless he's going to daycare or on a road trip. I know that seems kind of harsh, but I'm not about my kids being attached to things :) He was starting to freak out when it wasn't where it was supposed to be or if he thought he forgot it. 

He's getting better about chores....slowly but surely. He has learned how to unload and load the dishwasher, empty the trash, clean his sink, and start his laundry. I think that's pretty good progress in the last year!

He loves me sweetly and gently.

Darrin is still his favorite person on the planet. He loves him wildly and aggressively. If there's a choice, he always wants to ride with Darrin, sit next to Darrin...just be with Darrin!

He wakes up between 6-7am and goes nonstop until bedtime between 8:30-9pm. As long as he's moving or engaged with something, he does not run out of energy. He seems to have an endless supply. But when it's bedtime, he will say he's tired and gladly go to sleep. He never takes a nap at home, but has been so happy to have naptime at daycare this summer. He's taken it very seriously, picking out just the right blanket and pillow to ensure he sleeps well. 

A few adjectives to describe Carson are passionate, funny, relentless, loving, outspoken, and bold. He's inconspicuously smart and observant. If you promise him something, you better deliver, because will never ever forgot or let you forget, for that matter. He's such a fun kid to be around. We can't wait to see where his larger than life personality and bold characteristics take him in life. Happy birthday, Carson!

Vacay with Granny & Pa

We went on a one night getaway with Darrin's parents to Kentucky last week. We dropped Granny & Pa at the AirBNB and went to the Louisville Slugger Museum & factory tour on the first day.

It was really interesting and there was a lot to learn for baseball lovers. 

Carson was not happy when we said no to a customized wood bat. 

Then he was all smiles when a little boy that had just come out of a tour gave him a mini bat because they had an extra. 

The factory keeps track of the current standings with mini baseball bats. 

The boys got to hold bats used by MLB players. 

Miles chose Acuna's bat. You weren't allowed to swing the bats and I'm pretty sure it took everything in Miles not to swing out of habit. 

The second day we drove to the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky. The size of the Ark was something to see. 

There was a lot to learn and read. We each were intrigued by different things along the way. I can't believe that there were almost 7,000 animals on the Ark.

We did a virtual reality ride that was a big hit with everyone.

At the end of the day, Carson got to ride a camel. He had to wait in line almost 45 minutes and never complained. He's come a long way!

He loved it and smiled the whole time. As soon as he got off, he practically ran to me and told me that he had to wash his hands because the camel smelled like "camel poop". I caught a whiff and he did indeed smell like camel poop.

We had a great time with Granny & Pa. We played cards, laughed, and ate snacks on our quick getaway. I'll leave you with this little gem.