Moments

There are these moments in parents' lives that you either are lucky to see or they pass you by in a blink of an eye.  Luckily, I was able to catch one of the, to me, precious moments.

Carson was in the bathroom, I told him to wash his hands.  It was then that I walked into the bathroom and noticed he was standing at the sink washing his hands, without his steps.  The steps that he has used since he was 1 to reach everything that was just beyond grasp.  That was definately a moment for me to see, my big boy standing at the sink washing his hands without any assistance.  They can be passed so quickly and never noticed, but I am so glad I noticed.

2 year old feet ^

Let's slow it down

Geoff and I work, everyday.  1 day a week, I leave work early and spend the afternoon with Carson.  It's never enough.  Our weekends are always consumed with something to do.  Either running errands, going to a birthday party (which we put a big HALT on) or lately, house hunting. This weekend, we talked to Carson and said, we'll do whatever you want to do.  And he made sure we weren't house hunting this weekend. ha! We even cooked the foods that he wanted.  It was Carson's weekend and it was wonderful.  We started the weekend off by going outside Friday night and played catch with Daddy.  It was so comical.  Carson called Diesel the fetcher because everytime he missed the ball, Diesel was right there running after it.  That night we had chinese food for dinner and watched Transformers: Age of Extinction.  Carson's choice.

The next day, we woke up and had waffles for breakfast at the king's request.  Then we went to Publix, picked up sandwiches and went to the park to have a picnic and bike ride.  Seriously, if we didn't ever slow down, we would never do these things.

We rode our bikes on the levee in search for wildlife.  We had our eyes peeled for snakes, alligators, turtles.  At the end of our ride, we saw what was an alligator and it went back under.  The weather was perfect and again, unless we slowed down, we would never do this. 

Our last day of the weekend.  So sad that it went by so fast.  Carson asked to go to Toys R Us, we should have seen that coming, he's quick to catch on to Carson's weekend.  Well he had a gift card to use so we told him we would go and he could use his gift card that he got for his birthday.  Afterwards, we asked him what he wanted for dinner and he wanted a BBQ, hamburgers and corn on the cob.  That is exactly what we had.  Geoff cooked the most delicious turkey burgers and we had macaroni and cheese and of course, corn on the cob.  I went to set up the table inside and Carson said, "No, we can't eat inside.  It's a BBQ.  We have to eat outside".  And that is exactly what we did. 

I feel like we need to thank him for this weekend.  One day you will read this Carson, so thank you.  Thank you for the most wonderful weekend, just me, you and Daddy and our dogs.  You are simply the best.  Thank you for slowing us down.  There is nothing that can't wait and there is nothing more important than you and our time together.  I love you.

5 is a BIG DEAL

43.5 inches

35.5 lbs

1. Favorite color: Black
2. Favorite food: Pizza
3. Favorite show: Wild Kratts
4. Favorite movie: Rise of the Guardians
5. Whose the coolest: everybody
6. Favorite thing in school: Science
7. Best skill: Arts and Crafts
8. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Disney World and The Ocean
9. Favorite song? Club Can't Handle Me Right Now, by FloRida
10. Favorite book: If you give a moose a muffin
11. Favorite season: Winter
12. Favorite snack: Cheez its
13. Friends: Will, Tyson, Lincoln, Shane, Sophia and Kailyn
14. 1 Food I dislike: salad
15. My one wish: to have a king snake
16. Favorite store: Publix
17. Favorite thing to do with Mommy: Bake cookies and play Candy Land
18. Favorite thing to do with Daddy: help feed the fish tank and help do stuff
19. Favorite animal: shark and a tiger
20. When I grow up I want to be a: a doctor that helps animals feel better.

Is it so? Is he really 5? Not sure when it happened, sort of blinked and there it was.  To celebrate the BIG F-I-V-E, we started with dinner at his favorite restaurant, La Bamba's, followed by his preschool party and then the big trip to Disney World.  Traveling with us was my mom and Joey.  We went to Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween, Animal Kingdom and Epcot while we were there.  We also stayed at Fort Wilderness which was a huge hit with all of us.  We really really liked it there and can't wait to go back. 

So, Carson's last night as a 4 year old and I got all emotional and posted this on my FB.

Tonight, I put to bed my 4 year old son for the last time. Tomorrow he will wake up to a brand new year, a whole year of being 5.
We enjoy every single moment with him. Every ounce of love he has to give. All his laughters, his stories, even his whines and cries.
He asks for a brother AND a sister often, and I thought we'd be a family of 4 by the time he was 5. Everyone asks. Everything happen...s when it's supposed to and as I tell Carson, God will give us a baby when he thinks we are ready. He even asks in his prayers. 

 

But then there are times I think, maybe this is it, maybe 3 is what we are supposed to be. Everything that God could give us in 2, he wrapped up for us in 1. Our perfect dream come true. Our Carson
Sleep with the angels, sweet boy.

Can't wait to see what you offer us and the world at 5 years old.

 

 

So I pretty much think that sums it up.  He isn't a baby anymore and he isn't a toddler, he is a kid.  A full fledged kid. Holy moly. We talk, we have conversations. He loves going to school. He loves his family and he loves his dogs.

 

So 5, yes he is 5 and he is so much fun!

First day of PK4 and Last year of Preschool

When Carson grows up, he wants to be a: TOY FIXER

First day of PK4, otherwise known as VPK and last year of preschool.  I remember walking the halls with Geoff during our tour and walking by the big kid classroom.  I said, can you believe that Carson is going to be in there one day.  And now, here we are, within a blink of an eye. 

We are 2 ½ weeks in and not once has he cried.  Totally out of the norm for him, he usually gets teary eyed at least 1 day out of the week when I drop him off.  He loves going to school, loves his teacher and his classmates.  A great way to end his preschool years.

This year, the curriculum includes science, gardening and cooking.  Right up Carson’s alley, things he really truly enjoys.

He goes to school 5 days a week now which has taken some getting used to, for all of us.  We have our morning routine and nighttime routine and we are all trying to adhere to it to make things smoother.

Carson’s teacher and teacher assistant are very nice. We are really looking forward to a wonderful year. 

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go.



Promotion: Yellow Stripe

We went to his stripe test, like any other day, expecting Carson to get his 4th stripe.  Little did we know, Carson was graduating from 3 stripes to a new belt, a yellow striped belt.  Which in the MMA world, more responsibility and more focus and determination is expected.

We had no idea Carson was graduating and Carson didn't know either.  When Sensei called his name, Geoff and I had to pick our jaws up off the floor. Carson walked up so proudly.

In Carson's world, graduating to a yellow stripe means standing with a new group of kids, closer to the front.

He worked hard, he push through the days he didn't want to go, he pushed through the tears when he wanted to sit with Mommy and watch the other kids.  Very proud, its not just a new belt, its the sign of accomplishment.  It shows what you can achieve with determination and drive.

Keep working kid, you've got this in the bag :)