Carson--3 years, 4 months

I haven't done my monthly updates on Carson lately.  And even though he is 3, each month he changes so much.  He is talking a ton, but the things that he is saying are always different.  Travis and I feel like he goes through growth spurts, both physically and mentally.  One weekend, all of the sudden, he will know and talk about like 10 new things.  We are always amazed.  Carson is constantly surprising us.  Like yesterday when he was outside waiting for the bus, sitting on his bike.  I asked him if he wanted me to take a picture of him and he said yes!  I went and got my camera and he smiled for me.  He is usually moving around or wants to touch the lens on the camera or see himself or he just stares at it and doesn't smile.  Travis said, maybe my dreams are coming true and I will have a kid that will pose and I can take pictures of him--I wouldn't get that carried away, it was only one time!

Or like last night when the kids were playing outside at the mall playground and I asked Carson if he wanted to go get some new sunglasses.  And he jumped up and down and ran towards the store and yelled, "I want green!"  And then he did everything-went and found the sunglasses, picked out green ones, (we told him he looked awesome) and then put them on the counter to buy them.  We also got Porter the same pair so there wouldn't be any fighting.  He was so cute and so excited.  Then he wore them the rest of the night, even though it was dark outside.

Yesterday, we went out to eat to Grimaldi's Pizza for Porter's FREE birthday pizza.  We got the boys water and Carson wanted lemonade.  So he waited until the waitress came by and said "Excuse me, I want lemonade please."  Except she didnt' hear him and when she asked him what he wanted, he got really shy and turned around so she couldn't see his face and whispered, "lemonade."

Days like yesterday are so redeeming when you go through days and weeks of tantrums and kicking! 

Carson is very opinionated about what he wants to wear.  Of course, he likes all of his shirts that were from last year and are too small, he likes whatever Porter is wearing and he likes stripes.  He always wants to wear his "blue pants" which are jeans.  Hopefully, that goes away before summer gets here. He also has 3 sets of footie pj's that he wants to rotate.  One of them is way too small, but he ALWAYS wants to wear them.  He never wants to change clothes in the morning.  It is slightly obnoxious.  Plus, I feel like I am always doing laundry (I would feel like that anyway, once a week is too often)  because he wants to wear the same pajamas everynight.  The ones in this picture, he calls his Christmas pajamas. (He did get them for Christmas)

Carson has a wonderful imagination and is making things up all the time.  His newest "thing" is his bus. 

This picture was taken last week when he started doing this and he has already added a lot more things to it.  The Dr. Suess books are the bus doors.  He has the sound effects to go with them.  The puzzle is the steering wheel, and the chair is the bus driver's chair.  The stairs go behind him and that is the bus.  That is where he makes us sit.  He buckles me in (using my arms) after opening the doors for me.  Now he also has a bag (it is one of mine that he puts a notebook in) that he leans up on the wall.  He has one of our old cell phones that is a play phone now, that is his walkie talkie or whatever.  He also puts his drum in there and takes out the tambourine to be the school bell.  He asks us all day long to "come on the bus?"  He is so funny.

He loves preschool and comes home talking about all of the kids at school and on the bus.  He tells me about his teachers too.  Sometimes it is a little bit of a fight to get him ready for school and he will say he doesn't want to go.  But he always wants to go wait for the bus and go.  I think he just doesn't want to get ready.  But I am not letting him go in his one-piece pj's!

His favorite books right now are The Itsy Bitsy Spider, which I have to sing to him, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.  Both gifts from my friend, Ashley.  And of course, since those are his books of choice, they are also Porter's. 

He is growing and learning and we love him so much.  There are definitely some days that are harder than others.  Some days he seems to understand what we are asking and expect from him, and some days I just don't think he gets it.  Also, some days I think he really wants to push my buttons.  He sure knows how.

  Last week, Carson and Porter were fighting over a toy.  So I told Porter he could have it and I would set the timer, when the timer went off, it was Carson's turn.  So Carson said "Beeeeeep! Oh, there's the timer, Porter.  It's mine turn."  He always says "mine" instead of "my."  He did the same thing a couple of days later.  We were going to go outside and play, but I told them they had to wait for Hudson to get up so we could all go.  Carson said, "Waaaah.  I think I hear Hudson.  It's time to go outside, Mommy."  What a little stinker.  But I love that.  I love to see that little mind working like that, it is so awesome. 

 Travis is an awesome dad and I think Carson is so lucky to have him, as am I.  I am grateful for Carson and the love and happiness that he has brought into our family and my life.