Seeing RED

It has been 80 days since my last post so you can imagine that a few events took place. Halloween came and went, and soccer season wrapped up. Carson set the tone on his U8 team by being tenacious on the ball, having a nose for the net and he really developed his passing this season, to go along with his scoring. I really enjoy watching him play, it's a special feeling because he's really good. On October 31, Carson (aka Red the angry bird) made out quite well, filling his bucket to the brim after only 20 houses or so. He was a bit reluctant at first to walk up to the doors and ring the bell, especially for those homes with dogs. But that quickly changed when he saw how much candy he was acquiring at each place. We ran into a crowd which included his friend Lohitha on our street (she was dressed like a fairy) and the kids had a few laughs at each other's attire. 'Drop your nuts and move your butts,' said Red. Earlier in the fall, Carson had a three week trackout that gave us time to 1) visit a pumpkin patch and corn maze near us, and 2) take a road trip to Atlanta! At Green Acres farm, Carson tried a bungee trampoline for the first time and soared above my head like an angry bird. In Atlanta, we went to a Falcons game on the subway (well half a game, he was tired after a footlong hot dog and two quarters of football :). We caught the rest of the game at a pizza bar near the hotel where he got to form his own dough and bake it. We also visited LEGOLAND! C was intrigued by the people-sized characters made only of small legos and the 4D movie was fun because the theater sprayed water and soap suds at us. On the way home, we stopped in Greenville for a break at the waterfall, and then Charlotte for the Great Wolf Lodge waterpark. His favorite part of GWL was a giant bucket of water atop a sliding structure that would dump loads of water every five minutes. He got to play in a wave pool there for hours too. He also had several laughs when I pretended his Matt Ryan doll was driving our car. C is currently at the beach for a night with Nanny/Gpa before he starts school again Monday. Happy movember to all!

La Playa

It’s back to school, and work (Kelsey too!), after a fun family beach week planned by Nanny/Grandpa at Topsail, where Carson roamed the sand and fought the waves with his sweet cousin Lilia. The little ones were pretty much inseparable, playing board games, mini golf, laughing together and building sand sculptures. We visited a sea turtle hospital where the kids got to explore the rehab clinic/pools for injured turtles including a few massive loggerhead turtles. Carson learned some Spanish words from his cousin, and even copied his cousin when she went in for a nap/rest. Little C told me ‘dad, I’m proud of you for buying the Close song by Nick Jonas’ on our ride to the beach. He also loved listening to my iPod, including songs Me Too by Meghan Trainor and Toothbrush by DNCE over and over again. We are all excited for fall and cooler weather in Cary, but it has been a fun summer, including a trip to the Virginia coast (Chincoteague) where we camped, and kayaked near the ocean to see the wild horses with cute Lane and family. Carsy also likes to play at the park with his schoolmate Lohitha and her brother Revant. The kids have a blast during the week, after homework of course. All we can say after a fun few months is, closer to the next vacation!

Pump It Up

Happy 7th Birthday to my boy! Wow, does time ever fly by, I’ve been updating this blog for 5 years now. Carson is now about finish 1st grade and move ahead to grade 2! He's been working hard on his homework, with Nanny especially. We are all looking forward to his graduation ice cream party, having just enjoyed his birthday party at the Pump It Up bounce house a few weeks ago. North Carolina is heating up as summer approaches and Carsy has begun enjoying our neighborhood pool, ice skating at dad’s rink and even the Cinebowl arcade, where he recently spun the ‘big wheel’ and won 1000 tickets on his first try. Carson and I spent one Saturday morning roller blading from our place (Cary) to Durham, and ended up traveling 6 miles in 1.5 hours. Kelsey was generous to give us a ride back :) . C has also taken an interest in my hockey games, he begs me to take him and let him in the dressing room with the big guys; we have considered letting him suit up when we are short players ;) . It’s been a fun couple of months, and he is still playing extremely well for his roller hockey team, paired up with friends Evan, Alex and Lincoln, they can’t be stopped! It’s really a blast to watch and he makes his dad proud. He has joined a soccer team for the fall also. And he continues to make me laugh, including the other day when he compared my pseudo-beard to "Philip’s from the Guess Who board game". Let's buy the Angry Birds movie buddy, so I can watch it with you ‘forever’, as you suggested.

Sing

Less than a month from his 7th birthday, Carson is currently enjoying his second trackout vacation of the year. He recently traveled to Wrightsville with Nanny and Grandpa for some relaxation time at the beach, where he ran miles playing mini-golf, football and feasted on some Boombalatti’s ice cream. The following week, Carsy flew to Portland with us to see cousin Lilia, Uncle Eric and Auntie Monica. He loved staying in their house and chasing BunBun the rabbit, and Lil and C got to spend some real quality time together at home, at the park, beach and even in the tub! And little-C cheered on the Timbers and you could tell he was really into the soccer game. Closer to home, C was invited to play on the Speed roller hockey tournament team and he has also taken an interest in singing, performing tunes like Ed Sheeran’s Sing and DJ Snake’s Middle. He rediscovered Thomas the Train too and talks a lot about his classmates Isabella, Geo and Ty. This past month he presented his homemade zoo to parents in his class, and was proud to explain how turtles live. It’s hard to believe you’re almost 7 buddy!

Sweet Baboo

It’s a new year, 2016! And Carson is keeping busy with school, sports and a few mini-vacations too! This past week, Carson’s hockey team continued on their winning streak, thanks to his 3 goals (against a real goalie) in which he scored from a long distance shot, a semi-breakaway and a hard-nosed tap in on the goal line. A few weeks before that, little C suited up with all the gear and played goalie, allowing only 2 goals in two games, which they won! He’s tough to beat. On his first trackout of the new year, he traveled to Myrtle Beach with nanny and grandpa, where he played football on the beach, swam in the indoor pool and got 4 hole-in-one’s at mini golf! After that, Kelsey, dad and C visited Charleston for a visit to the aquarium (where he fed a sting ray) as well as exploring this historic city by carriage ride. Despite the cool weather, we found time to play on a small patch of sand at the hotel where Carson is quoted as saying ‘Eating pringles on the beach, I can’t wait!’ Closer to home, little dude has discovered the art of drawing stick figure puppets, including the likes of the Peanuts characters and Peppa pig. He’s seen the Peanuts movie countless times, and always cracks up at Sally’s line to Linus, ‘where’s my sweet baboo?’ He also attended a Carolina Tar Heels basketball win, and his sister’s birthday party this February. Carson will be 7 in two months! Holy cow

Feliz Navidad

Booyaa! is Carson’s new favorite expression for celebrating goals, gifts and really just anything fun. Near the end of fall, cute Lane and family visited before our trip to Beaufort to see the lighthouse and wild horses. Carson spent his thanksgiving at Disney, and welcomed his sweet cousin Lilia at Christmas! If only they had mas time together! C also fit in golf with grandpa at the par-3 course. After a warm holiday session in Cary, Carsy flew to New Mexico with us to visit the Walkers! There he enjoyed true winter weather, and especially loved sledding down the mountain and meeting Kelsey’s nana and tata. In school, little C went on a field trip to a museum in Raleigh, and also presented a rememberance day project to his class. Buddy is excited to get back on skates this Thursday for another season of roller hockey, and is already looking forward to his next trackout break at the end of this month. Keep smiling mr. hockey pants! Happy new year to everyone.