Go West!

We just got back from Orlando where Carson spent the last few days of his trackout exploring Disney, Universal and Volcano Bay! While at the Cabana Bay hotel, Carson got a kick out of seeing a family of ducks in the lazy river (lol) and playing ping-pong in the sand nearby. We had a chance to meetup with cousins Deb,Ryan,Alex,Austin for dinner at the Rainforest cafe, where the kiddos giggled and got along really well. Harry Potter land at Universal was one of Carson's favorite areas (and he was Harry for Halloween too), and he repeatedly found places where his wand would animate an object. He also told everyone that 'dad's least favorite ride was the Simpsons because it gave him a headache'. But we managed to ride ~9 different attractions, in what turned out to be a full and fun day. The Magic Kingdom was crowded, but still memorable, and finally C enjoyed the water and sunshine at Volcano Bay, equipped with his 'tapu-tapu' wristpass. Throughout the trip, he was patient in line, studying the park maps and making me laugh. Prior to the trip, we attended a Canes game (thanks Grandpa) where he caught a puck! This fall was also marked by the birth of new cousin !West! and judging by his size, he will be a power forward in the NHL. Carson is excited to see Lil and West at the holidays, and has planned to take Lilia skating at our new neighborhood outside rink. Meanwhile, it's back to school now along with his ongoing roller hockey season. Hoping you will score another one top shelf tonight buddy!

Back on Track

It’s back to school on Monday for this 8 year old, after a fun summer trackout period, following the start of third grade. The festivities kicked off with a trip to the NC mountains, where we hiked to the peak of Mt. Mitchell, glided down the French Broad river in inner tubes, and conquered the Tropical Gardens mini golf! Next it was off to Orlando to explore Harry Potter world at Universal, explore Volcano Bay water park and play in the hotel’s lazy river! After the roller coasters whipped us around, Carson kept asking me ‘D, how is your headache, from 1 to 10?’ Back in NC, Carsy visited Wrightsville beach with his nanny and grandpa, where they fought the waves, and devoured ice cream and pasta - even though the noodles had little green bits in them :) . Carson is keen on playing baseball these last few weeks, and nearly took my head off with a few line drives. He just finished his first season of 10U hockey, and the coaches noticed how fast he is, even against bigger kids. Car rides to my hockey games (where C is my #1 fan) usually involve listening to Ed Sheeran’s castle-on-the-hill song over and over, or laughing hysterically to the Motoki Maxted xmas video. Thanks for being a great sidekick C.

Need to Read

Carson just turned 8! And celebrated at Pump It Up again this year, with his friends Evan, Alex, Lohitha and classmates too. One of his favorite gifts was Lego Star Wars for Xbox, and he’s always excited to reach new chapters of the game. He has really grown fond of reading, especially Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Often he will just read quietly on long car rides without a peep. He’s finished 8 books of 200+ pages in less than 2 months. Carsy also took an interest in acting this spring, playing the role of the March Hare in Alice in Wonderland. He spoke clearly and knew all his lines and the final performance was a success! Now he keeps asking me when Nickelodeon producers are coming to NC for tryouts! (He was inspired by shows like Henry Danger and The Thundermans). C also enjoyed some fun experiences since my last post, like touching the Stanley Cup, holding a baby gator in Myrtle Beach with nanny and grandpa, riding the waves at Great Wolf Lodge, and catching minnows at Wrightsville Beach on Memorial day. Thanks for the great iDad father’s day card buddy!

8U Mathlete

Christmas was one of a kind this year, as a real quantity of snow hit the Triangle, forcing cousin Lilia and fam to extend their visit. The kids loved sledding down the golf fairway and diving into the bunker on hole #14. There was also some top notch touch football action that took place once the sleds were stored. The new year of 2017 kicked off with a couple of trips for mr.carson, first traveling to Disney-Orlando where he rode Thunder Mountain, and got soaked from head to toe on a raft ride at Universal. Next, carsy was off to Myrtle for a winter beach excursion including loads of mini golf with nanny+grandpa. Around mid-February, he finished up his 8U roller hockey season with a slick wrap around lifter over the goalie, only to begin a new 8U soccer season as a member of the Green Beans. So far in two games he has 7 goals, and his new coaches love him. Lil buddy is engrossed in the Pokemon series (both cards and the show), and trades his cards at school with Geo and even with his buddies Evan/Alex. C is excelling in math in second grade, including 3-digit addition and subtraction. Approaching his eighth birthday, my boy has lost 5 teeth altogether. As you are growing up so fast buddy, I wanted to share a few words of advice that I came up with a while ago. Maybe some of them will help you one day.