Pre-K is A-OK

Fall is almost upon us, and the summer flew by! Carson's weekly trips to or from Charlotte are behind him, and he's enjoying the 'new house' and our 'pet' frog (he calls him Eric) in Cary. Little C made it to the beach a few times this summer, is learning to swim solo (with a noodle) and started preschool!!! His teachers say he's very systematic and likes to help other children. Carsy loves to race the Minions on the ipad, watch Paw Patrol and play board games like Slips& Ladders. He also went to a Wolfpack game, takes trips to the library and 'old mcdonalds' (for ice cream), and started tennis and soccer classes! Buddy stopped taking naps earlier this year and he makes it clear that we should 'not take the highway' because it makes him sleepy :-) . He also likes to turn our instructions around on us, and will say things like 'there's no racing when we're eating daddy'. Funny boy. The camera is ready for your next feat little stinkinator.

Just FOUR Fun

Before Carson's 4th!!!! Birthday on May 27, he traveled to old Montreal and met up with his cousins Teddy, Julian, Austin and... of course, his buddy ALEX! Anticipating our plane's departure from NC, he said "are we gonna blast off now?" Little C starred on a t-ball team this year, even hitting line-drives when they pitched to him. He also had a ball at the Emerald Pointe waterpark this summer and digging big holes and riding the waves at the beach! He routinely orders his own food at restaurants and has full conversations on the phone. Carsy still loves hockey (can you blame him?) and is excited to start preschool this fall. Slow down buddy, you're growing up too fast!

Show me the money

Hi buddy, it's daddy...I miss you and I saw your picture at the 'Canes game! I think Skinner scored the winning goal because he saw your sign! Way to go! I hope you have fun at t-ball practice on Saturday and can't wait to see you on Wednesday. Let's play hockey, you can be the goalie for the Blue Jackets and I'll be the Blues. Did you see the full moon last night? I saw it in the sky right above your favorite tall building. The zoo was fun last week, I'm glad the ostrich didn't peck our hands...and you made me laugh at Duke when you said 'can you just lean me back?' to the doctor. Also, at Monkey Joe's when I said I had no coins left for the games and you said 'show me the money daddy'. I will say hi to BunBun and LuLu for you...oh, and Eric and Monica too :-) Love you buddy. Watch out for pirates, Arrrggh!

Carson Gardner 53

It's 2013 and Carson picked up where he left off in 2012, full of energy and very active! In less than 2 months, he has visited friends, attended a birthday party, played in the snow, rode his bike, been to 'Canes hockey games, played organized soccer, visited a dinosaur exhibit, played tennis... and more!!! He also enjoys pretending to have phone conversations and has affectionately dubbed himself 'Carson Gardner 53' (after Jeff Skinner). He talks about re-uniting with Eric and Monica constantly, and Carson is becoming very well-spoken, especially when talking about his first love, hockey: "Popcorn has nuts in it, at the bottom...I like cotton candy and hot dogs, we'll eat them tomorrow...I don't need water though, I have my water with the deer on it." He also regulary sings the 'Good Old Hockey Game' song, while playing or at dinner or whenever! He's very inquisitive and can't be fooled anymore! This little 3 year old will soon be 4, so let the fun begin! New/favorite phrases include: I changed my mind, do magic..abra-ca-dabra, and let's do puppets!

I love you guys

Carson has accomplished alot in the last two months! He welcomed Eric and Monica with open arms and one question: "Do you wanna play cars with me?" He's also excelling at soccer and enjoyed meeting Santa a few times already since Thanksgiving. Carsy is really showing us his artistic side, painting and coloring and sculpting playdoh. His can-do attitude is evident, and he's always eager to play with other little ones his age. He continues to be funny, saying things out-of-the-blue like "This is a nice place to live" and "I love you guys". We love you too buddy. He's smart too, when I told him he could get his haircut near the pet store, he said "I'm not a dog, I'm a boy." He was thrilled to make a gingerbread house, and posed like a model for his christmas pictures. He knows the Elf is watching his good behavior before Santa comes!

Little Kicker

Little buddy can't wait for Halloween because he's going to be "a pumpkin and jake the pirate"!!! Well...as of right now he's all set to be just a pirate, and maybe carve a pumpkin or two :-). Carsy started soccer class this month and (no joke) he is by far the best kicker on the field!! He even lifts the ball and does one-timers with the coach. #4 is going places! C also loved playing tennis, watching the Panthers and strolling through a cotton field! He also began preschool part-time and brought home some impressive artwork last week. He continues to make us laugh, whether its showing his ear-to-ear grins or having little conversations with himself or others. His sassy "Oh Yeah"s and ending his sentences with"...or something" make us crack up. He often corrects us if we make a mistake, like Grandpa called the horse they saw a few days earlier Jack Rabbit, but Carson was sure to tell him "No wapa, his name was Cracker Jack". But likely the funniest moment of the month was after he went potty during the night, seeing his entire pj outfit on inside-out when I woke him up in the morning. He's quite a character and the upcoming weeks/months should be alot of fun, with Eric/Monica coming to visit and Thanksgiving and Christmas!

You're the Boss

Little Carson Gardner is having quite a summer...including trips to the beach, museum and boating on the lake. He met his cousin Carolyn when she stepped off the Megabus. He's a character and says 'bless you' when someone sneezes and 'you're the boss' when we ask him to do something. Carsy quotes from this past month include "You spilled cereal...you have to be more careful nana"..."That's the coffe store, coffee lives there"..."My hands are very tall I can reach the plane"..."I want Fresh Beat Band, that's all!" He pretended that Mickey in his carseat said: "buckle me up Carson Gardner". The doctor said Carsy is growing well and knew all his shapes on the vision chart, except for the American Flag! But he has since learned it. Little C ran wild at the beach chasing seagulls all day! He was happy at a photoshoot and still loves puzzles! love you C