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Let's be dangerous D

It snowed only once this winter early in December while Nanny & Gramps were away in New Zealand, and little C took advantage of the fresh snow in their backyard to build his own Stormy. Weeks later at Christmas, when they weren’t chasing butterflies and guiding sailboats at the Durham life and science museum, Carson and his cousin Lilia were singing the lyrics and dancing to ‘Zero’ by Imagine Dragons. Little West was taking laps around the staircase and taking turns on the keyboard piano. Carson and Lil got to see the Canes/Whalers play, and she watched Carsy win a hockey championship, in his first game back since surgery! Carsy also fit in a fun ski trip near Blowing Rock with n+g, and Great Wolf Lodge with dad, where he cheered on a Patriots superbowl! Other visitors at the hotel would call him ‘the goat’. Recently, Carson played in his first ever Raleigh Speed travel roller hockey 10U tournament in McDonough, Georgia! After the 7 hour drive listening to tunes like the Spiderman song ‘Elevate’ and ‘Shank Hill’ by Shovels & Rope, he managed 6 goals in 4 games including a breakaway goal in the semifinal game off a ‘bomber’ play, helping his team win 3rd place out of 8. His goals were top shelf snipes, and he looked really dangerous all tournament. That reminds me, he teases me when I tell him to buckle his seatbelt in the car, saying ‘no, let’s be dangerous D’. It was a great trip that gave him time to hangout and bond with his teammate buddies and play in the pool at the hotel. We also took advantage of the trip to visit Atlanta, saw the dolphin show at the aquarium and designed his own dough at Blue Moon Pizza. Back home in NC, Carson took part in a First in Fitness county-wide competition, and finished 4th in pull-ups (16) for his grade level! So proud to watch you compete buddy!

You're a Natural

It's been too long! Almost six months have flown by, starting off with Carson's 9th birthday at XL Sports, where he played floor hockey and busted a pinata with Nolan, Samantha, Evan and all of his buddies. Next it was time for his second ever roller hockey tournament, and this time his Dragons won the championship! Carson looked like a natural out there and won 'Top Goal Scorer' plus a gold medal to take home, and also played a game as goalie that ended in a 3-3 tie. Little buddy passed his EOG exams and finished up third grade no sweat! In the short break between grades, dad and C took a Carnival Cruise from Charleston to the Bahamas! According to Carson, it was like 'a whole new world' on the ship, and he would ask to see the nightly talent show in the Blue Sapphire lounge. C also enjoyed having our picture taken repeatedly by the on-ship photographers, and also ordering Arnold Palmers, and 'hot chocolate, hot, with whipped cream, hot, with chocolate' whenever dad got a coffee. The beaches on Princess Cays and Nassau were incredible, and Carson loved snorkeling and floating on a raft we rented. Before the summer was over, we managed to escape to Portland/Seaside,Oregon to see his cousins Lilia & West. The kids had a blast running miles on the sand and playing hide and seek at the condo. Back at home, Nolan joined Carson for a Bulls' game where spotted dancing the hype, floss and orange justice between plays. Carson also has increased his love for music, especially the Imagine Dragons variety like 'Natural', and looks forward to one day seeing the band live. Now 51 inches tall and 56 pounds this fall, Carson and dad fit in a trip to Universal Studios (E.T.!!!) and Volcano Bay, right before Halloween!, and surgery :( . Carson was 'Dash' of the Incredibles and laughed when one neighbor gave out pencils instead of candy. He's recovering like a pro, loves playing xbox NHL (put the biscuit in the basket!) and looking forward to getting back on his skates and seeing Lil/West at Christmas.

How Time Flies

Back at it after a long break, it's been a busy few months wrapping up winter and looking forward to the warmer months! Lilia and West joined cousin Carson at Christmas which included lots of play time and even a Canes game! In addition to watching hockey, Carson made his mark on the roller rink by tallying goals in all his games, including several hat tricks and an 8-goal performance in the local 2Hot4Ice tournament on the Dragons team. The game had to be called via mercy rule at 9-1. That performance made Grandpa exclaim 'holy s***'. Little buddy (steadily becoming a bigger buddy) is a shark around the net and always calls for the puck. Carson also made strides as a goalie, and gets excited about all the cool equipment too. His 2Hot4Ice team won a silver medal! During the one winter snowfall, buddy had fun building a huge snowman and snowboarding down our street. He also did great skiing with Nanny/Grandpa in the mountains! Aside from sports, Carsy has developed a love for the math game Prodigy, and found time to read several Roald Dahl books too. He is fast approaching his 9th birthday, and 4th grade...how time flies :)

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!