SHOUT HOO-RAY!

Carter had a birthday! He turned 7....SEVEN! I remember being pregnant with him and trying to imagine all the ages he would go through and thinking 7 was so far down the road. Then I remember hauling him around in a car seat and wondering what it would be like to have a little boy that could sit in front on the shopping cart while we got groceries. Now he can barely fit in the back of the cart. I hate that time moves so quickly! He growing up before I can do all the things I wanted to do for him in his childhood. I don't like that we are not near any family. I don't like that he is growing up without a steady presence of grandparents and cousins. I thought for sure we would be back "home" by now...but that is life right? Despite my wishes and regrets he is a happy, thriving, albeit spoiled rotten child.

This pic cracks me up. These are awesome goggles at the zoo that let you see what is behind you! I wanted him to pick these as his gift but alas, he chose something else. 

Carter is a complex soul. He is sweet and sensitive but also stubborn and can be a bully. He definitely pushes the limits to see how far he can go before I put a stop to it. He often has compassion for those around him but when the mood strikes he might just take you down as well. He leaves me baffled sometimes. Carter is a "go with the crowd" kind of kid. He will do what he thinks the other kids want him to do...and that scares me for the teenage years. Josh and I are constantly talking to him about choosing the right and being the one to stand up for what is good even when no one else is. Maybe that will sink in one day....please let that sink in one day. He still often blames others for his actions and moods but we are teaching him to take responsibility for himself and leave others out of it.

This is what he picked at the zoo...a big snake and sword.

We love going to zoo and get a yearly pass every year. 

 Although trying to be more independent he is still very much attached to him momma and daddy. He still holds my hand in public and snuggles with us whenever he gets the chance. He and Josh are especially cuddle buddies in the morning. They are both morning people...I am not...so Josh gets to be the recipient of those snuggles. He likes to wrestle and be rough with Josh and he is soft and sweet to me, giving me back pats and special hugs.

Carter is very funny, especially to kids his age. I might just roll my eyes at something he says but it will have other kids rolling on the ground. He takes after his daddy! I often look at Josh and say, "See what you've done!" after Carter has done or said something that obviously came from Josh and not from myself.

Right now Carter loves to play board games of any kind and is still learning to be a good sport when someone else wins;) But he is always up for game if someone else is. He also loves to create and experiment. He has gotten several science and experiment kits as gifts and he loves to get those out and play with them. A good arts and craft project is right up his alley too. Every once in a while he will enjoy playing a game on the Wii or his 3DS and fortunately it is not something I have to restrict or put a time limit on because he will only use them every so often. But by far his favorite thing to do is be outside ALL DAY with the neighbor kids...even in 90 degree weather. I can barely open the door to call for him without dying from the heat...how do kids stay out in that all day? I have a love/hate relationship with the neighbor kids. I like that Carter is outside getting exercise and using imagination but I hate hearing about the drama that already exists in this little social group. There are between 4-7 kids usually playing together ranging from 5-8 years old...and man can they create some conflicts. Someone is always being mean to someone else and Carter is constantly no longer friends with one or two of the kids...until tomorrow when they are best friends again. Gosh kids, grow up already! ;)

Carter just finished up his summer season of baseball where he played 3rd base for all but a few innings when he was put as catcher. He definitely has some skill with the sport and if he gets some drive or passion for the game then he will be awesome. He likes it but has not yet decided if he loves it. I hope he does eventually because I love it. I love going to his games and watching and cheering! It is so much fun for me.

Team swim party and trophy ceremony

 This was right after their first and ONLY win of the season. They were sooo excited and so were the parents!

 Josh was an assistant coach again this year. He was the 3rd base coach and also stood out in right field to help guide the boys on what to do when the ball went out there. He said he did not enjoy coaching as much this year and might not do it again next year. He is so good and patient with the boys though and they love him. Carter is able to field the ball well and get outs at 3rd. He can also make decent throws from 3rd to 1st which is a big deal as a 3rd baseman. He totally surprised us all too when the coach put him behind the plate to catch. The original catcher was getting too hot and needed a break so he switched places with Carter. Carter got right back behind the plate and actually would catch or stop the pitches! Most of the catchers are put back there at this age because, well, they are not good enough players to go anywhere else. :( Sad. I know. So usually the pitches hit the back drop and roll around for a minute before the catcher gets them and finally throws it back to the pitcher. But not with Carter...he totally made my day. The proudest mom moment was when he caught a FOUL BALL!! I could not have had a bigger smile on my face as I was cheering for that out! It was the first for his age group, as nobody else has caught a foul yet! AWESOME! Next season the coach is going to let Carter switch back and forth between the 2 positions. Carter is also a decent hitter. He swings that bat hard...he usually grounds them out to left center. His only draw back is that he is not a fast runner. Carter is hearty and built like a football player so he needs to work on his speed.

 I never got a pic of them on the field together so I had to take this at Home Depot:) We got in trouble after for using their ladder.

They were the Pirates this year. 

 Carter on 1st getting ready to run to 2nd. You can see Josh clear over by 3rd coaching the runners.

On Deck...getting ready for his turn at bat!

He was #7 this year...every other year he has been #18...this year he didn't get to pick.

Playing 3rd base. Sorry for the bad cell phone pics. I have gotten out of the habit of taking my camera with me. 

I know this is long but I don't document nearly enough and need to fit it in while I am here!

Carter finished up 1st grade on May 22nd and will be moving to the 2nd grade...which takes him to a brand new school. Here in Hernando the school go like this Kindergarten and 1st in one school building, 2nd and 3rd at another building, 4th and 5th at another, 6th, 7th, and 8th at the middle school...and the rest at high school. I actually like how that is set-up but I could see how it might be a pain for parents with kids in all different buildings, but I like that they know everyone in town their age and there are no rivalries within town. Carter's first grade teacher was Ms. Welch and I thought she was fantastic. Carter loved her and never once had a complaint about her or her class. Carter is very bright and intelligent but does not care for school work at all. He does not push himself and does not have a desire to be the best in the class (totally opposite of his mother). He is content to just do the minimum he needs to do and be done with it. He did however take his roll as class clown very seriously and I had parents always telling me that their child would come home and tell them all the funny things Carter did or said. Grreeeaaat;) . Because of this he often got a strike or two and lost some privileges and also got 2 Bs on his report card when I know perfectly well he could gets As. Even still, he grew leaps and bounds. He is a proficient reader and is outstanding in comprehension and vocabulary. He has to study harder for spelling. If we did not drill his words at home he would get Fs on his test...if we had time to study and practice at home he would get As. I can't decide if this is because they did not practice them at school or he just didn't pay attention because at home it did not take long for him to pick up the words and spell them correctly. hmmm. He is also pretty average for math. He is great in some concepts but struggles in other areas. I think he takes a lot after me in these subject areas. He does not have a passion for reading and hates to read by himself. However, he loves to be read to and will let me read him every book in the house if I wanted to.

Carter loved making his new friend "Ghost Rider". That is one cool bear! Thank you Grandma Theresa!

So for Carter's 7th birthday we rented a room at BOUNZ and he got to invite as many friends as he wanted to come bounce, jump, and slide for 2 hours. He picked out an Angry Bird cake and that became the theme of his party. The party room at BOUNZ was just the right size and I thought I made it look pretty fun but I did not get a good picture of it. All of the kids got a bird mask and a little goody bag with some Angry Bird toys and candy. We served pizza and Carter's cake was actually made out of cupcakes so everyone got a cupcake. And can I just say that I was pleasantly surprised at Walmart's cupcakes...they were soooo good. I am not a huge fan of cupcakes and maybe it is because I am pregnant but I have been craving those cupcakes ever since. He had about 18 kids come to his party so it was a nice turnout. They spoiled him with a new arsenal of guns which have been a big hit with all the neighbor kids. His favorite gift was a GameStop gift card. He also got some cash and thought he was rich when I told him he got $30.00 and on top of that two little boys who could not come each got him a $20.00 Walmart gift card...so this kid has been in Heaven deciding how he wants to spend his money! He has chosen to save the cash but used his gift card to purchase Luigi's Mansion for his DS. Josh and I got him a Razor Sparks Scooter that he had been dreaming of for months. He has been riding it basically every day since, so it was a great purchase! Grandma Theresa sent him $50.00 which he decided to use at Build-A-Bear and made himself a super cool bear that he named Ghost Rider.

 This is the backside of Carter's best buddy Ethan. They have been friends since before they could talk. He got Carter the game Disney Headbands and an outdoor sticky paddle ball game. By the way...the Headband games are really easy set-up and clean up and can be as short as long as you want. We really like to play them. 

 Carter and Boogie (real name Gary but he has been Boogie for years. He is a neighbor friend)

 Carter and Dakota. They were in the same Kindergarten class and though they did not see each other as much this year they are happy when they get a chance to get together!

Miss Taylor...she got extremely bored with the present opening because it was all icky boy stuff;)

A sampling of the party guests. Dakota, Ethan, Brock, Boogie in front, Carter, Madison, Nathan, Seth, and Carson. 

The birthday boy and his cake!

I love this kid. He is mine and I adore him. I worry about him and pray for him and want him to be good. I want him to be happy and have friends. I want him to treat those friends good and help other people. I love his Faith in the Gospel and how he so easily knows that Heavenly Father and Jesus love him and will help him when he has a problem. He often reminds me of these simple truths if I am trying to make life too complicated. I love to hear his sweet prayers at night and he shows me what is in his heart. He often thanks Heavenly Father for his parents and that he has us to take care of him and is sorry for other kids who don't have a mommy and daddy. He is thankful for his stuff  and always asks a blessing on those who are sick or do not have all they need. He will often stop what he is doing to run over and give me a hug and a kiss. Just reminding me that he loves me and is glad I am there. The next 7 years will go by too fast no doubt. But I am excited to see what he will do and accomplish and I am thankful I get to be a part of the ride! I love you Carter Bug!

 At the Pink Palace Museum in Memphis

Riding a snail at the movie theater

Pirate Night on the Disney Cruise