Happy 4th Birthday Carson James!!!

You are such a sweetheart, my dear boy! You are a charmer and have most people you know at your beck and call. You already have a way with the ladies, especially little miss Alexa, who you talk about marrying someday nearly every day. You are highly independent, and have always asserted your opinion to anything we tell you with a "no, no, no, no, no....(enter the truth of the matter here). You are funny! Knock Knock jokes are all the rage for you right now, and you are always telling us one thing or another followed by "isn't that SO FUNNY!". You are super creative and love to do any type of craft. You LOVE to help with any project. I think you have a need to be needed, which is something your Daddy and I will need to remember. You especially love to help cook and help daddy with any project around the house or yard. You still have a crazy imagination. Daisy isn't popping up quite as often lately, but she still comes around when you need to blame someone for something...she and Caden tend to get the brunt of that. I still frequently catch you talking to any number of imaginary friends though when you're playing. You are always coming up with a new game to play or story line to act out while you are playing. You are REALLY into sports. I thought you were a fan before, but everything is about competition and one sport or another lately. Yesterday you kept finding dandelions to blow and with each one, you wished that you could play lacrosse with Tina. :) You adore him. You are so quick to offer praise to anyone for anything. You are constantly telling me "great job, Mom!," even for something as simple as changing someone's diaper. You are also pretty mischievous. We're currently trying to teach you that being deceitful is the same as lying, and you are truly having trouble understanding why they are the same. I think you are a bit of a passive aggressive. You tend to think that if you audibly comply and then do what you originally planned anyway, then all will be okay...your Daddy and I are hoping you learn this lesson quickly and easily. :) You are also still pretty laid back. As long as you know the plan, you are pretty much okay with anything. You have suddenly become quite the fashion guru. You are changing your outfit every time I turn around, and the new outfit is always sports related. When I ask you why you changed, you are always telling me this is your soccer (lacrosse, hockey, racing, basketball, etc.) outfit. You also LOVE costumes! If any outfit could possibly look like a hero or an animal or one job or another, you are all about it. You and Caden are the best of friends and the worst of friends. You love to play with him, and then you love to fight with him, and then the very next minute I hear, "Come on, Caden!" You are so good with Carter and other babies. I'm constantly amazed at how you use a soft sweet voice around babies and how gentle you are with them. You also LOVE to run with the big guys. Secretly, I think you believe you are truly a teenager. You are the sweetest boy, Carson James, and I am so proud to be your Mommy!

For you birthday yesterday, we had lunch with your Daddy and brothers at Chik-fil-a before going out for an impromptu photo shoot. Then you played while your brothers napped...I'm afraid your naps are few and far between lately, but you are really good about playing quietly. Preschool starts this fall for you, so I suppose it's okay that you are growing out of your naps. You definitely still need your down time though. Then we had some of our Uturn students over for our weekly planning meeting, and several of them brought you gifts for your birthday! They adore you! I made meatball subs for dinner and cake for dessert. You, in your true form, assured me that you had a "really good birthday." We're having a soccer themed birthday for you this weekend with friends and family, and you are so excited.

Okay, get ready for picture overload... Here are some of my faves from our photo shoot today. I also took pictures of Caden, because I hadn't taken his 2 year old pictures yet. This crazy Momma even attempted to get a picture of all three boys together...I was by myself and trying to get everyone's attention at once without letting Carter fall in the creek water (I found the coolest location under a street bridge), so that was a total joke... Oh, and Caden was much more cooperative than Carson was about having his picture taken, so there are several more of him...you'll see... :)

These first ones were all taken behind a feed store in Castle Rock.














Then we drove around for a bit and I found this gorgeous spot under a bridge. There is even a walkway along the side for easy access. I have to say though, that this part was short lived and a bit stressful. 3 little guys, a cold creek, and one Mommy with a camera is not such an easy combination. :)