Carson

 Here are Carson's 12-year-old pictures!!  Carson just got braces a couple of weeks before he turned 12.  Carson is in 7th grade at Smith Jr. High.  He is an exceptional kiddo--and I am warning you that I am about to brag.  Carson is our little Einstein.  He taught himself to read when he was 3, and ever since then, we knew we  had one smart cookie on our  hands.  Carson loves math.  He started doing complex head math problems in kindergarten, and it is still one of his favorite things to do.  He has a mind for math much like his dad's.  It just clicks for him, and he excels in math.  He is the only 7th grader taking Algebra at his school, and he was the only student in his class to get 100% on his first test.  He gets good grades, he tries hard to do the right thing, and he is very kind-hearted.  Carson also has a great talent for piano playing.  He can pick up songs really easily.  He plays several hymns really well--and could play many more if would practice every now and then.  :)  Carson loves playing sports, and is pretty good at most sports that he tries.  Right now he's playing basketball, and he's got a pretty good shot.  Carson is 5'2" tall, and did I mention that he has a great sense of humor?  He is always making me laugh.  Carson is such a joy to me in so many ways, and I truly feel so very blessed to be his mother.  I am proud of him that he wanted to receive the priesthood, and he is so excited to be able to pass the sacrament and collect fast offerings now.  I love this kid so much!!!

 

Carson's Engineering Camp

Carson went to the Rube Goldbergineering camp at ASU Polytechnic campus the first week of June.  They built elaborate contraptions that were designed to accomplish a simple task.  Their main task for the week was to blow up a balloon & pop it.  Carson's group was the final group in the chain reaction that actually had to inflate & pop the balloon.  They built a contraption that was able to complete the task!  Unfortunately, when all the parents came to watch the final product, the balloon refused to pop, but it was still a very impressive contraption that all the campers collaborated on.  Carson really enjoyed the camp--he loves building things. 

Carson

Carson is 11, and he is growing like a weed.  He has lost six teeth in the past six months, and has grown 3/4 of an inch in two months.  These pics were taken in March.

Hiking the Superstitions

Carson is an 11-year-old scout now.  When his troop went hiking the Superstitions, Chuck joined them, and they had a memorable time.  It was a long hike (5 miles), so they worked hard to be able to enjoy the beautiful view. 

So pretty!

Carson hiking

Carson's 11-year-old pix...Finally!

 After a series of delays, we FINALLY had Carson's pix taken for his birthday (which was two months ago)!  Jill Lauren Photography did a great job!

 Words can't even begin to express how much I love, love, love this kid!  Carson brings so much happiness to our family just by being who he is.  Super smart, musically talented, artistic, creative, and kind-hearted are all words that come to mind when I think of Carson.  He has a good sense of humor, and he genuinely tries to make everyone around him happy. 

Carson's Birthday

Carson turned 11 on August 26.  That morning, we stopped by Krispy Kreme to get him 3 dozen donuts for his homeroom class.  What better way to start your day?  Here he is after school with his huge tres leches cake! 

Carson has been wanting an iPod touch for MONTHS now.  He has been begging and plotting and scheming to get one.  We decided that we would get him one for his birthday if he paid for half of it.  Three reasons why: #1 a $200 birthday gift is outrageous for an 11 year old.  #2 he already had a perfectly good iPod courtesy of his Aunt Dina a couple of Christmases ago, and #3 we knew that if he paid for half of it, it would mean more to him, and he'd take better care of it.  So Carson asked for just cash from all family members, and he didn't have a lot of gifts to open, but he did receive the one gift that he really, really wanted: his iPod touch. 

We also bought him a case for his new iPod, and a box full of scouting stuff now that he's a Boy Scout (a scout shirt, book, badges, etc.)  Sewing all those badges on takes forever.  That is one thing I don't love about scouting! 

My three sons.  I love this picture!!  Charlie and Cade were very helpful counting and handling all of Carson's cash that arrived in his birthday cards.  :)

It's our birthday tradition that the birthday kid gets to choose where they want Mom and Dad to take them to dinner, and the other kids have to stay home while we spend some quality time with the birthday kid.  To make that a little less of a bummer for the other 3, we got some pizza for their dinner.  It's not Carrabba's, but it's not cold cereal either.  :)  Carson LOVES Carrabba's pollo rosa maria, so that's what we got!  After fried zucchini, bread, salad, pollo rosa maria, and ice cream praline, Carson was still determined to go to Bahama Buck's.  He didn't finish much of his shaved ice that night, but he put the rest in the freezer for the next day.  :)

For Carson's birthday party that Saturday, he invited a few friends to go bowling.  At AMF (Gilbert/Southern) they have a package that is 2 hours of bowling and all-you-can eat pizza for $15 per kid.  So that's what we did.  The boys ate tons of pizza, bowled 2 1/2 games, ate cake, and watched Carson open gifts.  They had lots of fun. 

Carson and his friends from the Academy: Jacob, Connor, Thomas, and Blake

The birthday boy and his mom.  

Carson did get to open a few more gifts at his party from his friends. 

Here's the final score of the first game:  a three-way tie!  The boys got better at bowling as they went along--it took about a game for them to really get the hang of bowling without bumpers, but they did great!  It was a fun party and I think Carson had a good 11th birthday!

Carson's Crossover Ceremony

Since Carson is turning 11, he gets to crossover the bridge from Cub Scouts into Boy Scouts.  He participated in the ceremony at his last Pack Meeting (which was a water fun night--that's why he's in his swimsuit and not in uniform). 

Carson's friend, Hunter, was there to welcome him into 11-year-old scouts. 

Proud parents!

These BFF's were on the scene to play at Pack Meeting and to watch Carson's crossover ceremony.  Cheyanna and Savannah are such cute friends. 

Carson was a great Cub Scout, and I know he'll be a good Boy Scout as well.  2 down, 1 to go!

Carson's Arrow of Light & My New Calling

Carson earned his Arrow of Light in Cub Scouts.  Brother Wach is in the Order of the Arrow (and is also our home teacher), so he came to Pack Meeting to present Carson with his award.

Here's Carson pinning his arrow of light pin on me.

Carson is a great kid!  He has had some really good Cub Scout Leaders, and we really appreciate them and all the time they put into making such a quality program. Oh, and notice that I'm at Pack Meeting, and not in my lovely yellow shirt?  That's right--I got released from Cub Committee Chair!  It was a fun calling, but after 3 years, it was time to move on.  :)  My new calling?  Visiting Teaching Coordinator.  I love it!  I get to meet with our Relief Society President, Shanie, each month to make changes (as sisters move in & out, or have schedule changes).  I also gather the stats from all the supervisors each month, and input them into the computer at church.  I already have such a new appreciation for Visiting Teaching.  It is a wonderful and inspired program, and I love being a part of it!

Carson is Chuck Berry

Here's Carson at his school's Wax Museum of American History night.  Carson was Chuck Berry, and he did a fantastic job!  At the wax museum, the kids all dress up as famous Americans, and they stand still until you push their button.  Then they come to life and give you a brief history of their character's life and accomplishments.  The kids all did great, and it was fun to see their portrayal of lots of famous Americans. 

Happy Birthday Carson!

Carson had a good birthday! He had to go to school and piano lessons, but then the rest of the day he got to dictate what he wanted to do. His favorite birthday gift was a football. Carson loves to be throwing a ball around. I keep having to remind him not to throw this football in the house! Carson requested Skor Cake for his birthday dessert. It is one of my favorite desserts too, so I was happy to oblige. When we got home from his Birthday outing, he was too full for cake, so we waited to cut the cake and sing to him until the day after his birthday.

I took Carson to Carrabba's for his Birthday dinner. We shared Pollo Rosa Maria, and then we got a free mini Creme Brulee (my favorite dessert). It was Carson's first time trying Creme Brulee, and he loved it. That's my boy!

My four great kids!

Cheyanna drew Carson several cute cards for his birthday. She is crazy about him, and they are such good friends. It is so cute how much she adores him. He has earned her love with lots of time spent playing with her, and making her lots of bagels, pb&J sandwiches, and strawberry milk.

Carson also wanted a pinata for his birthday, so I converted a regular pinata into the kind where you pull a string to make the candy fall out (too hot outside to do a pinata, and too dangerous to be swinging a bat around the inside of the house). I was afraid that the first sting anyone pulled would be the magic one, but they actually ended up leaving that one for last. So the last string let the candy fly. Since it was just our four kids there, there was a lot of candy for everyone (but funny enough, there were still plenty of complaints that others were hogging it all, or they weren't getting enough). I was too engrossed in all the action to take any pictures, but you can just imagine the scene in your head. :) I think Carson had a great day, and since his favorite things are mine too, I enjoyed the day as well. Happy 10th Carson!!!

Carson is Ten

Here are Carson's ten-year-old pictures! I remember the day he was born so clearly. I went to the hospital at about 6am to get induced, and Carson was born at 10:29am. It was a very quick and easy delivery! And at 9lbs 6oz (a whole pound less than Charlie), he was a big baby, but he seemed perfect-sized to us. After Charlie was born, I had an ectopic pregnancy, and then it took several months for me to get pregnant with Carson, so I was sooooo happy to be pregnant, and when he was born, I was sooooo happy to have him. He was such a good baby (thank goodness--Charlie was so fussy). I just remember holding him, and looking at his little newborn face, and feeling so much love for him. When he was a baby, he had such soft skin and velvety hair. I would sit and hold him and just look at him and feel so happy to have him. I held him every chance I could, and loved every minute of it. Now he is ten years old--where have the years gone? He is much bigger now, and he's changed quite a bit, but my love for him, and the thankfulness I feel for him in my life hasn't changed one bit. At times, Carson has been my most challenging child, but I guess we all need a challenge sometimes!

I know I always brag about his smarts, but he really is a super bright kid. His favorite thing to do is head math--where I give him a bunch of numbers and different operations and he figures out the answer in his head. You gotta try it with him sometime to believe it. He's good!

Cheyanna is quick to say that Carson is her favorite brother. He is so cute with her, and patient with her. He plays with her, gives her piggy back rides, and is quick to do whatever she asks him to do. Carson's personality is a lot like mine. He has a clumsy streak that I have to take credit for, and he's got my shy, sensitive personality traits too. So I feel like I can connect with Carson and understand him so well. I GET him. And I can't find a way to articulate my feelings, but I kinda feel that he is an extension of myself--like a part of my heart living outside of my body. I don't know if that makes sense to any of you mothers out there, but that's the best way I can describe it.

I love Carson so much, and I am so thankful to be able to be his Mom. Happy Birthday Carson!!

Hoopin' it Up!

I love basketball. It's my favorite sport to play and watch. This summer we wanted to give the boys a chance to play sports because we know that once I head back to school this fall, things will be hectic, and we probably won't be able to fit any sports into our schedule for a while. Outdoor sports in AZ in the summer aren't a good idea, so we went with basketball. All the boys have played basketball before (but never all three at the same time!) In the past, none of the boys have had two practices during the week (ALWAYS just one), but this summer, ALL THREE boys' teams had practices twice a week (Aaaaaaaah!) It made for a really hectic summer--six practices and three games a week (that's on top of two piano lessons, Cub Scouts, and Boy Scouts). But we survived, and the kids had fun, got lots of great exercise, and improved their hoops skills a ton. Charlie's team name was the CRUSADERS, and most of the boys had never played before, so they weren't very good. They practiced and played hard, but they got killed at every game. UNTIL the last Saturday of season. They finally played a team whose skills were evenly matched to their own, and it was actually a really close game. The opposing team got a small lead towards the end of the game, but the Crusaders came back, and Charlie hit a long bucket to bring the score to a tie, sending the game into overtime. The Crusaders pulled out a win 27-26, and Charlie scored 10 out of his team's 27 points. Charlie played hard this season. He learned how to live with the frustration of losing badly to another team (week after week). He learned that most of basketball is in your head--your attitude, wanting the ball, and confidence that you will succeed. And he really improved his skills and had fun.

Carson's team name was the DRAGONS. Most of the kids on his team had never played before either, so they didn't have a lot of success against the other teams that all seemed to be much more experienced. Carson really worked hard, and hustled. He always wanted that ball, and went after it with gusto. He learned to be a great ball handler this year, as he played guard, and ran plays to get the ball into the taller guys. The last game of the year, Carson's coach kept him in the whole game, and he got a couple of buckets, several steals, and lots of rebounds. Carson's coaches gave him the best hustler award, and he really deserved it.

Cade's team name was the BULLDOGS. Cade enjoys sports, but he kind of lacks that competitive drive that some kids have. I think he's more there for the social interaction. :) Whenever he wasn't in the game, he was talking or playing with his teammates--oblivious to what was happening on the court. And while he was playing, his main concern was helping up other kids who had fallen down. If he got a hold of the ball, he'd dribble it down, and shoot, but if the ball didn't come his way, he was content without it too. He scored his team's first bucket of the season, and scored a few points here and there, but he was happy just to talk and play with his friends on the team. I think he had a lot of fun, and it was good for him to play.

My three sons: the basketball trio. Basketball kept us busy this summer, but it was a great experience for the boys. Plus, when it was really hot out, and they just wanted to lie around inside, it forced them to get out and get some exercise. Chuck and I had fun watching them practice, and play their games. The last Saturday of the season both Charlie and Cade had two games, so we watched 5 games that day, but we wouldn't have traded that experience for anything. That morning, Chuck said, someday we won't have three little boys at home to watch play, and we'll miss it, so let's enjoy every minute of today. And we did.