An Interview with 3 Year Old Carter

When Dawson turned three we started asking him the same 20 "interview" questions each year on his birthday, and we have really enjoyed seeing how these answers have changed!  Of course, we planned to do the same with Carter and Nora Kate starting at age three.  So this year is Carter's first birthday interview!  He loved getting to sit in the big chair in the room where our computer is and me ask him a list of questions and type out the answers.  I read it all back to him, and he just grinned!  

So...here's the first annual birthday interview with Carter!

1. What is your favorite color? blue
2. What is your favorite toy? Dump trucks

3. What is your favorite fruit? blueberries
4. What is your favorite tv show? Octonauts
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Bananas
6. What is your favorite outfit or things to wear? Shorts!  Soft shirts
7. What is your favorite game? Don’t Break The Ice
8. What is your favorite snack? Blueberries
9. What is your favorite animal? elephants.......or the crested screamer (this is a bird at the zoo that for some reason Carter just thinks is hilarious because of it's name)
10. What is your favorite song? Itsy Bitsy Spider
11. What is your favorite book? Eye Spy
12. Who is your best friend? Mommy and Daddy.  Nora Kate and Dawson.  And “my Charlie” and Harper...she likes walking with me (three days a week on Dawson's school days he gets to walk in to drop off Dawson and Harper is always there too...so I think that's what this was about!)

13. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms  

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Playing in water, chalking, and bubbles!!!
15. What is your favorite drink? juice
16. What is your favorite holiday?  I don't know! Not rainy days?
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? My Lovie! 
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Candy (laughing) Bananas.  Waffles

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday?  CAKE!  Green beans and corn and cheese pizza
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? “a Mommy”

Why? Mommy washes dishes.....and I'm going to drive a Monster truck when we live on Dawson's farm!

Carter is THREE!

On Monday, April 13, our affectionate, silly, caring, talkative, adventurous Carter turned THREE!!  He is such a fun little boy!  Carter is always doing and saying things just to try to make someone laugh.  He loves silliness and nonsense.  At the same time he's the first one to be concerned if Dawson or Nora Kate gets hurt.  Out of all three kids he is by far the most affectionate.  He loves giving and receiving kisses and hugs.  Often time when I'm in the kitchen cooking, he will come in and say, "I just came in here to kiss you."  He still asks me to "hold me like a baby and sing 'rock-a-bye Carter in the tree top'" which, of course, I always do!  If he notices that Dawson is sitting near John he will hop up and say, "Mommy do you need a boy?" and come sit with me!  Carter is always very aware of everyone's feelings and wants everyone to have as much silly fun as he does!
Carter is also very adventurous!  If there's one kid who is going to try something-it's Carter.  We are trying to teach him that this isn't always good because sometimes you CAN get hurt.  BUT on the upside-he's REALLY tough!  Just the other night he skinned his knee pretty bad on the driveway, and there were no tears!  He just wanted a kiss and hug!
Carter plays with everyone!  Having a big brother, he's quick to jump in and play with other kids even much older than him.  Carter thinks he's one of the big kids when Dawson's friends are around.  And, truthfully, Carter can play like them-Dawson has taught him, and Carter has been watching everything big brother has done since day 1!  BUT Carter is just as quick to play with Nora Kate and kids younger than him!  He LOVES babies, and he calls Nora Kate "our baby."  The other morning we were in Target when Carter saw a little baby with no hair and said, "Awwwww.  That's a cute little baby.  Our baby has curls though."  I seriously think that Carter has the best of both worlds having a brother and a sister and being the middle child.  He really does play with both, and he always has a friend!  When Dawson's at school, Carter's favorite thing to do is to make "a nest" with Nora Kate.  This involves dumping a bunch of toys and stuffed animals and pillows on a blanket and sitting there with her looking at books.  She loves this and is always so happy with Carter plays with her.  Carter's so affectionate and loves to hold Nora Kate's hand frequently too.
At three Carter's very favorite things to do are play outside, blow bubbles, draw with sidewalk chalk, play playdoh, draw with crayons or makers, use kid scissors, use glitter glue, and sit on my lap and read books.  Carter's also great on the iPad-he loves playing several educational games on there that require him to write the abc's and match upper and lower case letters in addition to playing Sonic and Temple Run.  The iPad is probably one of his favorite privileges to earn.  When it comes to tv he likes to watch Octonauts and Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  He loves looking at Eye Spy books with me, and he's great at finding all the little items on each page.  When it comes to pretend play, Carter is GREAT at this.  He frequently pretends to play restaurant, workshop, and doctors office.  Carter still sleeps and naps with his "Lovie," and it's so sweet.
Carter has always been our little singer, and he still is great at memorizing songs quickly.  He regularly sings while he's playing, riding in the car, or even laying in bed.  His favorite game to play is Don't Break the Ice.  His favorite outings are Dollywood and the park.  Carter's favorite color is blue.  His favorite foods are apples, candy, berries, steak, and pumpkin muffin tops from Panera.  
After 32 hours of labor, Carter was born four days after his due date on LUCKY Friday, April 13, 2012, at 7:08am weighing 7 pounds 13 ounces and 21 inches long.  NOW at 3 years old Carter weighs 34 pounds and is 37 inches tall.  He loves to talk about how he's the only with with "brown eyes like Mommy"-eye color is a common topic at our house.  For a loooong time he insisted he had blue eyes like Dawson, Daddy, and Nora Kate-but now he appreciates that he has brown eyes-but he still talks about everyone's eye colors very frequently!
I typed this post the day after Carter's birthday, but waited to post it until after his 3 year check up which was this week.  Carter's doctor, Dr. Booher, said Carter is perfectly proportioned in size and is now in a higher percentage for height than weight-after watching Carter in the exam room he said it's obviously because he is so active!  Carter asked for a pen and drew a picture for the doctor while we were waiting in the exam room. He started out drawing "c"'s (his letter, as he always calls it), but then said he "closed them up to make circles because the doctor would like that" haha! The doctor said to Carter who has been potty trained since right when he was 2, "Carter! Look at you! You're wearing big boy underware!"  Carter looked confused and said, "I wear these." As if to say, yeah, why wouldn't I?!  Carter didn't have to get any shots and was a total ham and loved being the center of attention at his check up.  
I could go on and on about our sweet three year old boy, but I'll end his Three Year Update by saying that we love our sweet 2nd born boy, Carter Wade, more than I could ever put into words.  He has brought so much silliness and laughter, joy and happiness to us in these three years already!  I would be so happy if we could freeze time right now and keep him 3 forever-but I know there will be much more laughter and silliness in the coming years with Carter to make them even more fun.  Happy third birthday, sweet boy!

We made a really big deal about Carter's birthday being HIS special day, and I think Carter loved shining as the star of the spotlight!  In the spotlight, he acted like a complete ham for his 3 year old pictures.  First, he got his Lovie and said they were just resting and not doing pictures.

Then we got to see the many funny faces of Carter...

I LOVE this face because he is SO clearly trying not to laugh!

These pictures weren't the best-they weren't all sitting up looking at the camera perfectly...but they capture their personalities which I LOVE!

Getting comfortable!

March 2015

March was another great month!  

We had our last couple of basketball practices and games!

I love this picture of Dawson making a basket during practice.

For the last practice Grandad came to watch, and he even played a little!

Being the 3rd child, it's rare for Nora Kate to do anything alone, much less take a bath.  One evening we bathed the kids separately, and I think Nora Kate liked being the star of the bathtub!

Last game of the season!

Our Sunday School had an 80's themed party.

So fun!

These two LOVE sidewalk chalk!

Carter always eats his raspberries like this (great manners, huh?).  This day he said he was an octopus and these were his tentacles! (I was impressed!)

There was a ventriloquist at the Upwards Awards ceremony, and Dawson thought it was HILARIOUS! 

Basketball trophy!

Friends and trophies!

The end to a great basketball season!

Nora Kate has been on a big bagel and cream cheese kick for breakfast.  She always get is all over her face, and the boys say she has a beard.  They all three just laugh and laugh about this...every morning!

Carter has been requesting to do play doh EVERY DAY here lately!

Over Lolly and Dawson's Spring Breaks in March we went to the Zoo!

A lot of fun!

Baboons!

Gibbons!

Carter is always the most peaceful looking sleeper.  I probably have 20 pictures of him sleeping over his lifetime, if not more!

Then we went back to the zoo with friends on St. Patricks Day.

And SURPRISE they were walking a pot bellied pig around.  They said she had gained weight and needed the exercise! Hah!

Harper and Nora Kate at the zoo!

The gang at the Zoo!

That night we grilled hotdogs and had dinner in the park. While John was grilling, we had fun on the playground!

Then John and the boys saw several frogs.

and...ewwwww!  Caught one!  John's such a good Daddy, because I would never do this!  The boys are STILL talking about the frog!

We have grilled many dinners and eaten on our back patio a lot lately.  I love how sweet the kids table is!

(this could also serve as a before picture for the rough looking siding on the back of our house...good news-that siding is now gone and we are in the process of putting stone there!)

I've made a tradition with Carter and Nora Kate this Spring.  On Tuesdays we have wonderfully casual playdates with Carter's friend Charlie at either our house or his.  Then on Wednesdays (weather permitting) we go to the park, picnic lunch, play on the playground, walk to Dawson school to pick him up, and walk back to the park before driving home.  They LOVE it.  Carter always requests a green apple or a pear in his picnic lunch!

it's beginning to look like spring...sidewalk chalk and skinned knees!

Dawson had Bike Parade Day at his school.  

Another of our Wednesday park outings.

We went to see comedian Brian Regan at the Tennessee Theater with our friends the Gibsons!  He was HILARIOUS and so was his opening act!  It was wonderful to get together with the Gibsons.  We had a delicious dinner at Five before and ice cream after (don't tell the kids)!!  

After the show, I saw one of my sorority sisters Ashlee seated a few rows in front of us! How fun!

After the show

We made several visits to Co-op this month to visit the baby chicks and baby turkeys!  The kids LOVED them!

March flew by.  It started with snow still on the ground and ended with us outside playing in shorts and t shirts!  So happy we are into warmer weather now!  I love being able to play with the kids outside!

Well that's all for our fun March!

Check back soon for a post on our sweet Carter's birthday and his party!!!