4th of July

We had lots of fun this year on the 4th of July. My parents were here again this year - which is always the best. My kids love their Nana and Papa. During the week we decided to go to Rexburg Rapids waterpark. Carson refused to play in the water. They have a huge playground in the water with lots of fun stations and slides - nope. I tried to go in with him - nope. I tried to go down the slide with him on my lap - nope. He kicked and screamed and cried until I let him go sit on Papa's lap. Silly kid. It's a good thing you were still free to get in! Brooklyn and I had fun in the Lazy River. :)

The morning of the 4th we went to the parade, as usual. This year we sat with the Weed's and it was a perfect view. It was pretty hot, so Carson quickly retreated to sit in the shade with Papa (go figure). Brooklyn, on the other hand, got the hang of the whole "candy" thing and was a pro!! She would dart after every little piece of candy and bring it back to us. That girl knows what's up! Haha!

The rest of the day was filled with fun too, but I can't believe I didn't think to take any pictures!!! We played a game of Family Kickball, saw Despicable Me 2 at the theater, and then had a BBQ and watched the fireworks at Carly and Will's. It was a great day!

Carson's 3rd Birthday!

I can't believe my baby boy is 3!!! Where has the time gone? It doesn't seem that long ago that we were anxiously awaiting his arrival and now he is a little boy! Since his birthday was on a Sunday we celebrated the day before. We had a pool party and invited lots of friends and family to join us. Unfortunatly, Carson didn't feel very good when it came time for his party. I asked him on the way to the pool if he was excited and he said, "No, but I'm getting that way." He said it so matter-of-factly that I couldn't help but laugh. He didn't want to swim and cried until we got him out of the water. Poor Carson! He just sat by the pizza and soda and was content to watch everyone else.

Since the kid loves Dinosaurs we had a Dinosaur cake for him. He was super excited about it and he loved it. He also got spoiled with lots of fun presents! He got more Legos and a new Lego table, elephants, snakes, trucks, a batman toy, dinosaurs, cars that go in the water, a new piggy bank with lots of change to put in it, and I'm sure there was more that I can't remember. He had a great day and we sure do love him so much! 

A few fun things about Carson: 

• Carson is still in 24 month and 2T clothes. I have to fold the waistband over on all of his shorts and pants to keep them on.
• Carson is incredibly observant. We can be driving down the road and he will point out buildings or stores that we have only been in once and tell me exactly what they are. He will also point out things in the distance that he notices as we drive. He knows where we are probably going depending on which way I turn out of the neighborhood and knows which stores are on which streets.
• Carson loves Legos. He loves to build things and I love that it is something he and Jason can do together.
• Carson is a little bit of a scaredy-cat. He doesn't like to get wet unless it is his own choice. He doesn't like to run through sprinklers, get sprayed in anyway, etc. He liked the fireworks as long as they were far away. He is my sweet little boy.
• Carson is a cuddlebug. He needs lots of physical touch to feel loved. He likes to snuggle and cuddle, hold hands, and hug.
• Carson loves Curious George! He could watch that show all day long. He has a Curious George shirt that is his favorite.
• Carson likes to eat at Chick-Fil-A and every time we pass it he yells out, "Mom, there's the Chick-A-Way!!!" 

According to Carson:

How old are you? 3

What is your favorite color? Blue

 What is your favorite animal? Sheep - because it makes me happy. (random!)

What is your favorite book? Comes from the lib-ary

What is your favorite TV show? Curious George

What is your favorite movie? Polar Express

What is your favorite song? Twinkle Little Star

What is your favorite food? French Fries

What is your favorite drink? Milk

What is your favorite breakfast food? Chicken Nuggets (he doesn't get those for breakfast, fyi)

What is your favorite snack? Fruit snacks

What is your favorite thing to wear? Curious George Shirt

What is your favorite game? Rubber Duckies (what?!?!)

What is your favorite toy? Legos

Who is your best friend? Maddie! 

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Mow the lawn with Daddy

What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Puppy

Where is your favorite place to go? Birthdays

Where do you want to go on vacation? Disneyland

What do you want to be when you grow up? 44 pounds (haha)

 

Swimming Lessons

In April we put Carson in swimming lessons. I've already posted on it once before, but thought I would update it since we finished the lessons. Carson did fantastic! He has always been a little nervous in the water and I was a little worried about how he would do. He LOVED his swimming lessons. He looked forward to them and was constantly asking when we would be going again. At this age, they try and teach them the basics and a lot about water safety. I knew he wouldn't really come close to learning how to swim - and that was totally ok. My main goal was to get him comfortable enough that he would enjoy swimming. It worked. :) We are planning on doing another session this summer and probably again this fall.

Splashing - his favorite part

Getting ready to blow bubbles

Learning how to float on his back

Backstroke

Learning how to swim and put his face in the water

Spitting water at me - thanks, kid.

Waiting for swimming lessons to start!

I'm so proud of Carson and how great he did. He enjoys going to the pool now, which was the goal. My siblings and I pretty much lived at the pool during the summer when I was growing up and that is something I want to share with my kids.

Family Swimming Day!

I started working in the nursery at our local gym back in February so that we could have a gym membership without having to pay for it. The best part about the gym is that they have 3 swimming pools (2 indoor, 1 outdoor) that are heated! We've been able to take the kiddos swimming a few times and they love it! Brooklyn is a little fish and absolutely LOVES the water. She would stay in the pool all day long if she could. Carson is getting a lot braver about being in the water ever since his swimming lessons in April. He used to cling onto us with a death grip, but now he likes to swim and play in the water.

We have lots of fun when we all get to go swimming together. We are still trying to teach Carson how to jump into the pool while we catch him, but he is still a little scared. I think we will get there eventually. :)

Swimming Lessons

I decided to put Carson in Swimming Lessons this month and I'm so glad I did! We started out in the Mom-and-Tot class because I wasn't sure how he would do with the water. Normally he isn't thrilled about being in the swimming pool and clings to me the whole time. The first lesson of the month, however, he LOVED it! He kept telling me to let him go! Needless to say, we bumped him up to the 3 year old class even though he won't be 3 until July. The first few weeks have been going great! He is learning a lot and mostly has overcome his fear of the water. I'm sure I will post updated at the end of the month when his lessons are done. :)

Salt Lake Trip

 My brother, Zach, got a job in Washington as a State Trooper, and had a 2 weeks notice to move up there. My mom was coming up for her Spring Break and Ashley was already headed down for a wedding, so Carly and I decided to join in on the fun and go to Salt Lake for the weekend as well. My dad was able to come up for the weekend and we managed to get him a cheap flight back to Farmington. Jason was the only one not able to come because of homework. Let me tell ya, traveling as a single mom = no fun. Luckily I had my family there to help me and Carly and Will rode down with me, but it is still exhausting. I was glad to be home at the end of the weekend.

We started off the weekend with a little bit of Joe's Crab Shack. It's kinda turned into a tradition of ours to go with Zach and Haleigh when we are down in SLC. It was a little different not having Jason there to crack my crab for me.... A guy that worked there made the kids balloons, which was great entertainment. Carson got an airplane and Brooklyn got a flower. She tried to eat hers. Silly girl.

 We made sure to get a hotel that had a swimming pool so we could take the kids swimming. They had a BLAST!! Brooklyn loved the water! I was a little surprised because Carson hated swimming at her age. He would cling on with a death grip and be on the verge of tears the entire time. Not Brooklyn! She was a pro! Carson even had a lot of fun this time. I still can't get him to jump into the pool, but we are working on that. He starts swimming lessons next month. :)

We spent a lot of the day on Saturday at the City Creek Mall. Carson loves the water fountains there and wanted to watch them for quite a while. He has the best facial expressions. You can tell what he is thinking the entire time. It is fun to sit back and watch him sometimes.

Loading up the car with Papa. He got to ride on the luggage cart. He thought it was awesome!

My kiddos love their Papa! Probably because he shares his soda with them. :)

 By the time we went home, Carson and Brooklyn were both spent. They both fell asleep as soon as we left SLC and didn't wake up until outside Pocatello. Carson's stick from his chocolate dipped marshmellow stayed in his hand the entire trip.