Pitching Machine

Carter received a pitching machine and baseball glove from Pa Tom, Grandma Ann, Aunt Sarah, Uncle Steve and Aunt Lana for his birthday.  He couldn't wait to try it out at the park.  The pitching machine has three settings.  You can either use it as a tee, pop it up to hit it out of the air or have it pop up a little further out.  Carter, of course, wanted it to pop up so he could just hit it out of the air. He caught on quickly and couldn't get enough of it.  I hope he continues to love to play for a long time.

FOUR Years Old

How are we already a four years old?  You are so funny and always have a story to tell or something to discuss.  You definitely keep your dad and I on our toes.

Carter at FOUR years old you:

-weigh 38lbs, 8oz
-are 3 feet, 4 inches tall
-have constant bruises all over your legs
-are constantly talking.  Guess that speech therapy really paid off.
-still take an afternoon nap.  We are so glad you like to sleep.
-sleep all night and usually get up around 7ish on your own, but have to be up earlier for school.
-are wearing 4T clothes.
-wear size 10 shoes.
-still love to sit and read your books with dad and I.
-do so many things on your own.
-still have your lion and blanket, and usually rotate sleeping with some kind of stuffed animal as well.
-are so funny when you tell stories lately.  You have lots of hand gestures.
-constantly tell your dad and I you love us and want to hear it in return as well.  I hope you always keep your soft side.
-are all boy...you are constantly dirty, rough housing, loud and can't get enough playing time with your cars.
-have funny facial expressions that go along with the ever expanding personality.

...And so ends the fourth year of your life.  If you could stop growing so fast, that would be okay.

Carter's Day

For Carter's actual birthday day, since it was on a weekend, we let him pick whatever he wanted to do.  He decided he wanted to go to the zoo and have Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner.  It was a gorgeous day for the zoo and BWW is one of his favorites.  It was a great Carter day.

After dinner, we came home and had a little cake for him.

And, then this happened...

This kid definitely has a sweet tooth and loves chocolate.

New Bike

Scott and I decided to get Carter a bike for his birthday.  It is a red and blue bike with a star on the seat.  Carter loved it and quickly proclaimed that Captain America (although the bike has no true connection to that) makes great bikes and it would be great for him.

He had to put on one of his new birthday shirts and go for a ride that evening.

Fourth Birthday Party

We let Carter pick what kind of birthday party he wanted to have again this year and he decided on a reptile party.  As evidenced by earlier posts, this was no surprise.  Scott and I decided we would hire a reptile guy to come and bring some animals with him.  Carter loved it and did so great with all the animals.  No fear AT ALL.  It was fun to watch him enjoy it so much.

We had to start the day with a cookie, of course.  Thanks Aunt Heidi, Uncle Dan, Audrey and Ella. That is always what we like to have for breakfast!

After that, it was party time.  It was a gorgeous day and we were able to spend time outside.  It is always hit or miss in Colorado with Carter's birthday and the weather.

Carter even got Aunt Mary to hold the tarantula.  He also brought the snake over to show her, but she wasn't as big a fan of that.

The Scientist

Carter loves all things science.  It is probably in his blood.  He has a science kit with various experiments in it that we finally got out and used.  He loved seeing what the different projects produced.

He also got an ant farm from Grandma Bonnie and Pa Joe.  He had to inspect all the parts of it with the magnifying glass. The ants survived for a while, but it was a new type with gel and the ants never really seemed to grasp the digging concept.  We may have to try one again in the future.

Rocket Time

Pa Tom is great at finding things on ebay for Carter and sending them his way.  One day a large box of rockets arrived at the house.  Carter was in heaven.  He, of course, wanted to do them right away. We told him he needed to wait until Pa Tom came back the next time and do them with him.

Thankfully for Carter, Pa Tom had to work in Garden City one week and stayed at the house the weekends surrounding.  We headed to the park by the house and shot them off.  I am not sure who was more excited, Carter, Scott or Pa Tom.

Elvis

Carter has no fear of any snakes, bugs, spiders, etc.  Good thing, since he loves hanging out with Elvis, our 16 (yes, 16!) year old kingsnake.  He and Scott keep watch when it is time for Elvis' cage to be cleaned.  I think Carter would like him to be out all the time.

A Meaningful Trip

We headed to the Butterfly Pavilion one Sunday. to attend a memorial service for a Maresh cousin, Nancy, who had recently passed away.

After the service, there was a butterfly release.  It was a nice ending/beginning to the spirit of the day. It was a very nice service and a wonderful place to have it.

Carter was also able to go around and see all the other animals, including Rosie the tarantula and the Madagascar hissing cockroaches.  He is definitely a fan of checking everything out.