Happy birthday Carter!!!

I can't believe you are 3 years old today!!! Time has gone so fast!! You are such a joy to have in our family and I thank God every day that he sent you to us! We are the luckiest parents ever! I still remember the first time I ever held you. It was one of the happiest days of my life and every day since you have added to that happiness. I can't express enough how much I love you!!

Here is what you are up to today....

You weigh 26.5 pounds and are about 35 inches tall...In other words you are quite small, not even on the growth charts. Sorry buddy!! You will have a growth spurt someday!!

You still LOVE chicken nuggets, but you are branching out to other meats like ham and turkey. You love candy of course, but you also always ask me for yogurt, strawberries and grapes. Your absolute favorite fruit is apples, and you could eat 3 of them a day if I let you. You are finally starting to drink milk, although we do have to put a little strawberry syrup in it. But at least you will drink it!! You still like water the best, and aren't really fond of juice. You love to eat peanut butter sandwiches, but tell me "just butter mom, no jelly." I'm still trying to get you to eat vegetables, and every once in a while I can get you to eat a carrot. I think you still like M&M's the best, but Oreos are a close second.

Your favorite TV show is still Mickey Mouse and the movies you like right now are The Lorax, An American Tail, The Rescuers, Sword in the Stone, and the Great Mouse Detective. You have recently developed a liking for Scooby Doo... you like the original ones better than the new ones.

You love to help mom bake and cook dinner. Your favorite things to make are brownies and cupcakes. You really like to put the sprinkles on the cupcakes.

You LOVE LOVE LOVE to read and look at books. If we aren't reading to you, then we can usually find you in your room looking at books yourself. You even tell mom stories and read her books sometimes. Your favorite stories to tell are the prince and the princess, (aka Shrek), the 3 little pigs, and Cinderella- even though you haven't seen it :) You also love to tell Chase stories and sing him songs. You sing him Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and he just stares and smiles at you.

Some of your funny and favorite phrases are:
    "Oh mom, you're kidding me" when I tell you no
    "So, anyways guys.."
    "Oh, how many times do I have to tell you.." This is usually directed at me when I am repeating myself to you
     Most of the time while you are eating you will look at me and say, "Mmmm...this is pretty good mommy...thank you for making it for me!"
    And when you toot you say "what was that!"

You are the sweetest boy in the world and a great big brother!! You already look out for Chase and he  just adores you. You can make him smile and laugh easier than anyone else. You give him multiple hugs and kisses a day and tell me "mom he is my buddy" and "i love him so much mom!" When he is crying you are one of the first to go over and try to get him to stop. Whether it is showing him a toy or making funny faces at him or just talking to him.

You are always telling me thank you for making dinner, getting you snacks, buying you things, or whatever I'm doing or did for you. You say please and thank you and are so polite and sweet!!

You LOVE to go outside and would stay out there all day if you could. You are getting more adventurous and even will swim by yourself with your lifejacket on. Every time we go outside or in the car you have to have your sunglasses on and your water with you.

You love music and love to dance. Your favorite songs right now are Call Me Maybe and Moves Like Jagger...We play them over and over in the car!! You get this funny goofy grin on your face when they come on and you sing and dance in your car seat.

You still use your left hand more than you right, but you do use both.

You don't walk anywhere...ever...all you do is run!!

You like to color and you are learning your letters right now. You have A, B and C down and we are working on D.

You don't really have a favorite color yet, but you usually pick blue, pink, green, or red.

You love to play in mommy and daddy's closet and come downstairs in our clothes quite frequently. You also love to dress up in your Batman, Dinosaur and Spiderman costumes.

You are getting quite the imagination and are starting to make up more things everyday. There is never a dull moment when you are around and you make your dad and I laugh everyday. We never know what will be coming out of your mouth, and you keep us on our toes. And we wouldn't have it any other way. We love you so much and are so proud to be your parents!! We love you buddy!! Happy birthday!!!