The One Where My Baby Turns 4

He did it.  My tiny little baby went and turned 4 on me.  

4 years ago.  I miss that sweet little baby but love, even more, the little boy he has turned into.  And luckily, he kept his trademark eyebrows.

 I decided this year to have a "friend" party for Carter. Not because he asked, or even knew what they were, but because I figured it was a rite of passage.  For him, and me.  I quickly learned that "friend" parties are not really my thing.  Luckily birthdays only come once a year.

Carter was very excited for his birthday and his party.  He kept asking if he could have his birthday on the 15th, instead of the 16th.  He was very eager to help me frost the cupcakes for the party.  

 Although I learned his ulterior motive.....to lick the knife.  I'm not sure he even frosted one cupcake.  He did consume his body weight in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry frosting.  And since it was his birthday, I let him.

The party was scheduled for 2 hours.  And let me tell you, they were some of the longest 2 hours of my life.  "THe Party where time stood still...." The kids had fun but they were typical kids and only lasted on an activity for about 8 minutes.  I felt like I was constantly entertaining them...probably because I was!  Thankfully we had Grandma over to help and one of my friends.  Bless their hearts.

 Carter got so many fun things from his friends.  He loved every single present he received.  And each person seemed to pick something out for him that screamed his name.

Birthday Boy blowing out his candle.  

Side Note:  He is wearing his Aggie Jersey which was an early birthday present from Grandma Susan.  He has been wanting one for quite a while and was thrilled to receive one.

 We took up some time by whacking a pinata.  And wow.  8 kids can crack through a cheap pinata a lot faster than I had bargained for.

It was a mad dash for the candy once the pinata broke open.  We also played games outside and even had races on Carter's wiggle cars.  Those were the highlight of the party.


Birthday Morning:

Carter lives for pancakes.  He asks for them for every meal.  And he always requests different shapes.  For birthday morning he got balloon pancakes with frosting for the strings.  He loved them.

Then he had to wait the long long 3 hours until his family party started.

We started of course with presents.  Once again he got so many fun things.  This is a car holder, turned play mat for all his cars made by my friend Kristen.  He loved it.

Jackson even remembered to get him a present.

 This was the present I was most excited about giving to him.  A gas pump.  He can now fill up all his toys that need gas, and even some that don't typically take gas.  He fills up his Cozy Coupe car, lawn mower, bike tires, etc.

 He requested the exact same cake from last year.  No amount of persuading would change his mind.  And I really didn't mind because it was an easy cake to make.

 I was so glad to have our whole little family together on his birthday.  Last year Jackson was still in the hospital and I felt the void of not having him home.

Birthday boy gets the first bite of cake and declares it "yummy."  I make a mean, delicious Vegan cake.

Carter's favorite present was the one he saved up his "monies" for and bought himself.  He gets a dollar occasionally for doing his chores and he saved that and his birthday money from Great Grandmas and bought himself a GRILL!  He saw this grill at Wal-mart weeks ago and begged us for it daily.  I thought for sure he would forget about it but he did not.

He quickly set it up outside next to Daddy's grill and went to town.  He grills in the afternoon, evening,

and at 8 am in the morning.  In his pajamas.  I'm so glad we let him buy this grill because he has loved having it.

Birthday Boy all worn out after his big day.  Could barely make it to bed before he fell asleep!

4 yr stats:

46 pounds.  45 1/2 inches tall.  The average size of a 6 year old.  We grow em big!  The Dr. said his BMI is a bit under average for his size so he is a tall, skinny boy.

His egg allergy is almost gone.  We go back in August and hope to get good news.

Loves to eat.  He really isn't a picky eater.  He would prefer to eat candy all day long but actually loves a wide variety of food.  To list a few: loves asparagus, green beans, watermelon, canteloupe, pancakes, bread, 

The night before his birthday we asked him what he wanted for his birthday dinner and without even thinking he replied "Steak."  That boy loves steak.  He has expensive tastes.

Still has many "jobs" he goes to daily.  We had someone over last week installing tile and he wanted to talk his ear off and told him all about his many jobs and how he "makes big monies."

Is constantly asking questions, specifically WHY, a million times a day.  The pediatrician assured us this was very normal and to always answer his questions.  But seriously, there are only so many times we can answer the same question in a span of 10 minutes.  There are times in the car especially that no one is allowed to talk for 5 minutes!

Carter is very dramatic.  He has started in with the whole "Then I guess I won't be your friend anymore."  He says this to me after he doesn't get something he wants.

This kid can ride a bike like nobody's business.  He wants to take bike rides 10 times a day.  He is so good on his 2 wheel bike and even likes to go off curbs.  He does make me really nervous though as he will often forget to look in front of him as he rides.  It always reminds me of "Dumb and Dumber" where he turns around while driving and tells the lady "statistically, you're more likely to die on the way to the airport..."

He is already planning his 5th birthday.  He starts pre-school in the fall.  He refuses to sit down and practice writing his name.  He knows how, and he can, but refuses.  He's not really into writing or coloring.  Oh well, that's what the preschool teacher is for right?

Happy Birthday Carter.  You are our favorite 4 year old and you melt our hearts each day.  We are so glad you are in our family.