My First Born

Carter's Five Year Old Interview

The third one is my personal favorite.

Carter's Top 10 at FIVE Years Old (#1-3)

# 3. Learning!
This one has reappeared in the last 6 months and since Carter changed schools. He comes home every single day telling us what he did that day, what experiment they tried out, how many guessed which outcome it would have and even more exciting, he tells us what he is doing the next day. He's so excited to go to school each and everyday.

At home, it's the same thing. His very favorite books are these kid-like encyclopedias that Meme finds that answer questions like, "Why do cats pur?" or "Why do owls only hunt at night?" Combine this with his favorite show Wild Kratts and Carter is a walking random fact machine and he is always wanting to share what he learns. Sometimes, he gets frustrated because he has to take turns with Addie each day on the way home from school telling me what he did. He doesn't care much for the fact that Addie has just as much to tell me.

His fact quest continues each night, with Blake's customary night time regimen of answering his latest questions. Last night's was, "Daddy, do they use sand and dirt to build houses in Africa?"

#2. Anything with a motor.
I thought this came a little early at FIVE years old but in the last month since Carter received a toy car from Sean, Kaylee and Rose... this seems to be the kind of toy at the top of his list.

This shot was a perfect example/memory of how much Addie wants to be with you. Even in a picture with a car.

Soon after this came Meme's birthday gift of a motorized Police boat. So many nights after bath, this is the scene in our bathroom.

# 1. It's pretty cool to be able to confidently say that SPORTS is Carter's #1 because at eight months I could have pretty much said they same thing. This little guy isn't partial to just one either... he will take them all. It really does depend on what season it currently is and with basketball in full swing with his once a week practices already at school for the past month, he's ready for this real team to start up in just a couple of weeks. This will mark FIVE year old Carter's 3rd season of basketball, already. My fondest sports memory in just the past month has to be watching Carter lay with his daddy at the lake and work on his addition and subtraction while watching the President's Cup and Bubba Watson make a birdie. I walked in the room to hear this...

Carter: "Yes, it went in!!!"
Blake: So... that was a _____?
Carter: "Birdie"
Blake: So what is his score now?
Carter: "Minus Two."

I'm pretty sure my chin might have hit the floor, hearing my four year old son comprehend the game of golf way better than me.

Carter's Top 10 at FIVE Years Old (#4-6)

As we continue this snap shot of Mr. Carter Brown, we can't help that notice that this year's list is different than years past.... it's not filled with "things" or just people, rather, we've seen such a little personality take shape these days.

#6 - Carter's spontaneous and sweet side has become even more evident. Just today, his teacher Mrs. Andrea was saying she wanted to take him home. She said he was playing a board game with three little girls and he kept winning all the pieces. A couple of girls became really sad to be loosing and Carter would look at them and lean over and say, "I'll throw in some pieces for you so you can stay in."

A couple of weekends ago, on our long drive home from Dallas, the kids got to take turns choosing DVDs. When it came to Carter's first choice, he choose The Princess Movie because he, "knew it would make Addie happy."

Every day, Carter does something thoughtful or amazing that makes me gleam with "mommy & daddy proudness." He is such a naturally kind and thoughtful little boy and I am happy to say it becomes more and more evident each year that goes by.

#5 - Staying on the personalty topic, we have seen a huge growth in Carter's sensitivity. I remember the days where he couldn't walk into a new house filled with people for a birthday party without needing to hide in a room for a while to get used to the environment. Don't get me wrong, he still has his occasional bury his head in mom's legs, kind of moment however they much farther in between. Just this month during our kitchen renovation, the kids got to eat dinner at McDonald's and Carter saw that another child got a different toy in the Happy Meal that he preferred. I told him if he wanted to go stand in line all the way at the front and ask the cashier if he could exchange his toy for a different one, he could. I was blown away when he jumped off the stool and confidently marched up and stood in line. I was so proud of him and know that 6 months ago that would have never happened.

But don't be fooled, we still have an occasional emotional breakdown over something completely minor and silly, like this when he was told he had to wait till after bath to open a birthday gift.

#4 - His mommy, daddy and Addie. It's neat that I can still put these three people on this list because I wonder if in a few years he will go through a stage of not really wanting to be around us all that much? But as for now, even with his FIVE year old independence, he would much rather be around the three of us.

The questions he is constantly asking us, everything he wants to show and tell us and just the time spent lounging on the couch or on his bed reading books, is where Carter wants to be.  I pray it will always be like that but I have a feeling there will be a stage of sports, friends and one day, GIRLS, that will take his attention away from us so for now we will take as much of it as we can get!

Carter's Top 10 at FIVE years old! (#10-7)

As a refresher, take a peek at the past Top 10 lists over last three years to see Carter evolve. This list doesn't encompass Carter over the last year, rather, right now as a snap shot in time. Just a little tradition  I have liked to do each year and a fun way to in essence hit "pause" in time.

#10. Everyone has little mannersims that are their own. Carter is starting to have his own that are we are regularly noticing. One of the biggest ones is how he LOVES to lace his hands together behind his head. We started spotting it while he was laying down watching TV but one night this week, he did it after he was all done with his dinner.

#9. Personalty at this age: He loves earning money and being a true helper. At recent trips to the lake this fall, he begged Grandpa to take him to the "man-cave" they are building so he could sweep up dirt and earn money. At one point when I checked in on them, Carter was the hardest working guy there of the five grown men.

Tonight, it was all about helping daddy with some chairs...

#8. He is definitely more into computer like games. About a month ago, he was obsessed with a Buzz Light Year game that his cousin Marshall passed down to him. It had became the most annoying sound Blake and I ever heard and somehow the batteries disappeared one day. The old saying of, "Out of sight, out of mind," holds true because it has now been replaced my his Leapster Explorer. This is how I found him tonight before dinner...

#7. Superheros, in general, are still cool to this five year old. Remember it started out with Spider man man a couple of years ago and then progressed to Batman, Green Lantern and brief mention of Captain America but now there is one confident answer when you ask the FIVE year old Carter Brown, "Who is your favorite Superhero?" SUPERMAN! "Why Carter?" He is the strongest of all superheros. Superman is the best because he can hold up the entire world!!! That's what my friend Kai told me at school."

Carter Celebrates Turning Five. - Basketball Syle.

On my 8th birthday party I have hosted, as a mom, I finally learned an awesome lesson... Simple and easy is great sometimes. 

 The favor bags included a mini basketball (or a pink ball for the girls,) a basketball that turned into a full sized wash cloth in water and a basketball lollipop.

 Carter's party happened to fall towards the end of the kitchen remodel and this year his momma just didn't have the energy or creative juices flowing much. With the postponement due to the weather, I really had no good clue on how many children to expect. I decided not to sweat one bullet and trust God. He's pretty good cuz, I made 20 favor bags and had one left over for the birthday boy himself.

The on-time arriving party-goers got to watch me finish icing the cupcakes there on the spot.

 I didn't worry about taking pictures, I allowed the kids to come to me instead of going to them on the play stations, bounce houses and trampolines.

 Carter playing some defense on Marshall.

 Look at this daddy defense...

 The Papa Johns pizza and fresh fruit tasted really good this cold evening to all... 

 Carter's best bud - Cash.

 Over hearing some of the 4-7 year old conversations at this table was quite the entertainment.

 Then it was Happy Birthday time.

 Love this shot...

 Love watching Addie in this shot...

 I can't believe my first born baby is five. (well almost, in one week)

It seems just like yesterday you were turning one...

then two...

 and three...

and four, seems like just hours ago...

For four years, we have been lucky with the weather the very first weekend of December. This year, not so much, and we re-scheduled the party from the cold and very wet last Sunday to just the cold and very muddy today. But hey, what can you do? YES... I can officially say I have learned my December outdoor birthday party lesson. ;)

But it was great and the kids couldn't tell it was 50 degrees outside, it was just us adults complaining!