Our Christmas Card Photo

New blanket!

After learning that using a weighted blanket can help Carson, I found instructions online on how to make one. Got the materials at a few local stores, and had Carson pick out the fleece. I opted for fleece rather than cotton fabric, because he likes it much better.

Here it is, filled with a total of seven pounds of poly pellets.

Carson loves his new blanket!

Tea light breakfast

This morning I woke up 3 distinctly different times. First to my Dh's alarm, telling him to get up for work at 5 am. Then I got up briefly at about 6:30am to answer the call from mother nature. Finally, I was woken up by the little man, who had made breakfast for he and me. A tea light breakfast, with a menu of mac-n-cheese and strawberry smoothies.

I think he was trying to use every single tea light I had. I was impressed that he made the smoothies all by himself. He's watched me make them, and made them one time with guidance. Still need to work on the water level for the mac-n-cheese. But all in all, what a  wonderful surprise.

Eighth Birthday

Here is the birthday boy, trying to blow out his candles.



He didn't know they were trick candles.

No More Braces!

After 2 years of school pictures with braces on, the braces are off!

School Pictures are Here!

A Carson Quote

"I'm so thirsty I could drink all the water in a lake! Small size. Lego size."

Cool Dude!

We were hanging out with cousins the other day, and my little man put his cousin's hat on.

Wow! He's growing up.

School Picture Day

For some reason, the little man decided that he wanted to wear a tie for picture day. It surprised me! I've pretty much always let him pick what to wear on picture day. As long as his hair looks decent, I'm ok. He wore a tie that his older cousin gave him a while back. I'm pretty sure that's why he loves it. In any case, he decided at the last minute to spike up his hair into a faux-hawk. I snapped this picture just before he went out the door to school.

Since he received so much positive attention for wearing a tie, he wants to wear one more often. He only had that one tie and button down shirt until the past few days. I got lucky at a local thrift shop and found him a few more shirts and (clip-on) ties. He wore a shirt and tie to school again today. I just wish I could find him some really fun ties. I might make him one.

Vestibular Input

One of the things my little man has to deal with every day is the fact that his brain doesn't process his senses quite right. When we are in a place where there are a lot of people and it's loud, the environment may be annoying and a little bit tiring for us. When my little man is in the same environment, it can be excruciating, depending on how his system is doing. For us, grabbing a piece of paper is something we do, often tens or hundreds of times a day, without thinking. There are times that having to touch a piece of paper is intolerable for my little guy. This is just a snapshot of something that affects his brain and body, called Sensory Processing Disorder.

After spending the day in a classroom, where he has to use his eyes and ears heavily, his system is pretty worn out. When this happens, his attention span drops to nil, and he becomes extremely sensory seeking. One of the things he'll do is jump and crash on my furniture. And another thing he'll do is spin. Here's a video of him, taking a short break from doing his vision therapy (that's why the eye patch).

Getting it done any way we can.

Writing is not a forte of Carson's. Neither is school in general. Tonight when he brought home a new list of spelling words, I got out a tray and the flour. I had him draw the words in flour. He loved it. A half hour prior, he had been crying about having to do homework.

Funny exchange between Carson and a buddy.

Carson: I'm named after a dead guy.
Friend: Does your mother know?

A Carson Funny

Today, as we were stopped in traffic, I looked over at a business and read the sign out loud. "Burlington Collision." Carson asked, "Is that where they crash cars?"

Weekend Getaway

We went away over the weekend to a camping place. Here's Carson at a Mexican restaurant. He built the Titanic out of french fries.

Here's the daredevil, riding on some dirt bike hills.

Sitting in dirt. We had to wash him down three times a day!

Eating lunch by the pool!

The beach and a tide pool.

Making a driftwood sailboat with a kelp sail.

Captain Carson on a very long log ship.

S'mores!

Spray Park

One of our local parks added a water spray feature. It opened in time for our 95 degree weather last week.

The kids push on large buttons to activate the water.

There are 2 large frogs that swivel and shoot water out of their mouths.

Here is Carson, between the 2 jets from the frogs.

Spontaneous fun on a hot summer day!

Fourth of July!

Where we live, we can light off all sorts of fireworks. We had family over for a barbeque and fireworks. Carson was proud to light off a large portion of the fireworks. There were plenty of sparklers and the like, for all to use.

Dad loaded his Thunder Mug so we could all experience some really big booms.

We enjoyed a variety of displays, from sparkles, to booms, to showers of sparks, to parachutes and more.

It was a fun night for all.

New Star Wars Helmet

The little guy saved and saved his money, and bought this helmet yesterday. Even at bedtime, he didn't want to take it off.

This morning, prompted by watching a DVD made for kids about flying, the little dude put my old cadet shoulder boards on.

School's Out

As of last Wednesday, Carson is out of school. First grade is done. We spent this past weekend camping at a resort about an hour from us. Carson had his first night in a tent. We swam, cooked out, had s'mores and popcorn over a campfire, and told ghost stories. Here he is with a bunch of his Washington cousins.

A Carsonism

Last night when Carson was taking his bath, I was scrubbing him down and asked him to roll over. Here is the exchange that followed:

"Mom, I'm not in session!" Are you here, or just not available? "I'm not available."

Titanic in Tub

Carson is still obsessed with the Titanic. He builds it with various sizes of Legos, and boxes and toilet paper roll tubes and string. When he was in his bath last night, he took one of his current Titanics into the tub. I overheard him singing the theme song, "My Heart Will Go On". But he stopped singing before I could record it.

Another Carsonism

"I'm not your rodeo cow!!" Carson shouted, as his dad was trying to snare him with a hula hoop. Dad came home with 2 hula hoops the other week, and Carson has been using the heck out of them.

A Carsonism

Carson was sitting on my lap for a while. When he got up, he said that he had pins and pine needles in his foot.

Swimming in the Ocean

Yesterday was our first visit of the year to the beach. Carson wanted to go in the water so badly. It started out as walking along the edge of the water, and ended up as you see in the video. It was a fun time.

Speed Racer

I don't know how, exactly, but Carson is hooked on Speed Racer right now. He must have discovered a video from YouTube. He's been watching videos from the new Speed Racer movie, as well as episodes from the old TV series (that I grew up with). My living room is turned into a race course regularly, and I'm looking at a drawing of a race track with cars on it, that Carson drew this morning before school. Here's what we've been watching and boogying down to, a lot, lately.

More Skate Park

We have been having a really good time at the local skate park this week. We went again today, as it might rain tomorrow. Carson is getting better and braver every day. Here are a few of my favorite shots of today.

Skate Park

Took Carson to our local skate park for the first time tonight. He had a blast. Next time he's going to try to get some "air" on his scooter.

Sliding Down the Stairs

What is a 7 year old to do when he's bored? Slide down the stairs!



And again!

"Halleluia"

We have recently fallen in love with this song- and particularly this version of it. Here is Carson lip synching to it. He really gets into the choruses.

A Day of Flowers and Photography

We are in the middle of our local Tulip Festival, and right now the blooms are at peak. So, Carson and mom spent a few hours taking in blooms and taking some pictures. Some of these were taken by mom, and some by Carson.






Here's my little poser!

Carson, taking a self portrait.

The result!

More self portrait.

And yet another!

Taken by Carson; zoomed at maximum (10x optical plus some digital on top of that).

Easter

Happy Easter all!










We had an intimate gathering at the house. Here's Carson with his egg hunt loot.

Spiderman Face Painted

We went to Tulip Town, where Carson did some kite flying, while mom snapped a few tulip photos. Carson also got his face painted for the first time!! Cool!!


Carson is standing in front of part of a huge mural. He liked the tugboat.


Playing peek a boo around mom's tripod and Carson's kite.