Who's 3 already?

Carson. That's who.

People told me "your kids are going to grow up so quickly". I didn't believe it. But, as always, they knew what they were talking about. It seems like just yesterday I was holding this little itty bitty chubby red-cheeked baby, who was happiest in his mommy's arms. And this morning, I'm staring at this gorgeus, smiling, funny, sweet as sin, tall, big boy (who is happiest within 2 feet of his mom or dad, unless one of his cousins is around and then he's happiest with them).

We spent a wonderful day together on his birthday. He woke up to balloons in his room (I peeked in on him in the morning and maybe woke him up, we were just too excited!)
Then we got all dressed up (I let him decide what to wear, can you tell? He stayed in his jammies till after nap time) and went off to buy a sandbox for inside!

Voila - our birthday present to him, his very own indoor sandbox. He loves it! Sure it's messy and leaves rice all over my house, but it's fantastic. There's nothing he loves more than digging, scooping, dumping, rolling, pushing...

We had a birthday party for him on the weekend. We had lots of friends, laughing, singing, eating, playing, yelling, spilling, making a mess - everything involved and expected at a 3 year old's party! It was a blast and Carson had so much fun!

I will say, that without a doubt, the last three years of my life have been the best ever. Carson is the absolute light of my life. I'm always so happy to see him after we've been apart. I love how excited he is when we talk about any of our family. We've taught him that family is the most important thing in life and he's so lucky to be surrounded by so many people that love him.

We've been skyping with quite a few people (Grammy, Grandma, Auntie Erin, Miss Pete, Uncle Jan...) and now whenever he sees pictures on my computer he says he wants them to talk to him.

I'm so proud of the little boy that Jeff and I have raised. He's sweet. He's funny. He's imaginative. He's smart. He loves to snuggle. He loves his treats. He loves his mommy and daddy and is head over heels in love with his baby brother Beckett.

I have so much more to say about him, but I just don't know how to say it in words. Carson, you will never understand just how much joy you bring to my life. You make my life better - you make me want to be a better person and to make your life as best as I possibly can. Your mommy loves you more than you will ever know. Thank you for giving me the gift of being your mom.