Happy Birthday, Carter!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Carter!

To Carter:

It's been 3 years from the 6th of June that we first saw a tiny, squirmy, perfect little you. You started smiling at 6 weeks old and you've never stopped. Did we truly even have a life before you? For so many years, we dreamed of having a baby -- of how he'd look, feel, smell. You were and are more than any dream we could have imagined.

You are a constant joy in our lives, from your mischievous chocolate covered grins when you've managed to sneak a treat to your big body hugs.

As time passes, our memories will fade. So, here are just a few of the thousands of things we love about you, our big three year old:

1. How you snuggle with your Momma, especially in the evenings.
2. The way you pretend to read books.
3. How you pretend to be asleep, snores and all.
4. The way you look out for your baby brother.
5. How you love your cars, even taking them shopping with you and sleeping with you.
6. How you make us sing the Sunbeam song every single night.
7. Your fearlessness, even when fear should probably be felt.
8. Your love of the outdoors.
9. How you love wearing hats.
10. The way you dance, kind of hopping around with absolutely no rhythm.
11. Your giggle when Daddy is chasing you around, tickling you.
12. The way you call spiders "ooh yucky" (I guess Mom is to blame for that one)
13. The way you mimic us, especially when you put your hands on your hips and say, "Oh man!"
14. The way you admonish Noah for being messy when you yourself have just created WWIII in our kitchen.
15. How you will share one of your cars with Noah while you nervously guard your 30 other ones.
16. How you point out letters on everything you see.
17. How you will whisper to me to be quiet because Noah is sleeping but then yell at the top of your lungs 3 seconds later.
18. How you look so much like "S."
19. That you made me a Momma.
20. The way you fit so perfectly into my arms and into our family.

Happy Birthday, our firstborn son.