Carter's Top 10 @ 6 Years Old (#5-1)

This is a continuation of Carter's TOP 10 THINGS ABOUT CARTER @ 6 Years Old. (See previous post.)

5. Spirit Sticks:
These three inch pieces of fabric have become quite the phenom in elementary school's across this city and I'm sure the rest of the nation. It's unbelievable what kind of positive reinforcement they are. The kid's get one for doing different things like bringing in Box Tops, participating in the district's Reflections art contest or when Blake came and was a WATCH D.O.G. for the school.  At least one of two times a month, they can buy one for $1.00. Carter can only use his money to purchase them if he has been good all week. His Aunt Julie helps reward him when she catches him doing something good, too!

4. Sports:
This year alone, as Carter gets ready to embark on his 4th straight winter season of basketball in just a couple of weeks, tried out two brand new team sports - baseball (he skipped T-ball all together) and his new favorite we are about to wrap up his first year of - Flag Football! We all LOVED watching him play and although he is at an age filled with energy and questions, he really got the game and his favorite part was getting those flags!

3. His memory and love of math:
Carter's memory has always stood out to us... but as a parent how much of that is him just being a regular kid vs. something really unique. The past several weeks have confirmed that he's got something amazing going on in that little brain.
Examples:

• He still talks of specifics from our Disney World trip from 1 year and 9 months ago, when he was barely four years old.
• We mentioned going to the city of Phoenix for Thanksgiving and he said, "we stopped there on our way home from skiing last year." (That was a one hour lay over at the airport 9 months ago.)
• Last time we were in Tyler at the zoo, he said, "last time I was here at the zoo with Meme, it was raining so hard." (That had been over a year before.)
• While on recent hunting trip with dad, it was pitch black and Blake couldn't find the deer blind. Carter said, "I can find it and with in 3 minutes found it perfectly."

His love of math: For several months, we had been noticing Carter's affinity for math always wanting us to ask him addition and subtraction problems whenever we could, on his list of homework, anything math was what he always wanted to do first, etc... It wasn't until his first ever Parent/Teacher conference 9 weeks into the school year that his unbiased teacher proactively approached his recommending he be tested for GT classes because of it. Since then, we have had fun encouraging it even with some super cool birthday and Christmas presents. Just today, at his 6 year old, well visit appointment, he wanted me to use his new "Boogie Board" to write out 20 math problems for him to do while we waited for the doctor to come in. We're about to start teaching him some multiplication.

2. His energetic, sweet, kind hearted, people-pleasing personality:

I am so happy to say that Carter's first half of his Kindergarten year hasn't ruined him as my amazing, cuddly, senstive little boy. I was afraid of new negative influences around him in the unknown new friends he would have but they haven't had a chance to greatly influence or change him. He still wants to be with me, Addie or daddy any chance he can. Doesn't mind watching Wild Kratts or his sister's Barbie or Tinkerbell movie for the 10th time in the car. He isn't obsessed with video games and the occasional ipad game on the weekend, makes him happy! He still will hug us any chance he gets and doesn't care what he wears. I couldn't be more proud of the little man he is slowly but very steadily becoming!

1. His love of FAMILY and HELPING.

The number one thing Carter wants is to spend time with his dad, mom and sister. He is constantly asking what he can do to help us. Recently, he has had his very first camping and hunting experience with his dad, Uncle Mike and Easton near Abiliene. This afternoon he just embarked on his second real hunting trip with his dad and Pops to Pearsal. Most days my mouth drops at his generosity to Addie, allowind her to choose what movie they watch or game they play. He even allowed her to open most of his birthday presents, just sitting patiently next to her as she tore into them. Any chance he gets, which is a lot more now that I am thirty weeks pregnant, he loves to crawl up into my bed and just cuddle with me.

For his early morning 6th birthday breakfast, Carter chose to have a PB&J for breakfast... now that was a first!