Hitting the Double Digits
Garrick is our fourth child to make it to double digits. I am amazed they've all lived that long quite frankly! We must be doing something right - although all of our kids, Garrick included - have had their share of bumps, bruises, cuts, scrapes, stitches and broken bones.
As I was getting ready for the day I thought back to the night Garrick was born - he was our first child delivered at home. In retrospect it was one of the wisest decisions we made: if we had chosen to deliver at the birthing center (where both his older sisters were born), he undoubtably would have been delivered in the minivan on the side of Southfield Freeway. From the first contraction to his birth was under 50 minutes; he might have decided to arrive after his due date, but when he made an entrance, he was certainly dramatic!
And some things never change - Garrick is a natural comedian (inherited his Dad's quick wit), and talented actor (again, shades of Terry); he has an excellent voice and is very musically gifted. But most of all, he is boy who loves Jesus.
On Friday night a group of friends will come over and a videogame-a-thon is planned - we are bringing out the Wii, the Playstation, and the Nintendo. Sleep is optional - and I doubt very much that it is on the cards!
Labels: birth, Birthday, drama, Garrick, homebirth, Nintendo, playstation, Wii
Serene Sunday
Our church offers three (actually four) services these days. A Saturday night service, two Sunday morning services and most recently a Sunday afternoon Spanish service. Terry teaches in the 11:00am service and now also teaches in the Spanish service. He loves teaching the kids and has great fun - but it makes for a long day for him.
I decided to attend the 9:00am service today and then take our four younger kids, and a neighburhood kid, Amanda, to the
San Antonio Zoo. My in-laws kindly bought us the family membership as a Christmas gift last year, and we generally make good use of it. Today was the perfect day to go - the crowds were down, the weather was fine, 93 was the high, but there was no or little humidity. The animals were out in full force, and the kids were filled with energy. San Antonio Zoo is very pretty, with many points of interesting architecture, and is surrounded by a park, with the
Witte Museum and the
Japanese Tea Gardens nearby.
The kids did have a good time - we go so often these days that they know exactly when a new animal is on exhibit, and if something is out of place!
Garrick and Teagan
Carson
Amanda and Hayley
Labels: Amanda, Carson, Garrick, Hayley Teagan, Japanese Tea Garde, Witte, Zoo
School Days or is that Daze?
By now most of the nation's school kids have started school. Our kids actually started back on August 25th, the week before Labor Day. I think the Texas school system is slowly working towards starting after Labor Day and ending the school year closer to the middle of June, rather than the beginning of June. Perhaps one reason they like to end the year a little earlier is the heat - our summer here starts in April and ends in November, with the hottest months between May and August. If they extend school through June, the cooling bill must be astronomical - especially when one looks at the June we just experienced.
Anyway, the kids started school. This year I had to spend big bucks to kit the kids - not so much in school supplies, but in clothes. Teagan has grown 8 inches since last year and now is only 1.5 inches shorter than me. I noticed most of her clothes were too short, so we held an impromptu fashion show a month ago and at the end of it she had two pairs of jeans, one shirt, and two t-shirts that fit her! Hayley inherited many of her clothes as a result. Garrick was in the same boat - he'd outgrown all of his pants, and quite a few of his shirts. Unfortunately, unlike the girls who can share many of the same things, Garrick and Carson are built completely differently. Garrick is in Slim, Carson in Regular. So we hied ourselves off to Ross, WalMart, Kohls and Marshalls, and $700 later all four kids were outfitted. I have never spent that much in one season on clothes! It was insane - but they needed everything from underwear out. I haven't even got around to the shoes yet - I know that is coming though. Teagan and I are wearing the same size shoe (for now) which is fun for both of us. I teased her and told her that if she grew any more, I wanted her shoes.
So, here are the first day of school photos - Garrick has peanut butter on his cheek, and the mark between his eyes was a spider bite that was just subsiding.
Garrick and Carson
Teagan and Hayley
Labels: Carson, clothes, first day, Garrick, Hayley Teagan, Kohls, Marshalls, Photo, Ross, school, WalMart
Dinner Dilemma
Remember the halcyon days of our youth, where our parents used to plunk a plate of food at the table and we had a choice - either eat it or go hungry? Perhaps if you're under the age of 35 you might not have those great memories! Seems like many families today, parents and kids alike, are such fussy eaters that they now eat a diet of pizza, hotdogs, pre-packaged family TV dinners, chips, salsa, cookies and ice cream. Is it any wonder then that a program like Honey We’re Killing the Kids became an instant 'water cooler' topic the moment it hit airwaves in the UK and the USA. The
Joy of Tech website even took a swat at the issue with a comic strip where a group of overweight kids tease the skinny kid for not being fat.
I know with the pressures of work and family commitments, and the running the kids a million different places it becomes hard to always prepare a fresh meal every night - but my own mother is a shining example of someone who worked a full day job and still managed to make from-scratch meals every night. Dining out was a rare treat. She also kept no 'junk' in the house, but we always had an endless supply of fresh fruit and vegetables to munch on. And in the days when she cooked, the microwave was a new invention. So what's my excuse?
Five years ago, when our children were 13, 7, 5, 4 and 3, Terry and I did something that I have never regretted, and is something I am often asked to speak to other families about. We created a family of non-fussy eaters. Our oldest son, Warrick does not know the meaning of the word fussy, and was a fantastic eater. My girls followed, and were introduced to a variety of foods at a young age, and have been pretty good about food.
But then along came child #4. As a baby he was all right, and didn’t spit too many things out. As he got older and was able to verbalise, he certainly made me aware that he was not too impressed with the family dinners! If I served pizza (rare occurrence), he was thrilled and hot dogs (maybe served once or twice a year) were heralded with crows of delight; BUT if anything coloured appeared on his plate, we heard all about it too.
One night I reached breaking point. I had made a roast, with potatoes. He liked meat and potatoes, but I had the audacity to also make corn, broccoli and perhaps even carrots. He began to cry, “I hate this. I don’t want this.” I was frustrated and angry. Like my own mother, I make almost all of our food from scratch because I want to know what it is going into it; it takes time to prepare a good meal, and for the umpteenth time it was getting turned down. I am not one those of moms who considers herself a short order cook, so there was no leaping up from the table and consoling him by making him a separate meal. And we don’t carry frozen snack foods, so I couldn’t/wouldn’t microwave some pocket-pizza-type dish.
I suddenly had a vision though, of this child 15 years down the line — refusing to eat any fruits and vegetables, eating only meat, pasta, bread, potatoes and junk food. I could not let him do that to himself. At that point I turned to Terry and said, “We are becoming vegetarians for a week.” It was a sacrifice for me too, as I love my red meat, but I wanted to instill an important lesson in our kids.
I went online and found seven vegetarian meals and the following day went to Farmer Jack and bought all I needed for the next week. I sat the kids down and explained the plan. I would make dinner that night, and we would all sit at the table to eat. If they chose not to eat the meal I made they could be excused. They would spend the rest of the evening in their room, there would be no TV, no snacks, nothing. The following morning those who had not eaten their dinner would receive their evening meal (heated) for breakfast. If they decided not to eat it, they could be excused. At snack time they would be offered their dinner from the night before. If they chose not eat it, they could be excused. The same would go for lunch, and for afternoon snack. At that time, the dinner leftovers would be scrapped, and they would be presented with a new dinner meal. They could drink water (we drink water with our meals) and at snack I would give them milk and juice, but no more than they would normally drink — I didn’t want them filling up on liquid.
The first night the seven of us sat down. Garrick, child #4, immediately started crying about the food on the table. Without losing my temper, or telling him he had to eat, I excused him from the table. Now he had nothing he could control — food can sometimes become a battle of the wills, and I never want food to be a flash point in my kid’s lives.
The following morning Garrick was presented with some of the leftovers from the night before. He cried, so Terry excused him from the breakfast table. At snack time I brought out some of the leftovers. He refused them. He also refused lunch and afternoon snack. Never once did I yell, or try and force the issue.
I made a new dish for dinner that night, and again the seven of us sat down to eat. Once again Garrick refused to eat it. By now my heart was breaking for my little four-year old, but no one said being a parent was easy! We sent him to his room.
The next morning when he came downstairs and found dinner waiting for breakfast, he was that hungry he ate it. A corner was turned! He realized the food was actually rather good, better than he’d expected. And because he ate the vegetables he could now enjoy the regular snacks the rest of the kids ate.
I wish I could say we had a care-free week after that, but that would be untrue. However, what happened was all of our kids began to experiment more with foods, and although there were a couple more nights when Garrick (or one of his siblings) went to bed without dinner, the decision to basically limit their choice to ‘either eat this food or go hungry’ worked.
That was five years ago. We have learnt that Garrick and Hayley will gag on cooked spinach, so if I make spinach, they don’t have to eat it. But they love raw spinach. All of our kids love vegetables now; and often we buy a vegetable tray from Costco as our evening meal. Garrick gravitates to the broccoli, the carrots and tomatoes. Even when I make a meal that has meat and potatoes, the kids know they have to eat some vegetables first. As a result our meat consumption has decreased, as they fill up on veggies, fruit and salads.
We are not 'food Nazis'. If you look in my pantry you will find pretzels, granola bars, and even the occasional box of Oreo's (although I make most of our cookies myself). I am not averse to a bowl of ice-cream every now and then, and my kids can spend part of their allowance on candy if they choose. But those foods are not an everyday, all day part of their lives.
I feel we have armed our kids with the ability to make wise food choices, and the knowledge that truly, veggies will not kill them!!
Labels: food, Garrick, Hayley, pizza, Terry, vegetables, Warrick
Carson Lee Smelker
Our 'baby' is all growed up! Well, not quite, but almost. I was talking to a client this morning and mentioned that my baby was eight years old today and although I didn't get misty-eyed I came to the realisation that all my kids are truly growing up. Eight sounds so old, you know?
Carson woke up first thing this morning and raced down the stairs. He knew there would be a couple of gifts for him and he was not disappointed. He has been 'jonesing' for two lego sets - one an Indiana Jones set, where Indiana is chased by the giant ball. The other one was a Y-wing Star Fighter from Star Wars. Although he was allowed to open them this morning he wasn't able to play with them until returning from school. As Terry said, "I pity his poor teacher today. I am not sure he will be able to focus on anything!"
The minute he and his older brother Garrick arrived home they ran upstairs. Here it is 7:30pm and they are STILL building and playing! They took a short break for dinner and a bath, then they were back at it.
Here is the Indiana Jones set:
And here is the Y Wing Fighter:
Labels: birth, Birthday, Carson, Garrick, Indiana Jones, legos, Star Wars
FINALLY - Piano lessons
Last March a dear friend of ours from church gave us a piano. She and her husband had two and she figured they'd only play one at a time! It is an older piano and needed about $400 worth of work before it was entirely playable. The kids have been plunking around on it, and surprisingly enough, one of them, Teagan, is remarkably melodious. Her 'plunking' was actually restful. Although we wanted to get them lessons I struggled to find a teacher. So the piano sat mostly idle once it was completely restored back in the summer.
In November I was talking to a newbie at church. She is an Australian who met and married one of our church members. Through idle chit-chat I discovered she is a piano teacher! She was getting settled into her new home and her new routine, and called me in January to tell me she was ready to start lessons. She has even offered to come to the house and teach here - that is HUGE!! It is so hard to sometimes transport and then keep occupied, four kids. I told her we'd come to her house initially and see how it turns out, but if necessary, she will come to our house.
The two girls took to it right away. Garrick said he didn't want to do lessons but I think he will change his mind because he is definitely interested in what the girls did today. Carson is under the weather (he was off school for two days with a bad cough, fevers and the chills) and so did not fare as well in the lesson as he could have. He might be our early drop-out.
Now I am listening to the piano being played with purpose, and it is the best sound in the world!
Labels: Carson, Garrick, Hayley Teagan, lessons, piano, teacher
Reflections
October 21st 1998; 11:10pm (Eastern Time) Garrick Charles Smelker made his QUICK entry into the world. It was a Wednesday night (obviously, he had to follow the pattern of his older siblings) warm for October and I remember calling the midwife and within 20 minutes of her arrival, Garrick slid into this world. He was immediately alert, quiet and attentive to all that was going on around him.
Much has happened since that night. He got to be the baby Jesus in our church play when he was 2 months old, and now this year he will play a wise man in our newest Christmas play; reprising a role Warrick played several years ago. He is funny, articulate, smart, sensitive, an artist, a singer, not much for playing outside (because he gets sweaty!), loves to swim, ride his scooter...all in all a typical nine-year old boy.
He has had a busy birthday weekend and yesterday we took him and several of his friends to the
Hondo Corn Maze. We spent 3 hours enjoying the maze in perfect weather, and the kids spent time jumping on hay bales, feeding goats, shooting corn out of cannons and jumping on a huge trampoline.
Then it was back to the house where he opened all the gifts from his friends.
We had given him our gift earlier on in the week, an iPod Nano - the only person in the family so far to receive one. He LOVES it! He especially loves the fact that Terry has loaded
Weird Al Yankovic's songs and videos on his iPod.
I look at this kid who is almost as tall as me and I marvel that he is already nine! NINE! Where does the time go? Our family is so blessed to have him - he has enriched our lives immeasurably.
Labels: birth, Garrick, Hondo, iPod
Smelker Smalls Start School
Backpacks are packed, lunches made and kids sent off to school. I drove the three younger ones to school this morning, and unloaded their scooters from the van. This afternoon I will walk down to the school (with the dog) and fetch them. It's good excerise and we look forward to the walks home. I then returned and picked up Teagan for her first day. From tomorrow she will take the bus to school but for this first day we wanted to drive her, especially since she missed the orientation on Saturday because of Hayley's birthday party.
Carson came blearily downstairs this morning and whined, "But it's still night-time outside." No more sleeping in until 7:30 or 8:00 for this boy - 6:15 came all too soon for them. By the time they finished breakfast and brushed their teeth it was daylight outside though.
So begins another year of homework, plays, safety patrol duty (for Hayley) choir, parent-teacher conferences, school trips and volunteering (I am on the PTA this year, ostensibly just to do the newsletter, but we'll see how many more things I am 'volunteered' to do!) Each season is bitter-sweet; I have looked forward to having the house to myself again, to enjoy the solitude and silence, but I also miss the hurly-burly of my four, plus all the neighborhood kids.
Here's to a great year for all my friends and kids!
Labels: Carson, Garrick, Hayley, PTA, school, Teagan
R.I.P.
On Garrick's first birthday we decided we were ready for a new pet. We had been a petless home for a while, and we missed the antics of a kitten. I drove with the 4 kids to the Dearborn Animal Shelter and watched about 20 kittens at eating time to see how a kitten would react to little ones. One kitten was so complacent and placid that when Teagan, who was three at the time picked her up while she was eating, she just placed one cheek on Teagan's and purred. Serena came home with us.
The kids treated her like a baby doll, even going so far as to put a bonnet on her, and place her in a stroller and take her through the house. She suffered these indignities with good grace; and if you were to put your ear to her chest you'd hear a rumbling purr. She knew no strangers and would jump into any lap. Christmas was her favourite season, and as soon as the Christmas tree came out you could not budge her. The tree skirt would have to be fully vacuumed after the season was done! She would pull gifts out of the way in order to lie under the tree.
Serena was not a small cat - her breed, Maine Coons, are known for being large, and she certainly fit the bill. Her paws were massive, and like all Maine Coons she had plenty of thick fur, and two cinnamon stripes of colour running down her back. Her big bright eyes reflected her sunny disposition.
She was born at the shelter on August 12th 1999. In July 2001 she was hit by a car (we think) one day after she escaped from the house. She was missing for almost 14 days and was more than likely hit the day she escaped. We prayed daily she would return. She did - a very injured, and very thin Serena pulled herself to our back door which is where Warrick found her. She had a broken hip, a broken femur, a broken tibia - in short she was a total mess. We could have chosen to put her to sleep then, but instead opted for the very expensive surgery to repair as much of the damage as we could. Terry and I both felt it would be grossly unfair to put her down after she spent 14 days dragging her broken rear end to get home.
In 2003 we moved to San Antonio and she made the long 4-day trip in the van with us. She went camping with us, stayed at a hotel with us (we smuggled her in) and as ever, was calm, placid and accepting of her new quarters.
Through the years other cats have come and gone in the Smelker household, we have moved numerous times, but Serena has been very secure in her place in the house - she was the matriarch and she knew she wasn’t going anywhere. She kept the other cats in line, and was always quietly in charge.
However in the last 18 months we had seen signs of deterioration in Serena. She lost two upper canine teeth, she was gaining weight (something she already had enough of), was no longer able to jump on the back of the couch, or jump up to get water from the sink (for a long time she would ONLY drink fresh running water!) The vet put her on a restricted diet, and we had surgery done on her teeth, but there was no appreciable improvement.
Then this last week for no apparent reason she really seemed to struggle to get around, and it was obvious to Terry and I that although she wanted to walk the pain was almost too much for her. We made the very hard, almost unbearable decision to take Serena in this morning to be put to sleep.
We will miss our big girl so much – we had almost 8 years with her; 8 good years, 8 years of appreciating her unique personality and love. Serena loved people, and her solid presence was a comfort to us all in rough times.
Rest in Peace Serena
Born: August 12th 1999
Died: July 18th 2007
This photo was taken this morning as I brushed her for the last time.
Labels: Christmas, Garrick, RIP, Serena
The Countdown Is Almost Done
The Smelker Seven are getting ready to go somewhere we haven't been in almost 9 years. And that somewhere is
Walt Disney World, the Wonderful House of Mouse, and as far as Terry is concerned, the
only place on earth to vacation.
According to the calendar we have upstairs in the game room we have 20 days until we pack up the conversion van and make the 16 hour drive to Florida. Thank God for a third driver (Warrick). The kids are excited although really the four little ones have nothing to compare it to; the last time we went Teagan was two and a half and Hayley only 11 months old. I was 7 months pregnant with Garrick and Carson was not even a glimmer in anyone's eye.
The vacation is already paid for, completely paid in cash so all we had to do was save for gas, food and souvenirs, and even that has been done. All that's left is to wait, patiently, (hard for Terry) and plan our days at the parks to maximize our time there.
Labels: Carson, Disney, Garrick, Hayley, Teagan, Warrick
Empty Nest?
On Wednesday March 7th Teagan and Hayley flew into
Gatwick Airport to spend two weeks with my parents.
This past weekend they took the
Chunnel to
Paris, for a visit of all the famous sites.
They will also tour parts of
London, including a personal tour of
The Houses of Parliament. They will spend some time in a local school and all in all just have a great time.
The girls are also getting to meet my side of the family for the first time. My sister in law, Jenny, took the girls along with her son Michael to a local Mickey D's where they enjoyed ice cream. As you can see, Michael loves his!
On Friday night, March 9th my mother-in-law, Star, drove in from
Carrollton, to take the little boys to spend a week with her and Richard. On Saturday they spent some time at a
PT Cruiser show. They have a busy week ahead of them as well.
This leaves the house empty all day until Terry and Warrick return in the evening from their respective jobs. I believe this is the first time in almost three years that we have had this amount of time away from the kids! Yesterday after church Terry and I went out for lunch and our bill was tiny in comparison to what it would normally be!
i guess in a way this is a harbinger of days yet to come when all the kids move out. Feels weird, but it was nice to have Terry all to myself again - even if it is just for a few days.
Labels: Carson, Garrick, Hayley, Teagan, Warrick
We Have A Tiger In The House
Back in 1993 Terry introduced me to what I think are some of the best cartoon strips since "Peanuts" and that is the genius of Watterson's character Calvin and his sidekick Hobbes. Initially Warrick fell in love with Calvin & Hobbes and read all of the books that we bought or borrowed. Then for a while I was the only one who really read the books.
However about 6 months ago the younger 4 kids discovered the wonders of Calvin and his tiger, Hobbes and since then the comic books have become even more dog-eared, and I ordered some new ones when the elementary school held one of their fundraisers. Just last week at the library I found a 600-page hardcover copy of several of the books compiled into one copy. I have to admit to sitting on the couch for 2 hours last night reading cartoons that are brand-new to me. And the kids all fight about whose turn it is to read the book next - gotta love something that will get the kids reading.
I understand why Watterson stopped drawing his cartoons, all good things must come to an end; but he really did capture the essence of a six-year old boy and his imagination.
If I was a poet I would write an ode to Watterson, but seeing I am not, I will just give my heartfelt thanks for bringing so many hours of entertainment into the Smelker household.
Labels: Calvin, Carson, Garrick, Hayley, Hobbes, Teagan
Another Birthday Comes Around
On Wednesday night, October 21st, 1998 at 10:20pm I went into labour with Garrick. 45 minutes later, at 11:05pm, dark-haired Garrick made his arrival, weighing in at a respectable 7lbs 12oz and measuring a titchy 19 inches! I called some friends of mine to announce his arrival and Joanna said, "Oh, I was expecting your call, it's Wednesday after all."
Warrick had been born on a Wednesday afternoon, 6 years later his sister made her appearance on a Wednesday afternoon, followed 17 months later by her sister on a Wednesday morning. When Garrick went past his due date the joke at church was I had to wait to the following Wednesday before having the baby - and he complied!
Garrick is now a smart, energetic, art-loving 8-year old, with a quirky sense of humour and a very sensitive nature - and I would not want him any other way.
We love you Garrick!
Labels: birth, Birthday, Garrick
I Knew It Was A Good Name!
Four of our five kids have distinctive English/British names - Warrick (although not spelt traditionally) is British - there is an Earl of Warwick in Warwick Castle in Warwickshire. Teagan is named after an Irish queen of the same name, Hayley is obviously English, and Garrick is an old English name meaning to defend. The only non-English name is Carson, and actually it is Scandanavian.
Anyway, my parents wrote me the following email this morning:
When we got to North Shields, which is where the Newcastle Ferry port is located we mooched round looking for somewhere to have lunch and drove past the pub in the attached photo.
Thought you might like to see it.
Here is what they saw:
Labels: Garrick, UK
Back To School
Spring Break is over and it ended with a BANG - literally. Last night San Antonio was placed under a tornado watch and we had severe thunderstorms, and boy, that thunder was loud! The kids mostly slept through it, although Teagan crept into Hayley's bed where we found them both this morning.
Today is the first day at Longs Creek Elementary for Teagan, Hayley, Garrick and Carson. Warrick stayed at Marshall because he will graduate from there in about 10 weeks so it was pointless moving him over to Madison. The 4 younger kids were excited, although apprehensive, about starting a new school. We had made the move as easy as possible though. Terry and I went in two weeks ago with all the paper work and the prinicipal assigned teachers ahead of time so the teachers were already prepared for the Smelker invasion! The elementary school is relatively new, built in 1997 and has over 900 students, one of the largest schools our kids have ever attended, but knowing our kids they will stand out even in a big school!
Another plus is because we moved to a sub-division close to the church, there are other families from the church whose kids attend the same school. In fact, while we waited in the halls this morning Teagan and Hayley recognised two or three kids from church and the neighborhood.
Labels: Carson, Garrick, Hayley, Longs Creek, Marshall, Teagan, Turnstone Lane House, Warrick
Daughter Dad Dance and Silliness Prevails
Last night (February 10th) Teagan and Hayley dressed up, I did their hair and their Daddy took them to a dance. Apparently there was a sign on the door, "No Mom Zone" and an evening of fun was had by all. Terry treated the girls as though this was a real date - he gave them each a rose, opened the door to the van for them, and basically showed them how a man is to treat a lady.
Last week the kids had a theme week at school and Friday was wearing sunglasses day - so of course our kids had to pose!
Labels: Carson, Garrick, Hayley, sunglasses, Teagan, Terry
The Smelker Kids Together
Last night was my parent's final night in San Antonio and I asked my father to take some shots of the kids in front of the Christmas tree. I can't remember when we last had all 5 kids together - no I remember, it was 4 years ago back in Michigan - pretty sad isn't it that it has been so long since they all stood together for a photo!
Garrick is on the left, Hayley is next to him, Teagan is next to Hayley and Carson is on the right. Warrick, obviously, is in the back.
We also managed to capure one with Warrick and his girlfriend Natalie. She didn't want to have a picture taken, so he is hanging onto her to make sure she didn't get away! Natalie is a wonderful girl and we love her and her family dearly.
Labels: Carson, Christmas, Garrick, Hayley, Teagan, Warrick
Sharks and Sunsets
As I mentioned in the Mac photo album, Carson insisted we go into this store - the one with the shark jaws. We walked inside and Garrick with his great sense of timing said, "Oh look. The shark's having a sale"!
Terry took this photo as we were coming from the Dolphin Watch cruise.
Labels: Garrick, South Padre, Terry
Parties and Pottery
Today we celebrated Garrick's 7th birthday at Peter Piper Pizza. Here are a couple of photos of him having fun:
I have also mentioned Teagan and her love for pottery and how good she is. Here she shows off her finished work - note the coffee cups in the front! I think they hold about 4 ounces of coffee, but the important thing is she made them herself for us!
Labels: Birthday, Garrick, pottery, Teagan
Happy 7th Birthday Garrick!!
Our 4th child, Garrick celebrates 7 years today. I have to remind myself that he is not so little any more. He is now in 1st Grade and is bright, funny and extremely sensitive.
Happy Birthday Garrick - we love you!
Labels: Birthday, Garrick
