Caroline: Seven

Happy birthday, sweetest Caroline! Seven years ago, you were born and we became parents. We had no idea what we were doing. I remember the first moment the nurses left and we were alone with you. I looked at your Daddy and said, "What are we supposed to do now?" And, honestly, some days we still look at each other and ask the exact same question.

Luckily, you are easy. You always have been. You are kind and obedient and sweet and generous. You strive to honor us as your parents.

You have my personality (we butt heads a lot), but you are a daddy's girl. I love that about you. Your daddy is amazing and I pray you find someone just like him when you are grown. He is showing you daily what a good husband and father is.

You love Helen and Peter. You take pride in being their big sister. Even though I have to sometimes remind you that you do not have to parent them, I am so grateful for your helpful spirit. You are dependable and responsible. I can always count on you to be an extra set of hands.

You are good at school. I never have to worry about your homework - you do it happily and immediately and expertly. I'm glad because soon your homework will be hard and you will be so much smarter than I am!

You love, love, love to read. I can relate. If you are quiet for a while, I know what you are doing. I am really enjoying reading aloud to you. It is so fun to read some of my favorite childhood novels together.

You are my introvert. I can also relate to that. You need quiet and personal space. It's okay. Embrace those feelings and needs. I know many awesome introverts.

You are talented. I'm not really sure what your "thing" is yet because you want to try everything and you love everything. You like soccer, swimming, choir, piano, musical theater, ballet, tap, jazz dance, art... Whew! I definitely see tendencies toward more artistic pursuits instead of athletic ones. Your enthusiasm and joy for your activities is inspiring.

Darling, beautiful, special girl, I look at you and am humbled by God's goodness in my life. He has entrusted your father and me to be your parents. We thank him for you every day. He is molding you into the most amazing young lady. We love you. To the moon and back.

The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing. -Zephaniah 3:17

Helen: 3 years

 

Helen,

Here it is: your THIRD birthday! You are so excited to be three! Honestly, you are excited about almost anything. It's our favorite thing about you.

 

You are my most social child. You make friends easily. You start conversations with everyone you encounter. You always want to go somewhere, do something, see someone.

 

Life is brighter and more fun and more spontaneous with you in it. It's just plain fun with you around.

 

A verse for you popped in to my head last night as I was thinking about your sweet life.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. -Matthew 5:16

Your father and I give thanks for your light-filled spirit. We pray that the light shining in you will continue to spill out onto those surrounding you, showing them that Jesus lives in your heart. We are prayerful that you will strive to give glory to God in all you do.

 

We love you, merry sunshine! Happy third bithday!

(Incredible photos taken by EBW Photography)

Caroline: 6 years

Sweet Caroline,

You are SIX! These years have gone by so quickly. They've been the best years of our lives. I could go on and on about how beautiful, talented, intelligent, graceful, wonderful you are. You are more than we ever imagined you would be! We are blessed.

Your daddy and I pray for you - prayers of thanksgiving and praise, prayers for the Holy Spirit to work in your life, prayers that Jesus will always be your redeemer and savior. We pray you remember the most important thing ever: that God loves you always and forever, deeply and intimately.

This was my "verse of the day" the day before your birthday. I thought it was so appropriate for you. I even put it on a note in your lunch box.

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. -Luke 12:6-7

You are valued. Not only by those who love you here on earth. But by your eternal Father. Never forget that.

Happy sixth birthday, dear daughter!

(Incredible photos taken by EBW Photography)

Yellow flowers

"Helen, look out the window! What do you see?"

"Beautiful yellow flowers! Mommy, God made them for us!"

Thank you, Lord, for your beautiful, incredible creation. The whole earth gives you glory! Thank you for children who are learning to glorify you and see you in everything.

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For each perfect gift of Thine,
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,

This our hymn of grateful praise. 

For the Beauty of the Earth, words by Folliot S. Pierpoint

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are so thankful here at the Garrett house. I can't even begin to count all of our blessings. We have been blessed beyond any measure. Our hearts are happy and singing His praises today for all His goodness in our lives.

Psalm 100
1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

2 Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

These little turkeys are most certainly among our biggest blessings.


They are awesome. I love them so much and am so proud of each of them.

Wishing all of you turkeys out there a very happy Thanksgiving!

Just a little off the top

One of Caroline's favorite activities is cutting shapes out of paper.  She's really good at it.  And she's very safe with scissors, so I don't hover over her.

(Anyone see where this is going yet?)

Last Friday, I was walking through the dining room and picked up a lock of hair on the floor.  I thought it was strange, but didn't worry too much about it because we had just been to get Caroline's hair trimmed that morning.  I figured some hair had gotten stuck to the bottom of her shoe.  It was a good two inches long and Caroline had maybe an inch trimmed off.

Later that afternoon we were playing on the floor.  I looked up at Caroline and saw some hair around her face that was quite a bit shorter than the rest of her hair.  I immediately started giggling because I had solved the mystery.

Me:  Caroline, did you cut your hair?
Caroline: No.
Me: Caroline, I'm not mad at you and you are not in trouble.  Did you cut your hair?
Caroline: No.
Me: Caroline, I'm not mad at you and you are not in trouble.  Did you cut your hair?
Caroline: No.
Me: Caroline, I'm not mad at you and you are not in trouble.  Did you cut your hair?
Caroline: No.
Me: Caroline, I'm not mad at you and you are not in trouble.  Did you cut your hair?
Caroline: No.
Me: Caroline, I'm not mad at you and you are not in trouble.  Did you cut your hair?
Caroline: No.

I must have asked her 50 times.  She finally told me "it was an accident."  Sure.  
An "accident."

I found the whole situation (except for the lying part) really funny.  I giggle every time I think about her sitting in her chair, wondering what it would be like to cut some hair, and then doing it.  For such a straight-laced, obedient little girl, this was a real act of rebellion!  It could have been much worse.  She didn't go crazy with her scissors (thank God).  I always fix her hair so you can't tell.  You can hardly even see it if it's not fixed either.

Is it too much to hope for that all her rebellions will be this minor and easily handled?

(We dealt with the lying thing by taking the Proverbs 12:22 and then Colossians 1:14 stance. It was a good reminder for me, too.)

Caroline Suzanne

You are four! We've been teasing you for weeks that you are really only turning three this birthday. But you are insistent and sure that this is your fourth birthday.

I can't even begin to quantify every single thing that makes you so awesome. But here are just a few things the we love about your four-year-old self.

You love reading. You read several words and can sound out easy ones by yourself. You are always up for reading a book together. We've started reading bigger books to you. We read The Tale of Despereaux and recently started The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. You really get into the story. You tell us all about what is happening in the book. Your eyes light up with delight when you say, "Aslan is on the move! Spring is coming to Narnia!" I am so excited about this. There are so many great books I want to share with you as you grow.

You love school. You are very smart. You can write all the letters, spell easy words, and do very simple addition problems. You have an amazing memory, as evidenced by the fact that you know several Spanish words, lots of sign language, tons of songs, and the Lord's Prayer. We are all excited about Junior Kindergarten starting this fall!

Princess is your favorite pretend scenario right now. Daddy is your Prince (of course!). You run off and say, "Where is my slipper? I can't find it anywhere!" And Prince Charming brings your slipper and it's magically a perfect fit! Then you dance together. You are definitely a Daddy's girl.

You are now big enough to play many games. Go Fish is a lot of fun and has become our "go-to" game or time-killer. You tell me that your favorite is Hullabaloo. We have so much fun playing games together.

You play and pretend and flit and dance and sing and twirl and party. All day long. You play so well by yourself. It is highly entertaining to watch you entertain yourself.

I feel like there are pages and pages I could write about you and all of your awesome attributes, sweet Caroline. Your Daddy and I think you are amazing - inside and out, head to toe. It is a joy and a privilege to watch you grow. It is exciting to think about who you are becoming, what you will do, where you are going. We are lucky, blessed, and humbled to be your parents. You are an incredible gift and we thank God for you.

Happy birthday, beautiful girl! We love you so much!

O LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done marvelous things,
things planned long ago.
-Isaiah 25:1

Sunday morning

Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time. -Deuteronomy 4:39-40

4 months

I just don't have words to express how incredibly blessed the three of us feel to have this little one as a part of our family. She is so amazing and we praise God for her life!

Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-
Psalm 103:1-2

Stats: 11 pounds, 11 ounces; 23.5 inches long

Baptism

Helen was baptized last weekend. It was a very special day. We felt so blessed and honored to have so many family members and friends celebrating with us. In the words of our pastor, the fact that our home was filled with people who love us is a symbol of how much we are loved by our Father. How humbling! Our daily prayer is that Caroline and Helen would know and love our redeemer Jesus Christ all the days of their lives.

²⁴To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— ²⁵to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
-Jude 1:24-25

After everything got quiet Sunday night, I lamented that I couldn't remember everything that was said and prayed for Helen Sunday morning. I was wishing we had videoed the baptism. And I consoled myself by remembering what I could remember. Well, Tuesday I got a CD in the mail from church. It was an audio recording of Helen's baptism! I was so happy! God provides... Now if we can just find some copies of the bulletin! :-)

Helen's dress is 60 years old this year. It was made by my great-grandmother Zimmerman for my Aunt Suzi's baptism. It's been worn by my mother, me, Erin, Caroline, and now Helen. It is a treasured family heirloom! I made Caroline's dress. It was my first heirloom-style dress. I drew a sketch of what I wanted the dress to look like and then picked out all the lace. I pieced together the lace on the yoke with my machine and hand-stitched the lace around the sleeves and neck. It was a very fun process and I know I will be making another one.

Prayers

One of the greatest joys as a parent (in my opinion) is watching Caroline discover God. For a long time we've been singing this prayer she learned at school:

God, our Father,
God, our Father,
Once again
Once again
We would like to thank you.
We would like to thank you.
Amen.
Amen.
(sung to tune of Frere Jacques)

And just lately she started saying her own prayers. They are the sweetest, most sincere prayers. They remind me to be thankful for the tiniest, littlest things. Most of the time they go something like this:

God, thank you for our baby named Helen. God, thank you for a smelly old dog named Tigger. God, thank you for everything. Lord, thank you for God. God, thank you for our parents and Maddie and Katie. Thank you for our food. God, thank you for everything. Amen.

I only hope my prayers sound just as sweet to God's ears.

He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress,
and for his children it will be a refuge.
-Proverbs 14:26

More fun

We've had some more December fun! Caroline loves helping me in the kitchen. I love finding little tasks for her to do. She takes her job very seriously!

My friend Bryn and I took the girls down to the Peabody hotel to see the ducks march. It was so fun to see how excited the girls got when the ducks got off the elevator. Then we watched some older kids from our church play Christmas songs on their violins. It was a beautiful morning and we girls loved every second.

We went to Zoo Lights again this year with a group of friends. It was cold, but we still had a great time. I think everyone's favorite part was the quick train ride through the petting zoo.

We want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! We pray that your hearts and homes will be filled with the joy and peace and hope that can only come from our Savior - the Christ child. He was born for each of us - what an incredible gift from God!

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
-Isaiah 9:6

Deprogramming

This week has been a week of recharging - a deprogramming of sorts. Caroline has "summer break" from Mothers' Day Out and music class is on a short hiatus before the summer session starts. So that was good enough reason to cancel any other "things" on the calendar. I feel like we have been going, going, going since summer began. And most of our activities were fun things - lunch dates, plate dates, swim dates. But it was time for a break! I am so thankful for this lazy week! From one of my favorite Psalms:

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
-Psalm 16:9

On to some sewing show and tell...

I love bringing dinner to families who have just had a baby. And I usually make a special gift set for the new arrival - an appliquéd onsie and burp cloth. I was really surprised when a recent recipient called and commissioned 3 gift sets. All 3 were for boys. I hope these designs are cute for little boys. And I can't believe I'm going to get a little "mad money" from this fun project

Adorable

My heart is so full of admiration and love for this amazing little girl.

...My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song.
-Psalm 28:7

Happy Easter

We've been practicing our egg-hunting skills!

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

-John 11:25-27

Caroline is 2!

Dear God,
Thank you for the good work you have begun in Caroline Suzanne. Please carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
-Philippians 1:6

We had a big birthday bash for Caroline Saturday morning. It was so much fun. I was so happy that so many of our friends came to celebrate our little girl's life with us.

I decided we would do an arty-themed birthday party. I follow an art with toddlers blog and got a great idea to do crayon transfer tee-shirts. I found fabric crayons and tee-shirts at Michael's. It was so much fun. The kids got the biggest kick out of seeing their own artwork on a tee-shirt. OK - so the other mommies and I got a big kick out of it, too!

I kept the menu easy - BBQ, chips, slaw, a colorful fruit salad, and cupcakes. The cupcakes were topped with M&Ms, sprinkles, or gel icing. I love making cupcakes.

If we had known that there would be 4 inches of snow on the ground the morning of Caroline's birthday, we would have arranged for our guests to come dressed for a snowman-making contest!

Snow

So the day after I changed my snowy blog header to something more springy, we're supposed to get snow. Caroline and I have been watching spring videos, gearing up for sunshine, sliding in the backyard, and walks down the sidewalk. And now we are supposed to get 1-2 inches this afternoon!

For a summer girl like me, it's hard to be grateful for snow. I went to my Bible to find out if God had anything to say about snow. There were two references in my condensed concordance:

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
-Psalm 51:7

"Come now, let us reason together,"
says the LORD.
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
-Isaiah 1:18

What a wonderful, freeing reminder for me this morning as we think of snow. The Lord hears my confessions, casts my sins far from his mind, forgives me so that I am white as snow. It seems I've found a reason to be grateful for snow.

(More snow references in the Bible Gateway concordance.)

The neverending month

Is it just me or does January drag on interminably? Maybe it just seems long because December flies by with all the festivities and Christmas busyness. Am I ever glad January is over!

Not much to report here, so I just thought I'd ramble a bit.

It is cold. I hate the cold. I'm a summer girl. But I've got a pretty awesome husband who gets a toasty fire going every night. He's got it down to an art. I asked if he wanted his fire-making skills to be featured here on the blog, but he humbly declined.

Our usual shows haven't been on TV, so we've re-watched every season 3 episode of Arrested Development. Funny stuff. If you like The Office, you'd probably like Arrested Development. Oh, and Comanche Moon. That was really good stuff. If you missed it, you can watch the entire mini-series online. Gus McRae is one of my all-time favorite literary characters.

Our church choir is working on the Easter portion of Handel's Messiah. It is beautiful music. The text is taken from Isaiah 53. I just think it's so incredible that Isaiah foretold Christ's life hundreds of years before Jesus was even born! God's plans are so amazing.

Speaking of God's plans... Kevin is waiting to hear from one more fellowship program before making a final decision. Pray for God's guiding hand to lead us in a direction of His choosing.

Caroline is great. She has made these cold and dreary days much warmer and brighter. Here she is, ready to go. She insists on carrying her "purse" (diaper bag) wherever we go now.

Happy 2008!

The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.
-Numbers 6:22-24

I picked out the Numbers passage to wish you a Happy New Year. And then I saw the verse of the day, which I thought was appropriate as well.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
-2 Corinthians 5:17

Praying that your 2008 will be filled with blessings, grace, peace, and the newness Christ!

Merry Christmas!

We hope you and your families had a wonderful Christmas! I'll upload pictures of our celebrations soon...

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
-John 1:14