More Four

On Jack's actual birthday, I asked him to pick his favorite meal that mommy makes for his special birthday dinner. He chose "chicken & crackers," which is also known as Poppyseed Chicken casserole. He chose apples as a side dish. Please tell me he'll always be this easy to please.

Also, he requested this candle special. "Can I have a candle that is a 4, Mommy?" I guess it was too much work blowing out four separate candles at his party the day before.

We squeezed one more celebration in the next day at preschool, when Jack shared cupcakes with his fellow Busy Bees. Ringing in the big number four has been so much fun. Jack's two best buddies Andrew & Hudson seemed to enjoy the cupcakes too!

Argh...

On Sunday, we battened the hatches and swabbed the decks in preparation for Captain Jack and his crewmates to take an adventure on the high seas (if the storm had moved in any sooner, it might have literally been the high seas with all the rain we got Monday.) The crew worked together scouring the yard to find their treasure and managed to enjoy some cake too. Hope you had a great 4th birthday, Captain Jack!

Four

Four years ago today, I became a mother. In some ways it seems like I've had preschoolers underfoot for as long as I can remember. But, mostly it feels surreal to think that my first born is celebrating the start of his fourth year! It's hard to recall each and every emotion I felt that day we welcomed Jackson David Garrett, but I do know I was introduced to a brand-new love. It's hard to describe, but I've heard it said that having children is akin to deciding to allow your heart to walk around outside your body. It seems like a pretty accurate description.

Jack, these four years have been such an adventure; full of fun, excitement, worry, tears, learning and lots of love. Thanks for teaching us so much, little man. And, thanks for being the guinea pig; I don't think we screwed up too much yet. We're living and learning, and you've been along for the journey. For the past two years we've had the pleasure of watching you in your role as big brother, a part you were made for! Sam is a lucky little guy to have a big brother like you to look after him. You keep us smiling with your sweet early morning greetings. You warm us with your big kisses and giant hugs. We never lack for entertainment with you around. We love you! Happy 4th Birthday, Jack!

Singing Indians

Jack and his fellow preschool classmates gave a highly entertaining performance this week. Apparently, the first try did not live up to Jack's expectations. I'm guessing he wanted to see more effort from his classmates?


Gobble, Gobble by the Busy Bees (take 1) from Laura Garrett on Vimeo.


The second effort was much better, don't you agree:



And, just in case you thought you might want to be a turkey, the Busy Bees remind you of the dangers of being a turkey on Thanksgiving Day:

thankful thursday

I'm oh so thankful for these two sweet faces!

bounty for the crew members

Can you tell what sort of party we're gearing up for? Can't believe I'll have a 4-year-old soon!

We interrupt...

this blog for a cold, cough, sinus, congestion, etc. that just won't go away. Yes, my boys love me so much that they share everything with me including their yucky germs. The glamor began when we were at Amelia Island, as Josh was concluding his first week of the often called "crud." I was much better at convincing myself I wasn't sick when we at the beach. Once we were back, there was no denying that Mama was indeed sick.Over the course of the last two weeks, I can count a half dozen times when I felt like I was about to turn the corner. Then, the sinuses came and got involved on Friday.

So, although the show has gone on around here as usual, I've not really been capturing many photographs. Not to mention that I managed to misplace my camera's memory card. So, hopefully we'll be back on track here soon!!

What time is it?

So, we gained an extra hour this weekend. I was really excited when I went to bed Saturday night knowing it wasn't really as late as the clock said it was. Even the kids did okay, sleeping until the new 7:15. I guess it helped that we kept them up until halftime of the Bama/LSU game. Somehow Sam even managed to stay awake on the way home from church Sunday morning. We survived that first day.

Today has been a bit of a different story. While Sam kept with his 7:15 waking, Jack was up at 6:40, which is not sooo bad except everyone was falling apart much earlier today than normal. So, naptime came a little earlier today. Then, after 3 hours passed without a peep, I began to worry I'd never get them to sleep tonight. Reluctantly I woke them both up at 4:30. So, although the clock says it's 9:45...I feel like it's 11. Usually, it's the little ones that have the worst time with the time change, but I think it's hit me the hardest. I'm not used to being so zonked at 9:30!

I know my body will eventually get used to it, but I may just buck my weekly tradition of staying up ridiculously late to get caught up and call it a night or at least try to free up some space on the dvr, wouldn't want to get too crazy now!

First Friday Flashback

It's our second installment of first Friday flashback. If you've read any of my blog this week, you probably know where we were last week...enjoying some time away on Amelia Island. Specifically at the Halloween carnival on the resort, where Sam enjoyed his try at pumpkin bowling.

A month ago, these silly boys of mine were sharing pancakes and showing off their cowboy style.

Just three months ago, Jack was trying an American tradition for the first time by giving his oreos a milk dunking before each bite. We were enjoying a morning at Imagine It in Atlanta. We also spent a day with family at the lake, where Jack showed his fearless and adventurous side on the inner tube.

Hard to believe it's been six months since Jack gave me the scare of a lifetime. That memory is as vivid and clear as if it happened yesterday. That same month I was laughing at the hilarity of an old advertisement I stumbled upon. We were teaching Jack that he did indeed have a father.

And since I've been stuck in a beach state of mind, let's reminisce about our trip to the island from a year ago. We were also marveling at Sam's latest development...crawling!

It's been two whole years since this adorable little Indian first appeared. That same guy cracked us up showing off his vocal skills in this funny video. We also had just returned from a quick trip down to Jacksonville without any little ones.

Three years ago, a different video had us giggling as Jack showed off some early rhythm. We burned extra energy marching around the gorge with a one-year-old. We were saying goodbye to a beloved grandfather, who Jack was just getting to know.

My poor memory isn't as good as it once was, but four years ago Josh & I were just weeks away from welcoming Jack into our family. I had yet to make the leap into blogging, but that month we said goodbye to a beloved grandmother, just weeks before she was to become a great-grandmother. Here's a look back at a piece my dad wrote about his mother, in case you need a good cry.

Last Thursday

This morning we had oatmeal and cocoa puffs for breakfast. The same thing we had last Thursday. But, last week there was an ocean out our window. An ocean view makes oatmeal and cocoa puffs even better.

Today after breakfast the boys headed to preschool. Last week, we spent the morning with our toes in the sand and surf.

So, if you caught me daydreaming today, I was probably thinking about the sounds of those waves crashing and my boys enjoying a Thursday morning at the beach.

What are the Odds?

About three years ago, we took what felt like our first "family vacation" when Jack was nine months old. While we were enjoying our time on St. Simons Island we had family photos made. The memories of that photo shoot were fresh again while the boys were bouncing from store to store at the Plantation Shops trick-or-treating last Friday night during our recent trip. On our way out of the island area photography shop, Josh spotted a familiar face on the top of a stack of canvases sitting on display by the door. What are the odds?

Superman and A Giraffe Walk into a Bar...

You'll remember we did a trial run of our Halloween wardrobe several days ago, and the boys gave their costumes another workout this past weekend during our trip to Amelia Island. So, I knew that Sam would not only tolerate his costume, but actually kind of enjoy it. What I didn't really expect was for him to enjoy carrying his treat basket so much. He pretty much refused any help with his basket. The little guy loves to be on the move, so I should have known he'd love going from house to house to collect treats.

We even had a visit from Mema and Pop on Monday night. They decided that instead of handing out candy to other people's kids, they'd rather drive up and watch their own grandboys collect sweets. I'm not sure who is having more fun?

We made it around to about 10 or so of the houses on our street, and then Jack was ready to head home and play! Not to mention the fact that they couldn't wait to sample some of their loot.