26 Years Ago Today..............

Garrett D. Carson was born on February 27th, exactly eighteen months after his big sister. He was induced, and missed being a leap-year baby by two days. He had lots of dark hair as a newborn, but it came in lighter as he got older.
(A reminder: the quotes and personal history excerpts won't always go with the pictures.)Kent worked in Boy Scouts when Garrett was a baby, so for his first Halloween when he was six months old, I made Garrett a boy scout uniform.

Age 20 months: from his personal history: "Whenever you see an open room you lean against a wall in that room and say "go", then run to the other side of the room. I guess you're running a race against yourself."

Age 2, April 12, 1986: "At every meal you say a prayer. If Lissa or Mommy or Daddy says the prayer, after it's over you say, "Garrett's turn. Heav' Fadder, ... day...daddy...work...food. Jes' Christ, Amen." If I try to help you by telling you what to say you cover my mouth with your hand and say, "Quiet".

Age 3 quotes: That's just what boys do.

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I'm not Garrett Dale, I'm Garrett Carson!

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Age 4 quotes: You make us do all the work in the house.

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I guess I'll just die when I'm six 'cause then I'll be old.

Age 4 1/2, quotes: My legs have a headache.

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Mom: Why is Paul your best friend?

Garrett: Because he has shoes like mine.

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I can't marry Dominique because how would I speak to a German wife?

(Dominique was a German girl in Garrett's pre-school class that he had a crush on. The pre-school teacher told me that Garrett had told Dominique she was beautiful.)

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Age 5 quote: I don't think it's fair that girls get to wear pants and dresses but boys only get to wear pants.

Age 7: "You're usually hard to rouse out of bed, so I'd go in and say, "rise and shout!" Then I'd sing the BYU fight song to you. One morning when I did this you really surprised me by letting out a loud yell. It really blew me away and you said, "You told me to rise and shout!"

Age 7 1/2, November 8, 1991: Mom, why isn't the real world as colorful as cartoons?

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Age 8, February 14, 1993: on a Valentine he gave to Lissa: I just like you in every way. One way is...you are my nicest sis I have. (not to mension the quietest!)

Age 9, August 25, 1993: on a paper he wrote on the first day of 4th grade: I would like to try to do better in the area of: speeling. I plan to do this by: praktis frum time to time.

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Memory of Garrett: I started giving Garrett piano lessons when he was seven. I told him he needed to practice each of his assigned songs five times every day. He's the only one of my students who figured out to play each note in the song five times in a row, then say he'd practiced the song five times!

When Garrett was about five I started filling out an "all about me" page for him every year. Almost every year he answered the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" by saying "in the air force" or "an air force pilot".

We're so happy that his life-long ambition is about to be fulfilled as he begins his U. S. Air Force officer training and flight school in the next few months.

Happy Birthday, Garrett!

We love you!