SEVEN!

This is boy number two, Garen Fielding Sorenson. Gosh, I love this kid! I mean, look at that face, how could I not? Since he was tiny, people have always remarked about the twinkle in his eye and his big smile. Lots of people call him Smiley. Our family however frequently refers to him as Harry. When he was a year or so, his hair started to get curly and was out of control. Jared started calling him Hairy as a result. I changed the spelling, because I can. Garen is not your typical kid. He does not usually request "toys" at Christmas and birthdays. He likes 'real' things... like tool boxes, vacuums, the Touch-n-brush, flash lights, calendars... any practical life thing. Garen reminds me of Thomas the Tank Engine... you know that phrase he always says, "I'm a really useful engine". That's Garen, he likes to help and feel needed. He is Grandpa's assistant whenever anything needs fixin'.

The only thing he told me that he wanted for this birthday was a tool that has an extendible arm and a neon green pad on the end, it helps you reach your windshield to clean it (perhaps you've seen the infomercial). I also over heard his big brother "helping" him come up with a list of toys for his birthday... funny that all the things on Garen's list were things that big brother wanted! ☺

Instead of getting him another tool, we asked him if we could surprise him with something. He liked that idea. We got him a DS i. He was really excited and has enjoyed taking pictures with it and setting the alarm to wake him in the morning! ☺ It was fun for him to get this "extra cool gift" before big brother did since he is often the 2nd hand recipient of Jake's old stuff.

Jacob and Oakley LOVE Star Wars and play it all the time. After 7 years of hearing Jake talk Star Wars incessantly, the bug bit him too. Garen, just in the last month or two, as taken to light sabers and action figures. This is pretty huge since he really doesn't do much playing, per say. Oakley knew just which guy to get Garen and insisted that he give it to him for his birthday. I took this the morning of his birthday... the 3 boys, for now, are so good about playing together. I love this picture!

SHOW ME THE MONEY!

Garen likes motorcycles. He likes to display them more than use them though. I let the kids decide what their cake will be each birthday, and they help me design and decorate it. We had lots of fun with this one. We used marshmallow to make bumps in the track and covered them with icing. We also dusted the icing with Nestle Quik, for dirt. He asked that the cake have some fire on it (that made his pyro-dad proud). We rolled out orange, red and yellow Star Bursts and shaped it into flames. His name was also in Star Bursts. I love my kids birthdays! I have so much fun with them making cakes. We always have the family over for their birthdays. Birthdays are something we really look forward to. I also love that all my kids were born in warm months, that way we get to enjoy the out doors. The parties are always on our screened porch. It's a fun tradition.

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I can't believe my guy is 7. He is so special. Garen is my buddy. When no one wants to go to the store or run errands, Garen always wants to go. He always helps me carry my bags. He also is the first person we go to when we've lost something. He always knows where we left "it". He is funny, and smart and loveable! I am so grateful that Heavenly Father gave me this wonderful little boy. I am so blessed to have him in my life! Happy Birthday, Harry!