happy halloween!

what a day we've had.

this morning when we got back from hot springs, we took a four wheeler ride. pretty sure it's illegal, but pratt loved it. LOVED it. and ace did too.

it was cold. so we got to wear our warm fleece hats and jackets. love it.

here is our little halloween hippopotamus. we have called him "prattopotomas" for a long, long time. so we thought the outfit was pretty appropriate. and i must say that he was the sweetest and best smelling hippo i have ever met.

tonight, we didn't really "trick or treat". pratt is just a little too young. and our neighborhood is pretty spread out. and no one really trick or treats here. so, we decided to go visit our friends russ and kristin. we wanted to see their girls, ella grace and lexie. lexie was little bo peep and ella grace was the sheep. so, so cute.

my big, little boy.

this morning i took these pictures.

it wasn't until afterwards, when i was reviewing the pictures...that i realized just how old he looks.

if anyone has a time machine, i'm interested. call me.

and then there is my favorite...



several people have said he looks just like my dad. i hadn't seen it. well, not until today. but that last picture looks so much like my dad. so, so much. i think it's the eyebrows.

have wonderful weekends. and happy early halloween!

dear pratt.

dear pratt,

tonight you tried to give ace sugar. it was then i realized that a few nights ago, you weren't trying to bite him. instead, you were giving him a kiss. an open mouthed kiss.

so i'm sorry for making you look like a vampire. but one day you'll learn that vampires aren't all bad. there is this boy named edward. and well, he's like, the best vampire ever.

anyway, here you are tonight. giving ace sugar.

ps. i went in to cover you up one last time before i get into bed...you see, i do this every single night. we put you to bed. and then right before i tuck myself in, i go in and look at you. make sure you're okay. that you don't have any limbs stuck between the slats in your crib. or that your shirt isn't pulled up so that your back or your tummy isn't cold. i cover you up. rub your head. and whisper something to you. it varies.

anyway, tonight you looked so big. you are over half the length of your crib. so when you lay in it, there is less than a foot on each side of your head and feet. it's heartbreaking.

i'm not sure when you got this big. this grown up. i don't know when you were so big that you needed a trick or treat bag. nana said this the other day. and when i looked back on the picture...she was right. when did you get so big, pratt?

it seems like just yesterday you were this helpless little baby. and i was this helpless li...big, momma.

and i know that people say that they wish they could rewind...and live that over. more slowly. but i wouldn't change a thing. i like where we are now. i like that we can communicate. that i know what you need. that we can go to target without a diaper bag. i enjoy feeling comfortable. and knowing that i can do this.

okay. that's enough for tonight. but don't ever forget how much we love you.

think...from here to the moon. and back.

love, mom.

tornado.

today is one of those days when i move quickly. like if my life were a cartoon, you wouldn't see me...you'd only see a blur. moving all around. through the dining room, onto the front porch. upstairs, downstairs. yada yada.

i have one of these "days", oh...um, once a month. my mom and sister have them every day. the entire day. but not me. i'm my dad's child. i could lay on the couch and eat potato chips and watch lifetime all day long and not feel bad about it. and never get tired of it.

i've already worked on my christmas card mailing list. sent in about 200 pictures to mpix. called and rescheduled several doctors appointments. made out next week's meal plan.

last night a guy came trying to sell us a pro aqua. it's a vaccum cleaner. kind of like a rainbow. grandma teddy bear and the greatest bought one. i'm jealous. my rainbow is used. and has seen better days...but it's still a rainbow. and every single time i pop that top off and see all the crap in my water, i freak. and a shiver runs down my spine. and i feel a little better. like my home is a little cleaner.

the guy last night reminded me of why i love my rainbow. but because i'm human, i did secretly cross my fingers when he asked clint "what can i do to get you to buy one of these tonight?". i knew clint would say no. we have more important things to spend money on right now.

like our emergency fund. and the 3,000 dollar emergency room fee due to that hospital in chattanooga. that my friends, is what's wrong with our healthcare system. i can't for the life of me figure out what they did that cost 3000 dollars. all i know is that it took them 2.5 hours to see us that night. TO SEE US!!!!! WITH A BABY WHO HAD BLOOD IN HIS STOOL.

i don't know what people without insurance do. honestly. i guess they just don't pay it. because that's what i would do. no, that's not right. i'd march up there and chew someone out. go crazy on some poor person who didn't deserve it.

the other day when we were in beebe, i went to get our pizzas. at pizza hut. i had initially called them in and asked for them to be delivered. they said it would be 50 minutes. this was on a friday. around 1. whatever. so i tried to call back and tell them i would just come get them. but they didn't answer. i called 7 times. yes, 7. no answer.

so about 20 minutes passed, and i just drove up there.

well, i walk in, tell the girl who i am and that i had just called in a few pizzas and breadsticks. and that instead of having them delivered, i would just get them. pick them up. (at this point, i began rummaging through my wallet, looking for a tip. because i realized that some guy was going to be getting a tip for delivering the pizzas...and now he wouldn't. so i get out money).

at this point, the girl at the cash register turns to this guy boxing up pizzas and says, "no need for delivery. she's here. those are hers."

okay.

so this guy rips (dead serious), rips the boxes out of his insulated bag (all this chubby girl can think of at this point is how the tomato sauce has for sure been thrown off my pizza. which means the cheese and all the toppings are on the side of the cardboard box and NOT on the pizza) and slams them on the counter in front of me. and the girl at the cash register looks down and giggles.

my mouth dropped open.

he then preceeds to hurl the bag across the room. it slams into the wall. and he walks over to his moutain dew...and hurls it back like napoleon dynamite did after his workout. immediately, i've named him "napoleon" and the cash register girl, "deb".

i'm furious at this point.

and let me just say that never before in my life have i really ever stood up for myself. i have let people walk all over me for a long, long, long time. for as long as i can remember. but what i had forgotten...is that i am half jeanette pratt. which means i am fully capable of speaking my mind. and not being ashamed for it.

and that's just what happened.

i fling my right hand up...finger pointed at napoleon. and i say, "excuse me. is there some sort of a problem here!?" (i'm yelling. people are staring.)

napoleon and deb don't know what to say. they're so nervous. they both start stuttering around. "baa..uh...well...uh...no, there isn't a problem", deb says. she says, "he uh..he always tosses his bag like that. yeah. always."

i said, "uh, yeah...'toss' isn't really appropriate for what just happened. you (insert the hand with the finger pointed at napoleon) totally hurled that bag across there." (swinging my hand from right to left to show him what he did. like he didn't already know.)

(this is where jeanette comes out)

me: "let me tell you something. i walked in here and realized that i was taking a tip from you. and i felt really bad about it. but you know what...i'm not giving you anything now. not after that temper. you should be ashamed of yourself. that was ridiculous. YOU ARE RIDICULOUS!" (screaming people...screaming!)

i'm halfway out and i turn around and yell, "somebody give me a comment card!!!! now! and what is your (finger pointed and sticking out, cutting the air in front of me) name!?"

i was shaking when i got back to grandma's house. so, so, so mad.

i mailed that comment card in the next day. sort of felt bad about it. but then i remembered the flinging and hurling and the tossing back of mountain dew.

next time i'm in beebe, i should stop by there and tell him mountain dew is horrible for his teeth. then maybe leave a card for fulks family dentistry. ha.

i'm not sure how to wrap this up. maybe i got off on the napoleon and deb story because the pro aqua guy reminded me of uncle rico. or maybe even kip. you know when they are trying to sell that tupperware that doesn't break. and then kip runs over it in the van and it just cracks. and he goes, "dang it!" and drives off! hi.larious.

clint said he was more like dwight shrute. i don't know. i just know that at some point he asked, "do you burn candles?"

and of course, i said, "uh...yeah." as in "duh." he goes, (in his most demeaning voice ever) "don't. they blow soot into the air. and that baby of yours breathes in that soot. causing his lungs to be damaged. causing him to get rsv."

clint and i kept saying "don't" to each other before we fell asleep. clint said something like, "sir...did you drive a car here to our home tonight? don't. it puts soot into the air. and the birds breathe in the soot and die. ride a bike, gary. ride a bike."

i'm sure this isn't funny to anyone but me. but man, it was funny.

okay. i hear pratt kicking his crib.

have great thursdays!

pratt's first trick or treat.

so pratt's first halloween party was today. this morning. his first "trick or treat" experience. he couldn't wear his costume, but they were encouraged to wear a halloween shirt!

we were in luck! nana (i think) bought him a cute halloween shirt. so we put that on with his cute little cargo pants...and off we went.

but we had to take a picture.





i know i'm biased, but i really think he is the cutest little boy ever.

today has been a good day. today is my library day. let's see.

monday is coupon day. grocery shopping day. menu planning day. laundry day.

tuesday is moms n more. bible study. and i get a nap that afternoon because usually pratt only take one 3 hour nap on tuesday. instead of 2, 2 hour naps.

wednesday is kids day out and library for mom day.

thursday is clean the house day. do laundry again day.

friday is the hope we see cookie day.

saturday and sunday are holidays. every.single.weekend.

have great library days. go get a library card! it's better than my debit card. yes. it is.

and here is pratt with his ghost bag they made at "school". so cute. and he had lots and lots of treats. marshmallows, oreos, goldfish, teddy grahams. yummy yummy.



ps. i don't feel so bad after seeing what some peope think are "toddler appropriate" snacks. oreos, hershey kisses...really!? i mean, i'm just trying to keep his teeth cavity free. if he's anything like his momma...he'll be at his dad's office a whole lot.

a few things.

a few things to remember.

one. pratt now has seven teeth. four on top. and three on bottom. it's his bottom left, next to the middle one. clara...help me out. what is the letter for that? baby teeth are letters, right? i noticed it poking out a few days ago...and now it's pretty much broken through the skin. i CANNOT imagine how bad that must hurt. ouch.

two. he is so incredibly close to walking. he has started getting up to a stand with no problem from the middle of the living room floor. not holding onto anything. just standing up on his own. and he's lost all fear. which is totally scary. he moves quickly now by cruising. and he will take a few steps and then fall toward you. if you don't catch him, he WILL face plant. trust me. i know.

three. his dad is still his favorite. you should see the kids face when he sees clint walk through the door after work. or when we go up to his office for lunch. it's like clint is the greatest thing since sliced bread. well, i guess he is pretty great.

four. he has his first halloween party at kids day out tomorrow. he can't wear his costume, but he will be wearing his halloween shirt. and they will be trick or treating for snacks. which i thought was super cute. i'm going to go up there early and watch them. it should be fun!

five. he is loving milk. still takes two bottles. one in the morning and one at night. he's still more likely to eat whatever you're eating. and he would much rather feed himself than have you feed him.

six. he's trying to say things. some of which include: deer, dog, dad, mom, cookie, banana, nana, yoda, chip, done. he totally pointed at the lay's potato chip bag yesterday and said, "chip". clint and i about died. oh...and when you point to the cow, he makes a "mmmm" sound. it's short for "moo." i'm certain of it. ha. but seriously...i am.

seven. he laughs the hardest when ace runs around with something in his mouth. like one of his toys. ace does this thing where he shakes whatever is in his mouth and pratt thinks it's the funniest thing he has ever seen. he loses his breath laughing.

eight. he's finally starting to like kids day out. that only took...two months. yay pratt!

he makes me happier than i ever thought possible. i will be having a crummy day and then i realize and remember how lucky i am. i have my health. my family. and we aren't struggling to eat or survive. and those things aren't always a given. so at the end of the day, i say my prayers. and thank God for the many blessings in my life.

have great weeks.

our pumpkin.

so tonight we carved our first pumpkin. i don't think we carved a pumpkin last year. i'm pretty sure we didn't. i don't know what i was doing last year at this time. probably making a list of why i shouldn't jump off the river bridge.

ahhh. this year is so, so, so much better. three "so's". tis true.

clint found an article in the newspaper for halloween cookies. they were cake cookies made of pumpkin. with a cream cheese filling in the middle. we had big plans of making them tonight after we carved. until...i called the chef to ask her how we were supposed to get the pumpkin out...and she informed me that you can't really use the pumpkin that you carve. she told me it would be easier to just go buy pumpkin. canned, ready pumpkin. i'm too lazy for that. so instead, we're making brownies. go figure.

clint did an incredible job on the pumpkin. it's his dentist hands. i'm sure of it. i couldn't carve my way out of a paper sack.

pratt had a good time. sort of. he tried to eat all the pumpkin carving tools. and soon thereafter became more interested in ace chasing yoda all over the house.

dad finished up the pumpkin while pratt had a bath. and then to end the night properly, pratt wore his festive, halloween themed pjs! thanks to nana who bought these for him :) you know i LOVE gap pjs. they make him look so grown!

okay. well...enjoy the pictures. oh, and yes. i think pratt was trying to bite ace. but i'm not sure. great. on top of the hitter...we now have a biter. excellent.

and finally...



happy early halloween!

one more thing. will you please keep brittany in your prayers. she is the sister in law to my friend tanna. i don't know details...i just know that things are tough right now. please pray that God will carry that family through everything. i cannot imagine how overwhelmed they all feel. thank you guys.

dear pratt.

dear pratt,

you were a busy little boy yesterday. while i drove to texarkana, you spend the morning with cookie and julie. they took you to barbara jeans. here's how happy you were about it...



this is your new face. it was funny at first. now, well...now it's getting out of control. you make this face ANYTIME something doesn't go your way. yes...you do.



they took you to eat at loca luna and you had a wonderful time. so much so that uncle jeff texted me and said that you were so sweet that it made him ALMOST want another baby. you flirted with all the waitresses there and uncle jeff let you ring up tickets on the computer. you LOVED it.

yesterday afternoon, we buried your great-grandmother. while dad and i went to the funeral, you stayed with grandma teddy bear. from the moment dad took you inside, you reached for her. i love that feeling. i know what it feels like to be on the receiving end...and it's so great for me and your daddy to see how much you love other people...and to know you're loved by so many.

grandma teddy bear kept you. i'm sure she read to you and played with as many toys as you could pull out of her toy closet. when you daddy was little, she always let him color. she has told me that she always kept paper on hand for him to draw and write. and many books for him to read. as you get older, she will for sure be one of your favorite people. she's certainly one of mine.



the greatest and nana returned after the funeral. when dad and i got back from the burial, you four were having a great time! we ate seafood gumbo that was scrumptous. and then got to visit for a long time.

we followed up with a trip to check on papaw and pops. while we were there, you got to visit with erin, and aunt pam and uncle max. you loved uncle max. of course you do. he's your pops' brother, and he's a sweet, sweet man. he let you rub your fingerprints all over his glasses. pops played chopsticks on the piano and let you help.





pops is what we call musically talented. the man can play any instrument. i hope that you get that from your dad and your pops. you have long fingers...so maybe that will mean you play the guitar and piano well. let's hope so. girls love the guitar. trust me on this.

when we left there, we went by to see sonny and vickie and danielle. they missed your bday party and had a surprise gift for you! a radio flyer tricycle! you LOVED it! it has a little bell and everything. i will post pictures as soon as vickie sends some to me!

you were such a trooper yesterday. i know you were completely exhausted by the time we headed home at 9. but you were an angel while we visited everyone. so thank you. thank you for being such a wonderful little boy.

we love you so much.

help.

so, i have a problem.

pratt is hitting. like, seriously hitting me in the face. and clint too. and cookie and poppy. and nana and grandma teddy bear. pratt is hitting them too...not they are hitting me. ha.

he just looks at you and then "wham!" slaps you in the face. when you tell him "no!" he laughs. crap isn't funny. seriously.

to this point, i've thought it was just coincidence. that he didn't really know what he was doing and that it was mean.

WRONG.

tonight i was holding him and wouldn't put him down because he was trying to pull yoda's tail off and so i was moving him to the other side of the floor. when i wouldn't let him down, he looked at me, scowled and popped me in the face. INTENTIONALLY.

clint jumped all on him. sternly told him no. and we set him down. ignored it.

while i'm a believer in spanking (gasp, i'm sure), i'm not a believer in spanking or popping him on the hand and saying, "no. we don't hit." duh. (somewhere my mom just screamed, "hannah!!! did i not teach you anything!?")

so am i the only mom that is going through this? or do any of you have advice for me? what do i do? do i ignore it? do i hold his hands together for 30 seconds while saying "we don't hit"? is this a stage? or will he be in prison by the time he's 11.

seriously folks. seriously.

it's that bad. i'm losing sleep at night. i really am. i hate that he's become this mean little kid.

please help.

love, mother of the meanest kid in saline county.

leftovers.

i'm not a fan of leftovers. it's genetic. therefore...not my fault.

i get it from my daddy...("she get it from her mamma..." ha.)

anyway. i hate putting leftover food in tupperware and storing it in the fridge. usually, clint will eat it. but there are times, when it's not eaten. and once it's been in there for a while, i CANNOT clean out the tupperware. honestly. i'll just throw it away. horrible, i know.

and wasteful. somewhere andy fisher just had a heart attack.

but i'll gag if i open it. ugh. the smell of food that's been in there for a long time. gross.me.out.

apparently, my son takes after his father and loves...and maybe even prefers leftovers.

evidence? see below.

the conversation went something like this...

me: "hey pratt. whatcha doing?"
pratt: "nothing much mom. just standing here at my highchair."



"oh...what? you want a close up shot? here you go."



"wait a minute!!! what is that!???"



"it's a goldfish! yum. left over from earlier. wonder how it tastes!?"

"good as new. let's see if there are any more....hmm...maybe under here?"



"nope. oh man."

i found him doing the same thing at kids day out the other day. crawling on the floor trying to eat leftover cheerios. i mean, what in the world. the kid throws them down when you give them to him...but then goes after them when they are on the dirty floor. who knows.

and lastly, how cute is that curl!?

have wonderful afternoons. we'll be playing on the floor. :)

dear pratt.

dear pratt,

today, this afternoon...your great grandmother, mamaw fulks, passed away. from what i understand she was very close to her mother. mamaw lost her own mother years ago...so i'm guessing that right about now, she is hugging her mom. and everyone else she has lost in her 85 years.

i love for my parents to tell me stories about my grandparents...so here are a few about your great-grandmother.

according to your dad, when mamaw would hug you, it would be a big bear hug. tight. and he would frequently grab your face to hug you. hold it in her hands. and squeeze it really tight. it wasn't uncomfortable. instead, it was warm. and loving. and you knew just by her embrace alone, that she loved you. that you were safe with her.

papaw fulks gave mamaw a valentine card when they were in the 4th grade. he asked her to be his valentine...and well, it worked. that's right. they were boyfriend and girlfriend starting in the 4th grade. don't get any ideas from this. you aren't allowed a girlfriend until a. you're 85 or b. i'm dead. which ever comes last.

papaw was talking to your dad the other day and he told him that he wasn't worried about her because he knew where she was going. but that he wouldn't be far behind her...that he would get there and find her and make sure she was alright. this is the epitome of romance.

mamaw kept the babies in the church nursery. from what i've been told, she loved nothing more than sitting and rocking babies for hours upon hours.

your uncle andy emailed your dad tonight. i won't post what he said here because i don't want to make andy mad...but just let me say that it was the sweetest email. and he reminded me of something. andy commented that when he would come over to mamaw and papaw's house, they would always offer him a drink. and then try to make him something to eat. and then they would tell him how proud they were of him and clint. this is so true. i remember this. she constantly talked about how proud she was of your dad. and for good reason. your dad is one of a kind. and she knew how hard andy had worked too. and i love it that she told him about it. that she was proud of him too. and not too shy to let him know.

when she came to have some dental work done, she started crying before she even got through the door. she was just so proud of what clint had become. so proud of the hard work that he had shown. she loved him so much. and he loved her.

your dad sat with her all day friday. sat with her and talked to her. told her how much he loved you. how much he loved her. how happy he was. i think he knew that she loved hearing that. she loved knowing he was happy.

he told me that he held her. held onto her hands. and her shoulders. just sat and held her and talked to her. he said he thought she might like it. because she so liked to do the same to people. i'm sure she loved it.

you'll never remember this, but we actually had a pretty good time after we heard the news about mamaw. i can't take credit for that...but you can. your sweet smile was good for your dad. it was almost like you knew something was going on. so thank you. thank you for the blessing that you are to us. we are so lucky that you are ours.



oh...one more thing. just a bit of comic relief...



and i won't say who that is. i'll just say this...it's not me, and it's not dad. and it's not ace. and not yoda. that's all i'll say.

oh...and it's not a babyruth. ha.

love you.

mommy.

melanie mcknight photography

after i had pratt, one of my best friends was in california. she was living there. and she had her mom drop off a big package full of goodies for me. snacks and such. and there was a card. that she had written to me.

she knows me well and told me there was a dixie chicks song called "godspeed" that she used to sing to her little boy when he was a baby. she typed out the lyrics. here they are:

Dragon tales and the "water is wide"
Pirate's sail and lost boys fly
Fish bite moonbeams every night
And I love you

Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Sweet dreams

The rocket racer's all tuckered out
Superman's in pajamas on the couch
Goodnight moon, will find the mouse
And I love you

Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Sweet dreams

God bless mommy and match box cars
God bless dad and thanks for the stars
God hears "Amen," wherever we are
And I love you

Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Godspeed
Godspeed
Sweet dreams

i remember listening to the song. i loved it. of course my voice is nowhere near natalie's...but i would try to sing it to him. but i haven't thought about it in over 6 months.

and then...today my mom called me to tell me that the "birthday party" she took pratt to a few weeks ago in hot springs, wasn't really a birthday party. it was my mom taking him to have pictures done by a girl named melanie mcknight.

she was going to surprise me at christmas with them...but then she thought she would use one of the pictures for her christmas card...so she went ahead and told me so i might could do the same thing.

i have to share these pictures. i started crying as soon as the music started...it was the song. the dixie chicks song. and there was my precious angel baby staring back at me.

i have SOOOO many favorites. but number 6 is probably my top favorite.

if you want to see them...go to

http://www.melaniemcknightphotography.com/

click on "portraits"
click on "clients"
and enter "pratt"

and get ready to cry. cause i don't care who you are...that song is so, so, so incredibly sweet.

pratt is so lucky to have grandmothers who love him so much. two wonderful sets of pictures now! nana and cookie! thank you both! we are so lucky to have you both.

and mom, you broke my heart. in a good way. thank you, thank you, thank you. i love you.

our friday.

when i cry, sometimes...even if it's under my breath so no one will hear, i will whisper, "i want my mommy..."

true story.

crazy, possibly. but true. so, true.

and so yesterday when clint left for beebe, i instinctively left for hot springs. for my mom. and of course, my dad. but as my dad has always said, the moment spencer and i would walk through our front door (to this very day), we would yell, "MOM!!!??"

not wanting him. but wanting her.

and so yesterday, that's what i did. went and found my mother. we went to eat lunch at cafe 1217 with her and julie (one of pratt's girlfriends :) and then we went shopping at hobby lobby.

we had lots of fun at the condo with cookie and poppy. and even skeet. (skeet has never really been a big fan of pratt. pratt is way too close to cookie and sugar. but yesterday, pratt attempted a truce. he fed skeet a potato chip and a cookie. who knows how pratt still has a hand. honestly, that dog has a serious chomp.)

here are some pictures.



lunch at cafe 1217. with his sesame street placemats courtesy of madeline and tucker :)



eating circus peanuts..yes, pure sugar, in hobby lobby. i know, i know..."mother of the year". someone get me a plaque. geez.



cookie reading to pratt.



pushing the alphabet train all over the condo. yes, his pants are rolled up. cause he's cool like that.



watching the horses run with poppy.



"wait a minute!? mom...who is that man outside taking pictures of me!?"



it's poppy! see him! look!



"oh poppy. you're so silly. enough of that. come inside and get me!"

mom and dad...thanks for spending the day with me. you will never know how much i needed it. mom, thank you for taking us to lunch. for sharing us with your friends. for the conversation while pratt napped. dad, thank you for going to hobby lobby. i know you secretly like places like that. ha.

i love you both so much. spencer and i are so, so lucky.

oh, and last night dad got home around 845. a certain someone was still awake and so excited to see his daddy!

here they are snuggled up in bed this morning for saturday cartoons.

one more thing. here is pratt playing with old..or should i say "vintage" matchbox cars that once belonged to clint. mamaw fulks kept them for pratt. yes. we have 2 sets of them. maybe 24 cars in each set. they are hilarious. clint saw them as we were putting them up and commented on several of them. he told us which were his favorite. i love having stuff like that.



happy race for the cure day!