dear pratt.

dear pratt,

you love your daddy so much.  you've started waking up really early in the mornings, i think in hopes that he is still here.  as soon as i get you out of bed, you ask for him.  dad?  dad here, mom?  i eat breakfast with dad, mom? 

i always promise that we will drive up to his office and see him.  maybe we will eat lunch with him.  maybe we will just stop by and say hi.  regardless, you seem content with that answer.  and you remind me a little later that you want to see him. 

i have always said that i married a much better person than myself.  i stand by that.  your daddy is night.  and i'm day.  he's calm.  and logical.  i'm the opposite of calm...think tornado.  and i'm the least logical/rational person you will probably ever know.  i think with my heart.  and if it were up to me, we'd truly be living in a van down by the river.  because well, um...let's just say that your daddy is much better at budgeting then me.  it goes way back.  to pop pop and cookie.  so blame them.  actually, blame pop pop.  this really isn't cookie's fault. 

anyway, all that to say that you love your daddy.  for good reason.  because he sings to you.  and holds you.  and rocks you.  and rubs your hair when you have trouble going to sleep. 

because he hugs and kisses you every single time he comes in from work.  or being gone.  or just being away from you.  he bathes you.  and always puts desitin on your behind. 

he loves taking you places on the weekends.  be it to kroger.  or lowes.  wherever, really.  i think he likes the guy time.  he reads to you.  any book of your choice.  and he will read it over and over again. 

we are lucky to have him as our daddy.  and i think he thinks he's lucky to have us as his family. 

i love you little guy.

snug as a bug.

It's funny what I remember from childhood.

One of my most vivid memories is sitting in my dads lap. Being cold. And him taking his own sweater or some nearby blanket and wrapping it tightly around me. Tucking it around me. Making sure I wasn't cold. "as snug as a bug in a rug" comes to mind.
As I tuck pratt in, I think about it. And miss pop pop.

I love you dad.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

two years.

at two years, these are some things pratt likes. 

oh, and before i go on, let me clarify something.  from this point forward, i WILL be referring to him as 24 months.  or 26 months.  or 30 months.  i'm not ready yet to give that up.  just so you know...

okay.  so at 24 months.  here is what pratt enjoys. 

being naked.  he does not get this from me.  when he gets out of the bathtub at night, he LOVES to run around totally naked.  i usually don't have to worry because he's already gone potty and so i'll let him do it until he has to get in bed.  then the pjs go on.  last night he shut the playroom door on us and it got pretty quiet in there.  dad opened the door to find a small pellet of you-know-what on the bench of his table.  clint said, "pratt..." and he goes, "uh, yes.  i poop.  right dare." and pointed at it.  so we sat on the toilet for a little while.  read a few more books.  but nothing worked.  we haven't mastered the art of number 2 on the potty yet.  number 1, we're golden.  number 2.  we're, well...not anything near golden.  like, golden on opposite day. 

he loves playdoh and crayons and markers.  and fingerpaints.  and construction paper.  he loves building blocks, making "houses" and playing trains.  when i'm playing with him, he will randomly look up at me and say, "mom, fun!"  nothing make me happier. 

he is still eating like a bird.  but about every 3 days, he will eat an entire plate of something and ask for more.  he still loves fruit.  and prefers it to most anything else.  at his 2 year appointment, dr. stanford told me that he wasn't going to worry about his weight anymore.  that he's resigned to the fact that he is tall (36 inches, 90th percentile) and skinny skinny (26 pounds, 11th percentile, i think). 

his vocabulary is a direct result of us talking to him like he is an adult.  seriously.  when i was losing my mind when he was around 2 months, i started talking in full sentences to him.  i've never stopped.  none of us have.  he is extremely observant.  he can pick up on our emotions very quickly.  he is really funny and knows when something funny happens around him.  i think it's based on our reactions, but still, when he fake laughs at something, i can't help but chuckle. 

there are two things that tie for my favorite characteristic about him at this moment:

one. when we sit down at the dinner table at night, he reminds us to pray.  he will put his little hands together and say, "pray? pray mom!  pray dad!"  and after we've said the prayer, he will say, "amen" right with us.  the entire time dad is praying, pratt is looking from his hands to clint's face.  then back to his hands.  it's one of the sweetest things i've ever seen.  i know without a doubt, it's the Lord working in him.  and it reminds me daily to be better.  because i have little eyes watching me.  all.the.time.

two.  just how friendly he is.  as you all know, i totally have social anxiety.  it kills me to walk in a room where i don't know anyone.  pratt is one hundred and eighty degress the opposite of me.  he LOVES meeting people.  he loves speaking to people.  and smiling at them.  talking to them.  etc, etc.  he gets this from his daddy.  and it makes me love him and his daddy more than i ever thought possible. 

he is just like me in one sense.  he has trouble sometimes enjoying the present because he's so worried about the future.  when he's doing something fun, he will sometimes look up and say, "naptime, mom?  we have to go now?".  it breaks my heart.  he doesn't dislike taking a nap.  he never cries before naptime.  i think it's that he gets so wrapped up in having fun, that he can't stand to think about having to do something different.  we've talked about it alot.  but i just pray that he isn't like this forever.  i'm this way.  and it's miserable sometimes. 

more than ever before, i realize how lucky and blessed we are to have a healthy and happy baby.  not a night goes by that i don't thank God for this.  every single day with a healthy child is a blessing.  remember that.  and pray for those babies out there who are sick.  there are so many of them...

here is my sleepy-eyed shadow at 24 months...

thanks nana.

so.  pratt now knows how to spell mom.  and nana.  (and diego, which i realized tonight. idk.)  but nana is responsible for the other two words.  and for him knowing his left hand from his right hand and his left foot from his right foot. 

earlier today i caught him singing in the den, "white foot, weft foot.  white hand, weft hand."  and doing a little dance to go with it.  think hokey pokey.  only no "turn yourself around."

so thank you nana.  maybe the good you teach him outweighs the bad i teach him.  like yelling "redneck" at some truck the other day who had a rebel flag on their window.  i mean, come on.  he totally yelled "redneck" right after i did.  and i didn't even correct him.  cause i'm a horrible mom.  i know, i know...

pratt's second birthday party.

so. our little boy turned two.  on september 13th.  but we had his party on the 18th.  i'm a little late getting these up.  they came from several different places because apparently i only took like 6 pictures that day.  i was so busy.  doing what?  idk.  anyway, here are a few pictures.

let me defend myself by saying a few things. 

first, no worries.  i HAVE NOT turned into that mother that gets her child a limo for his 2nd birthday.  i have, however, turned into the one that gets a jump house AND miniature horses.  wait...mini horses that you can walk, brush and ride in a wagon behind.

if you know me, you know things in my life NEVER go as planned.

so friday morning before the party, i get a call from my husband.  he informs me that his uncle, who was supposed to be bringing a pony for the "backyard barnyard birthday party", is not going to make it.  because he's really, really sick. uncle max, not the pony.

I FLIP OUT.  i'm talking.  crying.  sobbing.  neglecting my child to search for phonebooks because i have to find something for these kids to do at this party. 

enter cookie.  who saves the day.  because isn't that way all moms do?! 

so she told me to get a jump house.  because even if we were unable to find the horses somewhere in our county/town, the kids would enjoy it.  so i did it.  that was secured around 10 am. 

i spent the ENTIRE day searching for miniature horses or ponies.  called everywhere from hot springs to conway.  no horses.  too late in the day. 

well, around 5 pm, i get ahold of someone from mini dreams miniatures.  (thank you stacy harris and the man from the feed store on the interstate.  raymond was his name, i believe).  jennifer told me that they had 2 mini horses that could be walked and brushed.  and one that would pull a wagon of kids. 

PERFECT!!

so by the time clint got home from work that night, we had 3 horses AND a jump house.  so to answer your question, yes...i am the mother who overdoes her child's birthday parties.  oh well.  it could be worse.  right?!

but it was all made okay when jake churan came up to me that day and said, "miss hannah, this is the BEST birthday party i've ever been to!".  i love jake.  maybe heather told him to say it to me.  ha.

enjoy the pictures.  we sure made some memories.  and yes, that's my mom and dad riding in the wagon.  because why would they not?!  and that last picture is of sweet graham.  stephanie said he was so worn out that he fell asleep as soon as they got in the car.  sweet little graham...





so big.

Pratt loves to do things on his own. I feel such a mix of emotions about that.

On one hand, I'm proud that he's growing up. I'm proud that he's becoming more and more capable of simple tasks.

But there are days when I still want him to need me. To call out, "help mom! I'm ...". I love this age. Even with all the independence, um...issues. Yes, independence issues.

Today we made a few homemade flashcards for his sink. Hot water on baby hands isn't much fun.

When we were making the cards he knew what sounds the h and t made. He amazes me every day. Their little brains hold so much stuff. They are really just begging to learn. It's all how we choose to react. It's so simple to put on a show. Or let them play alone.

But I know that every book I read, every song I sing, and every puzzle I put together matters. Matters in a big, gigantic way.

And that keeps me on the floor. At his side. Sitting at his playroom table.

May I never forget this. No matter how busy I may be.










- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

o and p

Pratt and I were doing an alphabet puzzle when he realized that the o and p pieces were missing. He stood up, looked under the table and shouted, "o p where are you?!"

So funny. When I laughed, he laughed too. Perfect.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

family photo. second birthday party.

happy birthday party day to my sweet little boy.  what a wonderful day we had. 

pratt, you have such incredible friends.  when you get older, you'll realize that friends and family are two of the things that make the world go 'round. 

more pictures to come.  good night.  i'm going to sleep for maybe like 12 hours...

hey mom...

Clint isn't away from us at night often. He rarely travels overnight for work, so the three of us are together usually most nights. This has me spoiled.

Because the nights he has CE or works at the Christian care clinic, i miss him. Dinner is strange without him. Bathtime isnt the same for pratt. And I'm always reminded just how great single moms are. I mean, when clint gets home my duties are immediately split in half.

I am a constant complainer when I'm alone. It's miserable. I know some of the most incredible single moms who never ever complain about the load they carry.

One of my good friends has movie night once a week with her daughter. They pile up blankets and eat movie foods and watch whatever movie little a wants. People like that have special places in heaven.

Me, the complainer...well you will be able to find me by Sisyphus. Pushing my rock.

All this to say that last night, clint didn't get home until around 930.

As I put pratt to sleep around 9, (his company makes me feel safer, weird I know) as I was walking out of his room, he lifted his head and looked at me and said, "hey mom! I love you."

I've said it to him every night for 2 years and 4 days.

It was better than I ever imagined. No prompting. No mocking. Just very much straight from his big heart.

How I love him.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

funny boy.

It's official. Pratt is the funniest person I know.

He says things now just to get me to laugh. He totally mocks what I say in conversation. And then turns around and uses the same phrases. Like today we were having lunch when the manager came up to us and told us that he had started a detailing place for cars. I immediately said, "oh, great!".

At least 10 times after that the guy would be talking to us and pratt would lean in and go, "oh, great!" like at exactly the perfect times. When the guy would break or hesitate. I couldn't stop laughing at him.

He looks out of the corner of his eyes a lot. Like he's cutting his eyes at you to think. It's hilarious.

We have conversations about everything from why snakes can't walk to why it's best to just tell mommy there is dook in the diaper as opposed to showing it to me.

Here is a picture I took today. He had just eaten cheetos and an orange Popsicle. And he had just reminded me that cookie fell off the steps. He remembers everything.

Oh, one more thing. He announced to everyone at moms day out the other day that he pooted. Actually, he said...well, screamed, "I pooted, I pooted miss Laura!" I was humiliated. He went on to tell everyone that his daddy poots too. At that moment I was so very thankful that I've never passed gas in front of him. Seriously.

Have great Fridays!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

birthday eve.

Staying up extra late on the eve of his second birthday...


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

the fair.

he loved it.

freeze.

when pratt was only a few months old and screamed the entire time i would try to go to target or kroger, i'd wish for the day he was big enough to help.  the day he would actually enjoy going to the grocery store (or anywhere else) with me. 

that day has arrived.  so i'd be extremely happy if God would just stop time right now.  because i'm set.  like a vampire. just not age past this one day.  just stay right here forever.  me, pratt, clint and edward cullen. 

today it rained.  so we got out our "rainboos" and played in the mud.  we also went to the grocery.  and he carried the "heaby" (heavy) box of teddy grahams all over the store.  until we got up to the check out.  and that's when he leaned up, on his tippy toes and placed the box on the counter.

i love this little boy so very much.  so, so very much.

dear pratt.

dear pratt,

I just heard whoopi goldberg say of her mother's death, "I think I'm just sad sometimes because I think, who will love me the way she did?"

It reminded me of my feelings about you.

There are some days I think maybe we will just stay in this house for the rest of our lives to keep anything bad from happening. I know that's not reasonable...but it seems normal to feel that way.

I love you more than you will ever know. I love you more than you love Popsicles and cheetos.

Xoxo, mommy.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

zoo day.

Sunday we met the winninghams at the zoo. It was a wonderful day for animal watching and train riding. Oh, and carosel riding too. With daddy.







This is my favorite picture. Look how happy he is. But why not? He's riding the train, at the zoo, with two of the sweetest friends AND Madeline is sharing her chips (and already gave him a dum dum sucker!!)!!

Thanks to allie, tyler, tucker and Madeline for the invite. We had a wonderful time. We love you all so much.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

first sentence.

Thursday morning pratt said his first sentence. Well, the first in my presence.

Dad said this past weekend the two of them walked down to get the morning paper. Upon getting to the end of the driveway, ace ran up. Pratt laughed and pointed at ace. And then he said, "I like ace."

I didn't hold the light, so idk.

But I did hold the light Thursday morning when we drove past carters house and he said, "mom, is Carter home?" all while pointing at carters house!

I about died. It was like I was talking to clint. Or Spencer. Just so matter of fact. So crazy.















- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone