clint and hannah...plus one.: 2009

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

sunday morning.

i'm guilty of being superficial and finding happiness in things besides my family. and my faith. and my life.

for example. clint got a new ipod for his bday. from me. his birthday isn't until january 4th, but i did it early. as soon as i saw it, i wanted a new one. there is nothing wrong with mine. it's just that it doesn't have a digital camera or a recorder or an fm radio.

i also want adobe photoshop. one hundred bucks. give or take.

and i want a million dollar shopping spree in new york city. and a blackberry and an iphone. so pratt can play duck duck moose games anytime he wants.

etc. etc. etc.

but sunday morning, i was reminded of something that is wayyy more important than anything i could buy. anything that could be given to me. and it's this.

i got this picture while snapping some of clint and pratt eating popcorn and watching cartoons. pratt's favorite thing to do. rarely will he sit on our lap for any amount of time these days. this picture was in no way staged. i didn't have to tell him to look at his dad. it just happened. both of them looking at each other...smiling.

sometimes i have to pinch myself and remember...i have a family...i am part of a family.

that's something i have always wanted. and so when i close my eyes, and find my happiness...this is what i see.

Monday, December 28, 2009

spice.

as i was downloading pictures, i found a few i had to share. these are of tyler (sugar's hubby) and pratt. this is pratt's new tricycle. it has a removable/detachable handlebar for a parent. AND most importantly a sun shield. call me dorky, but the boy hopefully won't get sunburned.

when i met tyler, i never knew just how much he would love pratt.

but now...now i know that he loves him as his own.

every.single.time. pratt is with him, tyler plays with him. does "elevator/stairs/escalator" with him. or pushes him on one of his toys. or straps him in his new tricycle and pushes him around the house. he's one of those great uncles that does whatever is asked of him. no matter what.

we're so lucky to have tyler (aka spice) in our life. he reminds me so much of clint. so quiet and kind. so even keel. so easy.

so, spice...we need you to come up here soon. pratt needs a buddy to push him on his new tricycle. and well, quite frankly...you're the best.

we love you spice.

our morning.

so many new toys...so little time.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

christmas eve. part one.

well, we had big plans to leave early on christmas eve morning to visit everyone in beebe. like, 7 am plans. hahahaha. right, right.

it was raining cats and dogs. and was flooding.

so, we make one last stop at target and starbucks for a last minute gift. this was around 10. well, i ran into a girl from antioch at the checkout. we start talking. she says she's headed to antioch. i ask her how she's getting there, as i understood the interstate was closed in spots and that 67/167 was flooded around cabot.

she tells me that the interstate is stopped up. to go to malvern. then to sheridan. then through little rock...by way of the airport. then jacksonville and cabot. then the dream hometown. or the dht to all you badgers out there.

so, something like four hours later...we arrive in beebe.

we went through some water that i would have NEVER gone through alone. NEVER, EVER, EVER. there were a few cars up to the roof underwater. bad news bears. so bad news.

pratt was a champ and didn't fuss the entire way up there. the entire four hours in the car. it was like he knew that we wouldn't have been able to handle it. that or maybe that we stopped in sheridan at that shell gas station and got the best friend food ever. corn fritters, chicken fingers and cheddar peppers. yummy.

we made it to see papaw and got to see allen for a while too. it was nice to see papaw. this was his first christmas without mamaw...so 66 christmases together. and this was his first alone. i can't even begin to imagine.

pratt enjoyed visiting with papaw. he danced to music by allen. and then played the piano with his daddy.

here are a few pictures.

part two coming soon. out here in the country, it takes forever to load pictures.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

merry christmas from this little guy.

dear pratt.

dear pratt,

it's snowing. right now. 11:08 pm. snowing. christmas eve.

i sure hope santa is able to make it down the chimney. i think he will be. last we heard, he was in indonesia. but that was early this morning.

you're nestled in bed. warm. with your blanket and pillow. you have two presents wrapped...and we're hoping santa brings you the third present.

we love you. and we will see you in the morning.

mommy.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

it's official.

it's official.

i'm at the point in my life where i have officially started sharing with pratt.

i don't know the exact date of when it happened, but today...today, i realized it's arrived.

i bought some of those dollar popcorn buckets at target for some friends of ours today. and i bought two extra. my thinking was this...

oh...those are cute. i'll get some for the harris kids. and one for pratt and one for dad. wait...what about me?! oh...that's right...i'll just share with pratt.

next thing you know...this is what i'll be thinking...

a shower? hmm...nah. i don't smell all that bad. it's just been three days. i'll take a spit bath...maybe spray some perfume on me. ok...where are those rider jeans i was looking for?!

yep. i said it. i'm there.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

sb.

so i've neglected my blogging friends lately. i'm not sure how it happened, but it did.

for that, i'm sorry.

in trying to make up for it, i hopped over to sarah bussey's blog just now. she is a photographer in little rock. www.sarahbusseyphotography.com

she did pictures of pratt at his 9 month bday, and she is totally amazing.

she was pregnant with her sweet little angel, mamie at the time. feel free to read her story (under links, "poppy seed blog"). mamie was "born an angel" a few weeks early. the story is heartbreaking.

as i was catching up on sarah today, i noticed that christmas day with be six months to the day that she and her husband lost that little baby.

my heart breaks for her as i try to imagine what that will be like.

there are many things in this world that i don't understand. lots and lots of things.

but at the top of that list...the top is reserved for losing children. i will never understand. not as long as i'm here on earth.

someone left a comment for sarah when everything happened that said, "mamie is not lost...we know exactly where she is."

maybe they find comfort in that. i think i would.

this will be papaw fulks' first christmas without his sweetheart. i'm worried about him already.

not a day goes by that i don't go in pratt's room and check on him when he's sleeping. not.a.single.day.

i worry about everything. and yet, at the same time, i know that i have no control over anything here.

long road to a small house...please keep sarah and her husband taylor in your prayers this christmas season.

and when life seems too hard for you...remember that there is someone out there who is having a much rougher time than you. never stop counting your blessings.

lights.

last night we went to our town square. we have one of the most beautiful courthouses. and there are a ton of lights up. on the courthouse itself, and hanging in trees, etc.

when we got out of the car, and pratt saw everything for the first time...close up. he sort of gasped and then let out this little squeal of delight. it was so cute. he loved it!

they were giving horse and buggy rides last night, but we arrived too late for that. we did see santa. but from afar. mrs. clause was there last night too, but i doubt she would have been much help to little pratt. wife or not, santa is pretty freaky.

pratt got to pet his first pony. well, i think they were ponies. clint kept referring to them as "saline county reindeer". which was funny to me. but not really to the girl in charge of the animals. she didn't really get it.

after seeing all the lights we walked across the street to our church. where they have the baby jesus and the manger scene. there was a plaque in front of it. with local churches and individuals listed as being a part of the group who puts it on display every year.

it was late when we left. pratt wanted to walk everywhere and it just got too cold. this is the result of cold, being tired and not being allowed to get down from his daddy's arms.

we ended the night by going by starbucks. caramel apple spice. yummy.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

poppy's birthday.

last night poppy and cookie came up to celebrate poppy's 60th birthday! we had pizza and poppy's favorite cold stone creamery ice cream! yummy.

pratt got to play with poppy's iphone. along came a spider. it's his favorite. when the clouds lift, i'll try to upload the video of him playing. and by reference to the clouds, i don't mean my mood. i am referring to the fact that we live in bfe, and we have an att card to get internet. some days it's good...wait, no...it's not ever really good. so it will take a solid 30 minutes to upload five minutes of video. yep.

here are a few pictures from last night.

and then here is one from today. clint came in this morning wearing a hat. the three of us were reading books in pratt's room. and pratt kept looking at dad's hat, and then pointing at his bookshelf. finally it hit me that he wanted to put on his hat too.

adorable. have great weekends!

Friday, December 18, 2009

heaven on earth.

oh so happy.

just a little singing and dancing by mom. this is how we pass the time until our dad gets home from work.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

dear pratt.

dear pratt,

there are so many things on my mind. i'm unsure of where to start.

i haven't been sleeping well at night. i don't know why. well, there are many possible reasons...and i guess it doesn't really matter what the reason is. but i say that to say that i've had a lot of time to think lately. just laying in mine and dad's room, in the bed...thinking.

thinking about you. about your dad. about our big, extended family. about my friends. about everyone really.

last night i was fixated on all the kids in our community that will wake up christmas morning with no presents. i get this from poppy. come december first, he starts flipping out. seriously. he begins to turn inward. gets a little more quiet. can't watch/hear about/talk about anything remotely sad.

i'm afraid that this is going to be genetic. and well, with a name like "pratt", i've pretty much doomed you to this behavior. gosh, i'm sorry.

as you get older, you will realize that christmas has nothing to do with presents. or fancy paper. or food. or stockings. or trees. or lights.

but everything to do with God's gift to us...

for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. john 3:16

i came across something that i liked. and maybe you will too.

let me say now, that i found this. i am in NO way responsible for it. i've tweaked it a little, but it was not my original creation. i've, in fact, never had an original thought. honestly, i haven't. maybe you will. i hope so.

okay.

the tree. apparently the fur tree remains green year-round. unless i'm in charge of watering it, and then it becomes brown and dead on bottom. but that's a whole 'nother story. the fir tree is supposed to remain green year round. which depicts the everlasting hope of mankind. also, the needles point towards the heavens. reminding us that our thoughts should always turn in that direction.

the star. God promised a Savior for the world. and the star was the fulfillment of that promise.

the candle. God is the light of the world. He displaces any and all darkness.

the wreath. real loves never ceases. God is love. and much like the wreath, there is no beginning or end to God's love for us.

santa claus. santa merely represents the generosity and good will that we feel during the christmas season. but he in no way takes God's place.

gifts. of course these are a representation of the only gift that matters. baby Jesus.

the angel at the top of the tree. the angels were the first to tell of the good news. the good news of Jesus being born.

and finally, the bell. in biblical times (and i assume now) lost sheep were found by ringing a bell. they would come back to the shepherd when they heard the bell. this is symbolic for us. we are the lost sheep. the bell symbolizes guidance and return.

so at christmas time, when we are bombarded with decorations. food. and things that don't seem to have anything in the world to do with the real meaning of christmas...maybe these few things will help you to always remember that our greatest gift was tiny baby Jesus. laying in the manger.

one last piece of advice, always give of yourself. as poppy told me in that wonderful long letter he wrote me on may fifth, 2001.

always do good for others. it is in doing good for other people, those less fortunate than yourself, that you will find true happiness.

wise poppy. he is so right.

i love you little man. i'm so lucky to be your mommy.

xoxo.

ps. here you are..giving of yourself. feeding yoda. oh how i love you.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

my little narcissus.

coco said you could tell he was my child by his "morning hair". i think i should be offended. but i guess i can't really argue that.

he watched those movies for a solid 17 minutes. we should really find the wire that will allow us to project them to the tv. but i fear that might just make this whole thing worse. then he will be that kid that makes everyone watch home videos of himself when they come over to visit.

me. because that was me. when i was little, i LOVED the video camera. if i noticed my dad turning it to someone else, i would quickly find reason to stand by/dance by/etc the person being filmed. it's painful to watch. i can't believe there was ever a time when i wanted to be on camera.
off to charge the video camera battery. so when pratt wakes from his nap, i can indulge him a little more.

does this make me a pageant mom?! wait...don't answer that.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

pictures.

here are several pictures from today. and a few from days past.

this morning pratt figured out how to properly use a spoon. but it didn't do the job quickly enough, so he would use the spoon to capture the cereal, then grab it with his fingers.

he also discovered peanut butter. and what it means to dip things in peanut butter. like ritz crackers. or marshmallows. or just your fingers. because that's fun too. and tastes great. yum.

he and his daddy played the guitar tonight. oh, and pratt took emergency dental calls. so as not to miss any calls, he wore dad's cell phone on his pants. i like how he's posing here.

they read "itsy, bitsy spider" too. pratt even does his hands. hilarious.

and then yesterday, pratt helped me with laundry. he separated his daddy's whites. he really did. i'm not making that up. he put all the whites in one basket. and then i talked him into dragging it down the hallway to the washing machine. i mean, as whitney once said...he needs to pull his weight around here. haha.