Celebrating Caitlyn

Caitlyn worked very hard to get all smiley's and good grades for her first 9 weeks of school. So as a reward for her, Daniel and I asked her what she would like to do to celebrate and she chose to go to Chuck E. Cheese. Congratulations baby, you did a great job!!!

Daniel, Caitlyn and Micah went off to play games. Ky and I just chilled back at the table. I guarded the tickets that Caitlyn won and Ky napped.

Accessories

I have noticed that Micah likes accessories. You know how some kids hate to wear bows or hats on their head??? Well not Micah, if it is an accessory, than he wants to wear it.

Hat!!!

Sunglasses!!!
Shoes!!!
Watch!!! (This is daddy's old watch)
But the biggest and most important accessory to Micah, is his Binky and Blanket.

My Three Little Ghosts

Family Pictures

It has been time for us to get family pictures for a loooong while now. I think our last professional family picture was when it was just Daniel, Caitlyn and I. Poor Micah, I slacked on taking pictures when he arrived. So now, I am trying to catch up. Actually, I cant take credit for this time... Our church, Woodlands Point Community Church is wanting new pictures of our staff members updated for the website and also family pictures are being taken as well. The photographer is Chip Gillespie and he is great. I love his creative side to these photos. We went to downtown Conroe, very cool and interesting. These have turned out well (I've only seen these 6) and I am eager to see the rest that he has taken.

Fireman Micah

Fun Fall Questions

Fun Fall Questions

I love question and answer posts. I love participating in them and I also love reading them on other blogs. This is a fun one that I stole from my sweet friend, Ashley.

1. Do you like Starbucks? Are you a fan of their seasonal coffees?
Yes, I do love Starbucks. The funny thing is, I didn't at first. I thought their coffee had a burnt taste to it, but somehow, I got to really like it. Weird, I know. Seasonal coffees??? Ummmm, not sure. I am a creature of habit so I always get the Decaf White Chocolate Mocha.


2. How do you decorate and prepare for fall?
I love decorating for the fall. My biggest ideas to decorate my home come at this time of year. I love the colors, the smells and the "cozy" feeling this time of year brings. I would love to have one of those scarecrows on my front porch... but I don't have much of a front porch and so I am not sure how they handle the rain. So I don't have one. I have this awesome nook in my home that contain two tall candlesticks that hold white tall candles. I just change out the ribbon that I wrap around them to coordinate with the season. Of course there is this great wire pumpkin that shares that space. I guess I just decorate with just here and there all over my home, pumpkins of different styles and faux fall leaves. LOVE it.

3. Will you participate in your college's homecoming activities?
Unless Lonestar is having activities... we aren't planning on it. :O)

4. What is your favorite fall clothing item and or accessory?
I LOVE fall clothing! Again, I love the colors and of course I love the styles that Fall brings. If I had a million dollars, I would go shopping and buy all the cute layering pieces that Fall introduces. Ooooh, I would have so many boots; ankle, knee, above the knee... not thigh high tho... :O) and scarves to accentuate my outfit. It would be fun.

5. What was your favorite Halloween costume as a kid?
I, like you Ashley, didn't celebrate Halloween as a kid. We don't "celebrate" it now either. We are still trying to find our tradition. We have tried going to carnivals, or just having friends come over and grill while the kiddos are dressed up. I do remember once, just once when I was a little girl we did go trick or treating on my street. I think this was the year my parents decided that they just didn't want to participate in Halloween anymore. Anyways, my costume was Strawberry Shortcake. I thought it was fun...but nothing awesome. I actually enjoyed more the carnivals that my church would do instead on Halloween. The theme at these carnivals, at least the one I remember the clearest was cowboy/pioneer. I sported my pink boots. :O)

6. Do you like Halloween/horror movies? Do you have a favorite?
I HATE halloween movies. I actually really despise it! I hate feeling scared and I hate that the tv people feel ok to show the commercials during the day and they don't seem to mind if my innocent children were to catch a glimpse of the horror movie commercial. (Can you tell I feel passionate about this subject. Yes, I even used the word hate)

7. What is your favorite fall activity?
I enjoy the carnivals. I enjoy the evenings of hot chocolate with marshmellows. I actually enjoyed dressing Caitlyn up last year as a little mini bride for halloween.

8. What is your favorite fall recipe?
Fall weather arrives... so does the soups. My famous and favorite ones to make are Chicken Tortilla Soup and Tomato Basil Soup. (Of course... would love to add more... please feel free to share your fav recipes and I will be glad to share mine with you.)

9. What TV show are you most excited about this fall?
Daniel and I are excited to watch Chase and The Event. So far these have our attention.

10. When do you start Christmas shopping?
I get frustrated with myself every year... cause I know I should be starting now. You find better deals and sales when you are not crunched for time. But... I always seem to wait til after thanksgiving.

11. What do you miss most about summer?
Swimming and laying out. I do not enjoy the extremely high heat when I am out running errands. BUT, love it when Im at the pool.

12. What movie coming out soon are you most excited about??
It is scheduled to come out this Christmas, C. S Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, Voyage of the Dawn Treader. That was my favorite of his 7 books in the Chronicles. So excited!!!

I'll tag anyone that wants to play along!! I really hope that you do. What are some of your favorites to these questions? Do we share any of the same answers?

2 out of 3

Two out of three of my beautiful babies.

And the winner is...

This morning we had a 9:00am appt at the doctor to get Ky's 2 month check-up. He did really well. They gave him the shots and he cried, of course. But stopped quickly and was quiet the entire ride home. He wasn't fussy until about 3:30. So right now he is in his bouncy snoozing and taking it easy. I couldn't resist comparing my babies and to see who the biggest of the three so far has been. Here are the stats below for 2 months.

Caitlyn Rayne

Weight: 12lbs 6 oz

Length: 23 3/4 inches WINNER

Head: 15 1/4 inches

Micah Daniel

Weight: 11lbs 3oz

Length: 23 inches

Head: ? (They didn't give me the measurements)

Malachi Christopher

Weight: 12lbs 14oz WINNER

Length: 23 1/4 inches

Head: 15 3/4 inches WINNER

AWWWW, poor Micah, he was my little guy.

Storm

I met this little guy October 3, 2009. I remember that day. It was a saturday. Three big things were happening that day. One, it was furniture moving day for us into our very first home that we owned. Two, It was Daniel's cousin Kari's wedding day. I was very blessed and excited to coordinate and work her wedding. Three, It was meeting Storm day. I remember at the wedding, Lindsay, Daniel's sister and her husband Jason had to leave the reception early to go "babysit" for a couple of hours a six month old little boy that they were possibly going to adopt. I was very excited for them and eager to meet the little guy as well. When I got home after the wedding and reception, they were at our house chilling for a while. Jason was helping Daniel with moving some furniture in and Linds and her daughter Sarah were playing with Storm. Since Lindsay and Jason live out in Cypress, there was no reason to drive all the way home only to have to drive back an hour or so later to return this little guy to his foster parents, whom we happened to lived near. I walked through the front door and there he was, Storm playing in my empty dining room floor. I noticed he had beautiful big blue eyes and that he was quite a drooler. I also noticed that he was a cautious dude. Poor guy had been rotated through families and didnt really know who to trust and relax around. It amazed me how rotating through families affected even a 6 month old. Even at that age, they do know their surroundings and who to feel safe with. I'm not sure of how Linds and Jason felt at that time... but I knew that he would fit perfectly well with our family and that he would be loved. I also was excited that he would be an awesome cousin for Micah to play with, who is just 2 months older.

Now, almost a year later, Storm is doing well. I hear he has become quite the momma's boy yet he is not "sissyfied." He also is "all boy." He loves to climb and move furniture... we are thinking his body type shows he could be a great wrestler or football player.

He has worked his way into all of our hearts and we would like to make it official...

Adoption Benefit Dinner: Make Storm a Womack!

Location:Calvary Community Church

Time:5:30PM Sunday, October 24th

We love you Storm James Womack!

Thoughts

So what have I been up to lately? Not much. Same Ole, Same Ole. Surely that cant be true, that NOT MUCH has been going on. So I have been thinking and forcing myself to pinpoint what really has been going on in the Pratt world.

3 KIDDOS: At the top of my list is me trying to get used to having 3 kiddos. 3 BEAUTIFUL kiddos I must add. I'm not sure about you, but for me going from 1 kid to 2 kids was not near as hard as it is for us to go from 2 to 3 kids. I feel like I am having a tough time with it. Getting in the groove and back to normal. Wow. I feel like I am constantly in motion now that I have 3 kids and if I get that wonderful chance to "rest" and sit down, that my eyes and mind are still on the go watching and wondering whats going on? Why is it too quiet in there? What have they gotten into?

Actually last night, I was changing Ky on the changing table, Caitlyn was taking a bath and freshly bathed Micah was wandering around looking for mischief to get into. All of a sudden I hear Caitlyn yell out to me, "Mommy! Micah jumped in the bathtub with me!!!" I yelled out in disbelief, "You're kidding!!!" NOPE! Micah had leaned into the bathtub and fell in, PJ's, santa slippers and all. Oh Mercy.

BLOWOUTS: It amazes me what you remember and what you forget from kid to kid. I was forced to remember this time again that when a baby is 5 or 6 weeks old that they stop having diapers that are both wet and dirty. BUT, when you do actually have that dirty diaper happen, that it is a MAJOR blowout. WOW, is that true or what! The infamous poo that rides up and out the back of the diaper. I really should invest in stock for spray and wash or some other pre-treater. Wow, poo stains.

BLOGGING: I have found a new website/blog that I really enjoy reading. It really is not new, but it is to me. thepioneerwoman.com I love it and I love her humor. She has a blog, recipes, giveaways and so on all on her web page. I have tried a recipe or two of hers and so far they have been a hit here at the Pratt Pad.

KINDERGARTEN: Caitlyn LOVES kindergarten. Of course if you were to watch her face as she gets out of the car to go into the school, you wouldn't believe it. But, she does "freak out" when we mess with her and tell her she cant go back to school cause we miss her at home too much. She tells us nooooooo, that she loves it and has to go to school. I take her to school in the mornings and she rides the bus home in the afternoons. She wasn't sure of the bus at first, but now really enjoys it and the freedom that it brings.

WPCC: Woodlands Point Community Church is going great. I love it and my church family more and more every day. God really is doing a lot in this church and is blowing our minds. It is even growing, very well I might add. This past Sunday we started our equipping classes and I am very excited about the book we are going to be reading/discussing this time. The Reason for God by Timothy Keller. Hmmmm, maybe I should stop blogging and go do my reading. :O) I'll keep you posted on my thoughts about the book.

A couple of Sundays ago WPCC had Fusion. A special event that happens after church specifically made for parents and children. A special, elaborated version of what happens during our kids church. We have a live band, volunteer led games from the stage and skits to deliver a message for our kiddos. It was so fun and I enjoyed every minute of it. One of the songs we sing is "LET'S GO." Micah loves that song. He still walks around the house singing it and clapping his hands. He has some of the moves down as well. Could this kid get any cuter????

Well, that is a bit of what has been going on in our Same Ole, Same Ole world. :O)

Wecipe Wednesday

Hey girlies,

Ok, I love to cook. You wouldn't know it if you were to eat at my house every night... but I do love to look at new recipes and see if there are any out there that fall under the category of simple, easy and quick. So, here is something that I consider in that category that I want to share with you and I hope that you would do the same for me. :O)

This recipe is what I call Texas Caviar. Many have eaten this recipe of mine at a get together and always has asked for the recipe. It is a "dip" that is very yummy and should I also add that it is healthy???

Texas Caviar

2 cans black eyed peas, drained

1 can hominy, drained

1 bunch green onions, diced (4 - 5)

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 tomato, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, diced

1/4 t. garlic powder

1 (8 oz) bottle of zesty italian dressing.

Throw this all together and let the flavors mix in the fridge. The longer the better.

Ok... your turn. :O)

6 Weeks Old

I cant believe Malachi Christopher is 6 weeks old already. ALREADY. Wow, and I felt like I was just pregnant.

So whats new with Ky???

- He is a good eater. Eats pretty much every 3 hours on the dot.

- He loves to be held. He is quite a cuddler.

- Just within the past couple of days, he has started to let Daddy hold him without crying and even has started cuddling with daddy. (This was an issue for Daniel, he kept saying that this kid didn't like him)

- He definitely is vocal when he is not happy... which happens a lot during the day. He doesn't seem to be an easy going baby for very much of the day.

- He "puts up" with his vibrating bouncy. (That is a good thing, he will at least sit for a while when it is on, but when it isn't... he wont have it)

- Our bouncy that has made it through Caitlyn and Micah... just died and so a couple of my friends generously are letting me borrow their things. One is letting us borrow her bouncy and another is letting us borrow her swing. Well see if Ky gets better with chillin' in those chairs and not being held all the time. (THANK YOU to my friends)

- He is not much of a binky baby or a thumb sucker. He will take his binky every once and a while... but he does not need it to fall asleep.

- Ky likes his baths.

- Sleeping. He is a good night sleeper. Not through the night yet, but he does well. After we have our night time feedings, I just bundle him back up and put him back to bed. He stays quiet and falls back asleep. (He sleeps in our closet and does great)