tidbits

I snapped this photo a couple of weeks ago. Now Pratt is up on his knees and rocks back and forth. He wants to crawl so bad but hasn't quite figured it out. It is just a matter of time though.

While Pratt technically isn't mobile yet he still does a pretty good job getting around. Aimee and Porter regularly play and hide under the bunk beds, but this night after tubby time Pratt was able to join in the fun.

It is pretty fun getting to teach your kids to tell you how awesome you are or to do funny things. I caught one of those incidents on camera the other night.

We have never had a kid with so much chin chub. This is one of the fun benefits of it!

peer presure

In the last few months Aimee as become very attached to her bike. She rides it outside regularly, and to the clubhouse for several of our activities there. I feel like our $15 yard sale investment has been a good one. A couple of week ago the bike became a little cool. Most of Aimee's Sunbeam class lives within 50 yards of us, and they are all older than Aim. Just recently several of these other four year olds had their training wheels taken off, and replaced with a dad running behind them while holding on to the bike seat. Of course Aimee didn't want to be left out, and requested also have her training wheels removed. Only day before Chad had seen Aimee's little friend take a pretty good spill off her bike. It resulted in blood and several bandages. Being the cautious dad that he is, Chad was not thrilled about this. He talked Aimee into trying it out on one of her friends bikes first before doing it to her bike.

It was a lot of fun for her for about ten minutes, and then she was ready to hop back on her four wheeled bicycle to enjoy the convenience of little effort needed to ride a bike. Either way it was cute to watch.

train museum

We have awesome friends! One of our good friends turned 30, and his wife threw him an awesome Amazing Race surprise party. We drove all over old market Omaha and Council Bluffs doing everything from downing ice cream in record time to singing to strangers and hanging upside down on the monkey bars at a local park. It was a blast! We were seconds from winning, and had it not been for a blatant traffic violation just blocks from the finish line we would have. It worked out great though because our prize was admission for our entire family to a train museum in Council Bluffs. I admit that the kids didn't enjoy the race as much as we did, so it was great that we won something they would love so much, especially Porter.

The museum had all sorts of miniature trains moving through model towns. There was also a small train that they could drive. There was a fair amount of bickering over whose turn it was, but still fun. We also got to step into several engines, and walk through a variety of train cars that included old fashioned mail cars, sleeper cars, army cars and dinning cars. They rang the rail yard bell, and had a great time.

ward camp-out

We had been really looking forward to our ward camp out. With Chad gone all summer we hadn't been able to go, but this was just the opportunity we needed. The forecast was clear this year, but it did say it would be a cold that evening. We got up to Hitchcock with plenty of time to go claim our camp spot. It reminded us of just how much we love our hand-me-down tent. We then enjoyed a BBQ and fireside before we headed back to the campground. Honestly, I missed most of the night. By the time I put Pratt to bed and pumped up in the van, most people had gone to bed. I found a few smores and learned that Aimee and Porter had actually asked Chad to take them to bed while I was away. It had been a big night. They had definitely made the most of being in the woods. That night I could have written a thank you card in the dark (because for the second year in a row we forgot to pack a flashlight) to our neighbors who kindly loaned us their four sleeping bags. Every blanket that we own wouldn't have been enough. It was cold! My little Prattman's rolling skills are not good for staying under the blankets while in a pack n' play outdoors. I also learned that Chad thought the sleeping bags for Aimee and Porter were just for padding. He gave the kids all of his blankets, and I wouldn't have been warm if I had had all of them myself. I got up early the next morning to feed Pratt and pump. The two of us enjoyed the warm van for a couple of hours before I headed back down. That morning we enjoyed fried eggs, hash browns, sausage, donuts and juice. We swapped stories with our friends about their crazy nights and packed up. We got to drive back home on I-29 for the first time since the flood closed it. It was quite a site to see. We got home in time for Chad to vacuum the van out and me to uncover our kids from the layers of dirt and smoke they had built up. Someday we will get good at the camping thing, but for now we are having fun make memories failing at it!

7 months old

Pratt had a check-up just last week. I learned that my not-so-little boy is indeed, not so little. He was 19 pounds, and his height was at about the 67th percentile. He may not be a baby that people gawk at because of his size but we are still adjusting to his size. Porter was about 18 and 1/2 pounds at his one year, and Aimee was just barely over 16 pounds. I continue to be amazed that a child can actually follow clothing sizes by month. Right now my little guy is learning to eat. He was not excited about this step. I only wished I had captured a picture that would have said it all.. He is getting much better now and has mastered rice cereal, peas (Chad thinks I am a villain for this), carrot, and his favorite, sweet potatoes. He has also caught up to his brother in terms of hair growth. I now have two little heads to cut every three or so weeks. Pratt continues to be a great sleeper, and waker. By that I mean that he always wakes up happy. In fact he often just wakes up and plays. It isn't crying that gets me in the room to retrieve him, it is his little happy squeals. I only with I knew how long he had been in there before I heard him playing... He is a little rolling machine. Aimee has gotten quite good at pulling him back onto the rug in the living room. Although, he also loves his walker. He is my first kid big enough to actually use it. Aimee and Porter couldn't reach the floor until they were too old to enjoy it. He scoots backward all over the kitchen. Pratt loves everyone, and everyone loves Pratt, although Porter reserves his affection for special occasions or when he feels possessive of the kids outside cooing at him. Pratt makes me baby hungry, and that is saying a lot! But don't worry, that is most definitely not in the plan for a while!