Shiloh all bundled up and ready to go on a walk with her daddy.
Micah (karas brother) had just shot a deer, so we dressed Shiloh up for the occasion
Last time we were in Indiana we were able to reconnect with some good friends, the Howells, Daileys and McQuades.

September Update

Shiloh:

Shiloh is now over 2 months old and she is continuing to grow, stay healthy, and still fascinate us with her smiles, expressions and little squeaks and coos. She had her 2 month check-up last week and she is now a whopping 10 pounds 3 ounces and 23 inches long. She is staying healthy except for a mark on her shoulder that is swollen and filled with blood, which we are getting checked out by a pediatrician next Wednesday. She has been given 2 lovely baby showers since I last wrote, one by First Baptist church in Mentone, IN and one by Kent City Baptist here in Michigan. We are so thankful for everyone's support, encouragement, and generosity!

Malachi:

Malachi is continuing to work for Tender Lawn Care, but keeping an eye out for more permanent and regular work for this fall and winter. He has had one interview and will have another this week, so please pray for wisdom as he considers other jobs. Right now he is getting pretty busy preparing for church activities and is involved in a men's Bible study on Monday nights as well as one on Friday morning. I have enjoyed watching him get involved wholeheartedly and to see him being an encouragement to those around him. Malachi is preparing lessons to be able to teach a course on Genesis, so please pray for clarity for him and that he will be able to organize his thoughts well and in a way that is understandable.

Malachi had an endoscopy a few weeks ago because of his stomach pain, everything came back ok, but he is still trying to figure out ways to control the pain and hopefully heal his esophagus and stomach. Right now we are trying a diet without meat (except for fish) and it seems to be helping some, but my carnivorous husband sure isn't enjoying it! He has another doctors appointment on Friday and hopefully the doc will have some more ideas of stuff we can try for Malachi's discomfort.

Karalise:

I'm staying at home with Shiloh right now, and though I thought I would get bored, I definitely am not! I've been staying very busy with nursing, changing poopy diapers, cooking, and some cleaning. I just started 2 ladies Bible studies which I am enjoying and it has been a great way to get to know some of the women in our church. I've also had a few opportunities to build some new friendships with ladies my age and I'm so thankful for the new friends God has given me. We both just started helping out with Youth group at Kent City Baptist (the church we attend and where Malachi went before we were married) and are looking forward to getting to know the teens better and building relationships with them. Life has been very busy lately so please pray that I will be organized and also flexible as things change. My headaches have been a lot worse this past week, so please pray for pain relief and that I won't take out any of my frustration on Mac.

Traveling to IN:

We were able to go down to IN this past weekend and really enjoyed seeing family and friends! Malachi took Micah (my 15 year old brother) hunting and was able to witness him shoot a button buck. We dressed Shiloh up in camouflage in honor of the occasion. :)

We also got to see all 3 of my close friends from high school along with their husbands and babies. We all got married and started having babies in the last 2 years, so that was fun! It was also great to be able to see friends from church that we haven't seen in several months, though we wish we would've have more time to visit with everyone.

Well a very cute little person just woke up wanting to eat, so I will have to post more, along with our pictures from this weekend at a later date...

Thanks for your prayers and interest!

Karalise (and Malachi and Shiloh)

wrong address...oops

So I was a bit sleep deprived when I updated our blog last and I typed in the wrong address. Our actual address is:

14166 Division Ave

Cedar Springs, MI 49319

Unpacking:

Things are going well although they are challenging as we continue to adjust to Shiloh and get settled in. We still have a few boxes to unpack and some stuff still stored at Malachi's parents house that we need to bring over here.

Work:

Malachi is still working doing lawn care, but he really does not like the job and it doesn't look like they will be able to keep him on for the winter snow removal crews, so he is looking for other work. He has applied for 2 post office jobs and will be taking the test for those within the next 2 weeks. please be praying as he studies for the tests and that the Lord will provide a job for him that Malachi enjoys and allows us to save more for our next phase of training.

Shiloh:

Shiloh is just over 1 month now, she is gaining weight well and staying healthy. Her tummy seems to bother her a lot in the evenings though as she has been VERY fussy/screaming in the evenings and at night. Please pray that the Lord would give us patience and wisdom as we deal with her and that we would be able to find ways to give her little tummy some relief from her discomfort. She is slowly starting to be more alert during the day and sleep a little more at night so her mama is very thankful for that. She is a little one with very definite opinions of what she does and does not like and she lets us know exactly when she wants to eat, wants changed and burped. She loves showers, baths, being held, music, bouncing, and being upright so she can see everything going on around her. She does not like taking naps in a room by herself, getting dressed, or being laid down when there is someone around to hold her. (In fact this post is taking quite a while to write as Shiloh keeps deciding that is not enough to lay next me, she wants me to hold her.)

Traveling:

Two weekends ago we had the privilege of attending two special events. The first was the 50th wedding Anniversary of my (kara's) Grandpa and Grandma Buck. It was so neat to be able to celebrate with them their 50 years of faithfulness, not many couples stay married for that long anymore and their example is a huge encouragement to us. They were able to celebrate with all of their kids and all but one of their grandchildren who is in Mexico on a missions trip. Shiloh loved all the attention and being constantly held. This is Shiloh with Great-grandma Buck.

The second was Malachi's brother Jared's wedding. We actually didn't make it to the wedding (cuz of driving back from IN) but the reception was great and Jared's bride Lisa looked gorgeous! We had fun hanging out with family and Mac and his brothers got some pretty entertaining pictures at the photo booth. Grandma Dee had fun showing off her little grandbaby to all the friends and fam that Shiloh hadn't met yet.

Mrs Shunk:

Wile we were in Indiana for Grandpa and Grandpa's50th, we were able to stop by and see a very special friend and prayer warrior. I have known Mrs Shunk since Jr High when my youth group used to go and do yard work for the elderly women in our church. Since then she has faithfully prayed for me and now also Malachi and Shiloh. Mrs Shunk is in her late nineties and is an amazing and godly woman, it was an honor to be able to introduce our daughter to her and to be able to visit with her for a few hours! we left her apartment very encouraged and excited as she is such a godly example and the love of Christ flows through her to those she talks to. Here's a picture of Shiloh and Mrs Shunk.

Well, Shiloh finally fell asleep so I need to run and get some dishes done before she wants to eat again! Thanks for all your prayers!

Malachi, Karalise, and Shiloh Pratt

Shiloh Eliana:

Shiloh was born on July 15th at 9:00pm, her due date. She is almost on month old now and is doing great. Malachi and I are enjoying being new parents although we are definitely very tired. She has gained over a pound since she was born and 3/4 of an inch. Having a new baby has definitely brought quite a few new changes. Malachi and I are both learning how to multitask better and we do not take the time that we get together for granted. I didn't realize just how much time and energy a new baby would take. It seems that just feeding Shiloh takes the majority of my time. Malachi is still working hard for Tender Lawn Care and he also helps quite a bit with Shiloh when he is home in the evenings. She loves her Daddy and still responds to his voice when she hears him get home from work.

House:

We were very blessed in that one week after Shiloh was born a woman from our church contacted us about a house that we could rent. She is giving us a great deal and we are so thankful to have a two bedroom house out in the country with lots of space. Our new address is:

16144 Division Ave

Cedar Springs MI 49319

We are still unpacking and getting settled in, this move is taking quite a bit longer now that we have a new member of our family who seems to want quite a bit of attention and she is just so cute that we can't seem to leave her alone. :)

We are really enjoying being in the GR area and its really nice to be so close to Malachi's family. We've been enjoying being able to spend time with them and I really like the opportunity to get to know everyone better. We are also enjoying going to Kent City Baptist Church although we have not been able to get involved there yet, though we are hoping to soon!

Thanks for your prayers!

Love,

Mac, Kara, and Shiloh Pratt

Malachi has a job!

Work:The last few weeks have been busy, but we have also gotten some much needed time to rest up after the craziness of the last few weeks of school and moving. Most of Malachi's time has been taken with searching for full time work in the Grand rapids area and also for a house (we are staying with his parents until we find something). He has found full time work at "Tender Lawn Care" and today is his second day there. we are very thankful for how God has provided! He is doing landscaping, lawn mowing, etc so its nice that it is something that is not completely new for him to learn.

Still looking for a house:

Please keep praying that we will find a house now that he has work nailed down and we have a better idea of what we will be able to afford and yet still save money for our next phase of training at the Missions Training Center in Missouri. Some of our friends and family helped us move our stuff from Jackson to here, so we really appreciated their help as we could not have done it all on our own.

The baby:

Our baby is due in a little less than 4 weeks now, so we are excited about being able to see her soon. We found a doctor in the area and we are going in for check-ups every week now. She is head down and things are looking good so far. Last week we were able to tour St Mary's Hospital in Grand Rapids where we plan to have her, so it was neat to have a better idea of where things are.

Baby Showers:

Since I last wrote we have been given 2 wonderful baby showers and we are so blessed by everyone's generosity as we now have almost everything we need for our little girl to get here. One was given by my Mother-in Law and sisters-in-law and it as great to be able to see family that I haven't seen for a while! The other was given by our church family in Albion. We are so thankful for how the Lord has provided for what we needed for our baby!

Traveling:

This weekend we were able to travel down to Tennessee with a few of our friends for our very close friends Bob and Chelsea's Wedding. It was really neat to be able to be there as we watched them continue to commit their lives to the Lord in this new phase of their lives. The trip was long so hopefully we will recover quickly as Malachi is exhausted after 16 hours of driving and my feet are still pretty swollen.

Thanks again for your prayers and interest!

Mac, Kara, and Baby Pratt