Halloween

Molly was an MSU cheerleader for Halloween. Her Grandpa KK sent her this dress for her birthday. I was only able to find one pom pom! I looked at several stores, and the ones I did find were not green or white! We had lunch with Amanda and Xander at Buffalo Wild Wings, had a visit from Nana and Papa, and then walked to Trunk or Treat at a church close by. Molly got some treats: a bag of teddy grahams, a bag of pretzels, and a toy duck. I appreciate the healthy snacks because she's too little for candy. She was pretty excited to eat pieces of my hotdog and enjoy a juicebox, too. She also enjoyed one of Nana's frosted pumpkin cookies.

Molly's Artwork

Ok, so it's not the best idea to let a 13 month old have full use of 24 crayons at once, but she did pretty well. Molly did this picture all by herself. She just sat on my lap, and I held the paper still. It is so fun because there are so many things to do with her during the day. Maybe we'll try edible fingerpaints soon!

Boyfriend, Girlfriend and Silly Shots

Molly has another boyfriend! On sweetest day, Saturday, Molly got flowers from Isaac, 2 months old, in Ohio. The card reads "Molly, I think you are sweet. Happy Sweetest Day!"

This is a new friend of Molly's named Julia. She lives a couple of apartments down and is a month younger than Molly.


I forgot to write on the post entitled "VA" that Molly had three more molars partially push their way through on our trip. She's been unhappy as she deals with the pain. When we returned from our trip, Ryan had a bouquet of tulips for me, a clean apartment, and take out BBQ for my parents and me for dinner. What a super husband!

polīticus

I see that Gabby made a comment on "Emily's Rant". I'm curious about any other opinions that are out there. I know there many readers out there because you tell me that you check this blog. It would be fun to start a discussion here...

I'm still struggling about my vote for president. I'm definitely an independent when it comes to the issues. Here's where I stand:

The War I definitely don't know enough about what is going on there to have an opinion. I have to put my faith in our military leaders that they are being truthful and doing what is best for our troops and the Iraqi people.

Gun Ownership I support our right to bear arms, and I also support a waiting period and background checks to ensure that only responsible people can purchase them.

Abortion Unquestionably pro-life

Education No politician ever puts the blame where I believe it lies for a vast majority of failing students: the parents. There are exceptions, of course, but I believe that most schools and most teachers are doing a good job. In Texas, most of the failing schools are filled with many immigrant students, some illegal. While many of these children are good students many are not, and teachers are expected to work miracles in the short amount of time these students have been in country. How are they supposed to learn about the Revolutionary War when they've never even heard of Massachusetts or Delaware?

I heard that Obama would like a national pre-school program. This may help some students, but it will be expensive and will not fix the root problem. Some students will still come to preschool unprepared to learn and from homes where education isn't valued. Many students fail because they are truant. If parents can't get their kids to school every day when the child is in first grade, how will that be different when the child is in preschool?

Taxes I don't care about tax cuts as much as a balanced budget. If the next president could minimize spending and reduce the deficit, I don't need a tax cut. I also don't think wealthy INDIVIDUALS should be taxed further, but I think that too many big businesses like oil companies get too many tax breaks.

Healthcare and the Economy I believe government is too big and inefficient. These things should be left up to the private sector with little government involvement. Read: No bailouts or economic stimulus plans. No national healthcare coverage. I do like McCain's proposal of a tax credit. I like the concept behind HSAs, too. We have a large deductible on our insurance as well as $430 monthly premiums. We have to budget for this expense out of Ryan's teaching salary. Because of the large deductible ($1100 per person), we don't visit the doctor for unnecessary reasons, and we shop around for the best deals. Because it costs us to visit the doctor, we want to take the initiative to stay healthy.

The Environment I think we should support renewable sources of energy like wind energy. We use Green Mountain energy which is 100% renewable. I'm not sure about domestic drilling.

I do think that we should minimize pork barrel spending. All of the candidates talk about it, but they seem hypocrital to me.

What do you think???

VA

My parents took Molly and I on a trip to Virginia last week. We stayed at a resort in the woods. It was beautiful. Traveling with the grandparents is ideal with a 13 month old! My brother the pilot advised us that babies are much safer on the plane when they have their own seats. However, you are not required to buy a seat for children under two. He also suggested that we carry the car seat to the gate in case there is an open seat. On both flights we were able to get a free seat for Molly. She slept well in her car seat both times. It was such a blessing! She managed to lull herself to sleep after putting Bunny over her face!

We spent a lot of time at several playgrounds. Molly is no longer very interested in swings, but she enjoys slides- the higher and faster the better. She sits on my lap to go down big slides, but on small slides she either holds our hands as we stand next to the slide or someone just catches her at the bottom. Like usual, she was most interested in the mulch beneath the playground equipment. The resort had free pony rides. Molly wasn't very interested in being atop a pony. She lasted only a minute or so!


We stayed in a cabin in the woods. Day and night the sounds of falling acorns and leaves could be heard as well as frolicking squirrels. We experienced the beauty of God's creation right from our deck.

We went around the lake on a pontoon boat. Molly liked to help drive, but she kept reaching for the keys in the ignition. Thankfully the panic horn was beyond her reach. Don't miss the picture of my mom entertaining Molly with the life vest!





Molly has started using crayons! We picked her up from the kids room at church last week, and they gave us a picture she had scribbled on. This is her coloring on a restaurant placemat.
We had pool weather in VA. It felt like TX- high 80s in the afternoon.

Morning at the Park

Molly is officially running! It is not a surprise; she must take after her daddy. Kit Kat likes to be chased, and Molly doesn't mind doing the chasing. However, she wishes that he would chase her. She has a difficult time understanding that he doesn't respond to her like mommy and daddy. We know what she wants, but Kit Kat doesn't!

We spent about an hour at the park this morning. She loved it. The playground is near a trail with a lot of cyclists, joggers, and walkers. Every time a person went by walking a dog, she stood up and walked toward the dog, even if it was 100 feet away. She would keep walking down the sidewalk even after the dog and its owner had disappeared out of sight!

A pair of small children at the park with their Polish aunt and uncle brought their beach toys to the park. They offered to let Molly play with them, too. The kids had a lot of fun playing with the pebbles that serve as the surface in the play area. In fact, every time we go to a park Molly is far more interested in the mulch or pebbles than the slides and swings. She is pretty good about not putting them in her mouth, but if she finds a pebble that she really likes she will kiss it!

She has been saying ma ma and da da for a week or so. She really said "Da da" a lot when Ryan was home with us last weekend. Those are her first words that she uses meaningfully. She also makes a "K" sound when she sees Kit Kat. She's had her own version of "hi" for awhile, that sounds nothing like "hi", but she says it consistently when playing with her phone!

Emily's Rant

I'm looking for a presidential candidate to support. I'm not going to vote for either of the big dogs. Initially, I was upset that they RUSHED into throwing together this bailout plan. Then, I heard Obama speaking on the radio, "The 401(k)s and retirement accounts that millions count on for their family's future are now smaller. The state pension funds of teachers and government employees lost billions upon billions of dollars. Hardworking Americans who invested their nest egg to watch it grow are now watching it disappear." I believe that the biggest part of the problem was that the media and politicians acted like it was an emergency and tragedy that needed to be fixed immediately. Of all people, Obama, the one who's words give hope to so many should not have made such a drama-filled statement that would lead to despair.

Then there is McCain. The "Maverick" who takes on special interests and pork-barrel spending would be the last one who should have voted for the pumped-up bailout plan with all of its added sweeteners. I'm frustrated by his hypocrisy. So, I'm open for suggestions. Any good candidates out there?

I've decided to not vote for any of the incumbents for the Texas Senate seats and the local rep for the US Congress because they have supported the bailout. None of the challengers really have a chance, but I kind of like rooting for the underdog anyway.

On a side note, did you hear that scientists have recently discovered a heavier element than those previously known? It is called governmentium. Read on:

Govermentium (Gv) has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A minute amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second to take from four days to four years to complete. Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2-6 years; It does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass. When catalyzed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium, an element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.
(taken from Wikipedia)