THANK GOODNESS...

This woman is so incredibly right. My friend and I were talking the other day about his credit card bill and how difficult it is to make the payments each month. So he's going to call up the credit card company to see what can be done about this.

Customer Service: "Thank you for calling today, we value you as a customer. How can I help you today?"

Friend: "I was just wondering. It's tough for me to pay my credit card bill every month. I do it, but it's getting more and more difficult."

Customer Service: "Yes."

Friend: "Well, since Barack Obama is going to be President in January and he's going to help middle class people like me out, do I have to notify you in January that he'll be taking over the payments, or is that something you guys just do automatically?"

Customer Service: ............

RAMBLINGS...

I thought it would be helpful to compile a video list of everything the Democrats have said this election season. After watching these, please consider whether you really want to vote for a party that is so conflicted and downright foolish in the things they say (without thinking of the recourse).
Rep. Cohen Compares Obama to Jesus, Palin To Pontius Pilate

Obama admits he doesn't have the experience

Joe Biden on Obama and John McCain

Clinton's, Biden, and Edwards on Obama

STAY HOME!!!!!

It now sounds like Congress will meet again after the election season to try to pass another stimulus package. My only thinking is... STAY HOME!!! My wallet is still wondering where my share of the 700 billion dollar bailout has went. STAY HOME... and don't spend anymore of my hard earned money. Yes, they are spending MY money and YOUR money. They say that we don't get it, but I don't think THEY get it. We know what they're doing, and the worse part of it is that we hired them. If I owned a company, and then hired someone who makes the poor decisions they do, spend money the company doesn't have, drives the company further into debt and has no clear plans to get the company out of it, I'd fire the person and find someone else. But what do we do, we elect (hire) them again, or elect (hire) someone who makes a bunch of promises to spend MORE money we don't have. Let's fire those who spend OUR money with no clear plan or direction and hire those who are either going to give it back to us (we know how to spend it better than they do anyhow) or use it to focus on paying off the debt that those we fire have created for us.

CHRISTMAS LIST...

We've decided to start a Christmas list.

• Set of 8 drinking glasses
• Set of nice pots and pans (If Julie finds some specifically, she'll post the link)
• Air compressor (nothing fancy, just something that we can use to inflate basketballs, car tires, and bike tires when they get low)
• Menard's gift cards (we want to get some new lights and a bathroom fan and the ones that we like are at Menard's)
• New laptop battery for Dell Vostro 1500 (buying it from Dell is expensive, so purchasing it from somewhere else is fine by me, like eBay. We currently have the 56WHr 6-cell battery, which has shortened it's life quickly, but they make an 85 WHr 9-cell battery that may be worth if it's not much more.)
• 4 GB of RAM for our Dell Vostro 1500. The best play to get it is Crucial.com. We'd have to get the 2 piece kits of 2 sticks of 2GB of RAM.
  
• Windshield wipers for my car (2006 Scion xB)
• Mario Kart for Wii
• RF Modulator (This will allow us to take the RCA cable signal from the DirecTV receiver and output it over coaxial to other TVs in the house. Target has one for around $19 that comes with the cables and everything.)
  

IT'S TIME...

We hear a lot about the different tax plans from both of the candidates. So I wondered, whose tax plan would I benefit more from. Turns out, I would actually benefit more from Obama's tax plan. Amazing isn't it. Doesn't mean I'll vote for the guy because there are a few unanswered questions.

First, if 95% of Americans will benefit from Obama's tax plan and only 5% of them will have increased taxes, then where in the world is he going to get all the money to do the tax cuts. We can't afford it. We're already in debt and he's proposing more programs that will put us further behind in paying off the national debt, not ahead. Of the 95% of Americans who will benefit, how many of them actually pay taxes. From what I understand, there will be a greater number of people who don't pay any taxes at all that will actually be getting paid by the government.

So, we're going to take more from the rich and give it to the poor. Sounds an awful lot like socialism to me. I would imagine that of the people who don't pay taxes, there are a legitimate number who need an hand up, but I would also venture to guess that there is a large number of people who have absolutely no desire to better themselves and getting the extra money from the government means only one thing... a shopping spree.

So, it's time. I've decided that in 12 years, I will be old enough to run for President. I might as well throw my hat in the ring now because no one knows who I am and I won't be old enough to run until. Here is my stand on the issues:

• We need to redo the tax system in this country. It's horrible. We are a nation of creative and productive people, but this tax system is the best we can come up with? Honestly, it's ridiculous. I would propose the FairTax. www.fairtax.org
• The national debt is killing us. We know what large amounts of debt does to people. Look at the crisis on Wall Street right now. It's due to people taking out large amounts of debt that they can't afford. The nation is on the fast track to accumulating so much debt that we'll be crippled to the point where we can't take care of basic government necessities (look at our roads). It's time to refocus the government on what it was made to do...protect the people and provide an infrastructure that allows us to flourish. Anything beyond these things needs to be reviewed with great scrutiny to determine if it should even be considered at the federal level. The only things that would pass through the oval office with a signature on it is a bill that focuses precisely on one item. No more "financial rescue packages" that gives money to wool research and wooden arrow manufacturers (sorry wool researchers and wooden arrow manufacturers).
• Finally, our energy plan will not be solved in 12 years. No one will take responsibility for it or do what it takes. I wouldn't give much if any money out for it because like I said before, we need to reign in the federal debt. We're buying our oil from countries that don't like us and selling our debt to countries that don't like us. It's time that the USA is finally self sufficient and no longer relies on other countries for ANYTHING. How can we be a powerful country when we rely so heavily on other countries for our basic needs? The Pickens Plan (www.pickensplan.com) makes a lot of sense and I believe it could work. We just need to determine what incentives would be necessary to get people to move to alternative energy. If you tax something it makes it less desirable. Placing a tax that gradually increases over time on oil imports and reducing or eliminating taxes on the types of energy we want to promote could get companies and people to make the switch.

WHO'S WHO????

In case you were curious who voted for and against the bailout in the Senate so you can rehire or fire them come election day. Here is the list: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14196.html

I've expanded it here in case the link is no good by the time some of these guys come up for re-election.

Akaka (D-HI), Yea 
Alexander (R-TN), Yea 
Allard (R-CO), Nay 
Barrasso (R-WY), Nay 
Baucus (D-MT), Yea 
Bayh (D-IN), Yea 
Bennett (R-UT), Yea 
Biden (D-DE), Yea 
Bingaman (D-NM), Yea 
Bond (R-MO), Yea 
Boxer (D-CA), Yea 
Brown (D-OH), Yea 
Brownback (R-KS), Nay 
Bunning (R-KY), Nay 
Burr (R-NC), Yea 
Byrd (D-WV), Yea 
Cantwell (D-WA), Nay 
Cardin (D-MD), Yea 
Carper (D-DE), Yea 
Casey (D-PA), Yea 
Chambliss (R-GA), Yea 
Clinton (D-NY), Yea 
Coburn (R-OK), Yea 
Cochran (R-MS), Nay 
Coleman (R-MN), Yea 
Collins (R-ME), Yea 
Conrad (D-ND), Yea 
Corker (R-TN), Yea 
Cornyn (R-TX), Yea 
Craig (R-ID), Yea 
Crapo (R-ID), Nay 
DeMint (R-SC), Nay 
Dodd (D-CT), Yea 
Dole (R-NC), Nay 
Domenici (R-NM), Yea 
Dorgan (D-ND), Nay 
Durbin (D-IL), Yea 
Ensign (R-NV), Yea 
Enzi (R-WY), Nay 
Feingold (D-WI), Nay 
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea 
Graham (R-SC), Yea 
Grassley (R-IA), Yea 
Gregg (R-NH), Yea 
Hagel (R-NE), Yea 
Harkin (D-IA), Yea 
Hatch (R-UT), Yea 
Hutchison (R-TX), Yea 
Inhofe (R-OK), Nay 
Inouye (D-HI), Yea 
Isakson (R-GA), Yea 
Johnson (D-SD), Nay 
Kennedy (D-MA), Not Voting 
Kerry (D-MA), Yea 
Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea 
Kohl (D-WI), Yea 
Kyl (R-AZ), Yea 
Landrieu (D-LA), Nay 
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea 
Leahy (D-VT), Yea 
Levin (D-MI), Yea 
Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea 
Lincoln (D-AR), Yea 
Lugar (R-IN), Yea 
Martinez (R-FL), Yea 
McCain (R-AZ), Yea 
McCaskill (D-MO), Yea 
McConnell (R-KY), Yea 
Menendez (D-NJ), Yea 
Mikulski (D-MD), Yea 
Murkowski (R-AK), Yea 
Murray (D-WA), Yea 
Nelson (D-FL), Nay 
Nelson (D-NE), Yea 
Obama (D-IL), Yea 
Pryor (D-AR), Yea 
Reed (D-RI), Yea 
Reid (D-NV), Yea 
Roberts (R-KS), Nay 
Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea 
Salazar (D-CO), Yea 
Sanders (I-VT), Nay 
Schumer (D-NY), Yea 
Sessions (R-AL), Nay 
Shelby (R-AL), Nay 
Smith (R-OR), Yea 
Snowe (R-ME), Yea 
Specter (R-PA), Yea 
Stabenow (D-MI), Nay 
Stevens (R-AK), Yea 
Sununu (R-NH), Yea 
Tester (D-MT), Nay 
Thune (R-SD), Yea 
Vitter (R-LA), Nay 
Voinovich (R-OH), Yea 
Warner (R-VA), Yea 
Webb (D-VA), Yea 
Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea 
Wicker (R-MS), Nay 
Wyden (D-OR), Nay

Here is the link to the representatives who voted yes and no on it as well:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081003/ap_on_go_co/house_rollcall_financial_meltdown

VOTING PRESENT AGAIN...

So, supposedly we're in some pretty tough times coming up. All the people in Washington are trying to put their heads together to make sure the economy doesn't collapse. Personally, I don't think are as dire as everyone makes them out to be and I'm against a bailout of any kind, but that's another post.

Today, McCain decided to suspend his campaign temporarily to go back to Washington and help get something together with everyone. Obama on the other hand comes out and says that he's not suspending his campaign, now is the time to tell the American people what we're going to do, and the president should be able to handle multiple things at once.

This is very interesting to me. No one will say this but it's obvious from the evidence, but he doesn't want to go back to Congress and put his stamp of approval or disapproval on anything that comes out of there this close to the election, for fear it might upset those people who may vote for him. He's trying to vote "present" again like he did 130 times in the Illinois state senate. (Click here for details.) He's thinking, "Instead of voting for or against a bailout package, I'm just not going to take a stand on it."

Also, his comment about the President needing to be able to handle multiple things at once doesn't make any sense given his actions. Well of course the President should be able to handle multiple "tough" things at once. But exactly what are you going to be contributing to anything that's decided in Congress over the next week while you are out on the campaign trail?

I guess my final question or comment is, if you aren't even going to focus on your primary job for which you have already been elected (Jr. Senator in the US Senate), then why should we be so sure you'll stay focused when you're in the Oval Office and not keep dreaming about what could be or what's to come next?

WHEN DID THINGS GET SO BAD????

I'm not 100% sure when things started to go bad for everyone. Most would say it's been in the past couple of years. We'll I'd like to throw a little piece of information out there. Sure we've had Bush in the White House for the past 8 years, but can you really say that the past 8 years have been that bad? Excluding the last 2 years, we've seen the lowest unemployment during that time. We've seen some of the best years in the financial market during that time and a significant market recovery from the 9/11 attacks.

It appears that the last two years have been the worst by most people's estimates. Well if the first 6 were not too bad and the economy seems to have been flourishing, what has changed in the past 2 years? Well first of all, the Congress has an incredibly low approval rating (lower than any other Congress before them I believe.). And 2 years ago, the Congress was moved from Republican to Democrat control. You may want to consider that before you make any decisions this next year.

DISCLAIMER: These thoughts are my own, not plagiarized or from anyone else (including but not limited to Bill O'Reily, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, or any other conservative commentator). I formulated these thoughts myself, typed them in myself, and hit the publish post button all by myself.

COMPARISONS...

It's stunning to me all the analyzing that Sarah Palin has received as a Vice Presidential candidate. People keep saying that she is a "heartbeat away from the presidency". Very true. But the way they keep comparing her experience to Obama is amazing. First of all Obama, if Obama wins, he takes the presidential seat on day one (experience or lack of it and all). If McCain wins, Sarah Palin takes the Vice Presidential seat on day one and takes the presidential seat *IF* something happens to McCain.

So, if everyone wants to compare Obama and Palin all day long, go for it, but they aren't running for the same job. And I find it very odd that everyone is comparing the two of them. Are they that confident that she will be the President someday? Are they scared by her consistency with what she stands for or that they are having a hard time digging up dirt on her? (What does Obama stand for? You can't tell by his voting record. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/24/fact_check_obamas_present_votes/. Talk the talk, but walk the walk?) It's almost as if they're no longer running against McCain and they are now running against Palin. Either way, they seem to know they have a serious fight on their hands or they wouldn't be trying so hard to discount the person who is running for the Vice Presidential seat.

I'M SCARED...

I hate to say it, but I'm scared. Terrified. And there is nothing I can do about. A sick feeling in my stomach keeps coming back to me at one thought... Obama as our president. I'm scared that we're headed in the direction of bigger government and more taxes. But those things pail in comparison to how little we really know about Obama. I think it's pretty safe to say that we know less about him than we do any other presidential candidate in history. That's scary. He just showed up out of no where and has garnered a ridiculous amount of attention and loyalty.

I'm sorry, but I can't "believe in" any politician to change my life. How many times have we seen promises broken by them? I can't "believe in" a candidate that hasn't been tested and has too many questions swirling around him. The only "change we can believe in" or anyone should believe in is the change that knowing God and his Son has on their lives. There is no other change worth believing in and no other change that will have a greater impact on your life. So decide, put your faith in your government to change your life for the better or put your faith in God to do it? I hope the decision is clear as to which one has a better track record at fulfilling promises.

WHERE DOES IT ALL GO????

Have you ever seen a company hemorrhage money like General Motors? They'd almost be better off selling off all their assets and starting from scratch at this point. They've dug their own grave. What's their major project now....the Chevy Volt. A plug-in hybrid. They had an electric vehicle in the late 90's that would have been a hit and probably could have put internal combustion to shame by now after making advancements every year. But instead they choose to cancel the program, destroy or disable all of the cars that they leased out....and then start from scratch almost 10 years later. What a waste...

My recommendation to the next president.....DON'T GIVE THEM MONEY TO KEEP THEM AFLOAT!!! Don't think it will happen. Of course it will. They're going to give Detroit tons of "research" money to look for alternatives to foreign oil and research fuel cells which won't be affordable for at least another 10 years. They had the chance to make it big, and they blew it. Let's not give them taxpayer dollars so they can frivolously use it to chase after the next fad and then destroy anything that has to do it when the fad is over.

ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ME????

So there has been a lot of political talk about how Obama is going to help the middle class out. First with tax relief and now more recently he thinks that the oil companies should basically give every family $1000 to help with the high price of gas (which isn't the oil companies fault unless they were forcing us to buy SUVs). My problem with all this is, where is the money going to come from to fund all these programs. "The war in Iraq costs us so much money that we could fund this program over here with it." No we can't. We're borrowing money to pay for the war, so you'd still continue to borrow money for your stupid programs.

Oh, and this middle class I've heard so much about, am I a part of that? From a recent article I read, it appears that I'm actually in the top 25% of earners in the country. I don't make that much. I'm trying to pay off my debt and get into a better position. We don't take vacations. We don't do any extra driving, and we watch what we spend. We are by no means wealthy. But since I'm in the top 25% of earners, will I qualify for all this tax relief, or will I be one of the ones footing the bill. Makes you think.

CONTRADICTIONS...

I was watching TV and we're being brainwashed with political ads. One strikes me as contradictory. There is an Obama ad where he says he is going to give tax breaks to companies that keep jobs in the US. Well that sounds good doesn't it. HOWEVER, he always wants to tax the oil companies profit...American oil companies...that employ lots of Americans...and don't move their companies overseas.

So let's encourage American companies, by giving them tax breaks to keep jobs in the US, but then when they thrive and do really well, let's tax them into oblivion so they can't be overly successful.

MISSION STATEMENTS...

I find it interesting that while many people don't like the job the President is doing, many fail to realize that the Congress approval rating has been lower than the President's. Perhaps if they would give him something worth signing, then they might get something accomplished.

That brings me to my point. What if Congress had a mission statement. As it is now, you've got hundreds of members of Congress running around with their own mission statements. IT DOESN'T WORK!!! Nothing gets accomplished when the a group of people are all headed in separate directions.

We attend what many people call a megachurch. Their growth has been spectacular. I believe that one of the reasons they have been so successful at reaching new people is because they have a mission, and everything they do has that purpose in mind. Every dollar spent is to fulfill the mission. Every person hired is to fulfill the mission. Every project started is to fulfill the mission. If they start to deviate from the mission, I can guarantee the church will fail. They've modified the mission statement before to either further define it or expand it a little, but it still has a unified purpose. Here is their current mission statement below:

"The mission of CedarCreek.tv is to help spiritually restless and unchurched people love Jesus, serve others and tell the world about Christ."

I makes me wonder what would happen if Congress had a mission statement. Their current one might read something like this:

"To tax the public to no end, spend more than we bring in, accomplish nothing but pet projects, provide no meaningful service for the public, and get re-elected again."

My point is that there is no focus in Washington. If they could sit down and devise something that made sense and then ask themselves the next time they want to do something whether it not it met the requirements of the mission statement, government spending would decrease and things would get done.

Perhaps they could have a mission statement like:

"Provide a national infrastructure (roads), defend the public against enemies (military), and protect the well-being of the public."

Simple isn't it, probably doesn't cover everything, but then again, many of the things not included should be left up to the states or local governments to accomplish. Besides state and local governments are more in tune to what their residents' needs are than a big government who has representatives from across the nation trying to get their own piece of the pie.

As it stands now, there is no mission statement, and therefore no direction. They simply pick the latest craze (healthcare or retirement) and say, "we're going to look at this for a while." Not, "should be working on this?"

PLEASE, NO MORE RATE CUTS...

Everyone is worried about how much it costs to fill their gas tank and put food on the table and that times are tough and they are only going to get worse. I have no vast degree in this stuff, but I read a lot about it, and it seems to me that the thing the Fed is doing to prevent a recession will be the exact thing that pushes us into one.

First, let's start with gas prices. They are high, no doubt about it. But did you realize that they are high, not because we don't have enough oil or gasoline (in fact we are well supplied on both fronts), but it is because our dollar is incredibly weak. One US dollar is equivalent to a Canadian dollar. When the dollar is weak, oil prices go up. Why is our dollar so weak? Because the Feds keep cutting the rate.

This brings me to my next point. The price of everything else is going up. Partially due to our weak dollar (which means it costs more to buy goods from other countries) and partially due to the high oil and gas prices explained earlier.

So, we're getting these stimulus checks to help "boost" the economy. They aren't going to work for several reasons. Many people have already decided to put it into savings, pay off debt, or catch up on bills. Since it costs so much to purchase gas and many other products, it would be frivolous to go out and spend it on a new TV, unless the high costs of everything hasn't made you feel the pinch yet. Had the checks come 3-6 months ago, then perhaps people would have spent them more freely.

We're basically in a sad circle. The Feds lower rates to help keep us out of a recession. What that does is raises costs on everyday products, but lowers what it costs to borrow money for houses, cars, and credit cards. So, we have to ask ourselves, is it worth it? If the rate were to stay the same and start moving up even, we may start to see things stabilize and in fact go down in price. Believe it or not, as I write this, oil prices have dropped $10 a barrel in about 3 days time, mostly because the dollar's value and oil prices already factored in the rate cut the Feds made yesterday and because we are well supplied on oil. If we drop the rate again unexpectedly like we have sometimes in the last few months, you can expect it to go right back up to where it was.

Will we see $4 a gallon for gas??? In fact some people already have, and those that haven't might see it for a short time. But I think if we stay on this course, leave the rates alone, raise them towards the end of the year a bit, we'll see prices go back around $3 a gallon, and the price for everything else will stabilize around the same time.

Where is my compressed air car when I need it???

ONLINE SAVINGS ACCOUNTS...

If you haven't looked into susing an online savings account yet, it's worth checking out. Many offer rates way above what you would get at your local brick and mortar bank. Besides that, it's easy to get access to you money when you need it.

We currently use ING Direct for our savings (3.1% APY) and checking accounts (2.0% APY). If anyone would like a "referral" to get $25 in either type of account (as long as you start your account with $250), just post your email address and I'll send one your way. I get $10 out of you starting one, so it's to my benefit as well of course. You'll get a Debit MasterCard to use with the checking account and have access to free ATMs in the Allpoint network. There really aren't any fees that we've found with either account.

POLITICAL COMMERCIALS...

These things are driving me nuts. Recently in Ohio, the Democrats starting airing their advertisements trying to convince us that they are the better choice for President. Obama's ad talks about how he has a plan to fix healthcare. I've looked at the plan and disagree with much of it. He says that Washington needs to get rid of the lobbyists and fix Washington so that they can fix Healthcare. First of all, you were in Washington, right?!?!? You've had an opportunity to fix it, right?!?!?!? Then why isn't it fixed. You'll have less power to fix things as President than you do as a senator. The President just signs the bills, the truth of the matter is that Congress hasn't produced anything of value for any President to sign. Second, good luck fixing Washington. I mean seriously, Social Security is going down the toilet fast and I'm basically throwing my paycheck into a black hole that I will never see any benefit from. Technically that's a negative investment on my money. I put 6.2% in and will lose all of it by the time I'm ready to retire. How does that make sense? Finally, if you want to lower health care costs, pass some sort of liability laws so doctor's don't have to carry such ridiculously priced malpractice insurance (which just gets passed to the consumer) and then stay out of the way. The market will determine the price for these things. If you were to stay out of the insurance companies way, then we wouldn't have a need for lobbyists, which means that the prices insurance companies and other industries pay these lobbyists won't be passed on to consumers either. Hmmm, lower costs?????

The Clinton ad that is driving me even more crazy. She criticizes the Bush economy and how it has made people one pink slip, one medical diagnosis, or one mortgage payment from falling through. First of all, Bush doesn't control the economy in any sense. It is a free market and will continue to be controlled by individuals and not the President. Second, if people are one mortgage payment away from "falling through", they probably shouldn't have purchased the house in the first place. It's their responsibility for not doing the math and counting on someone else to tell them if they can afford the house. As for the pink slip problem, people lose their jobs all of the time. Unemployment has been pretty low for the last 7 years. Unemployment wouldn't be such a problem if people hadn't gotten themselves into such debt. There have been some news stories lately about how credit card rates are going up and "hurting" people who use the cards. DUH!!!! Don't go into debt!!! Don't use credit cards for stuff you can't pay for!!! It doesn't get much easier than that. If you think Washington is going help you out with this, you're wrong. Sure they might give you unemployment benefits longer so you can make your payments, but ultimately, your security is entirely in your hands, not Washingtons. Besides, do you really want people who can't crunch the numbers on a yearly basis to see that they are spending more than they bring in and that Social Security will go bankrupt shortly helping you with financial decisions? I agree that medical bills can bankrupt a person or family, but there are many health insurance plans out there that are reasonable and will keep you from going bankrupt, and if you're place of business doesn't offer health care, go somewhere else that does. Businesses will change the way they treat you if they realize they can't keep you around unless they do. Finally, Hillary says that insurance companies, mortgage companies, and all these other companies have enjoyed 7 years with a President that doesn't "press" them. I'm sorry, but like I said before we are in a free market. In the same time, you've seen free or $4 generic medications being offered at many different places. Like I've already said, people who cannot afford their house because of an ARM or subprime mortgage, you probably should have looked at the numbers before you signed the papers. The housing market was skyrocketing, it's time for a correction.

If we move to a country where the government has their hands in everything, then we might as well be considered a socialist economy. That's where we're heading if people keeping looking for Washington to fix all their problems and they don't take responsibility for it themselves. In that type of economy, no one becomes rich, and everyone is dependent on a government that can't balance their own books and rely on US to survive!!!! So when politicians talk about these new programs they want to institute, remember that you are paying for them one way or another. None of it's free.

It appears that it has been quite some time since we last updated our blog. So much has changed. I'll try to fill you in on the recent happenings in the Amrine household. This is the first time that I have posted anything out here so hang in there with me.

Adelyn will be 1o months old in a few weeks. Her first birthday is right around the corner. We can hardly believe how fast the time has gone. She started crawling on the day that she turned eight months old right around Thanksgiving. It was so awesome to watch the progression of each of the steps that got her to that point. It seems like we waited and waited to actually see her do it and then bam she zoomed across the floor. Now she pulls herself up to furniture and cruises around. She loves to strut her stuff while holding onto the hands of Mommy and Daddy. Needless to say that no part of our house has been left untouched. I just love to see her little handprints around the house of reminders of how precious she is and what a wonderful gift we have been given. She also has the most hilarious laugh. We can't even describe it. It sounds like she is trying to clear out her throat.

With all the moving about she does she is starting to slim down a bit. Mommy misses those chubby thighs. At her last doctor's appointment, she weighed 18.5 pounds and was 28.5 inches long. We have discovered that she loves finger foods and wants to drink from a cup. She has the pincer grasp mastered. Her eyes are piercing blue and her is getting incredibly long (pony tail length).

Her favorite activity by far is taking baths with the exception of getting her hair washed. She recently acquired some new bath toys including rubber duckies and a motor boat picked out by Daddy. She would spend all day in the tub I think if we would let her. Her little toes get so wrinkly. Our floor usually ends up covered in water by the time she is done because she loves to splash. She also gets a thrill out of sliding on her belly after the water has been drained.

If you haven't gotten the chance to meet Ping the Panda Bear I'm sure you will in the future. Wherever you find Adelyn, you'll find Ping usually in her arms with left thumb in mouth. Ping was given to Adelyn by Mamaw Laurie on a Friday afternoon shopping trip. Mommy and Mamaw Laurie held up cute little lambs and bunnies but Adelyn went for the panda everytime. We decided to name the bear Ping because Adam had a bear named Pong when he was little who now has his home in Adelyn's craddle. So far Ping has survived several trips through the washing machine.