Last Saturday we kept Tanner so Bethany and Chris could go to the Tennessee game. We had so much fun, but also learned a good lesson..............we are NOT repeat NOT ready for a second child! Tanner was GREAT, no problem at all, but wow having to worry about 2........that's alot! Addie really enjoyed having him here to play with!
LOOK ADDIE HAS ENOUGH HAIR FOR pigtails!!! I'm so excited! I pull her hair up everyday now. She HATES it, I'm sure the neighbors can hear her yelling outside. She has a LOUD mouth like her mommie! HAHA!
The Tetons
Me and Graham at Jenny Lake in WY (the Tetons are behind us)
What a cool picture of Jackson Lake and the Tetons
Yes, That is a road that we drove! There was about 2 or 3 inches of ice and snow that we drove on!So I was reading the November edition of Babytalk magazine and there is an article in there worth reading for every mother, soon to be mom, or woman for that matter! Entitled, "Don't get cheated!" the article is easy ways to fight for the maternity leave you deserve. It starts with some startling facts:
"Give birth to a baby in France and you can count on at least 16 weeks of paid leave to cuddle and bond. Have a child in Norway and you get 42 weeks at full pay. Sweden promises 390 days at 80 percent of your salary."
Seriously, we are the richest and most powerful country in the world and all Uncle Sam promises is employers have to offer 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave and that rule only applies to companies with more that 50 employees (Family and Medical Leave Act)! I guess I never really thought about this but it really is a problem. Studies show that the more time mom can bond with baby the lower the chance that child will have emotional and psychological problems. And of course the longer the mom can breastfeed the lower the risk of all kinds of things like infections. But how can a single mom just stay at home with her baby when there is no one else supporting her financially? I have heard people criticize the moms that HAVE to go back to work after 6 weeks, and I just wonder what in the world they are supposed to do? I have been VERY fortunate to be able to stay at home with Addie and I thank God and Graham for that everyday, but I think we need to rally together to get a solution to this problem from our government. I believe there are too many people in this country that aren't even aware of this problem, I was one of them. We need to get this out there and make it one of the strong political issues. Here are a few ways the article suggests that you can do to help make the presidential candidates, congressmen, state reps, etc aware that this is a problem and we are not going to stop till something is done!
Email the presidential candidates-
Just go to momsrising.org and click on the "campaigns" link, then click on "momsvote'08: e-mail the Candidates"
They provide a sample letter you can make your own or just send.
Email your state reps-
Babytalk.com also posted a sample letter along with a list of Democratic and Republican state party websites.
I know you are all busy, but this only takes mere minutes. So please take a minute and send these emails and tell everyone you can to do the same. Together we can make a difference!
I Finally figured it out! I'm really bad not taking the time to read and figure out how to do something when it comes to blogs, myspace etc. Well I FINALLY DID! And isn't it just so pretty! I know I promised to talk about my trip and I will probably next Wednesday and Thursday while Graham is gone to Detroit and I have nothing to do at night! So hang on and I will get some of the best pics up and the several stories I have to tell about our trip. Including seeing bears, moose, elks, and bison galore! Have a great week!
Well, lets see........I'm sure this will take several posts to get all I want to say about this WONDERFUL part of our country but for tonight I will start with the absolutely SCARIEST thing I have ever done!
We left Chattanooga around 3 headed for Nashville. We got to the airport alot earlier than we meant to so we had to wait for our plane for about an hour and half. We finally got on the plane and headed out west. We have to connect in Minneapolis then on to Idaho Falls. We arrived in Idaho Falls at 11:00 pm MOUNTAIN TIME (that's 1:00 AM here) with SEVERAL inches of snow on the ground and pouring snow! The gate thing was messed up so we had to get off the plane on the stairs and walk inside, we were in t-shirts with no jackets (they were packed). IT WAS FREEZING! When we boarded the plane in Nashville it was 80 degrees and Idaho Falls was 23 degrees! ANYWAYS, we got our bags and waited on our rental car. After getting the rental we headed for Jackson Hole which should have been about an hour and half trip........BOY were we wrong! As we start to leave Idaho Falls we think maybe this is a bad idea but as we progress the roads get better and we quickly get onto a road that has be salted. We drive for about and hour and everything seems okay, the roads are pretty good but it was snowing very hard! We see that Jackson is 40 miles away and figure we are home free...................WRONG! We make our final turn onto Wyoming 22 or the Teton Pass and see a BLINKING sign that says Chain Law in effect. We figured we made it this far we would be fine for the 30 miles now. Mind you we are in a Chevy Malibu 2 -wheel drive! We start up A MOUNTAIN with 4 or 5 inches of snow on the road and I'm sure if it wasn't so dark we would have seen that if we slid we would have gone thousands of feet down into the unknown! I have never prayed so much. Graham was awesome, he took it very slow and didn't seem nervous at all. We slipped a few times trying to get up and when we made it to the top Graham sighed with relief. Needless to say it took us about 2 hours to go 20 miles! We FINALLY made it to our Cabin in the WEEE hours of the morning. All thanks to our AWESOME God! I'll write more about the most wonderful place on this earth later! And add some pics soon, Although, there is NO WAY to capture in a picture how BEAUTIFUL this place is! EVERYONE needs to go see it for themselves. Graham and I are going to buy a ranch out there so ya'll can just come stay with us! Talk with you soon!
I am so excited about our trip to Jackson Hole! I just sit here at night looking a pictures and hiking trails! It's going to be so awesome! I just hope I am okay without Addie, I found myself crying several times today because I didn't want to leave her. She will be fine and will be having fun without me, that's what I have to tell myself in order to get OKAy again! Graham and I need this, we need to be a couple again and not just Addie's parents. The first couple of months being parents you do whatever you can to survive! I went a few days without showers, but that's how it goes. We made it through that, now Addie is older and ALOT more fun! She actually plays with us and that is the best. I LOVE that she wants me all the time, Graham can be playing with her and when I walk in the room she reaches for ME! She may have said Da-Da first but she always wants her mommie. My poor baby was running a fever tonight and did not feel well, I hope those teeth come in soon. It's no fun to have a baby who doesn't feel good! Well I just wanted to share how excited I am about our trip! We leave on Saturday and return the next Thursday, I'm sure there will be tons and tons of pics! Say a prayer that we make it there okay and that Addie doesn't miss us too much!!
I've Been Tagged
I was tagged by my Anna today, so here goes. Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you've answered the questions on your blog.
10 years ago I:
1. was in middle school
2. Was SKINNY and thought I was fat! Oh how I wish to be that size!
3. was totally involved with my youth group at church and went on several trips and mission trips. GREAT TIMES! (chased alot of boys!)
4. Was IN LOVE with Nathan Copeland from Montgomery. I would have married him right then.........GLAD I DIDN"T! God had a better man picked out for me!
5. Was paying my sister $30 (along with Heather) to drive her car around the circle! She made alot of money off of us!
5 things on today's "to do" list:
1. Play with Addie! My FAVORITE THING TO DO!
2. Start packing for JACKSON HOLE! and Addie to go to the Grandparents house!
3. Clean.............yeah this doesn't happen because it's more important to play with Addie!
4. Cook dinner...............MMMM Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and carrots! (almost done!)
5. Take a long bath (while Graham gets Addie ready for bed, I get to do this once a week!!) and crawl into bed early with Graham to watch a movie! Our weekly mini date night is Thursday nights!
5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Townhouse crackers
2. Whatever sweet treat I have made for the week.
3. Snowman poop! (although I don't get it that much!)
4. Fruits! Me and Addie sit down and have fruit everyday together! It's our time!
5. A glass of GOOD wine!
5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. pay off the house, and cars. And be DEBT FREE!
2. Buy land on the river and built our dream home.
3. Give money to church and mission efforts.
4. INVEST for our future and Addie's future. We only have small amounts in these accounts and they desperately need to grow!
5. We would take trips to Ireland, a long road trip in the west, and Alaska!
5 places I have lived:
1. Lookout Valley, TN
2. Montgomery, AL
3. Lookout Valley, TN
4. Lookout Valley, TN
5. Lookout Valley, TN
5 jobs I have had:
1. Tour Guide at Raccoon Mountain Caverns
2. Afternoon teacher at a daycare in Montgomery, IT WAS AWFUL! I had 10 3-4 year olds!
3. Receptionist at Dr. Wray's office.
4. Don't know a title but I did all kinds of things, from taking care of patients, paperwork, casting at an Orthopaedic office.
5. Mommy! The best job yet!
The rules say I have to tag 5 people. I don't read many bogs (no time), so I can't tag anyone that hasn't sent this to me!
I know Crazy, two posts in one day!
So Graham and I have been planning to go on a trip for our 2nd anniversary (October 14) for awhile we just couldn't decide where to go. Well last night we booked our trip to Jackson Hole, WY! I am so excited! We are flying out on Saturday the 11th and returning that Thursday. We have read alot and it says that this is the best time of the year to see wildlife. Everything is coming down from the mountains. It's alittle scary though, one word..........BEARS! Most bear attacks happen this time of year. WOW! I have no idea what to do if a bear comes at me....any ideas???? So if everyone could please keep us in your prayers that week that would be AWESOME!!
Before Addie Graham and I went on trips at least once a month. Since Addie has come along we have only been one place! Well minus 2 trips to Montgomery to see Miranda, Ali and Manny. Anyways, this trip is LONG overdue but we will miss Addie BUNCHES AND BUNCHES! She will be in good hands, she will spend Saturday through Tuesday with Gingy (my mom) and Tuesday night through Friday morning with Mi-Mi (Graham's mom). I think it is so important to make sure Graham and my marriage stays strong through these raising children years. For us that means getting away and being just us awhile. Please don't get me wrong, we LOVE Addie and LOVE being with her but we also like to revisit the before kids couple we were. Thanks to our wonderful parents being down the road we are able to go on dates and get out of town like this. THanks GUYS!! We love you!!
