The Gaskill Rascals

One of these things is not like the other....

2012-01-23T11:25:00.001-05:00

This holiday season, when we would go look at Christmas lights around Richmond, we had an ongoing joke about our arrival back home. Scott would say something like "Wow, look at this house! It is sooooo cool. These people must be really awesome." And then the rest of us would comment on how great the family that lived there must be and how we should park in their driveway and go meet them. In the midst of our comic routine, Josh would always remind us that it was just a joke and actually, we live in this house, not a strange family. Thanks, kid. I guess this is an important stage in child development...understanding real and make believe, right?
The boys have decided to keep the storyline going through the winter and will often make up imaginary people that they will meet when we open the doors to our house. They talk about the ages of the kids and what rooms the kids sleep in and what toys they will play with when they meet them. Sometimes they even pretend to talk to the other kids. A little goofy, but all in good fun.
sidenote: I am also hoping this is a part of normal child development. You know, imaginary play and creative story telling? Right, that's exactly what it is. I don't really need to call any child psychologists over to our house, right? My kids are completely normal. Yes, we will go with normal.
So, here is where it gets a little weird. The names for the imaginary kids often change. Sometimes we will meet another "Danny", or a "Josh", or a "Joseph", or (real) Danny's favorite "Roger". The names usually are connected to a story we read in the bible or a book. Sometimes it is names of (real) friends. Pretty typical names....
Every kid has to have some imaginary friends, right?
And every kid names their imaginary friends, right?
Ok, so how many of your kids have an imaginary friend named Hot Fire Car?

(silence) (awkward pause)

Any one got the number of a good child psychologist? I have a 3 year old that he/she might need to meet.

I wish my dog could talk...

2012-01-11T15:24:00.002-05:00

I just finished watching UP with my kids on this rainy, stay inside kind of day. Before we began, I wondered if I was making a bad choice with the PG rating and intense moments throughout the movie. I was even more hesitant about my choice when I had tears streaming down my face in the first 10 minutes and I had to explain to my very sensitive 5 year old why mommy is crying.
Not that crying is unusual or abnormal for their mother.
It's the pregnancy hormones.
I swear.
Except, what is my excuse for being quick to cry for the other 28 years of my life that have not involved me being with child? I am a little on the weepy side when it comes to matters of the heart. And I am especially sensitive to anything involving growing old, grown men showing pain, and heart wrenching musical interludes....ok, so UP is probably not the best movie choice for me.
Fortunately, we survived the movie and the boys went on to play and leave their mascara stained mom to go play in the playroom. They are pretty resilient, unlike me.
Then enters our dog in the room with his best "mommy, please play with me, love me, give me attention" expression. He probably just wanted to eat, but I like to think it was affection for his master.
It got me thinking about what a cool invention it would be for dog's to have a voice box, just like Dug in UP. I get that it is just a movie and not a possible scenario, but think of the possibilities. All that affection and unconditional love able to be expressed through a voice? To know what is behind those longing and soulful eyes of my furry best friend? (feed me, feed me, feed me?)
I feel bad that we often pretend to talk for our dog and it is in a voice that is not very flattering. We love our sweet Pollack, but we don't think he is the smartest puppy.
He is faithful, loving, and wonderful with our kids, but he eats poo.
Poo-eating seems to qualify him for a lower IQ than his non-poo eating peers.
But I really would love to hear what he has to say. Not so much about the poo eating, but all the other general observations from his point of view.
I also love that he has been more aware of me lately. He is following me around more often and more attentive to my needs. I often wonder if he can sense my increasing needs and is trying to care for his pack. He was such a good dog with the first two boys. I felt like he immediately looked at them as a new part of our clan and wanted to protect and care for them. Maybe it was just his love for the taste of baby spit-up, but he was always around, always protecting.(Seriously? Poo eating? Spit-up licking? Our dog has issues) But I am ever thankful for a dog that we completely trust around our kids.
And I wonder what he thinks about all of us?
If only we could get a doggy voice box....

The view from our table

2012-01-04T21:32:00.004-05:00

My children discovered a new favorite football movie, Facing the Giants,over the holiday break. For those of you who haven’t seen it, it is agreat family movie, despite the low budget and no-name actors. After thefourth time of viewing it, my children had happily embraced the message andtruth. And after the fourth time, mommy was ready to hide the dvd. But I was happy that they were enjoying the positive message. At onepoint in the film, the coach tells his team that "If we win, we praiseGod. If we lose, we praise God." Good stuff.
Skip ahead to a few days after Christmas and our usual trip to the Henricodump to dispose of our holiday trash and attic clean-out. In the processof throwing out boxes, my engagement ring made its way into a truck sizeddumpster. As soon as we discovered that it was missing, we made planswith the staff at the dump to arrive back the next day at 7:30am to dig throughthe dumpster in search of my ring. That evening at the dinner table wewere prompted by our son to pray that we might find my jewelry the nextmorning. During the prayer, I said something along the lines of "nomatter what happens, we trust You God." My 5 year old perked up andquickly made the connection between what I prayed and his favorite part of themovie. "Mommy, we could say...If we find the ring, we praiseGod. If we don't find the ring, we praise God." I was deeplymoved by the moment and realized that my child had just spoken great truth tome.
That next day, while I stood at the top of the Henrico dump, freezing coldwith tears of frustration streaming down my face, I was given hope by thosewords my son spoke. Despite hours of digging and searching, we neverfound my ring, but I believe we have gained something worth more than all thediamonds in the world. Even in the tough times, my family wasunited. We didn't shelter our children from the frustration we wereexperiencing, but we embraced it as a moment to grow together. Andthankfully we took time to listen to our children, because it was their wordsthat had us remembering all that we have to be thankful for, even in toughtimes. We were given a gift of truth through our children and it was a momentat the table that gave us the strength to persevere.
I do not know what your New Year is like and what your family is dealingwith as we move into 2012. In the grand scheme, a lost ring is so minorin comparison to some of the pain and suffering people are experiencing aroundus. But I encourage you to go through it with your family. Inviteyour kids into the good and the bad. Talk about what God is teaching youand listen to what they have to say about His truth. This is what keeping the end in mind is about. Faith isn’t about our current circumstances, no matter how painful they are,but remembering that God will work through our lives in ways that we can't evenbegin to imagine.
In facing a time of trial in Daniel 3:16-18, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednegosaid these words as they were about to be thrown in a fiery furnace. "¹⁷If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serveis able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, thatwe will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have setup." Basically, this was the lesson we were learning at our dinnertable. Whether we survive our trials, win the game, find the ring....or not, no matter what Heis worthy of praise. I believe that God is doing something bigin our hearts, even through our suffering, and He can do the same for you.
Today, let's begin embracing those moments of family time together.

Who gets my best?

2011-11-15T12:10:00.001-05:00

I asked myself that question today. Is my family getting my best?
Before I lead you to assume that I am advocating perfection, I need to clear that up. I am NOT talking about perfection. This is not a post about being cookie-cutter little families who aren't honest about their issues. My story I want to share is actually about a moment of confession and humility from my child.
I rarely have an opportunity to stay and visit with my son's preschool class, but today I was pressured by the longing eyes of my child to stay for a little bit of circle time. Our 5 year old has an amazing teacher at Agape who welcomes families to stick around and see how they spend 5 days a week, from 9-noon. She began circle time with different types of prayer to God; things they were thankful for, things they were sorry for, opportunities to ask for God's help. As you can imagine, the conversations were sweet and comical. "I am thankful for being able to stretch my fingers like this"(demonstration included.) "I am sorry for not listening to my sister and for telling her that I only have one sweater"(huh?) Then my child raised his hand to share. As the mother, I shifted uncomfortably as I wondered what he might share.
My child proceeded to tell an "I'm sorry" prayer about something that happened in our home last night. I will spare you the details he shared in class, but the basis was an event of him not obeying and how truly sorry he was for being disobedient. We had a sweet mommy/son moment and the teacher recognized that I was touched by his confession and the fact that he seemed truly remorseful. She proceeded to pull me aside and tell me how he often shares things he is sorry about and also asks daily for his class to pray for his baby brother growing in my belly. She started cry, I started to cry, and I leaned in for another hug from my son.
I realized in that moment that my child's teachers and classmates got to see a side of my son that we do not always see. Even though it was a moment of confession, it was a good moment. They see daily what I sometimes miss: humility, kindness, a gentle nature. Not the world's view of a perfect son, but his character through good and bad. Why don't I always get to see that? Why do we argue instead of apologize? How come teachers and classmates get to see the best?
Then I asked myself, do I always give my best? Or do I let my guard down with my family, because I know they will love me no matter what? In times when I sin and hurt them, am I quick to ask forgiveness and admit my fault? The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We can't deny that sin creeps into family situations, but how we trust God in the midst of it is what matters. Do we continue to pull from the emptiness of us or do we cling to the fullness of God and all He has to offer us. His fruit is for us.
I am proud of who my son is becoming and the part of his character that is reflective of God's fruit. And I am going to ask God to help me offer the best to him and to all of my family. Our children are going to learn so much more from our humility than from our attempt at a perfect picture.
Let's offer our families HIS best today.

tap. tap. Is this thing on?

2011-11-15T08:06:00.001-05:00

Who are those cute little pumpkin heads? That would be my big boys, who are growing up too fast. I like to tell D and J to stop growing, which brings laughter and a rolling of the eyes from a 5 and 3 year old. "C'mon mom, we can't stop growing. It just happens." You are right, son, but I wish I could bottle up this cuteness to be brought out at a later date. Say, maybe those teenage years when you aren't quite so cuddly?
I am anticipating a re-entry to the world of personal blogging in the next few months. (yes, mom...you and the other 3 people that read this will be thrilled!) I will attempt to give comical updates to the world of the Gaskillrascals as we work our way down the path of parenthood.
One reason for my long break was a job that seems to take much of my time. I love what I get to do at Hope. It seemed like the perfect job for someone with my skills. I get to work with families, yet my scenery is constantly changing. I advocate in my church for a family ministry perspective, while working with some terrific women. I have a schedule that is flexible and I am able to be home more often than not. But life is ever-changing and this next stage is going to bring more challenges than this mom can handle. I am taking the wise advice of my friend/co-worker and blogger Nicole once said to me....when you start something new, sometimes something else has to be dropped. And for us, the entry of another rascal to our family qualifies as a reason to drop things. When we have our third boy in February, I imagine lots of things will be dropped. But those of you out there with a minor case of adult add can relate to my need to be doing lots of things. I like having many balls in the air. So, blogging will be one of those balls. Maybe we could say an outlet for my energy?
Looking forward to sharing some funny stories...better go fix breakfast, so that one of those stories is not about me being late to drop off my kids at school.

My kids are old enough for school?

2010-09-13T15:53:00.000-04:00

Really, are they that old?
They were such big boys today. No tears for them. Kisses for Mommy and off to play.
Then Mommy drove off with the tears.

Guest Blogger: Nicole Unice

2010-08-27T08:30:00.003-04:00

So, remember when I got to be guest post on a friend's blog? crazy, right? Well, the Gaskill Rascals are excited to welcome that friend, Nicole Unice, to be our guest post for today.
We feel honored to be a part of her blog tour!
If you have not had the chance to meet Nicole, then you are missing out. I introduced her a few weeks ago here. She has recently published a Study of Jonah called The Divine Pursuit. You need to check it out. Like right now. (btw: 100% of the proceeds from the study support International Justice Mission. very cool)

So, here comes the good stuff......

Becoming a counselor is a weird sort of schooling. What other graduate program teaches you how to listen, ask good questions, and read interpersonal dynamics? Who but future counselors study nonverbal cues, birth order, and “solution-focused questions?” Counseling techniques easily transform into entertaining party tricks: “Let me guess,” I imagine saying to my unsuspecting acquaintance while swirling my drink, “your deepest fear is turning into your mother, whom you find yourself resembling more each day?”

There’s another side to studying therapist techniques. Developing questions that pry back even the hardest shell takes practice. And there’s only one person that accompanies me to sleep, to the bathroom, to work—other than my toddler. It’s me. I am the unwilling recipient of my own therapy.

So I paid attention when I got all emotional about the story of Jonah. Do you know him? The bible Jonah, the telling-God-N-O Jonah, the swallowed-by-a-fish Jonah? Think way back to Vacation Bible School. You probably sang a song about him or maybe smoothed him up on a feltboard next to a smiling whale.

Jonah disobeys and isn’t loving, or at least, that’s the point when we tell the VBS version. But when I prepared a teaching series for a women’s group on the book of Jonah, I found myself stirred up, almost resentful, of what Jonah had become in those children’s stories. Like Jonah is a flat caricature painted by a heavenly hand to make us feel good about ourselves. Hey, at least I didn’t have to be swallowed by a big fish to listen to God. At least I wouldn’t defy God like that.

I got emotional because I thought Jonah could have had some reasons for running. That maybe following God’s orders and going to Nineveh was something excruciatingly hard for Jonah, something that felt impossible to do.

And then the therapist in me listened closely and asked a piercing question: “Hmmm….interesting. What are your Ninevehs?”

Hmmm is right.

I pondered my own Ninevehs and the Ninevehs of those I’ve counseled. I thought about the pattern of fleeing, obeying and resisting God found in Jonah—and found in me. I considered the things in life that would make me want to lob a fat N-O in God’s face, modern-Day Ninevehs like:

Living joyfully in difficult relationships.

Struggling through a hard marriage (or waiting on a good one).

Fighting with addictions.

Battling fear.

Making peace with the past. Wrestling with unforgiveness. Learning to wait. Embracing uncertainity. Raising difficult children. Choosing to care for aging parents. Going back to work when you want to stay home. Having children. Not having children. And the list goes on….

Holy Spirit calling: Jonah is me.

Jonah is you, too, if you’ve ever wanted space from God. If you’ve ever escaped from Him in heart or in action. Jonah is you if you’ve ever wondered how or why God would talk to you—and if you would obey. I know one thing: Jonah’s not a platitude to mount on a cross-stitch and hang in the bathroom. It’s raw, real life. It’s one of the many things I love about God--the way He enters our disheveled reality. The way He knows our crazy souls. And the way He shows us His soul for us, and for all his creation.

If you can relate, take heart, and take another look at Jonah. You might just find a friend.

Nicole Unice is a counselor and blogger working in family ministry at Hope Church in Richmond, VA. Her six-week guided study of Jonah, The Divine Pursuit, is available as a printed version on her website. An online community using The Divine Pursuit begins 9/15.

My new digits

2010-08-25T06:26:00.000-04:00

I got a new phone number a few weeks ago. Finally I am committing to Virginia as my home and said good bye to my 404 friend. We had a good run, that number and me. We were never as close as that amazing college number. Seriously, you won't believe what is was, but I will give you a few hints.
I had a number that was the same 6 numbers plus one other number. As in, ###-##&#.
I often think I was invited to do fun stuff only because my friends remembered my digits.
Who should we call?
Well, there's always Anne, because I DO remember her number.

The reason I am sharing this bit of information is to tell you how surprised I am at the short break my Atlanta cell phone number took. Someone has already been assigned my exact number. And would you believe that his name is Daniel. What are the chances? Poor guy. I wonder if he has gotten any interesting calls from long lost friends who are very confused at the time line of my child's birth when they hear a manly voice on the message saying, "you've reached Daniel. leave a message" No, folks. My child does not have a phone and I will keep it that way until sport's practices and driving require the safety of a cell phone.
He's not even in Kindergarten yet, so we have some time.
(wiping tear away as I think about my baby growing up)

At least this Daniel fellow won't get calls from bill collectors like we did with our VA home number. After about 50 of those, I was tempted to start asking random women if they were named Erin Blevens, and if so, would you please go pay your bill. Debt free is a good life goal, Erin. Don't let your slip-up be our dinnertime interruption.

And friends, if you happen to chat with this new Daniel, please be kind!
We chatted a few days ago and he seems like a nice guy.

updated with evidence: Covered, Diced, and Capped

2010-08-14T07:51:00.002-04:00

Danny asked for me to make breakfast for dinner the other day. I decided I could do better than breakfast at our house. Time for the boys to try lunch at the waffle house!
We had my favorite cheese eggs with grits(and raisin toast, of course) plus a waffle and an order of hash browns. Danny was pretty impressed at how fast our food came out. And they both were wishing I had ordered more food than that. Both boys seemed surprised that their mommy had once worked at this kind of restaurant.

(Here's a photo if you didn't believe me! My summer trip with Campus Outreach. I have some stories to tell.)
The best part was when I stuck a quarter in the jukebox and found a Hank Williams Jr song called Family Traditions. Our waitress started humming the tune and Danny yelled out for the whole store to hear "Mommy, we love this song!"
Maybe I need to think more about my music choices in the car?
nah...he has good tastes.
And he fits right in at the waffle house!

Like nana, like grandson

2010-08-04T07:17:00.000-04:00

Even though I was the photographer for both incidents, we didn't discover this until we got home.

Apparently, both Danny and his Nana have a thing for sticking their heads into the lion's mouth.

Great party, Danny, thanks for turning 4!

2010-08-02T22:15:00.000-04:00

More to come later on the birthday party, but first up is a photo of Danny's birthday cake. Thanks to our sweet friend Marci and the help of her cake assistant family we had an awesome awesome cake.
Might be the best kid birthday party cake ever.
And that is not an exaggeration.
Danny's putt-putt party was made even more special by the fully interactive cake. Seriously....it had a hole where you could drop the ball in and it would come out at the bottom. Bet you haven't seen that lately?
And most of all, it is special when someone who you love has a big part in your special day. It is just like our wedding cake done by Scott's childhood "second" mom Gail. When a cake is more than just a food at the party, but also a labor of love and a huge centerpiece for your special day....well, that just makes it complete.

Not trying to compare wedding cake to 4 year old birthday cake, but both tasted delicious and were made by special friends.
Here is a photo(even better in person!)

I mean, really, have you ever seen anything like it?

Why is my kid smarter than me?

2010-07-29T14:48:00.002-04:00

We have a new Kroger down the street from us. It's shiny and new and full of free goodies today for the grand opening. They gave us cake and a cart for my boys to push around the store. It was a wonderful experience.
Until the end.
When they broke our van.

You see, we have this new-to-us van that has changed my life. Automatic doors and endless space. I love it.

They didn't mean to break it. I guess I should have told the kind gentleman and lady carrying out my ton of groceries that I WILL CLOSE THE TRUNK. No, you do not need slam all your body weight on my trunk door in an effort to close it for me. There is a button for that. I got it.

I also have got the bill coming my way.
Rumor has it that it will cost us about $400+ to fix it broken doors that will not stay down. Now, ironically, I have to slam all my body weight against it to keep it down.

I went back to the store with a sleeping child in my arms and another sleepy child carrying a bowl of cherries. I explained my situation to a manager.
Apparently, she thinks it is my fault for not telling the bag carrier.
Seriously? My fault?

Through my tears I tried to explain to Danny that we are not going to be shopping there again. It is too painful to shop there and remember this. All I wanted was a little sympathy. I get that you can't be liable for it and you can't pay for it. I guess that makes sense.
But then my little man starts to get sad about the thought of not going to this shiny new store again.
What about those kid size carts? What about the cake mommy?

Then he says something profound.
"Mommy, we need to get someone to apologize to you, so that you can say 'it's ok!'"

Son, mommy isn't ready to say that yet. I am still grieving the pain to our budget as we have to pay to fix something SOMEONE ELSE broke.
I need to forgive.
At least that's what Danny thinks.
And he is right.

update: as of 8pm this evening, the van is fixed. thank you to all who prayed. And the best part.....it was free. Scott just reset all the locks and it started working again!

Your biggest fan....

2010-07-25T15:47:00.001-04:00

....can be your child.

I am sure there will be a time in our kid's lives when we no longer fill the top spot in their world, but for now we are as cool as a polar bear toenails.

Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? Why do we look at sports icons, actors, celebrities that are famous for who-knows-what as the people we follow? Those aren't really my heroes. My heroes are the moms that I spend time with who show me how to be a better one and juggle all their other life desires. My heroes are the dads that work hard to support their families while living up to all the expectations of a great dad. I want to start a fan club for the person who does the same things everyday as me and who loves the Lord in the process. In other words show me someone who is living my kind of life well, so that I can follow them. I want to be president of their fan club.

It is right that we are our kid's heroes. We are the people they look up too. My biggest prayer is that I can always be someone they can trust, someone they can follow, someone that they think is thebomb.com.

I made hash browns for breakfast this weekend and Danny exclaimed upon eating the first bite that I make the best hash browns in the world. They were pretty tasty. Yeah, kid, I am that cool.

But the best example I have seen lately of a "parent fan club" was at a friend's house for a recent cookout and play time. The boys were playing together inside when our friend decided it was time to take the meat out to the grill. One of his boys turned to our son and exclaimed "HEY, want to go outside and watch my dad grill. He is the best griller EVER!"

Do you have a fan club for your everyday activities? Who are your heroes?

Something new in our life....

2010-07-20T08:52:00.000-04:00

I really like doing titles that will make some of my readers think we are announcing a little bundle of joy.
It cracks me up how my generation goes there so quickly. While we would love to have another rascal, now is definitely not the time.
An example of how quickly we go there?
So, at church this week I talked to more people than average due to the fact that my new part time job was announced in both services. I got to stand up front while our pastor said some kind words about myself and the sweet friend sharing this job with me. We are thrilled to be starting our jobs as children's ministry coordinators. My friend will handle the Sunday morning routine and all that happens in our terrific 2nd- 5th grade program. My part is more about communication and furthering of the "family ministry" perspective. It is all about equipping parents to reach their children with the truth and for them to know how much God loves them. I am so excited to take on this new role as Coordinator of Family Ministry and I was really touched with the encouragement I received from people after they heard the news.
I was standing with a friend when another lady come up and said congratulations to me. She turned and said "For what?" I knew she already knew about the job, so this was old news for her and it didn't click right away what we were talking about. After I responded with something about my new role, she said "Oh, I thought maybe you were expecting or something."
Seriously, why do we always go there?
I know that having a child would be the most wonderful news and worthy of many many congrats, but why do we always think that first?
Is it because we have had two kids so close together in age that it seems like we are due for another?
Yes, we know how they get there and yes, we are attempting to keep from another one coming so close to the first two. We need a little break. A break from diapers and sippee cups and car seats with 3 things to click and bottom wiping and cutting up food so tiny that you wonder what it was originally. We need to introduce school and booster seats and buckling yourself in the seat and being able to swim without floaties.

We love being parents and we are pretty content with two. For now.

conversations with a former me...

2010-07-16T19:37:00.000-04:00

Have you ever thought about having a conversation with yourself in another time?

Here’s my question. Am I going to look back at my “now” self and say “that girl knew nothing?” Sometimes I look back at myself 5, 10, 15 years ago and I think about what I didn’t know, what I still had to learn about life. I am thankful for growth and change and all the things that go with maturity. I know that we are supposed to be ever changing in our choices and that life presents different challenges at each age. I didn’t have kids 4 years ago, I didn’t have a husband 8 years ago, and I was still in high school a mere 12 years ago. All those life steps have taken me in new directions. And these new directions have brought tremendous growth.

But what about so many things that I used to think about life? Silly stuff. And the things I believed about truth and who God is? Seriously, I was often full of judgment and ignorance. Oh, and there is that little thing about thinking the rest of the world never felt depressed, doubtful, and without hope the same as me. That was ridiculous. What a turning point in faith when I realized that the rest of you get insecure. You doubt your faith. You sometimes wonder what life is all about. And through it, God is faithful and He is unchanging.

This thought process leads me to wonder about looking back 10 years from now. Will I continue to change as much? Will I look at myself, the “now” me, but in 10 years and wonder “what was up with her?” Did she seriously tell people that? Did she really think that was the way it works?

Ok, this is the point where my husband says that I think too much. I often wonder about weird things like this so much that the only way to get it out of my head is to write it down, talk about it, chew on it for days.

Does this mean I am crazy?

Of course. Was there any doubt?

That is another thing, like God's faithfulness, that hasn’t changed in the past 30 years.

At least there are some things we can hold true and consistent.

I'm not bored

2010-07-14T07:48:00.000-04:00

A quick reminder to head over an read my guest post from yesterday on thestubbornservant blog. Looks like a comment on one of the mothering posts from the week might bring you a chance to win a book? I never pass up a chance for free stuff!

So, we are in the car yesterday and Danny is telling me about all the drivers and passengers he sees in the cars around us. He is a big fan of the word passenger and likes to use it on any occasion possible. He was telling me that the man he saw must be going to pick up his kids from soccer practice or art camp or something so that he could have a passenger. I told him that it was possible, but it also could be true that this man was not a daddy.
It's a shocker, I know.
Not all men are daddies.
Then Danny proceeds to tell me that "They must be bored."
That's about right, kid.
Before you, my life was boring sometimes.
Now? Not boring.

Here is a "not boring" moment inspecting a frog in our yard.

I have a friend you should know....

2010-07-13T07:09:00.000-04:00

...named Nicole Unice. She is the director of women's ministry at my church, a published author, counselor, leader and friend to many, a mommy to three adorable children, and definitely a model to me on how to balance a career and a family with great skill. She has a terrific blog http://www.thestubbornservant.com/ where she tackles some deep issues and also presents some really great questions about what it means to be a believer. You know when it is refreshing to meet people who seem to really understand that being a Christian doesn't mean having all the answers and living a model life. I want to be the kind of person that is honest about the struggles and issues I wrestle with daily. And through my friendship with Nicole, I am learning more about what that means.
SOOOO, when she asked me to be a guest blogger this summer for a series she was doing,
I was thrilled.
I was seriously flattered.
And since she had visited my site before, I realized that maybe I have more than one reader for this gaskillrascal blog(thanks mom for being faithful!)

I would love it if you would head over and read what I wrote. Maybe even comment?
And then add thestubbornservant to your list of daily reads.

His favorite song

2010-07-12T13:13:00.001-04:00

Recently, a friend of mine posted a video of her little girl singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

Since that is Danny's favorite song, we had to share our rendition. I have had to sing this as our bed time song many times. I am guessing we have a future love of sports in the works for our boys.

He is such a cutie!

Please let me out.

2010-07-11T14:55:00.001-04:00

I need to get out of here. I NEED a slushy.

Today is 7-11, so all 7-11 stores are offering free slushies.
In my best Homer Simpson voice: mmmmmm. slussshhhhiess. freeeee.

The boys and I dressed up as cows for free food this week. I love free stuff.

So does Sam(my brother, the dog). Here he is grabbing a few "free" licks of Joshie's ice cream drips. That dog knows where it's at....that kid can make a mess. And he is happy to share with the dogs. He might even think he is one, the way he plays with our sweet Pollack. I am certain I will have to clear that up at a later time. No Josh, we do not lick water out of a doggie bowl. Humans use cups.
And we get to drink slushies from 7-11.
Maybe I should take them with me and introduce them to this terrific tasty treat?

Go get yours before this day ends.

Missing Mr. Gaskill Rascal?

2010-07-09T15:14:00.002-04:00

I really want that hubby of mine to start blog on here again.
Here and here are some examples of his funny posts. And you can't forget his one about literally. It might "literally" make you fall off your seat in laughter.
If you think Mr. Gaskill Rascal is funny and would like to see him post again, please leave a message for him in the comments.

Thanks for your help!

This picture is clearly unrelated, but I think 5 sleepy children in a bed watching movies is totally cute.

I can't believe what just happened

2010-07-08T07:16:00.001-04:00

The rest of the world may not be as impressed as I am, but something amazing just happened.

Thanks to my sister-in-law's great idea, my oldest son .....dressed....himself....this morning.

Like all his clothes on with out even coming in my room. I seriously just slept for a few more minutes past normal wake up time, while he put on his clothes for the day and went to the potty. All by himself.

Ok, so here is the great idea. For 9.99 at BB& B, I found the under the bed shoe storage things that you see on TV. It has 12 spots, which is perfect for each day of the week minus Sunday, because I get to pick church clothes. I filled one side with Danny's clothes and the other side with Joshie's clothes for the rest of the week. This morning Danny slid out the container from under his bed and pulled out his outfit. I heard Josh calling for me, so I went into their room and was shocked to find him all ready for the day. Since this was the first time, he accidentally picked from the wrong side, but who cares. We switched shirts, but my "solid" 2 year old can easily wear Danny's shorts, so all was well.

I am so proud of my D-man!

Check out these two little stinkers in one of the fish tanks at the GA Aquarium.

Our latest summer plans....

2010-07-07T13:41:00.000-04:00

....include laying in bed until 8am(that's late here), riding bikes to the pool, then lunch poolside, home for quick nap, and back to the pool until Daddy calls us asking why we are not home. We have gone from 2 weeks ago crying when we went in the big pool and strangling our mommy out fear of being let go....to now we BEG to go in the big pool and we get angry when mommy grabs us by our float ring.
I like this way much better.
Except I am not a fan of the screaming that happens every time we leave.
They are turning into little fish!

Photos from our trip to come soon....

This is children at their best.

2010-07-01T09:30:00.000-04:00

sleeping.

seriously, parents and teachers and all people who have or work with children.

you know it's true.

We are so blessed....

2010-06-26T21:02:00.000-04:00

....to have grandparents located close enough and willing/able enough to take our two kiddos for ...are you ready for this?....ONE WHOLE WEEK! I had backyard bible camp and a job interview and it was nice to just spend time doing projects and being quiet in our home. Seriously, just quiet. Want to hop in the car and run to the store for something? well, ok. Want to go see a movie? let's do it. Why were we not more thankful for this when we had zero kids in our home?

Main Point: Our grandparents rock!

Please don't resent us if you do not have this favorable situation. We will pray for some adopted grandparents to land on your doorstep tonight.

Here is a picture of the boys at bible camp with their grandpa. er, uh .... I mean Wrangler Rob and his two pals, Cowboy Dan and Cowboy Josh.

I wonder why....?

2010-06-20T09:53:00.001-04:00

I wonder why putting a kid to bed early always means they wake up early, but putting them to bed late never means waking up late? Can anyone explain this to me?

Could it be the cake and ice cream and extra amounts of sugar from a birthday party?

Well, at least they had fun, even if we did get a 5:30am wake up call.

Rainy Day Fun

2010-06-16T08:42:00.000-04:00

Rainy days are usually a reason for stress for a mommy of a 3 1/2 and 2 year old, but when you have a toy like this, all is well!

Snow Cones are yummier with a friend.

2010-06-14T20:45:00.000-04:00

This picture makes me wonder what Danny just said to make Molly laugh.
At our recent Volunteer Dinner at Hope, Danny and his friend Molly strolled around the front lawn of the church for about 15 minutes working on their snowcones. It was pretty cute watching them walk around and talk. It is nice to have friends that our children really enjoy each other. It means moms and dads get to enjoy time talking with adults and all parents know that is key to survival.
Thank you God for good friends.

Blueberry boys

2010-06-10T15:50:00.005-04:00

Remember that girl in the willy wonka movie that has to be rolled away looking like a blueberry? I feel like that could be my little Joshie today after our time at the farm.
What a day of picking berries, playing with friends, having a picnic, and sleeping in the car all the way home. I love summer days!

Can I eat it?

We were going to a "little house on the prairie open credits" look! And that was only some of the kids!

About that berry filled baby of mine....I am seriously wondering how many he ate! Every time I turned around he had a hand in his mouth. What must be going through his little head? Thank you mommy for bringing me to eat lunch off the tree. Do you think they account for that in the cost of berries you purchase? I had to buy a homemade peach salsa in the store, b/c I felt bad. Well, that's what we are going to say. It has nothing to do with the fact that I love love love fruity salsa. And I do not have to share it, since I am the only one in the house that loves it.

It is days like this that are full of moments that the boys will remember forever!

We be Pirates, Matey!

2010-06-07T09:29:00.000-04:00

Ahoy, me herties! We be thinkin' that this her' day be a grand ol' day for some swashbucklin' with me scoundrel of a brother. Arr, we be hangin' our Jolly Roger in thar livin' room and go a hunt for some treasure and doubloons. After ye' mommy lass gets ready and we visited the glory hole, we will board our furner and go on a account to join our brethren of the coast for some playin' and grog at the market . Shiver me timbers it is goin' be treasure o' plenty for 'Ol Capn' Dan and his corsair brother, Capn' Josh. Be no day for the ye lily-livered as we be splashin' in thar fountains. Grab ye' peices of eight and set ye sails for Stoney Point Cove. Arr, mateys!

Unless you want me to run over your toes, please kindly step out of my way.

2010-06-05T16:50:00.000-04:00

My cotton candy filled cutie!

We made our first summer trip to Busch Gardens this week. It was a fun time and a good start to hopefully many more trips like it. We have VA resident summer passes + free preschool children passes for a fairly reasonably priced summer of amusement park trips.
We went with 4 moms and 8 children and had a blast. But when 3pm rolled around and children started into the "I haven't had a nap, so I am going to start being a pill" phase, we all decided it was time to hightail it out of there. But one problem. We were on the complete opposite end of the park. There was about 1 mile and many large hills between us and the air-conditioned cars.
So, we started our trek. About halfway through I realized that I was pushing two kids in a double stroller and had a 3 year old on my shoulders. I wonder what those people we passed thought. In our group of 12 people, kids were crying, drinks were spilling everywhere, and mommies were focused on the end goal of getting out of the park. At one point I thought to myself that if I didn't lose at least 3 pounds of that leftover baby weight, then I want my money back.
I also know that I might have been a little rude to people, but when you have a 38 lb kid on your shoulders and are pushing a hard-to-turn stroller with a good 60lbs of kid in it, then you should get the right of way.
Crazy mommy coming through!

Can we go back next week?

How would you feel?

2010-06-02T13:49:00.000-04:00

Time for another Danny story....some day I want all my family and friends to be able to read this blog as proof that even at age 3 1/2 Danny was a very smart little boy. Here is a photo of my little question asker in serious mode.

And for me to post this story is a little difficult, because it does not paint a pretty picture of his mommy. I think it pays to be honest though and through openness comes growth. So here goes....

I was making breakfast one morning and was busy at the stove perfecting my oatmeal. Danny wanted socks on and he wanted them on now. I had very little time for things like putting on socks. Especially since it was already warm outside and I would love to not have to wash another pair of socks. So, after I told him to wait and I would help him later, Danny decided to take matters in his own hands and get his own socks from the drawer. He comes downstairs and is whining about how one of the socks will not go on his feet. I was already starting to feel myself get tense(it was only 8am...geez!) and so I told him he could wear those, but not for long, because they looked ugly with his outfit. I know, I know. There were so many better things I could have chosen to say. Like, "good job on getting your own clothes" or "maybe white athletic socks would be better than those dressy colored socks with your play clothes". We all have those moments when we say what we shouldn't and it is hard to turn back the clock on our poor choices.
Danny proceeds to take off crying for the upstairs. If you live in a house with a 3 and a 2 year old, then you can understand why I didn't chase after him. They cry all the time about all sorts of silly things and sometimes they just need their space. After about a minute of screams and cries I realize he is really upset and I call up the stairs to him. Danny whimpers his way down the stairs and stops half way "Mommy, I need to tell you something"
uhoh.
"How would you feel if someone told you that your socks looked ugly?"
what?

ok, I have lots of experience with preschool age children and I know that they are not capable of reasoning at that level in most situations. Most children do not understand beyond their own troubles enough to ask you how you would feel if it happened to you. They still live in a "me-centered" world. Apparently mine is a little beyond his age.
And is it possible that my 3 1/2 year old was disciplining me that day?

Richmond Squirrels

2010-05-31T16:36:00.000-04:00

We have been to two Squirrels games in this weekend. One was a date(really nice!) and the other was with the boys, Nana, and Max(also nice!). We went to Buzz and Ned's BBQ for dinner. Sitting outside to eat dinner at picnic tables, a baseball game, a pool party today, and ice cream after dinner....it is really starting to feel like summer. Here are a few photos from our fun Memorial Day weekend!

Quick funny story first. So, Danny and Josh were both very distraught when Nana and Max decided to make their departure for MD from the park. We are in the car and Danny is trying to keep them around as long as possible. The windows are up and Daddy has shut the door to drive off and Danny starts yelling "But Nana, But Nana!", which of course was implying he had something to tell her. Funny thing is the words came out too fast and slurred and to us it sounded like "Banana, Banana!" That fruity Grandma of ours.

My child talks....alot.

2010-05-21T20:32:00.000-04:00

It is not normal....but it is really wonderful.
I like to celebrate his independence and freedom to express himself. And his intelligence. He really is one smart cookie. I want him to feel able to speak up and share. I like that he is willing to ask questions. He has a quest for knowledge and information that is admirable.
But sometimes I need a break.
When you are watching a Braves and you can count your child ask 35 questions in under 10 minutes, you might understand(seriously, I counted!)
Kid, mommy needs a break from the questions.
Today in the post office line, Danny learned the names and reason for being in line of every person there. And believe me, I did not start any of the conversations. I know I have a reputation for being a bit of a talker....ok, ok, so I do talk alot too. But Danny is in a league way beyond me.
The other day in Walmart Danny told a very very old man that he "looked old". (where can I hide in a situation like that?) Fortunately, this old man happened to be willing to play along. He looked Danny straight in the eyes and said in a gruff voice, "well, I AM old!"

I feel like we walk a fine line between being full of wonder and being a little beyond our years(maybe even rude?). I was encouraged today when one of the post office customers from today stopped me outside and encouraged me to keep "feeding the wonder and questioning". He was adamant that I continue to encourage Danny that his questions are ok and his fearlessness is an important life skill.
Thank you sir. I needed to hear that today.

I love how this captures them in a moment reading, not even noticing mommy lurking with the camera! Check out that quest for knowledge...

My new brother

2010-04-16T22:02:00.000-04:00

Dogs in my home are like children.
No, we aren't crazy people. (at least I don't think so)
We just love our pets well. I spent many moments of my youth talking to my dogs, dressing up my dogs (think golden retriever in dad's old t-shirts....poor thing), and treating them like a member of the family. It gets lonely as the only child, so it was always nice to have a dog "friend" around.
Now that I have children and pets of my own, I think the tradition continues in my family. I call Pollack my baby and he is always going to be Nana and Max's favorite granddog. I really believe Pollack can understand me and just assume he knows everything I am saying to him. Right? Dog people out there can relate. They know so much more than we think they do!
My parents have always loved having a dog in their home and they love to nurture the same type of relationship with their animals that I grew up with. So, you can guess it didn't surprise me to hear my mom say "Daddy's home" to their new dog Sam while we were chatting on the phone. Ok, so maybe it made me laugh a little. I guess now that their little girl is all grown up they have to find new people or animals to care for and call their baby.
Can't wait until the next time I get to see my little brother!

Isn't he cute?

Here are the happy parents with their new baby.

Happy Cousin Time.

2010-04-08T19:58:00.000-04:00

We had a great time with our cousins this week.
Aren't they cute?

I love this town.

2010-04-01T12:45:00.000-04:00

I love our parks.
I love the history.
I love the weather.
I love the family atmosphere.
I love the closeness to beaches, mountains, etc.
I love the smallness in comparison to the big city amenities.

But it is days like this that really seal the deal.

Just hanging out on Browns Island in the middle of downtown playing ball. What a superb day!

That's what you get for going to Walmart....

2010-03-26T15:18:00.004-04:00

As if my eldest child needs more encouragement to ponder what happens when we die. He has such an interest already. Seriously kid, you are only 3 1/2 years old. Mommy really does not want to talk about this subject any more.

So, we were taking a quick stop in Walmart to grab some beer for our daddy since he was at home mowing the lawn. Nothing like a cold beer after yard work with a little basketball on TV. There was a sweet old man in the beer aisle trying to decide what flavor beef jerkey to have for dinner. (I am guessing there is a reason why those two items are together?) My children gravitate towards anyone who makes eye contact with them and this guy was an easy target. He started teasing the boys and telling him he had a really "tall forehead", due to his extreme baldness. My boys starting asking him if he had kids. He replied no, but then proceeded to explain to Danny and Josh that he had a son and grandkids but that they had died in a fiery car crash.
say what?
Time for mommy to check in and start picking up the pieces here. Thankfully my children are at peace about their current eternal perspective. Danny just figures that Heaven is so great that death doesn't look too bad. He will tell me often that when people die we are sad, but we are also happy because they go to Heaven.
So, this little horrific detail didn't phase my two little guys.
We continued to engage this sweet(not sure if that qualifies anymore) old man in more conversation. He gave us a few more details about the crash(dude, that's enough!) We found out that he was 89 years old and he admired the pretty blue eyes staring back at him in the form of a questioning little boy. We thanked him for talking with us and headed to the check out line with our goods.

Well, that doesn't happen every day, but it get me thinking about the lives of people under the surface. On the outside this man was smiling and happy to converse with my social kids, but inside he was hurting. It took less than 1 minute for his pain of losing a loved one and the wondering of "what could have been" to begin. I wonder if he lives alone? Does he still shed tears every night or have they long ago dried up? Was that why he was able to share with us? Or maybe, hopefully, we were able to give off a good vibe of people who care about his suffering?
Hopefully he has someone other than Walmart shoppers on a beer run to share with daily.
And by the way, sharing the details of a car crash with babies is probably not a great idea. Thankfully, my children are uniquely able to process difficult information. I hope.

I agree completely

2010-03-16T08:25:00.002-04:00

So, I know I have said this before, but Danny is a very unusual little boy. We have so many conversations that I need to record on here. I think this blog could be filled with the things he says, but sometimes I am laughing so hard(or pondering deeply), that I do not think to write it down and therefore lose it forever. Yesterday afternoon we were talking all about heaven and death and sinners and God's sacrifice on the cross for our sins....ok, so this might sound like inappropriate content for a 3 1/2 year old, but he asks the questions. I just give the honest answers. To be a fly on the wall in our house would be proof that this boy finds joy all these topics. I sometimes think his acceptance and appreciation for truth is reflective of how God would like us to react as adults. But we carry all this baggage and experience that leaves us often hopeless and exhausted. Questioning is really good for us, but loneliness and despair is not. My enlightened son seems to trust God, yet he has a healthy questioning spirit. God has big plans for him.
But back to our conversation.
Danny was talking about what he wanted to do in heaven. He often talks about spending time with his Granddaddy and also helping God with the weather. I do not encourage the idea of what will happen after death. I tend to side on the "you have so much to do here first" attitude. I really do not want him focusing too much on his death, since the thought of losing my children is heart wrenching and painful(seriously, kid, stop talking about it). But last night was a first for this conversation.

"Mommy, when I get to heaven I want to snuggle God"

I mean, what do you say when that comes out of the mouth of your child?
I think it hit me that God does love us so much that he is just aching for us to WANT to snuggle him. I believe there is a healthy balance between a God who is Powerful, Mighty, All-knowing, Worthy of our worship AND this figure of our Heavenly Father who is wanting to wrap His Comfort around us in a heavenly embrace. The honest desire of a young child to be wrapped in the arms of Someone who loves him more than we have words to describe is incredible.
And I agree. But can we ask for it now? Why wait until heaven little boy? He is ready now.

Please stick around.

2010-03-11T20:31:00.003-05:00

The weather in Richmond has been wonderfully pleasant in the afternoons even with today's impending rain clouds and small bursts of sunshine peeking through the clouds. After our latest winter, everyone is relieved to see the snow has melted, except for the occasional giant pile of plowed parking lot snow. Those patches of concrete might not see sunshine for a few more weeks. But overall the attitude of most people I have had the chance to speak with this week has been excitement over the emerging of Spring and the glorious weather that it brings. If you think I am being a little dramatic, then you need to come spend a week with me and experience the cool breezes, pretty sunshine, bright blue sky, and flowers exploding that was my welcome into our new town. My first two months in Richmond were spent sitting(due to the very large child in my belly) on the porch and thanking God that we had moved to a really great location. My first March and April in Richmond two years ago was really nice. I am looking forward to spending more time on my porch in the next few months, but this time about 40 pounds lighter(seriously, he was a BIG baby!)
Here we are enjoying one of the playgrounds in our neighborhood.

He loves his dog...they kiss and hug all day long.

I am not waiting....I am enjoying.

2010-03-09T12:35:00.003-05:00

I realized a day ago that I have finally come to peace about something and I know that God has given me a right spirit about a very important part of my life.

I have come to realize that this is my job now.
I could begin to give the job description, but list is ever-changing and incredibly long.
My job description could be wrapped up in one hyphenated, baggage-filled word.

My peace came this week when I realized that I needed to stop looking at this as a waiting place. As a teacher, I would take pride in doing my job well and gladly received the recognition for giving 100% in the classroom. Why can't that be the same here? I get it that we are not in this life for the recognition, but I do believe God calls us to work well and be proud of what we do within His will. I believe that it is ok to find joy in doing a job well, even when that job brings recognition and praise. Especially when we can turn and give God the credit for the gifts and talents we have. Just look at Proverbs 31 which is famous for speaking about a wife of noble character. So much of that scripture talks of the work of the woman and how she is deserving of praise.

10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
(do I bring good to my husband? can he put his trust in me?)

13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
(I really do need to get out that sewing machine and learn how to use it)

14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
(or walmart, kroger, sams, and trader joes)

15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.
(where can I get some of these servant girls? and my 6:30 wake up call qualifies as still dark)

16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
(just wish the dog would stop eating the tomatoes I plant)

17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
(it is important to serve my community)

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
(and uses those strong arms to shovel endlessly)

22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
(providing power to all of the land...er..uh...all of Virginia Power territory)

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
(am I teaching my children to laugh?)

26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
(idleness equals many loads of laundry backed up in the laundry room)

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
(can I get an amen to that?)

29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate
(go ahead, be proud of raising those children and caring for the household)

Proverbs 31:10-31(New International Version)

Ok, so I didn't intend to post that whole section of scripture, but it is a favorite and truly captures my heart right now. My attempts at couponing and saving money with the groceries is just me trying to be the best at my job. My desire for children who are respectful to their elders is just me trying to be the best at my job. The attempt to have good meals on the table, a clean house, and a welcoming home are just me trying to be the best at my job. And I am not going to get it right every time. But why can't I find joy in the moments that I do and celebrate it the same way I did my teaching profession? I can enjoy this stage of life and see that I am appreciated for what I have to offer in my home. And I can lean back on the trust that God will carry me through when it seems like my job is falling apart. But most of all thanking Him who gives me the gifts and qualities that make me successful.

I am a stay-at-home-mom.

Watch me Mommy.

2010-03-05T20:00:00.003-05:00

I really like this photo.

Makes me think of a how my boys bounce around all day long.

I also like how I turned the ISO setting up to 1600 and I think that is why it is so much more crisp than other photos taken inside on a cloudy day. Taking baby steps. That is where I am at with my photography. Working on one thing at a time, so that someday hopefully I can put them all together and become the artist that I truly want to be!

He is a sneaky little fellow.

2010-03-02T13:30:00.003-05:00

I love who my children are becoming.

My eldest is honest, thoughtful, organized, outgoing, friendly...generally a joy to be around. He doesn't know a stranger. He doesn't like kisses from his momma, but he seeks my approval constantly. He is a leader and is usually nurturing to those younger than him. He is sensitive and can get his feelings hurt very quickly. But that sensitivity is part of what makes him so kind to others. I love who God has created him to be.

But the title to this post is not about him.

It's the other little guy that is constantly at my feet...wanting me to pick him up....the sneaky one.

I can sing his praises too. He loves my cuddling(translation: momma's boy) and wants my arms wrapped around him 24/7. He is my spunky, creative little man. His faces is less often in a smile and more often in a scrunched eye brows expression as he thinks and plans over how to do something or make something work. He likes to give out hugs to just about everyone(as long as mommy doesn't leave) and he is super smart. And really tough, because you have to be when you are the smaller guy in a pair of boys.

I think I have my hands full with these two guys.

Especially when I get looks like these.

Just hanging out at breakfast and watching his Elmo.

Smile?

I am powerless against his charms. All he has to do is grab my face and say mommy in his sweet little way and I am hooked.

Seriously, I have my hands full with these two guys.

If I knew then what I know now.....

2010-02-18T12:55:00.004-05:00

....I might not have thought those things.
I would not have been so judgmental.
I mostly kept my thoughts to myself, but often I shared them with close friends. I cringe at the thought have how I might have offended someone. But now it is going to be out there. Out for all the blogging world to see.

Are you ready for this?

I judged other moms.

That is, until I became one.

I remember that girl back in the day who thought she knew a lot about children. I was fresh out of school with an education that taught me much about children, birth to age 12. And I sat in my classroom, getting lots of experience with families, thinking that I knew what was best for kids. Now (here comes the prideful side) I did know a lot. In a perfect world, my ideas were good and I did have the best interests of my students and friends in mind....but clearly this world is not perfect.

So, in light of this shameful recognition of my wrong thinking, I have made a list of a few things that have evolved in my view point over the last 3 1/2 years:

1. "Messy kids= a mom that needs to get it together." I hope I do not offend my sister-in-law in the writing of this. She is an amazing mom and I have modeled many of the things I do after her parenting style. But I clearly remember a time back when I would babysit and I wondered why her son's crib smelled like baby spit up and that often their little baby faces needed a good wiping. As I am wiping two snotty noses and wondering when the last time I changed a sheet in my boy's bedroom, I am realizing that life with kids is messy. That's just the way it is. Any mom who tries to make you think that her world is clean and perfectly snot free is hiding something. Be suspicious!

2. "Beds should not be shared with your children." Guess what? Children end up in your bed no matter how firm you make your rules. I also remember an experience where I was babysitting overnight at our brother-in-law's house. We spent most of the night with a toddler in our bed. When we woke up with cricks in our neck and bags under our eyes from lack of sleep, I made a firm stand that my children would never sleep in my bed. That was the place of intimate husband/wife relationships and should not be the place to battle out a night of sleep with a child. While we never became too frequent with bed sharing, I still understand those nights when sleep seems to precious to spend hours rocking a baby in the nursery. Just this one time often becomes many times, until you decide to be firm and have a few nights of sleeping boot camp. I also apologize with my lack grace in this area.

3. "Toys should not overtake the living room." I can't even write that one with out cracking up out loud. How cute were those little baskets of toddler toys. I used to think that that's all you needed and then the rest of the toys would stay in the child's room. Clearly I was wrong, since I can't currently walk through my kitchen with out tripping over a matchbox car or a book or a sippee cup or a dress up item or what ever other junk finds it's way out of the designated place.

4. "Candy bribes are for lazy moms." Once again, so much judgment and so little experience. What the heck was I thinking? Of course, there is a time and a place, but that time and place happens more often than I realized pre-kids. As I drove home from Target in quiet yesterday as my kids sucked on their newly acquired Ring Pops, I thought about how that candy bribe bought me so much good behavior on that shopping trip. And the added bonus of a quiet kids eating their treat makes it even sweeter. Bring on the lollipops and m&ms for this mom. There is no turning back now!

5. "I will not be short-order cook in my house." Ok, so this one I have stuck to. Mostly. But there are some days where I just do not want to have the fight at meal time and so it is lunch a la carte. Pick what you want kids. Fill up your plate, so that you will sleep well at nap and mommy can get an hour of quiet time.

So, I hope that I can be forgiven for my wrong thinking and potentially hurtful judgments. I know some amazing moms, especially the ones in my family, and I am proud to follow their lead. And each family has to find their own rhythm and stick with it. No family is perfect, no mommy is perfect, no child is perfect....but by the Grace of God we are able to raise children that love Jesus and love each other. That's all we can hope and pray for in this crazy world of parenting.

nap time here....whew!

the boy's got dreams.

2010-02-13T18:13:00.004-05:00

A few days ago, Danny decided to give me the scoop on his future.

It went something like this....

D: "I will have ten kids and they will all be boys. I will get up in the morning and drive over here to pick up daddy and we will drive to work at the train station. When we get there, we will buy tickets and then we get on the train and yell 'ALL ABOARD!' Then we will go home at night and I will drop off daddy and then go back to my house."

me: "That's nice. Who is going to cook dinner for you and your ten kids?"

D: "Caroline, of course."

Should I inform him that Caroline might not want to have ten kids? Maybe she will want to work outside of the home? She is super smart and already knows all her letters, so maybe she will go to work and Danny will stay home. Just a thought. And ten kids? whew. think of all the laundry....

well, she does like him, so that's a good start!

The Hot Seat

2010-02-08T22:15:00.002-05:00

My friend Lauren nominated me to take the hot seat and here are the rules:

1) Post the above picture to your post
2) Share 5 things about yourself (silly, inspiring, super honest)
3) Nominate another blogger friend.

#1 I can touch my tongue to my nose. How's that for silly?

#2 I married a really hot guy, which can either give me some extra confidence about my own looks....or maybe I have a great personality?

#3 I like TV a little too much. I mean, I get seriously excited when a new episode of House or Bones is coming on. We have a big TV and an awesome comfy couch and I think I relish the quiet(or noises other than a preschooler) chill time.

#4 Being a parent is challenging, but wonderful. It has taught me so much about my relationship with God. I love them in a way that is indescribable. I would die for them. And my Father in Heaven actually did that.

#5 It doesn't matter how full I am, I can eat ice cream after any meal. I believe I have an extra dessert section of my stomach that allows me to eat "just a little more" after a huge meal.

So, there we have it. And now I would like to offer the hot seat to my friend and fellow blogger Ashley Gaymon

Two soy beans in a edamame pod

2010-02-07T07:27:00.003-05:00

I can't wait to journal about our trip to Aruba, but it is so hard to get into beach mode while looking outside. We are trapped. The paper is saying we got 8 inches yesterday in Richmond, but as usual, the west end of Richmond always seems to get a little more. That would be our 3rd major snowfall this winter. And last week's white stuff still hadn't melted yet. It is beautiful, but in many ways debilitating. I just want to be able to hop in the car and head to Walmart...or Short Pump play area...or even down the street. I like to be in control of my day.
It is a little ironic that I wrote about sleep so much two days ago. Our little Houdini, also known as Joshie, decided that he would climb out of his crib. Two nights ago, we were having trouble at around 4:30am with him awake and not wanting to get back in bed. He knew what he wanted and that was to climb in bed with Mom and Dad and watch a show. Our morning routine usually starts around 6:30, so I was not about to bring him in bed. So, I rocked him, kissed him good night and put him down. We let him cry for about 5 minutes before we realized he was banging on his door, not the wall like he usually does. So, I put him back in bed. This time when I left he was quiet. Quiet is sometimes not good. This time it took him about 30 seconds and he was back at the door. uhoh.
So, yesterday was spent moving the crib into the guest room and turning Joshie's room into the playroom. We wanted it to feel permanently changed so he would want to move into his bed in the "Boy's room". But having it still set up as a back up plan and for our many playgroup guests to use when they come to play.
It hasn't been easy. I have yelled lots, made threats about what will happen if he gets out of bed, tried to follow the usual routine, and even attempted to sneak out of the room multiple times. Finally, they both fell asleep and didn't get up until 7am. They are like two peas in a pod bounding into our room this morning. I guess this is the blessing of the snow. No where to go for many days means lots of time for sleep training. Or maybe for napping after lost sleep. And the added bonus of a new place to stash the stuff in our toy room! I love it!
Here is our cutie pie Houdini in Aruba in Mommy and Daddy's bed.

Excuses excuses

2010-02-05T22:06:00.002-05:00

I could write a long list of reasons why this blog has been neglected recently.
That list would include various sicknesses roaming my house, holiday activities, winter cleaning, among other time consuming activities.
But the truth is that I have just forgotten it.
Sad, isn't it?
But I am resolving to bring it back.
I have funny things happening daily in my house and the people need to know about it.
I promise I have the time, especially now that I have established forced nap time each day for our eldest. He has needed nap time lately. When he falls asleep on the couch every day it is a sign that he is not getting enough sleep. But I promised myself I would not become the parent who has to be on a routine. I want flexible children and I think we have successfully gotten that in both our boys. Sleep has never been neglected, but I don't want to be the person who says, "I can not leave the house/make a sound/change anything in my schedule if it falls between the time of 2 and 4 pm. They are flexible children. They eat what we eat, they go where we go, and they sleep where we want them to sleep. But sleep is too important and when they need it Mommy needs to stop and let them have it. Danny will often fight it in the first few minutes of nap time, but almost always is asking me to leave and let him sleep more, long after his 1 hour is up. And 7:30pm until 6:30am is their nightly routine. What a blessing it is to have good sleepers!
Ok, so enough rambling about sleep. Why do I have this BLOG? I have always used the excuse that our family and friends in far and distant places like to hear about the Gaskill Rascals, but I am beginning to see how much of it is Mommy stress relief. It is nice to journal out the things that happen in out house and hope that people are reading and connecting with what I am writing.
So, whether you read it or not, I am going to start writing.
I need this.

And for a little teaser of what is to come, here is a photo of the recent trip to a "warm location" The passports came despite the early kinks and we had a blast.

is this what it would be like?

2009-12-15T08:09:00.002-05:00

time for a political statement blog....I am not a fan of the government. seriously, less is better is my book. I might not know how to argue my views as well as my uber-intelligent hubby, but I CAN share my experiences. And they have often been frustrating and time-consuming.
I worked for the public school system for four years, so my stories are endless in that realm, but I had a recent experience that left me incredulous.....
I was attempting to get passports for my children. Sounds easy enough, huh? We are taking a trip in early 2010 and we will be flying south of the USA to a warmer, more desirable climate. I love a good project and was excited to begin planning for our trip. But passports take lots of time, so they were a priority.
First stop, FedEx Office for photos. That was an adventure, since both my boys do not enjoy having their picture taken. I know, really great for an aspiring photographer? But we got their pictures after multiple attempts, paid for our photos, and escaped before to much damage was done in the store.
I then called our local post office to see if I needed to make an appointment. After trying for a couple hours, I got through to a human who told me the first available appointments were December 30th.....what! That was a month away! And only a few weeks before our trip. I said no thanks and figured we would try another plan.
Then, I called the 1.800.United States Postal Service number, since that is the ONLY number they give for every location in Richmond. The "nice" lady on the phone told me a downtown location that takes walk ins. I got the address and asked for the phone number. She asked me if she could help me. I asked for the phone number again. She asked if she could help me, again. Yes lady, isn't it clear that you can help me by giving me the number? I know she gave me the address, but I was still going to call to "make sure" they could help me at this particular post office. She refused. At that point, I should have known that it was getting interesting.
So, next day at lunch we picked up daddy from work and headed downtown. I had all the appropriate forms completed and an envelope full of birth certificates, SS cards, and parental identification. No one can accuse me of not being prepared! We parallel park downtown after circling the block a few times and drag our two young children into the post office. I get to the desk.
me: "Yes, you can help me. I need passports for my two young loud children"(maybe if they see the urgency they will rush us through?)
overworked postal worker: "No, we don't do that anymore"
me: "nooooooo, arghhhh, &*%$, #@!* ahhhhh, this is *&%@ ridiculous!!!!!!" actually, I was thinking that, but I politely explained that the 1.800.USPS lady told me you did walk-ins.
opw: "I know, we try to get them to change that since we no longer have a passport specialist working at this location"(seriously, how hard is it to check my forms and stamp them approved?)"you can go around the corner about 5 blocks to the city hall and they can do it for you"

At this point, I am thinking about how I wanted the phone number for the location. Not such a stupid idea, huh?

Scott and I rushed out with our increasingly hungry children, drove around the block, found the building, parallel parked again, and ran up the city hall steps. While we were doing that, we were grumbling under our breaths and trying to scrounge enough snacks to keep tummies from grumbling while we made one more stop than planned. I have to admit that things got easy from that point on. The lady at the city treasurers office was very kind and helpful....but it cost us. We paid more for better service. At that point we were ready for whatever it would take to just be finished and be able to go feed our children.

Moral of the story:
If we let government run our health care.....we will have trouble getting service, there will be limited availability for basic procedures, and then we will end up paying more to get the job done.

Good news is....we get to go somewhere warm very soon!

Norman Rockwell

2009-12-10T08:02:00.003-05:00

I have gotten more than one comment that my children have a Norman Rockwell look to them. I believe that translates into All American happy smiling children. Of course, my main example of Norman Rockwell growing up was this framed poster above our guest room bed with two elderly people. It was interesting. But I do get the fact that my boys are cute.
While riding the train in Blue Ridge, GA last week, we got the chance to hang out with Santa. Instead of asking for presents, Danny really wanted to know why he wears "glubes" (ie: gloves). I snapped a photo as Danny was chatting with the man in red.

A friend on facebook saw this photo and once again referenced the Norman Rockwell likeness.

Cute, huh?

There's always one

2009-12-06T16:04:00.002-05:00

yep...every time you try to take a picture of 8 kids with their Grandmommy you are bound to have at least one who won't cooperate. And Joshie's number was up this Thanksgiving. Our annual picture taking of the Gaskills and Smiths was fairly successful, minus the child trying to somersault out of the photo. Thanks Shaye for trying, but I think it was a lost cause.
Here is the best picture from the photo shoot...

and if you would like to see what lining up 8 grandkids after the Pink Pig looks like, then here you go. They are by age.....S-7, M-6, A-5, P-4, S-3, D-3, J-1, J-1

You can imagine that we got lots of attention as Scott, Mere, Grandmommy, and I tried to successfully work our way from the Pig to the food court at Lenox Mall. We were thankful to also have Melissa and Olivia join us for the ride and lunch. One more adult, but tipping the kids numbers to 9. ouch. Due to the mall's awkward design we had to ride multiple elevators to get there with our strollers. I wonder if Santa minds us yelling at him from the balcony every year? We are definitely continuing some fun traditions!

Seriously. You just did that?

2009-10-30T22:47:00.001-04:00

I am thanking the Lord that my new stage of life is two boys who will play happily together with limited help from mommy. I love my boys. I love playing with them, but I need to not play the role of police/referee constantly. My boys really like each other. Today I caught them sitting in the tent in Danny's room playing Legos together. I poked my head in and asked if everything was ok. "yeah mommy, we are playing." Simple as that. Music to mommy's ears!
Do you want to know what is NOT music to mommy's ears?
That would be the sound of a 1 year old entering the bathroom and hearing a splish splash.
Is that what I think it is?
Yes, my child did just stick his hand in the toilet. This is confirmed by the dripping hands and the waves that are forming in the toilet bowl as I peek around the corner. It was clean water, but are toilets ever really clean? After scouring my sons hands with antibacterial soap, I think I may allow him to touch the furniture again. Maybe.
Between touching things he shouldn't, climbing things he shouldn't, and eating things he shouldn't, this little boy is determined to be a challenge to his mommy. At least he has the cute smile, sweet dimple, and snuggly nature to make me forget the fact that he "pretends" to not know what NO means.

Conversations

2009-10-16T14:43:00.001-04:00

Danny and I spend lots of time talking in the car. I wish I had a tape recorder for some of the things he has said. Today we had a conversation that was priceless.

A worship song was playing and I was singing along.
Danny started to sing with me, but as usual, he got a few of the words wrong.
I told him the actual words. The line happened to be something about Jesus. I wish I could remember it exactly.
Danny then says to me "Mommy, I know Jesus. He is our savior."
I was tearing up as I looked in the rear view mirror at him. I started to tell him how excited I was that he knew that important bit of information, when he started giggling.

He then proceeded to tell me between giggles that "He pooted".

nice.

How do things go downhill so fast?

Want to Touch a Truck?

2009-10-15T07:44:00.003-04:00

Like to touch trucks?
Sounds boring?
How about climbing inside and pretending to drive them?
Not how you would like to spend your Saturday morning?
Then, you must not be Age 1-4.

In Danny's eyes, this might be one of the coolest things we do all year. I thought it was pretty cool too. I loved seeing my children with wonder and amazement in their eyes. Josh had a hard time leaving one truck and going to the next, because he loved it so much. Thank you Junior League of Richmond for helping us have a day of fun!

Thank you Mr. Fireman for letting me ride in the fire truck!

My hat's a little big.

Our trip was made extra fun having our friends with us. Nathan is 2 and Matthew is 4. We had the 1-4 age group covered!

That is one big tire. As usual, it is hard to get 4 boys to look at the camera at the same time.

Playgroup Fun

2009-10-07T08:10:00.002-04:00

Ever tried to get 5-10 kids to all smile at the same time?
Good luck with that!

I love getting my camera out at playgroup and snapping a few photos. Most of the kids love to pose for the camera.....EXCEPT when you want them too.

Typically, I enjoy candid shots more than trying to get a person perfectly posed, but every once in a while we need a group shot.
Here is the best of the bunch from our recent trip to the mall playground.

I really love this one from feeding the ducks with playgroup last week!

We love our playgroup/church community! The friendships we have built through it have been very significant in our feeling settled in Richmond.
This city really is Home to us now!

Now if we could just convince all the Gaskills to move here, it would be perfect!

I'm not crazy...ok, maybe a little.

2009-10-05T07:42:00.001-04:00

ok. For the few of you who read this blog....please don't think I am going crazy. I know the background has changed more times than I can count. Just trying to find something different, but also one that Mr. GaskillRascal will like.
I need help.
I need one that represents us as a family.
I am the only girl in the house, so flowers are out.

So, the current background is kid friendly, minimal flowers, and gender neutral colors....but I am still not sure.

What do you think?

Can we keep this up?

2009-09-29T09:38:00.000-04:00

Our two boys are currently play in Danny's room together. I am downstairs, sipping coffee, playing on the computer. I can hear exactly what's going on through the monitor.
I even had time to read my bible this morning, all without the use of television to entertain my boys.
They are actually playing together
....upstairs
....by choice
....without me.
This is amazing!
Can we keep this going?

maybe I shouldn't have said that?

2009-09-24T13:30:00.003-04:00

"Bye, see you later"

I know I am not the only mom who has said this to your child when you are trying to get them to leave one place and go to another. Of course, you know you are not going to really leave them, but maybe you have run out of options. Or maybe it is just a part of the process of trying to motivate them to follow you. Deep down, maybe it is a little test to see if they will follow?
ok, when I look at it that way, I am motivated to never say that again to any of them. I do not like to encourage lying or play games when I am really asking for obedience. But when we were headed out of the ChickfilA play area yesterday, I was trying to get Joshie to join us. Danny was all ready to hop in the stroller. I love being able to walk to many restaurants and shops with in 2 miles of our house....but that is a story for another post. Josh was lingering and giving me that "come in here and get me" look.
I was ready to go.
I said those words and then started to close the door and turn away.

And the next moment surprised me.

It was not Josh that got upset, though he did head my way, but Danny. Danny started to cry and beg for me to not leave his brother behind. "Please mommy, noooooo, do NOT leave my brother!" As I reassured him that I would not REALLY do that, I made a guilty glance around for any onlookers. I really didn't want an audience as I tried to explain to my 3 year old that Mommy was kidding...uh, teasing....well, yes it was a lie, BUT I..uh...yeah.
I am sorry.
I will never leave your brother behind.

And I will definitely stop using that tactic to get them to follow me.

I guess that calls for a little brother love photo sharing!

Family Photo Time

2009-09-23T08:21:00.001-04:00

It happened. We finally took the perfect family photo. No, not the perfect posed photo, but the picture that best captures our personalities.
I will set the scene.

Scott- annoyed at the fact he is having to stop enjoying whatever event we are attending to take a photo. This is reflected in his failure to commit to a positive photo taking experience and a half attempt at a smile.

Danny- REALLY annoyed at the fact that he is having to stop running around and being a wild man. He is usually being held down by a parent and being bribed with whatever we can think of to get him to smile.

Josh- not sure where the camera is and doesn't really care. He is already planning his escape from this picture prison and searching for the food table.

Anne- working hard to figure out the best way to hide double chins, squinty eyes, stomach rolls, fat arms, and whatever else makes my photos not look like the person I see in the mirror. I really have a positive self image, but I think it is my picture image that needs work.

Imagine that all wrapped up in a family photo. Our perfect family photo.

Add Pollack and this should be our Christmas photo!

I'm going to dance and wear a tie.

2009-09-22T10:59:00.001-04:00

And he did just that! Danny kept telling everybody for weeks that he was going to go to Ohio and dance wearing a tie. We had a great time at cousin Lee and Kerry's wedding. Seeing family is always fun and we have pictures to post soon.

Here is a few pics of Danny busting a move on the dance floor. He even got asked to dance by a college girl!

Twins?

2009-09-14T14:57:00.001-04:00

Time for a cute photo of the boys!

Scott is not a fan of the arm reach photo. Never turns out well! But I think this one is kind of cute. Maybe it is the fact that our boys are stinkin' cute no matter what angle to take the photo.

I have had many recent comments from strangers at the grocery store and other outings asking if our boys are twins! really? They look alike, but the 2T versus 4T size kind of sets them apart.

I know it is a blessing, but sometimes....

2009-09-11T17:08:00.001-04:00

You know those moments when you think to yourself: "I know ____ is a blessing, but sometimes I wish ____." I have regretfully been thinking that a lot more than I want to admit. I am so glad I chose to stay home with our children and I know it is a blessing, but sometimes I wish I had a place to go and feel like I contribute more than just feed, play, bath, repeat.

I know, you are probably mentally making a list right now of all the reasons why it is good to stay home with your children if you have the financial means.

I definitely know that list. And I agree, completely.

But sometimes it would be nice to talk to adults. I have plenty of outlets for conversations with people over 3 years old, but what I find is that so many times it is with other moms. We are distracted by our kids and so our communication never really gets to the next level. Being interrupted 50 times with "excuse me mommy" can be exhausting(at least he is polite, right?)

But I need to feel like I have an "end" to my job. As a teacher, I had a hard time turning off my mind from work at the end of the day. But at least there was a point when the bell rang and the kids left. I have a supportive husband. He is awesome, but sometimes I feel guilty when he does the parenting in the evening to try and give me a little break. Like someone is trying to do my job. And I hate asking for help. A moms job ever "ends".

But sometimes it is nice to dress up and have an important place to go. I was always one of those teachers who was miserable during the summer. I loved the break, but I needed some direction and a reason to get off the couch and take a shower. Now that I stay home, there isn't much stopping me from staying in my pjs all day. I am sure that will change in a few years as school and after school stuff picks up, but right now I have lazy days. I need a reason to get a shower!

But it would be nice to do a job and be rewarded for the hard work. Sounds selfish, huh? But I truly enjoy doing something well and being recognized for my hard work. Don't we all seek approval in many ways? "Mommy, this turkey sandwich is amazing. Great job on lunch." or "Mom, I think we all agree you come up with the most fun activities to do during the day. Josh and I have decided to give you a raise." That would be nice.

So, with all that said, I do feel like that it is a blessing to be home with my boys. Those difficult moments when all the children are crying and I want to pull out my hair are worth the satisfaction of knowing I am able to be a big part of my children's daily life. It really is a blessing.

I think I have some new bullet points to add to my resume:

Fluent in baby talk and able to communicate with two young children.
Able to buckle two children in car seats in under two minutes.
Skilled at diaper changes regardless of content or amount of movement from screaming 1 year old.

Time for bed......work starts at 6:30AM.

August was busy!

2009-09-03T15:47:00.005-04:00

Do we have some future golfers?

So, clearly you can tell we have been very busy this month by our lack of posting. Our weekends were Atlanta, Maryland, Maryland, Atlanta with a week stop in MD in the middle. I think our boys are recovering slowly...but mommy and daddy are taking even longer. I need a vacation! I have gotten used to the grandparent help lately. Time for the routine to start again.
I am really pumped about fall and a continuation of the amazing weather we have had lately. Richmond is full of breezes that make me love playing outside. I can't wait for football, leaves falling, pumpkins, brisk weather, trip to the mountains to pick apples. I think that I enjoy fall, but more than anything I am always ready for the start of a new season. It seems like as each season comes to a close, I am anticipating the next one.
But there is something special about fall. I wish I had a reason to go buy school supplies and a new backpack. Scott does though, since he will be starting his MBA at Virginia Tech next weekend. Don't worry, we still love our Dawgs. And living in ACC territory has renewed a passion for Georgia Tech too. I think it has more to do with my husband enjoying a good football argument, though.

Another new favorite activity for Scott? Ruining a picture! I love taking pictures, but I have a family of boys who can't stand being in pictures. Ironic right? Here is one of his latest attempts.

It's too bad. He is a hottie and I love having great pictures of him....Maybe posting this photo will make him stop?

We have lots of great-nonruined photos of our family and recent photo shoots at our smugmug site. Take a few minutes to check out all the new galleries!

Dear Fellow Sams Customers,

2009-08-24T21:13:00.001-04:00

Thank you for your concern today.
Thank you for your helpful stares and scowls at me as I discipline my 3 year old.
While it may seem like I am a bad parent letting my child scream in the corner, really I am trying my best. Yes, I am willing to do a time out here a few feet away from where you are drowning your hot dog in mustard. Yes, I am going to let him cry as you attempt to have all your over-sized items counted at the door. No, I promise he will not suffer any long term issues from his mother leaving him on the concrete floor for 2 minutes to "think about his behavior". In fact, I would like to argue that by being willing to follow through with discipline in any location is proof that my child will be a positive contributor to society. Unlike your child who gets what he wants in order to make him behave, my child is going to understand the consequences of his actions.
Don't let his cuteness fool you. He is 3 years old and certainly acts like it. I would even like to claim that the threes might be worse than those terrible twos.
This might not be the last time you see his sweet little blond head sitting in the corner.
I apologize for any inconvenience my children might have caused today....or in the future.
Sincerely,
A Tired Shopper and Mom

It wasn't me officer!

2009-08-05T22:20:00.002-04:00

We hosted the National Neighborhood Night Out Ice Cream Social on Tuesday for our neighborhood. We had a blast being social over ice cream. Danny thought all his friends were coming over for a birthday party....how do you explain buying ice cream on a kid's birthday, but not for him? We even had a police officer stop by to talk about safety with the kids and he let them check out his fancy unmarked car(yeah, isn't that everyone's least favorite cop?!) Josh was a sticky ice cream mess and I snapped this photo of him with a "who me?" look on his face.

"Nope, I didn't touch the ice cream and m&ms....really, officer!"

100th post!

2009-07-27T13:51:00.002-04:00

In honor of the 100th post, I was going to give you a list of 100 things.....not sure what that list was going to consist of, but I had grand plans. haha! I can't even sit down long enough to do one post, much less one with 100 things in it.

But I do have a list in my head that needs to be shared. Having boys has introduced me to a whole new set of toys and activities that I did not experience as a little girl. Our house is definitely overloaded with toys that are geared towards little boys and that means lots trucks and tools. I can't say I am disappointed at all by the fact that I have little boys. I do recall one Christmas being very jealous of my boy cousins and their Lego sets they received. Finally, mommy gets to play with all the toys I never had!
But I do find it interesting how children at an early age start to pick out certain things they enjoy more than other toys. And here is a list of things Danny has started to become very interested in lately.

1. Topping the list is the movie Cars. This is Danny's first full movie experience. We accidentally found it one day and recorded the second half on our DVR. Every time I turn on the tv, Danny has asked to watch it. I think it is a great movie and has a really good message. It is funny for adults too. Now I just need to get the DVD, so that we can actually watch the first half!

2. Tools. We love tools. I catch Danny "fixing" stuff around the house all the time. And Josh is happy to hit anything with anything, so tools are a Josh pleaser too. Danny used to say that he and his brother were going to grow up and be builders together. Maybe?

3. Doctor stuff. We don't have a Dr. set(yet!, hint hint wink wink) Every time we go to someone's house for playgroup who owns a Dr. set, Danny will put the stethoscope around his neck and proceed to examine his friends. Maybe another future profession?

4. Matchbox cars. I am sure that all little boys like them, but mine carry them around like it's their job. And how cute are the sound effects? hilarious! "vroom, vroom" and "mmmmrmmmmrrmmrm" are a large part of their daily vocabulary. There isn't an inch of my kitchen that hasn't felt rolling wheels over it at some point.

5. Of course, balls. Grandmommy once stated that she had never met a little boy who liked to play ball as much as our Danny. 75% of our playtime during the day is spent with either a glove, a bat, a ball, a golf club, or basketball goal. Scott and I love sports and am happy that our boys seem to be picking up a love for it too. scholarships?

I am sure the favorites will change, but these five things are a solid top 5 right now! I am excited to see what this leads to for them in the future.

Brother Love

2009-07-17T08:42:00.003-04:00

I know my boys love each other. They share the same genes, which means that they will protect and have concern for each other no matter what. And I say that knowing "love" doesn't always mean "like". But fortunately, I think they are entering the phase where the genuinely like each other. And I have some proof.

Danny is currently smoothering his brother in a wrestling hold on the couch yelling "I got you". That's love right?

Now Danny is helping his brother climb over the back of the couch. I see some injury in our future. He really is there for him!

After bath time together they like to do "brother love" which consists of lots of naked hugging and running around together. I know, I need to get photos of it. Good blackmail later.

They are already in a band together that frequently performs on the stage in our living room. Danny plays guitar, Josh is the lead singer or plays the drums. They are really good. Maybe they have a future together?

When one is not in the room, the other wants to know where he is playing and what he is doing. It never fails that Joshie's first words up from a nap are "Da?" which means "Where is that crazy big brother Danny?"

Danny has a little shadow in his brother Joshie. Everything he does is copied by the baby. And he takes the opportunity to do lots of things that he knows are not on the approved list of activities in the Gaskill house. How many times am I going to have to get up from this computer to tell Josh that "no you can NOT climb over the top of our 3-4 foot high couch and Danny stop trying to take him up there"?

I hope that my boys stay close. As an only child, I am learning that a little fighting between siblings is ok and also healthy, but I love the happy moments. It is true that brothers are protective of each other. And though they might not always like each other, they will always love each other.

Oh, and Danny decided the other day that he need a little sister. oh golly!

Pastor Dan

2009-07-08T21:51:00.003-04:00

Our big boy has a wonderful imagination and is always entertaining us. One favorite activity is when he gets up on the "stage", otherwise known as the 2ft by 6ft space of brick in front of our fireplace, and pretends to be a worship pastor. He gets his guitar, hands Josh an instrument and sings us songs about "Jesus died on the cross, now He is alive" and other sentences he puts to a worshipful tune. Often he does this when I am busy doing something else and he is tired from trying to get my attention. I will look up from whatever had my attention and catch him singing these songs and leading his congregation(little people?) in worship.
But today was even better...
Not sure what I was busy working on. Maybe reading blogs. Or emails. But I look up from whatever I was doing and catch him pacing the bricks and wringing his hands like he is trying to convey an important message. He then turns to his audience(Joshie?) and says "WE NEED TO TRUST GOD. GOD IS IN OUR FAMILY" He is sort of yelling and talking forcefully, but not angry. He adds in a few fist shakes for emphasis.
I tried not to laugh, but it was just too cute. The only pastor he has ever watched is at my parent's church where he sits in Max's lap. Normally we do nursery at Hope Church, but when we are in Maryland all rules are out the window. So, he has quietly snuggled and listened through a few Pastor Guy sermons at Mountain View Community Church. I asked him if he was Pastor Guy.
He first nods and says yes, but then quickly says "no mommy, I am Pastor Dan."
oh boy.

I really think Danny gets it. He has caught me off guard many times lately with answers for me that are beyond his age. He has told me many times that we can trust God when I was worried about something. And he has decided that God healed his mouth sores since we prayed for that and now they are gone.
Now I know what He was talking about when He said we need to have faith like a child....
"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:1-4
I pray that his faith will grow strong and deep in truth.

Monday Musings - Independence Day

2009-07-06T14:05:00.008-04:00

For this week’s Musings, instead of posting on one single topic, I’ve got several little nuggets this week relating to Independence Day. You may wonder what some of them have to do with Independence Day, but trust me, they do in my head.

After the results of last week’s survey, we decided to finally get a Wii yesterday. It’s awesome. I’ve already dominated Danny and Josh at bowling so bad they left crying when we were done. (Actually, they were probably just hungry, but I take my victories where I can get ‘em.) Question though - is it normal to wake up with sore arms and a hurt back just from playing a video game? Perhaps I’m just a little out of shape?

I want to publically applaud my sister on finishing in the top 24,792 runners in Saturday’s Peachtree Road Race. Before the race Anne boldly predicted you would do no better than 24,795th place, but I knew better.

Actually, after reading about the Peachtree again, I see that the third place guy was disqualified. So congrats again. You move up to 24,792 place!

This is a picture of the disqualified guy, not my sister. She's right behind him though.

Speaking of races, few people that know me would ever guess that my favorite non-football-related sporting event of the year is the Tour de France. I can’t get enough of it. I look forward to the Fourth of July every year because it marks the beginning of another three-week TDF. Not sure why I love it so much because I’m not a cycler myself. Don’t even own a bike. And I don’t really care for France much either. Maybe I like it because it’s yet another opportunity to see the French lose at something. And it always reminds me of this, which makes me laugh every time.
Something I think about sometimes: If we could get rid of one state in the union, which one would it be? In other words, if we could play Survivor with the 50 states, who would be the first voted off the island? I’m pretty confident it would be a toss-up between Arkansas and South Carolina.

If I were to ever run for president, I probably won’t win. Just lost 14 much-needed electoral votes when my opponent digs up this blog post.
And I’ll end on a rare serious note. We’ve all read it a million times, but have you ever stopped to really think about what this sentence in the Declaration of Independence means: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Our pastor made an off-hand comment in his sermon yesterday that there has never been a more significant line written in modern history than this one. I’ve never thought of it that way before, but he’s right. Go reread that line again and think about what each word means. Has there ever in the history of the world been another country founded on such a principle? How lucky we are to live in such a time and place as we do.

Happy Indeappendix Day

2009-07-04T10:28:00.005-04:00

In case you are wondering, we have not bought the Wii yet. Still looking for that great deal! That is how Mr. Gaskill likes to shop. We probably talked about buying our flat screen television for 5 months before we actually bought it. Maybe we will have our Wii in time for cold weather and so mommy will have an indoor exercise plan.
Summer has been fun for the Gaskills. I have photos from our trips to Atlanta in May and Maryland in June updated on our smugmug, so check them out anytime! I will attempt to do a little updating and then also try to stay up to date with our blog.

Here we are in Atlanta picking strawberries with Meghan, Shaye, Arden, and Grandmommy. Yummy!

Brother Love feeding each cake!

We celebrated Arden's birthday at her party, along with Joshie's first, Mommy's, Daddy's, Michelle's, Shaye's, and Grandmommy's. Lots of spring birthdays!

We loved playing with cousin Jada and look forward to going back in August for her birthday!

Danny at Nana and Max's house playing with my old train track.

Joshie and Nana at Mountain View's Community Church VBS at the fire house.

Max dressed up as Ranger Rob. I think Joshie and Danny were a little surprised to see their Max in rare form.

Sharing a cupcake with Caroline, Joshie, Danny, and Mommy. We walked to the cupcake place in the wagon and Danny rode his bike. Mommy was worn out when we finished!

Happy 4th of July!

Monday Musings - Wii Edition

2009-06-29T13:47:00.007-04:00

It's Monday so you know what that means. We finally get to stop hearing about Michael Jackson? Unfortunately, no. It means it's time for another edition of Monday Musings, where you get to read about all the nonsense that rattles around in my head on a daily basis.

This week we're going to do something a little different. I'm actually going to be asking for help from my loyal readers. And I expect a reply from both of you. Yesterday was our 6-year wedding anniversary and I need help in deciding on a gift (late as usual). The 50th anniversary is for gold, the 25th for silver, but what is the 6th? Being the helpless romantic that I am, I think I'm ready to go out on a limb and proclaim the 6th year anniversary as the year of the Wii.

Normally, when it comes to gadgets, toys, and technology I'm one of the last one to get it. We finally upgraded a few months ago to HD television. I think I'm the only one in America not on Facebook. So up until recently, I've kind of been against the idea of getting a Wii. But they really are a lot of fun. I've really thought this through and have gone back and forth on this issue. Here's the three typical conversations that I have to convince myself to get one:

Point 1: It's really a great investment. For only $250, I can play unlimited Wii golf. That pays for itself in just a few days when compared to real golf.
Counterpoint: Investment? I knew there was a reason your an engineer and not a financial advisor.
Counter-Counterpoint: It has to be at least as good as my other investment accounts over the last year.

Point2: We'd get so much exercise through the Wii Fit, boxing, and tennis. We'll be so healthy.
Counterpoint: Has it really come to this? Go outside and run you lazy sack of [inaudible].
Counter-Counterpoint: It's really hot outside.

Point3: I should definitely get it. It's something the whole family will enjoy together. In fact, I'd be a terrible father and a failure of a husband if I didn't get it. That's it. It's all about quality time with the family.
Counterpoint: Yes, just what our family needs. Another reason to sit in front of the television/computer/OtherGadgetThatWastesARediculousAmountOfTime
Counter-Counterpoint: Oh be quiet. Jesus died to free us from guilt so take that somewhere else please.

You can see I'm really torn here. So here's what I'm going to do. We'll conduct the first ever Gaskill Rascals blog poll and let you decide whether we get a Wii or not. Whatever you decide, that's what I'll do.*

*unless you vote NO, in which case I will ignore the results and get one anyway.

Monday Musings - Literally

2009-06-22T13:38:00.007-04:00

This is Mr. GR back for more Monday Musings, where I get to write, chat, or rant about anything I want. Last week we discussed the absurdity of naming an air freshener after something that, while maybe appealing in theory, actually smells disgusting in practice. This week, I’m going to shift the focus a little bit to talk about what may be my number one pet peeve in life: the misuse of the word “literally”.

I’ll preface by saying I am certainly no master of the English language and I don’t want to be throwing stones (figuratively, not literally) here, but this is so simple I just don’t understand how people don’t get it. It’s like they go out of their way to sound stupid. Or go out of their way to make me angry. Either way, I don’t like it.

Put simply, the word “literally” is a word that tells your listener to take what you are about to say in a literal sense instead of a figurative sense. So if I were to say “The misuse of this word makes my blood boil” then you would know right away that I mean it in a figurative sense and that my blood was not actually going to begin the evaporation process any second now. If so, I would be dead of course. However, if for some unknown reason, my blood really would start to boil, then I would need to insert the word "literally" to say “The misuse of this word literally makes my blood boil.” Then you would know that I was not merely using a figure of speech, but I meant it word-for-word. Pretty simple, right? Apparently not. In fact, a recent study shows that in the course of normal conversation, you are likely to hear this word misused an average of 2.7 times per day*.

Don’t believe me? In the middle of writing this blog post, I decided to take a quick break and check the latest news headlines. One of my favorite reads every morning is Nealz Nuze, the talking points for the Neal Boortz radio show. Sure enough, you can guess what word I found just a couple paragraphs in:

“When Aunt Joyce or my grandparents would drive me over there for the afternoon I was literally beside myself with joy.” What? Did you have an out-of-body experience? Did you magically sprout an evil twin like in that movie Multiplicity (btw, I hated that movie) and have him follow you around all morning? C’mon, Neal. You talk for a living, for goodness sakes! I might as well start listening to Air America if you’re going to do that. Okay, scratch that last part.

Neal, this is what it looks like to be literally beside yourself

I came to realize my hatred for this word because my former boss was a habitual offender. Once before what was to be a particularly long and boring meeting he claimed that “This meeting is literally going to be death by a thousand cuts.” Um, can I please be dismissed then? In fact, I haven’t told anybody this until now, but that’s the real reason I had to change jobs and move 500 miles away. I didn’t want to be associated with this guy’s Tuesday morning massacres.

I’m about done here, but just one more thing to add. I think I've realized the problem is that people try to use the word for emphasis instead of thinking about what they’re actually saying. Going back to my earlier example, I can say “The misuse of this word really makes me angry.” Or I can emphasize it by using a figure of speech instead: “The misuse of this word makes my blood boil”. But some people feel that they need even more so they try do so by saying it “literally makes my blood boil.” What they mean is it “really, really, really makes me mad and I need to do something to make sure you understand how serious the situation is even if it requires adding unnecessary and useless words to my sentence that make no sense whatsoever. Please listen to me, people! We’re all going to die!”

Okay, I’m done. Feel much better. I’ll literally get off my high horse now.

*No such study was actually done, but if there were I’m positive this would be the result.

Updates

2009-06-21T21:27:00.000-04:00

ok...so I know I need to get better. I haven't even posted photos from Atlanta or Maryland trips. It has been a busy, fun summmer so far. Two big things that have definitely affected my free time(ie: blogging time) are Danny dropping his nap and officially being a potty trained boy. We are putting him to bed earlier and so the nap is not needed, except on those busy days like today when he crashed on the couch watching golf. I guess I know where he got his genes from....
And on that note.
Happy Father's Day to Daddy
Happy Father's Day to Max
WE LOVE YOU!!!
Danny has wonderful male role models in his life(lounging in front of the tv aside) and I know he is going to grow up to be a outstanding young man.
I often tell him he will always be my baby. Sometimes I tell him that I don't want him to grow up too fast. So now he has gotten in the habit of telling me that he is a big boy, but that I don't want him to grow up. I clarify...just don't grow up too fast! I will post pictures soon. And I will share my story of potty training soon for those of you entering this stage of your life in the future. We are so happy to be down to one diaper boy. YEAH!!!
Hopefully Scott is coming up with a really great post right now!!! He is so funny, don't you think?

Monday Musings (by Mr. Gaskill Rascal)

2009-06-15T20:11:00.006-04:00

(I've been asked to start doing regular guest posting on this blog and in an effort to appease the Mrs, I’ve agreed to post about once a week about various topics. It will mostly consist of things in the world I find humorous, annoying, or just plain dumb. I am, after all, the smartest person I know.)

This past weekend we were up visiting NanaMax™ and as we were leaving, I made a quick stop into the restroom. Now, NanaMax have a lovely restroom filled with all the things you would normally find in there…hand towels, soap, TP, and of course a bottle of Febreze (for Max not Nana, I’m sure). Now, usually air fresheners have all kinds of lovely scents associated with them – I’m thinking something like “Summer Breeze”, “Mountain Fresh”, or maybe even “Vanilla Spice”. But this particular bottle of Febreeze was labeled as “Moroccan Bazaar”. Uh? Admittedly, I’ve never actually been to a Moroccan Bazaar, but couldn’t they just have easily called this scent “European Flea Market”? And why would you possible want your bathroom to smell like that?*

The first thing that came to mind was this time in college when I used to referee basketball. There was this one team made up entirely of guys from the Greek Student Association (why they needed an association, I'm not sure, but I digress.) I’m sure these students were very nice people, but holy cow these guys smelled horrific. Like they hadn’t taken a shower in weeks. Seriously. At first, I thought it might have been part of their strategy to keep people from playing close defense on them, but the more I thought about it I was convinced this is just how these particular students lived. We used to make the freshmen referees do all their games, until we were told to stop because of the school's hazing policy. That’s what I’m pretty sure a “Moroccan Bazaar” would smell like.

In my bathroom? No thank you. (In Nana's defense, she got it because the brown bottle matched the rest of the bathroom, not for the scent. Fair enough. The impracticality of house decorating is a blog post for another day).

Anyway, as I did a little investigative research, I learned that Febreeze also has a complimentary scent called “Brazilian Carnival”. Are you telling me that the makers of Febreze have so exhausted the list of scents in the world that they best they could come up with is that of a South American fair? Really? Do they at least serve cotton candy at these carnivals? Because that would smell good, but then why not just call it “Cotton Candy”.

To commemorate this new found knowledge of the sweet aromas of the world, I’ve come up with a list of fragrances that I’d like to recommend to the smell-improvement industry. No need to send me the royalty checks. Just a simple thank you will do:

Wet Dog, by Old Spice
Diaper Genie in the Sun, from Yankee Candle
Crusty Fishing Boat, by Lysol NeutraAir
Scented Tide Laundry Detergent, now with new homeless man stench
Sunday Morning Frat House, by Ralph Lauren

*Yes, I realize that Morocco is actually in North Africa, not Europe. But it’s on the Med and was under Spanish and French control for a long time (thanks, Wikipedia!) so I’m lumping it in with the rest of Europe for the purpose of this blog.

Never too early

2009-06-04T14:09:00.001-04:00

I have to admit that I haven't felt inspired to write lately.
Traveling this past week, giving up the paci, and dropping the naptime has drained us a little. Lately, Danny fluctuates between being a loving boy and a 2 1/2 year old(can you guess what that means?). Last night he asked for mommy(not daddy..gasp!) to put him to bed and wanted to cuddle lots this morning. I am hoping this means the early bed time and the dropping all naps is helping him with his daily grouchiness. I can't imagine where he gets his grumpy-when-I-wake-up gene from. Who am I kidding? With Scott and I both, the odds are against him in that area.

I have discovered that it is never too early to share truth with your children. I never doubted this before, but seeing it in action is so exciting. I explained sin to Danny the other day and just a few minutes ago I overheard him talking about it. He was saying "I do something bad and then I have a timeout and tell God I am sorry for yelling at people." I had explained that there has to be a punishment when people do bad things and used the timeout to explain it. I am amazed that he knows stuff like God listens to me and He is always with me and Jesus was God as a man. In one breath I am frustrated with the sin nature that is manifested through his interactions with us and his brother....but in the next breath I see the fact that our hearts do have a desire for God and worshiping our creator. We were eating in Sams(how many times do I type that in my blog?) and he breaks out in "This is the day that the Lord has made....". God has great plans for Danny and I can't wait to see how He is going to use our sweet, sensitive, smart little boy.

I can't wait to share our trip to Atlanta with you, but I first need to get on the ball and load the photos. Yeah....maybe giving up nap means I give up some other activities too! Don't worry. I will do it soon!

Top Five

2009-05-20T08:05:00.005-04:00

Top Five Reasons Giving up a Pacifier is Hard Work.

#5 Who can resist those sweet blue eyes looking up at you and saying on the verge of tears..."I NEEEEEEED my buuuuuubee!" What parent doesn't want to provide all that their child needs? focus, focus, we have an end goal.

#4 Good intentioned observers will often say "Don't worry, he won't go to Kindergarten with the pacifier in his mouth." But what if my child is the first? Will that ruin his Kindergarten reputation? Who wants to share the coloring table with a kid who has a piece of plastic hanging out of his mouth?

#3 Waking up at 11pm, 2am, 3am, 5am, and 6am because of teething babies, little boys who can't go back to sleep, and dog needing to potty after eating giant clump of homemade play dough is enough to wear down a mommy's nerves. Worn down mommy is more likely to "give in" and make the pacifier reappear.

#2 Having to bring the firetruck, front loader, and matchbox garbage truck to bed is almost as bad as the pacifier. And don't get me started about what happens when you can't find one of the crucial bedtime trucks.

#1 Trust me little boy, I have heard it all now. Needing your blanket pulled up, pillow fixed, sippee cup moved, fan turned on, stuffed animal kissed, bible read, blanket fixed again, nightlight brightened, top of head kissed, questioned answered, etc., etc., are ALL just stalling tactics to the task at hand. And that is GETTING YOU TO SLEEP!

May you rest in peace dear pacifier/bubee.
We will miss you greatly.
May the day when we forget you come quickly!

Sorry, he's taken

2009-05-17T20:26:00.001-04:00

I am going to be very careful to not influence choices that my boys have to make in their teenage years. Of course, we will help guide them to make good choices, but when it comes to who they like, what they wear, how they wear their hair....it might be better for me to not make my preference known. Or else, they may decide to do the opposite! My policy will be to not major in the minors and trust that they will make good decisions. Don't get me wrong our house is not a free-for-all environment, but I think most parents get my drift. Gentle urgings are much better to get the right "ideas" in their head and then let them "think" that they are the ones coming up with the great ideas.
All this to say, I think I better back off in one area. Do you think he will remember that when he was two and a half, his mom and her friend had their two babies paired up. Every time we take a cute photo of Danny and Caroline, we joke that we are putting it in the rehearsal dinner file. Maybe it is rubbing off, because Danny will tell you that Caroline is his girlfriend and that he is going to marry her. uhoh. Girls, he's taken! But he does have a handsome younger brother!
Here are a few pictures from our trip to the Lebanese festival with Danny's "girlfriend" and her family!

our trip to VA Beach

2009-05-08T16:38:00.003-04:00

"Like Panama City Beach without the rednecks and trashy bars" or something like that is how my husband describes one of our favorite beach locations. Richmonders would have no idea what PCB is like, since nobody here travels to the gulf coast. It's all about OBX and Myrtle Beach for our neighbors. But we really love VA Beach, too. It has a great board walk and lots of fun places to eat. People who know me well, know that I have a love for little beach bars that serve decent food and great drinks while you sit on a patio overlooking the ocean. AHHHHHH! And this past trip was proof that we can: vacation with out grandparents(though having them there is a huge plus!), stay in one tiny room, get sick, have horrible weather, AND STILL have a great time with our boys!

And here are the pictures as proof:

Scott's big catch

2009-05-03T21:36:00.002-04:00

We are all very proud of our daddy for catching his biggest fish ever on Saturday. If it wasn't so ugly, we might have tried to mount it. It broke our nets, weighing in at around 25 to 30 lbs and 2 1/2 to 3 feet. rough guesstimates.

Danny thought it was trying to eat him and refused to come close for the photo opportunity.

But Scott was proud and posed with it. He has found ways to bring it up in conversation over the past day..."hey, remember yesterday when I caught that HUGE fish?"

next up: beach photos!

Wow, he's one!

2009-04-27T08:05:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to Joshie,

Happy Birthday to you!

nicknames

2009-04-20T11:00:00.002-04:00

We are fascinated with names lately. When people ask Danny his name, he replies "DanielRobertGaskill" People are usually surprised. I guess they don't expect so many words to come out of this little boy. And they think he is at least four years old with his vast vocabulary...yes. He does talk alot. (I answer that question multiple times a week!)
Today he has started calling me Momma. cute. And definitely lifting my spirits on an otherwise gloomy day. It is pouring rain(yeah for the grass and new blueberry bush!) and we just got back from a visit to the doctor. Poor Joshie has an ear infection that has kept him and his parents up most of the night. My family will agree that mommy is one of those people that function much better on at least 7 hours of sleep. Translation: No sleep = grouchy mommy. And on top of all that we are missing our favorite activity of the week: Playgroup! Sad. So to hear a little boy call out momma and want to snuggle just warms a heart. Sometimes I'm Mommy. Sometimes I'm Mom. Sometimes I'm Anne(we have to quickly correct that one!) He is also interested in stranger's names. He keeps asking them their name until they tell their full name. Danny is not shy.
Now, as promised, some photos from our trip to Maryland. We had fun at the Boyd Bear Factory, shopping, playing, going to Nana and Max's church, hiding and finding sports eggs, coloring eggs, baking cookies, hunting eggs at the Giant, etc. Scott and I even went on a "day-long" date to D.C. It is always nice visiting Nana and Max!

Happy Easter

2009-04-14T08:23:00.005-04:00

What a joy it has been to celebrate holidays and important times in our faith with a little boy. Repeatedly telling the truth of the bible has been a blessing as we are reminded of why we have these holidays. Christmas was so joyful and Easter has also been special. I love the fact that Danny really gets it. He had us cracking up as he waved a palm he made at church and yelled "Jesus is King" to our neighbors. Maybe we have a future missionary? The neighbor girls looked at him with curious faces. Oh, by the way....they are Jewish. Not so much believing the whole Jesus thing. Fortunately, we have a very open conversation about faith with them and they respect and appreciate our differences. Looking forward to the Backyard Bible Club this summer!
Here are some favorite photos from Sunday....

I think this shows how hard it is to catch them sitting nice....And it is funny b/c Josh is yelling and being loud.

Here is some brother love!!

If only I had taken away the ball before this photo.

Our fam!

Coming up soon: Pictures from our trip to Nana and Max's house!

snow day

2009-04-03T08:24:00.003-04:00

Our little snow baby!

So, it was like a month ago, but we did get some photos of the "big snow storm"! Pollack loved it, Danny loved it, and Josh was cold. School was canceled for three full days and one half day. Despite the fact that we live 8 hours north of Atlanta, Richmond is not ready for huge doses of cold icy wetness anymore than our former home. It was a nice break from the busyness, but we are ready for the WARM BREEZY SPRING that Richmond is known for! I love the seasons here!

Joshie is checking out the snow and waiting!

Yeah...that's about 6-7 inches. Pollack is loving it!

We had some trouble opening the door!

Happy dog with a stick in the snow.

I found these boots for about $4 at the thrift store. love it!

Grandpa

2009-03-30T14:36:00.003-04:00

Did you know that Grandpa is Max's daddy?

Cause Danny sure does. He talks about it. A lot.

I think Grandpa got about 30 minutes alone the whole time he was here and that was only when he closed the door to the bathroom. Of course, he got to sleep alone, but Danny tried to change that too. He asked me if he could snuggle Grandpa. Even Josh was loving some Grandpa time. He has discovered how fun it is to scramble up the steps and make sure someone is chasing you. And Grandpa is the best rescuer!

Not sure if Grandpa reads this blog, so I will have to pass this on to him later, but he got some compliments from our neighbors. They couldn't believe how young and active he was. I guess that is what happens when you walk 3 miles and bike 10 miles everyday. Man, I hope I have those genes in me!!!

Danny doesn't like to sit still for pictures!

But Joshua is a ham!

Let me walk!!!

Next post....snow pictures!

once again, he amazes us!

2009-03-23T14:27:00.003-04:00

I think I could just turn this blog into daily stories about Danny. Everyday he says hilarious things and proves to us how smart he is...I know, I know...here I go again talking about how smart my little boy is. But it's true.

We have been having some trouble occasionally getting Danny to eat certain things I fix. For some reason he won't eat Chinese stir fry. I think he got the same Gaskill gene that Aunt Michelle has where he doesn't like his food to touch. Chicken pot pie, stir fry, most casseroles are not usually gobbled up like other meals. too much mixing!
So, we were having stir fry. Here is how it went:
Daddy: Danny, you need to eat your food.
Danny: Why?
Daddy: Because there are people in Africa that are hungry and don't have any food(yes, we know that is such a cliche, but it was a last resort)
Mommy: Yeah, Danny, people are hungry with out food and they are sad. You need to eat your food.
Danny: Hungry like the boy and the fish?
Daddy: What's that Danny?
Danny: You know the fish and the people and the bread. They were hungry and the boy gave his fish. They were sad with no food. Jesus made fish and bread for the people.
Mommy: (speechless) uh yeah
Daddy: (also speechless) Danny, you are so smart.

AND this morning Danny did the cutest thing. I was hoping out of the shower and Scott was getting dressed when Danny woke up. He came wondering in and was chatting about our plans to have Caroline play with us for the day. He looked up at Scott and said "You are the best Daddy, Daddy!" My heart melted!

Got to go and figure out why there is lots of giggling coming from Danny's room!

echo echo echo....

2009-03-16T14:35:00.003-04:00

It is amazing how much our children hear and repeat. Like a little echo following us around the house. I have never been someone who typically used bad language, but having a little echo makes you realize how even nice words can have an angry tone. Sometimes when I get angry I get loud. Scott would say I am always loud, but that's another story. When I get upset I tend to grunt and growl around the house. And now my little echo does the same thing.
He is a loud little boy!
Fortunately, he repeats the good stuff too. I have gotten into the habit of trying ask Scott lots of questions when he comes home. I really love to hear his stories from work and it is nice to talk to an adult...sometimes for the first time that day! I guess I always say "How was your day?", because the first thing Danny says now to his Daddy in the afternoon is "How was your day, Daddy?" He is so proud of himself, especially since we told him what a nice boy he is to ask that. And our meal time prayer has become a family affair. We have never pushed Danny to pray with us. We just ask him if he wants to pray and proceed to hold hands. Sometimes he joins in, but sometimes he is too excited about what is on his plate. I never want him to feel like talking to God is a chore or a requirement-"or else" kind of thing. When he is older, we can go into more detail about why we thank God at meal times. But just a few weeks ago, he started asking to be the one to talk to God. I think tears came to my eyes when he said his prayer.
Mommy: Do you want to pray?
Danny: Sure...open shut them open shut them(little rhyme we do at church to get our hands in a prayer position)
Mommy: You can talk to God...
Danny: ok..(And this was not prompted)
Dear God
Thank you for our blessing.
Amen

wow.

And I also love that he enjoys praying at night and reading his little bible. He is napping right now, so I can't get the book to tell you the title, but it is a great easy bible to start with. It is a hard back small book with flip up flaps on each story. There are maybe 20 stories and they include actual bible verses that relate to each story. His favorite stories....Jonah and the Big Fish, The Big Lunch(Jesus feeding many with small lunch), and Jericho.

I pray that my children will have a deeper relationship with Jesus than I could ever imagine. I also pray that God will use their life experiences to mold and grow them into Godly men. I just never thought that I would see the fruit of that at such an early age. And I also see with great clarity how important my example is in this stage of life. Maybe in every stage. But I know for sure that right now he is watching Scott and I and deciding what kind of person he wants to become. And that scares me silly! I have nothing good to offer and it is only through God's power that I am trying to live obediently and faithfully. And I fail a lot!! But I pray that God would help us to grow as a family and that someday I will be looking to my boys for Godly counsel and truth!

And for now, I watch what I say!

photo sites?

2009-03-12T16:03:00.002-04:00

I love our smug mug site for storing pics, but I realize that it is nice to have something to physically show people and for my boys to look at later. I have come up with a new plan. Gone are the days of scrapbooking!! I am a pretty fast scrapbooker and can knock out a year's worth in a couple of days, but who has a couple of days to work on pasting and cutting. Not to mention the fact that Danny likes to "help" with the pasting and cutting!
So, my new plan is to do a hardback book every year with the BEST photos. I am still going to hand make the baby books...working on that...but our family books will be smaller and not handmade. I have a list of a few online options, but I want YOUR input. Does anyone have a site that they absolutely LOVE? Important stats would include: inexpensive, easy to upload, easy to save and continue to work, easy to organize....I guess the keyword is EASY!
Anxiously waiting for your input!

Time flies when you are having fun?

2009-03-03T21:16:00.005-05:00

I am so sorry. I have been a horrible blogger lately.

The boys have been sick. That means LOTS of hugging and holding snugly babies. It seems like we will start feeling better, but it takes a while to get past the bad habits we develop during sick times. Like the excessive hugging and snuggling. Of course, snuggling isn't bad, but it can't go on all day. At some point I have to shower and put on real clothes and do house work(or blog). Also, we have had some busy days with the cable guy here and playgroup and bible study and laundry. I know, I know, you are jealous of my exciting day, so I better stop bragging.

I think I also haven't been blogging lately, because I feel a little frazzled. This past few weeks has been a hard time to be a parent and I feel like I haven't been very joyful about my daily events. Normally I have so many funny things to share and photos to upload, but the past few weeks have been about surviving.
Maybe it is the weather...cold and gloomy.
Maybe it is the lack of fresh air and exercise due to the weather.
Maybe it is the fact that we have had so many sick days and it is hard to recover from that.
Maybe it is the new stage that Danny has entered...why? why? why? That's what I hear all day long. What a blessing it is to have a child who is curious and creative and full of wonder. But sometimes I just don't feel very patient and willing to answer the whys. I know this is a normal thing to feel as a parent, but I feel guilty. I want to be a patient and kind parent.
I really do have the sweetest, most wonderful kids in the world. I love them dearly and I love our family. I have a wonderful husband. Scott is my best friend and he is an amazing daddy. Every year is better than the last. BUT....
How is it possible that I can be experiencing the best time of my life and the hardest all at the same time?

hmmmm.

Did I mentioned that I have the cutest kids ever? I can't remember if I posted these photos already. man, I AM frazzled.

I took a few photos of the snow this week and will write about it soon. We had at least 9 inches and it is still on the ground! Pollack loves it!

Celebrity sighting in Walmart!!!

2009-02-18T15:45:00.004-05:00

OK, so not quite a celebrity.
Kids say the funniest things.
Here is the scene....
We are strolling down the rice and pasta aisle looking for some starches for our next meals. I have Danny "yelling" his way through Walmart on the extra large blue double seater cart(moms, you know the one I am talking about). The cart is really long due to the additional plastic section of seating and not the easiest thing to push. Josh is on my hip, due to the fact that this special cart has blocked off the child seat to make room for the extra seats. I would have gotten a normal cart after discovering this fact if Danny wasn't so happy after we found it. Sometimes a little pain is worth it for a happy kid. As I struggle to push the cart, Danny yells out "Look mommy, it's Nobama" I scan the lane looking for a black man that I will have to apologize to, since now it seems that my child thinks all black men are named Obama(or nobama). Then I noticed what he saw....
Uncle Ben.
Yes, the rice guy.
Apparently the President is not only on every magazine and newspaper cover, but he is also on our rice box.

Danny cracks me up.
And suddenly, my load seems lighter. Smiling can do that to you!

I promise I don't feed my kid hotdogs and ice cream all the time

2009-02-13T08:39:00.002-05:00

.....just sometimes. When we visit Sams. ok, so maybe we do go to Sams once a week, but I promise every other day he is a very healthy eater. We actually worry sometimes that he eats too many fruit/veggies and not enough bread. Good problem to have with a two year old.
so, back Sams. This morning Danny was making a pretend meal in one of my pots. Usually he asks me if I want ice cream(of course I do!) and then proceeds to stir some blocks in the pot. Today he called across the room and asked me if I wanted....
...a hot dog combo. haha!
I really think this is funny since I don't ever call it a hot dog combo to him. I just ask him if he wants a hot dog or pizza to eat, to which he usually responds "I want ice cream". Ahhh, a boy after his mommy's heart. Apparently he is always listening, even when I order the food.
I do think it is funny how kids repeat the things they hear. Like how Danny always says "of course" when we ask him to do something. Or how he calls out "Anne" or "Scott" when he needs one of us. He is just repeating what he hears us say. We remind him that he calls us Mommy and Daddy, not our first names. But what I want to know is how little boys know that certain things are funny to say, despite being inappropriate. Like poot. That one cracks us up. And butt. We really have to work on using other words to describe some body parts. Is this a boy thing or just a kid thing? I guess it is just one of the joys of childhood that I have to look forward to!

maaahhhhh

2009-02-09T20:51:00.003-05:00

Today we took a trip to Maymont with Grandmommy while she is here in Richmond with us. Maymont is a great property on the James River that has gardens, barns, rescued animals, and beautiful scenery. It is open to the public and is a wonderful place to spend a few hours strolling around with the boys.
Today I brought cups with us to hold the seeds for feeding the goats and sheep. We were having a blast petting the animals, but Danny was refusing to give any of his food to the animals. We kept telling him that the food wasn't for people, so he needed to share it and he would reply "no thank you". At least he is polite! Finally, after about ten minutes, we convinced him to share his cupful. He was smiling and laughing and sharing his seeds until all of a sudden....
THAT GOAT TOOK HIS CUP!!!
Danny screamed out and threw a fit. You would have thought it was a priceless cup, not a cheap paper coffee cup. Of course, in the mind of a 2 year old it was a precious item. And to think that he had tried to keep it to himself, but Mommy and Grandmommy "coerced" him into sharing. Fortunately mommy had brought two cups and he was quickly calmed down. Other than that mean goat, we had a blast and took some fun photos.

here is the goat in the process of stealing the cup, prior to Danny realizing what is happening.

We....need....to.....get....away!

2009-02-05T07:41:00.003-05:00

So, I know. It has been a looooonnnngggg time since I posted. I am so sorry, but fortunately I have an excellent excuse. Scott and I took advantage of our Christmas presents from my parents....gift certificates to the ski resort near their home. Add that to the promise of childcare for the day and night and you can bet we were anxious to redeem our gift. We realized it has been over a month since we have had time away from our boys. We love them so much, but I know that personally I treat them much better when I get breaks. And I think a marriage should always come before parenting. And we need a little time together.

I haven't gone skiing in a few years, so I knew my skills were a little rusty. And all of my skiing experience has been in North Carolina(I am not counting that ski trip in North Alabama...ha!), so I know I am not that good. But I distinctly remember being proud of myself for going down MOST the black diamonds in my previous trips.
Here is a photo of the whitetail trails for reference during this story.

We started out slow. First trip down was on the bunny slope just to get our balance on skis figured out. I noticed early on that my skis were so much faster than Scott's, but I just figured it was due to my superior skiing skills(hahaha, funny) Then, we headed up the green circle. For good measure we went down that slope a few times, trying out all the different routes from the top. I knew I was ready for the blue square. I was feeling so confident on account of my "skillz" as I flew by my husband. Scott agreed that we could try the next level and we headed up our third lift option. This lift gave you plenty of routes. After we were spit off the lift, I glided around to check out the slopes to the left. I couldn't even see of the edge. That was the highest point I had ever skied from and I was starting to get nervous. There was no turning back now, so we headed down the hill. It was about 1/4 of the way down when I realized that maybe I wasn't as skilled as I thought and that actually I DID NOT want to go as fast as my skis seemed to want to take me. I know how to turn pretty well(I enjoy cutting a spray of snow behind me) and I understand how to stop myself, but for some reason I was out of control. After two big falls just short of a yard sale(my gear almost came off), I was shaking in my rented boats. When we got to the bottom, I was determined to never go back up that lift.
I was really scared.
After a break and a ski length change I felt much better, though. I never knew what a difference the length of your skis can make on the experience you have. I told the gal that checked me out the first time that I didn't want to go that fast, but somehow I still ended up with longer skis than Scott. My next few trips down the green were much better and I did eventually go back up the blue. But I never set foot on the black diamonds. Maybe I am getting more afraid in my old age(I AM almost 29) or maybe I am more afraid now that I have two little children depending on my survival. OR most likely it is just that we were at a better ski resort than I have ever been to and my previous black diamond trips were not as impressive as I had thought.
We did have a blast and can't wait to start teaching our boys how to ski. And some day we want to go out west and take a trip. I want to try this powder everyone talks about instead of the groomed icy mix that we have in the east. Smiths? Gaskills? Maybe a trip in 2012? HAHA, I could never plan that far in advance. But let's keep it on the possible family trip list.
And maybe after a few trips I can try those black diamonds. I will keep you posted.

that's a big bird

2009-01-20T21:18:00.002-05:00

We live in a wildlife sanctuary. Everyday we enjoy our meals at our breakfast table, while watching birds, squirrels, moles, chipmunks, insects, bunnies, turtles, dogs(that's just Pollack, though) and other animals. Sometimes we will look out and I can count over 50 birds in our yard. But one bird dwarfs the rest. It is our hawk mommy and daddy that like to sit on our fence and in our trees watching over the yard. The pictures don't do justice to their size. They are four times bigger than the average bird sitting in our grass. I am almost afraid to send my two year old out for fear of him being chased and pecked by this beast. Do hawks do that? Of course, it is so cold that we really aren't going outside at all right now anyway. We can safely watch from our window. I don't think birds like this are supposed to hang out in neighborhoods.

Anyone know what kind of hawk this is? Any bird watchers out there?

ahhhhhh...sleep.

2009-01-16T19:48:00.003-05:00

I figured after I sent out a prayer request for sleep at the Gaskill home, I better update you. Yes, we did get sleep! The first night of boot camp was about 5 hours of crying....uggghhh. The second night was about 1 1/2 hours of crying....better, but not good. But our third night was great. I woke up at 6am and realized that he was crying for the first time. Praise the Lord!!!
I do believe God made babies so cute so that it would make up for the lack of sleep and trouble that they cause. And they are trouble. With a capital T. But we love them!

Danny has been saying so many cute things lately. I really should write them down when he says them. It always seems like I sit down to update the blog and I draw a blank trying to remember what ever it was that had me rolling with laughter. I think my favorite moments lately have been watching him play with his little people toys. He has conversations and the little people interact. It is hilarious. Eddie and Max and the crew have a whole world of their own that Danny has created. What an imagination!
I also caught a cute moment today that made me smile. We were at a gas station with Jada and Michelle and Michelle had gone into the store. I peeked in the window and saw Danny holding Jada's hand and talking sweetly to her. He has been so excited about their visit. While we were at the gate, he got so excited about them walking up the hallway. I asked him if he would run to them when we saw them and he said he was going to give them a kiss. What a sweetheart!!

Go to sleep already...

2009-01-12T16:01:00.004-05:00

well, the new year has begun and it is with great sadness that I am updating the blog. Of course, I have things to share and pictures to post, but I am not ready to move Scott's blog down one slot. I think he did an amazing job recapping our past year and I enjoyed sharing our adventures. I was exhausted when I finished reading it though, because it brought back full force all the memories of 2008.
Really? I mean, who tries to change jobs, travel lots, have a baby, move into a new city, and lead a busy life with a toddler all in one year? I guess we do. I am excited to start 2009. We have lots of trips planned and events coming up, including: a ski weekend for Scott and I, a trip to Boston with ADPis, a Virginia beach weekend with the boys for Joshie's first birthday, Scott and Anne's last year being in their twenties(yikes!), and many other fun events.

---
I have to make a confession.
Many times in the past I have looked unapprovingly upon moms and dads that gave into their babies nighttime requests. I would say to them to be tough. Don't let that baby be in control.
but...I must apologize.
I have become one of those parents.
ok....you can tell me I'm wrong. You can tell me that letting a baby snuggle and eat every time they whimper in the middle of the night is the easy fix. And you would be right. But try telling that to me when it is chilly out, the bed is soooo snugly, and my sweet little 8 month old is reaching out for me. Of course, I make excuses. "We don't want to wake up the two year old." "He does have a little cold." "He is cute and won't want to snuggle me forever(like it happened with his brother)!"
But the truth is I have created a little snugly monster.
I am a wimp.
But nobody is perfect.

oh, and Danny has figured out how to open door knobs. We learned that last night when pitter-patter feet came to the top of the steps and waited to get a reaction. Fortunately, just a loud "Danny" hollered up the steps fixed the problem, as the pitter-patter feet ran back into their room and jumped quickly in the bed.
And I guess locking doors goes hand and hand with this new skill, as our oldest proceeded to lock his daddy out in the back yard this weekend. Don't worry. Mommy was home or we could have had a repeat to this early blog post. yikes!

Guest Post: 2008 Year in Review

2008-12-30T10:19:00.022-05:00

Hello, is this thing on? Oh.

This is my first post on the Gaskill Rascal blog. I’ve kind of made fun of Anne for doing it, but I guess I have to admit it is pretty cool to have, even if only like 3 people read it. A few days ago I was reading one of those “Best of 2008” lists that are usually pretty good for no more than a timewaster. But this time it kind of got me thinking about all the events of 2008 that took place in the Gaskill Rascal home. It wasn’t a boring year by any stretch of the imagination. So I asked Anne if I could make a “guest post” on her blog to talk about what 2008 meant to me. The irony was that I had to go back and look at all her blog posts to remind me of what actually happened. So I guess the blogging thing is pretty cool after all.

They say (whoever the heck “they” are anyway) that some of the most stressful events in a life are (1) death in the family, (2) starting a new job, (3) moving to a new city/house, and (4) having a baby. Well, we had all of them all packed in one single year. But looking back, it was probably one of the best years in recent memory. Yes, stressful at times, but like being on a fun adventure at others.

So with that said, let’s look back at the major events of 2008 for the Gaskill Rascals:

December, 2007 – I know, this is supposed to be a look back at 2008, not 2007. But, it’s my blog post and I want to start with the end of 2007. That’s when I started my new job at the Big D. For about two months, I was living the big life in Richmond while Anne and Danny were still in Atlanta. Not cool. We didn't decorate for Christmas because we were selling our house (plus I wasn't there anyway) and it was just tough being apart for that much time. But in the end I absolutely love my new job. There’s no travel, very few long nights at the office, no taking my laptop home to work, and I’m working for a company that I really love. So the job change has been a real positive experience for everyone.

Jan 1, 2008 - The best New Year's of my life. Anne’s uncle Gary gave us 8 tickets to the Sugar Bowl so Anne, my brother, mom, and some friends went to New Orleans. I’d never been there before and I definitely want to go back when I have more time to see it. What a cool place. Plus, the game turned out pretty good too!

February, 2008 – Closed on our house in Richmond. Yeah! We loved our house when we bought it and still do. One thing about our house is that it’s 20 years old so there’s always little things to do. Problem is that I’m not real handy. And when I say “not real handy”, I mean “not handy at all in any remote sense of the word.” But it has been fun trying to learn and I’ve got a father-in-law that loves projects (at least that’s what he tells me) and has lots of patience with my tool-challenged ways. Oh, and there was THAT little incident. Probably the best thing about our house is our neighborhood. Last time I counted, we were approaching about 1.3 million kids in our neighborhood. Or maybe it was more like 50…I can’t remember. Either way, our neighbors really welcomed us from day one and we’ve gotten to know them real well. That’s something we didn’t have in our old neighborhood in Atlanta and has been a blessing to us.

April, 2008 – Let’s see. Anything exciting happen in April? Oh yeah, that. We got to bring home our second bundle of ~~trouble~~ joy. Josh was born the night of April 25. Looking back, that was a really fun time leading up to the big event. Anne had been having contractions for several weeks and we were convinced he was coming several weeks early. Max and Nana (or as Danny now says, “NanaMax” as if they’re one single entity) drove up from Atlanta when it looked like he was coming early, only to go back when he wasn’t. They took Danny back home with them in what would turn out to be the last quiet moments of the year in the Gaskill Rascal home. Oh, good times. Then Josh came. He’s been so much fun to watch grow and to see Danny learn to be a big brother. Definitely the highlight of the year.

Summer, 2008 – I’m not going to do a month-by-month breakdown of the summer because it all kind of runs together for me. But it was a lot of fun. One of the great things about Richmond is that there is always a lot to do. The summer was filled with trips to Virginia Beach, a visit to Belle Island, multiple visits to the neighborhood swimming pool, playing in the backyard, being chased by a hurricane, Danny's 2nd birthday, and learning how to keep up with two little boys instead of one. Fun, Fun, Fun.

September, 2008 – September is usually my favorite time of year. Not coincidentally, that’s when football season starts. This year was a little different. I think this fall was actually probably the hardest time of the year for Anne and I. We kind of hit a point there where the “newness” of Richmond was wearing off and we were kind of homesick. My sister had her baby Jada in August and we weren’t there to meet her. We had to watch football games on TV or internet instead of getting to go to the games every week. That’s not a big deal in itself, but going to football games with my brother and the sounds and smells of the game just make it “feel” like fall. It was just a point where we both kind of questioned whether we made the right decision to move. I still loved my job and we liked our new city and all that, but we just missed the familiarity and family of Atlanta. There were definitely some fun times too - I took a trip to Arizona with my brother, we picked apples in Charlottesville one weekend, and the fall leaves and weather in Virginia are hard to beat. But overall, if April was the high point of the year, this was probably the low point for both of us.

November 1 -7, A Week That will Live in Infamy - The first week in November was a disaster. Maybe one of the worst weeks in history. There was this. Shortly followed by this. To quote the great Forest Gump - That’s all I got to say about that.

The rest of November was great. NanaMax had moved to Maryland the month before and were only 2 hours away. So seeing them more often kind of helped ease the homesickness a bit. We had a fun trip to D.C. with Max, Nana, Danny, Josh, and Bob the Builder. We drove down to Atlanta for Thanksgiving and had a great time with our family. So after the disaster that was the first week, I guess November turned out okay after all.

December 2008 – A month of mixed emotions. The buildup and anticipation of Christmas is always fun. And its even more fun now with a two year old. Just getting to teach him, not just about Santa, but also about the birth of our Lord is fun. On a different note, Anne’s grandmother passed away last week so that has been tough. We’re heading to the funeral this week. It will be great to see all of Anne’s family again, but we all wish it were under different circumstances.

Overall - What a year! I don’t think the word “exciting” quite does it justice. But I don’t know what other word to use so we’ll just stick with that one. It was filled with lots of highlights - New Job. New City. New House. New Church. New Josh. New niece Jada. Along with some lowlights - missing family, UGA going 9-3 after being ranked #1 in the preseason (even worse, the gayturds are in the national championship game), losing 30% of our savings as we watched the stock market collapse, and the passing of Anne’s grandmother.

But if every year was like 2008, I probably couldn’t be happier. Indeed, the state of Gaskill Rascals has never been stronger. We wish everyone (all 3 of you that read this blog anyway)

a great new year and hope it is filled with as many blessings as we had in the previous.

Crawling cutie!

2008-12-29T14:32:00.003-05:00

Josh is on the go. He has been an official crawler/army style mover for awhile, but it seems like he is getting more bold in his exploration. He is much happier on the floor than in our arms now....funny how things change!

Check out our cutie pie!

the highlight of our shopping trip

2008-12-23T07:52:00.004-05:00

If you ask Danny, he might say that his favorite thing about going to Walmart and Sams(other than the food at Sams) is getting to drop a coin in the salvation army bucket. Every time we get close to the end of our shopping trip, when we start to get tired and cranky, I can perk up my little shopper with a promise of money for the bucket. Danny loves to tell the bell ringer Merry Christmas and give him his money. Our favorite bell ringer was a man who played requests on his cornet(little trumpet). Danny talked about that one for days.

So, Danny had me cracking up last time we went to Sams and the bell ringer and bucket were not at the usual post. Another organization had come to hassle shoppers and we were so disappointed to not be able to share our money. But I almost fell over laughing when Danny turned to me and said "Mommy, where is the man with his piggy bank? I want to put money in his piggy bank." I figure that is a good interpretation of what that bucket really is....like a piggy bank. But I wonder if I didn't do a good job explaining the purpose of giving money to the bell ringer? We are not just filling up some other guy's piggy bank, like we do at home with Danny's multiple piggy banks. We are hopefully helping people who are in need. But regardless, it is cute to hear what children come up with on a daily basis. Their little minds are so moldable and full of creative potential. Moms could write a book on the funny things our kids do....or maybe a blog!!!

check out our cuties!

2008-12-20T20:25:00.004-05:00

This should have been our Christmas picture for our card this year! oh well, I am sure people will enjoy our actual cards, but I wish I had made them sit for a photo earlier in the season. And I am proud to say I am getting better at Photoshop, b/c most people will have to look twice to even notice the giant drool going down Joshie's shirt. I actually made most of it magically disappear! Now, if I could only do that to the extra 10-20 pounds that I would like to lose. Magically click the mouse and ....poof. It's gone!

Today was a hard day. We found out that my grandmother died this morning after a battle with Alzheimers and multiple strokes. She was a wonderful grandma and I was blessed to have known her. Soon we will gather with family to celebrate a life lived well and grieve our loss. She touched many lives...

these are a few of my favorite things...

2008-12-16T21:22:00.005-05:00

I was browsing my frequently visited blogs and enjoying reading Ashley's favorite Christmas things when I found out it was my turn to share!

so here is my list of favorite things about Christmas....

1. I love sitting in a dark room with a crackling fire and the Christmas tree lit. Something about the glowing tree, the warmth of the fire, and snuggling in a blanket makes me slow down.

2. I love the smells of Christmas. Vanilla is my favorite scent. Sugar cookies in the oven are a close second. Real Christmas trees are infinitely better than fake ones for the fact that they give off an amazing smell. And of course, cinnamon. And apple cider. And the smell of wood burning. hmmmm!

3. I love seeing family. My family lived all around the world(East coast, Midwest, Europe, Asia) growing up and Christmas was usually a time when we would gather back together and celebrate. We are staying in Richmond this year, but I am really heartbroken at the fact that Danny and Josh are missing all the Gaskill family fun. We know we are making the right choice to not travel, but it is hard!

4. Christmas Eve services. It doesn't take much for me to get emotional about my faith and the gift of Christ, but Christmas eve services top the list. I think it is a combination of the music, the quiet reverance, and the dimmed lights....every year that service is a big tearfest for me. But I think that is a mistake that we often make by assuming that the birth of our Lord was a meek, quiet, tearful event. Ultimately it was an unmatched and powerful night when God came down to win the battle over sin for us. Angels sang and people were changed. wow.

5. Vacation. This goes back to my days as a student and then a teacher. Who doesn't love a little time off to rest. And all the teachers say amen to that!!!

6. Nativity scenes. I remember sitting for hours playing with nativity scenes at my house as a child. I like to collect them now as an adult. I have some favorites that seem to find a way to stay up long past Christmas. I love my angel tree one the best, but another favorite is my little round people from Peru. Mary, Joseph, and the wise men are all dressed in Peruvian clothing.

I think I will tag Lauren T., Kristin, and Erica.

Here are some pictures from last year. Danny and Josh were dedicated at Grace, even though our littlest was clearly still in my belly!

This was before going to see the lights at Lake Lanier....we waited two hours to enter the park, but it was worth it!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Do you like our house?

2008-12-08T15:39:00.004-05:00

Aunt Bethany: Is your house on fire, Clark?
Clark: No, Aunt Bethany, those are the Christmas lights.

Our lights from down the street....

Do you think that's enough?

OK, so I am pulling your leg. How much do you think these people spend on lights, electricity, property damage(people were roaming the streets all around) every year? We are happy to know that Richmond is a great place to live at Christmas. People really get into the Christmas spirit! We have a tacky lights tour and if I could vote, this one tops the list. I have never seen anything like it before.

Here is the real thing!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

update: those crazy lights cost about $3500 a month in electricity(which means bigger bonuses for my husband since they are using a lot of Dominion's power) and their biggest vandalism problem is the squirrels that eat the lights way up high. oh and they start working in September. wow.

Should we stay with this theme or keep looking?
	No, this isn't "the one"
	Reminds me of Anne's job as a teacher. perfect
	Did your kids design this? ughhh
	Healthcare reform, what kind of sandwich to have for lunch....I have bigger things to worry about!

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