Gaskill runs on dunkin...

In case you were wondering....yes, there is a Dunkin Donuts near my parent's house. It is about two miles from their new house and about a block from the church. You may think that a coffee shop would not be a part of the equation for making a home decision, but it is possible with my parents. Usually upon entering a new town on vacation or long term, my family will research the closest DD and best route for obtaining this treat. Hot Krispie Kremes will always top the Gaskill donut list, but we do agree with the Groses on best coffee. It is delicious!
Danny, Josh, Scott and I shared a donut and drank some coffee(just Scott and I on that one) before heading over to church on Sunday in Maryland. It was delicious as always. I am sure we will enjoy coffee there every trip to see my parents.

I don't want to talk about it...

so, Georgia lost to Alabama this weekend. It was painful. Excruciating at times. But I have a theory. I believe that there should be a "once every five years" limitation on using alternative jerseys to stir up excitement and fan support. For all of you who would like to blame coaches or players or bad officials, let's turn our energies to the jerseys. We pushed our luck. Now we must live with the consequences. We must focus on looking forward and getting ready. The Dawgs have one heck of a season still left to complete.

On a lighter note...My parents moved to Maryland this weekend! I am always tempted to write a long post with all the details everytime we have something to share. But my goal is to give you a little bit everyday. I will start off with these incredibly cute pictures of Josh that I took this past week.




I am sure you aren't surprised that I get comments about my boys every where we go. They are always smiling! Joshua is happy to oblige any person who wants to tickle a cheek and encourage a smile. And Danny will say hi to everybody we meet and loves to strike up a conversation with strangers. I am happy that even at a young age they seem to shine from the inside with joy and happiness. I don't think being a Christian makes you "happy" all the time, but I do believe that we have a great witness of our faith through the way we treat other people. And Danny and Josh have already figured out how to be friendly and brighten people's day. They teach me so much everyday!

I'm the fireman, that's my name

I really am going to try and write more often on here!

Danny always does funny things that I know I should write down before I forget them.

Danny loves listening to music. His latest favorite is the Countdown Kids children's favorites that plays on repeat in my car(yeah, I know you are sooo jealous!). The songs are all traditional children's songs and nursery rhymes put to music. I had to laugh yesterday when I looked out the window at something Pollack was doing and exclaimed "Ohhh" and immediately Danny pipes in with a singsongy "Dear...Matter Be" The song goes something like this "ohhhh deearrr, what can the matter be, johnny's so long at the fair" Also, I love it that he tries to sing along with me when I lead the children's music time at our weekly bible study. His hand motions to "My God is so Big, so Strong, and so Mighty" are a riot. He flexes his muscles tightly and yells out big, strong, and mighty.
I can't believe how big he is now. It was so weird to be writing information about him on his class form. The teacher wanted to know some of his favorite foods and favorite activities. The fact that he is now old enough to have an opinion about certain things made me a little emotional. He is a little boy now with lots of personality....so grown up!
In case you are curious, his favorite activities are sports(of course), trucks, and trains. Here are two pictures of Danny and Daddy "driving" around the house in Danny's fire truck looking for fires to put out.




"They call me the fireman. That's my name. Makin' my rounds all over town puttin' out old flames. Well everybody'd like to have what I've got. I can cool 'em down while they're smolderin' hot. I'm the fireman, thats my name." -george strait

Ladies man...

I am sure all moms would say this about their children, but I think my boys are pretty cute. And with Danny's sports skills, advanced vocabulary(ie: very smart), love of music, and sweet personality, I believe he is the total package. I foresee lots of girls calling our house during our boy's teenage years. Of course, he will be too busy pursuing athletics and academics to have time for any romantic interests...haha!
Funny how parents can come up with great plans for our children's futures. I do pray that Danny and Josh would love Jesus and love what they do for a living, no matter what they decide to be when they grow up. I pray that they might have great friends who will encourage them and be good influences. And I pray for them to find wives who love the Lord and seek to bring glory to God through their relationship. I think it is important that I pray this for them as often I can!
I have included some photos of Danny playing with his friend Caroline. She is a cutie! I realized when I was going through our smugmug pics that we have lots of pictures of Danny kissing little girls. oh boy!

I love this picture. Their faces are so sweet and happy!


We went to Field Day of the Past with Jamie, Hillary, and Caroline while Scott is in Arizona for the UGA game.


The fish(pre-flush).

Update on the fish: We have one left. Poor lonely guy. I think the others are gone, b/c of two different issues. #1 The water wasn't ready to handle four fish. So, we are waiting for the water to get established before we add any more. #2 We may have made the temperature change too quickly. The temperature was raising at least 3 or 4 degrees every night when we left the light on in the tank. Yeah, so basically, I cooked them. I feel terrible. Danny occasionally walks by the tank and says, "no friends". I don't think he knows where they went, fortunately.

good old monday

How is it possible that I can feel so busy, yet not really be doing anything?

I can't figure that one out.

And also, how do you teach a two year old that 5:30 am is not an appropriate time to knock on mommy and daddy's door and exclaim "I'm up!"

That is a tough one too.

We joined a bible study and attended a community group this past week....we have been hungry for fellowship and it is so refreshing to feel like we are getting closer to making Richmond home.

I wanted to post this photo from our trip, because we are learning so much about Genesis lately(sermons and bible study topic) Isn't it amazing that God choose to show His creativity through creation. I love the colors and the approaching storm in this photo. I am reminded that He is able to refresh my soul in the same way that this rain brought much needed water to the earth. Let's thank Him today for making us in His image and surrounding us with beautiful landscape to enjoy. I believe that He delights in our amazement and awe.


Psalm 33:6-9
"The Lord merely spoke,
and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
and all the stars were born.
He assigned the sea its boundaries
and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
Let the whole world fear the Lord,
and let everyone stand in awe of him.
For when he spoke, the world began!
It appeared at his command."

burial at sea

Don't believe it...
...apparently they aren't that "hardy".

So far, we have managed to kill 3 out of 5 fish. And I have to say I am feeling the guilt, since I prepared the water and helped them enter into this new environment.

After picking out the Tiger Babs at the pet store(we started with 3 and added 2 more after our first unfortunate death), I have done some internet research. They really like to be in groups and will peck at each other. They are feisty little fish. They like to pick a leader and spend much of their time chasing each other around the tank.
Fortunately Danny isn't able to count them. They move to fast. He hasn't noticed any of the missing fish(or at least he hasn't said anything). But it has really made me sad. I hate to be the cause of any pet's demise.
I think word got back to the fish at the store that we are fish killers. We went to purchase two more fish to add to the two that we had left. As the employee at the pet store scooped up a fish it died on the spot. He dropped it in the bag and it floated face down to the bottom. He proceeded to ask the fish if he was "faking" and poke it a little. It wasn't faking. So, he found two more victims for us and we bagged them up and brought them home. The first time I got up to check Josh last night, there was a floater....and then early this morning another had joined him. What in the world is wrong with us? So, we are back to two and just waiting for them to join their brothers. I think we might try a different kind of fish next....and get our water tested.

On a happier note...is any one watching the RNC? We just saw the most precious thing. Governor Palin's youngest daughter, Piper, was holding the baby, Trig, and decided his hair wasn't combed correctly. So, she proceeded to lick her hand top to bottom and wipe it down his head.
classic.

waking the neighbors

I woke up the neighbors Sunday morning.
I was in the yard, in my pjs, screaming.
I know they must think that a crazy lady has moved into the white house with the red door.
It was around 7am and Pollack was headed out for his morning romp and pit stops in the yard. After a few minutes, I hear his deep bark. uh,oh. This could be trouble. I found him barking at the gutter drain that goes down the back side of our garage. Assuming there was nothing inside, but knowing I needed to convince Pollack of this fact, I used a plastic hanger to lightly bang on the pipe. I think I had just finished dressing the boys and was still holding one of Joshua's hangers in my hand when I headed outside.
I called to Pollack and headed back to the porch when Pollack decided he wasn't convinced the the drain was empty. He proceeded to bat at the drain with his paw and knocked off the bottom elbow portion. There, to my surprise, was a tail hanging down. And now enter my screams into this story as Pollack put this dangling tail in his mouth!!!!
I think the next few seconds were in slow motion as the chipmunk managed to get free of the golden retriever death grip and head up the closest tree. Our sweet neighbor came out of her house to see if we were ok. I was mortified and speechless at the same time. I couldn't believe he actually caught the little guy. It was only for a second, but I still think it counts.
I have watched Pollack scurry around the yard after this chipmunk for a few months. He will spot it out the window(our friend is brave and will hang out on the porch) and sprint toward the yard as soon as I open the door. But he never gets close. And years of growing up with goldens has taught me that if I wanted to actually catch wildlife, my sweet dogs were too slow for the job. But we let them think they can, even feed the desire, by encouraging them to chase the squirrel or catch the bunny when we let them loose in the yard. But never, did I ever think he would catch one.
Needless to say, I haven't seen the little guy since. He is probably in chipmunk ICU suffering from a heart attack. Won't he have a great story to tell his chipmunk grand kids? "So then that big dog had me in his mouth and I saw my life flash before my eyes" Or maybe he is more scared of the crazy screaming lady!
What did I hope to accomplish by screaming other than waking the neighbors? I really don't know. Not sure if I was more worried about Pollack eating a chipmunk or a chipmunk hurting my doggie! But both lived to tell the story.
Pollack is at my feet as I write this making sweet yelping noises as he dreams.
Can you guess what he is dreaming about?