100th post!

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

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

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

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

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!