We love balls....

....is the understatement of the year.
Anyone who knows Danny is aware that he has a deep fondness for anything concerning sports. Whether it's his batting tee, the basketballs in the garage, Scott's Sports Illustrated, or just his many many toys that are balls, he is hooked. We have a future athlete. Not sure what sport yet, but we will definitely be playing something when we get older.
He has been a master at the bat and ball on a tee for sometime, but trying to make contact with a moving ball is hard for most kids his age. Heck, even t-ball age kids have trouble with it, hence the need for a tee in the game. So, when we got out the ball and bat tonight and realized that our child could hit it, we just HAD to record it. Please excuse the annoying laugh(that would be me) and the play time with Pollack(just a part of the fun of having a dog) and check out the batting practice. Not a solid hit everytime, but I think he is doing pretty well for a 22 1/2 month old. And in case you are wondering where Josh is....he was napping. In his bed, not the shoebox for those of you who know what that is and noticed it sitting awfully close to the batter's mound. So here is our ball player in action....

I see London, I see France....I see Danny's big boy pants

FYI: If you are anti-potty talk, then I would recommend that you stop reading right now. Nothing bad, it just seems like bathroom talk is very frequent at the Gaskills' house as Danny has shown an increased interest in what goes on in the bathroom.
So, this development led us to begin introducing potty training to him and it is has been interesting. We are trying out the big boy underwear while we play outside and then pull ups while we play inside(for obvious reasons!) Yesterday was our first run and I guess you could say it was successful. Danny played all afternoon and then came running to me REALLY upset when he had gone tinkle all over his clothes(they say a few days of this and they will want ask to go the potty(who is they, you ask?...I guess the potty experts) I think the only reason he will even think about sitting on the potty(despite his interest in what occurs in it) is the fact that I give him M&Ms when he attempts it. What we will do for chocolate.....
So, this morning was a folding clothes morning for mommy, so we had to stay inside to play. I put on Danny's pull up and clothes and then went about my folding. Danny found his recently opened bag of big boy underwear and brought me a pair. We thought it would be funny to wear our underwear on our head. I figured if he is interested in wearing it, does it matter on what part of the body? I guess this could cause some confusion later, but for the time being we laughed about it. And we took a picture!

Even funnier is the fact that Danny saw this blog as I was uploading it and ran and got the underwear again. "Mommy..head...wear" What a silly boy!

...a bunch of gypsies in hotlanta

We were nomads this week....living out of a trunk. But it was wonderful! We saw family, we celebrated birthdays and babies, and we enjoyed the summer fun! Enjoy these favorite pictures and check out the rest at gaskills.smugmug.com


Stopping at Crackel Barrel for dinner with the Rousseaus....it took us 14 hours to travel!


Pretending to sleep!


We went to a puppet show at the library!


Hey Aunt Mere....aren't I cute?


Right before I kissed Allie....uhoh! It was great to see friends.

coming soon...

I am so excited to get home tomorrow and load our pictures from this trip to Atlanta. We have had an amazing time seeing family and friends, celebrating Jada's(niece) soon arrival(due in August), partying for Arden's(another niece) birthday, and enjoying the HOTlanta summer. Check back soon to see pictures and hear our adventures.
I do want to take this moment to comment on the movie Scott and I saw on our date night here. Nana had Danny and Grandmommy had Josh, so we went out for a dinner and a movie. YEAH! We ate at one of our favorite restaurants...EATS...on Ponce. Then we headed to the theater to catch a late showing of Narnia. We are huge Clive Staples Lewis fans and the Narnia series is dear to our hearts. We recently reread the entire series to prepare for the movie(we try to read them every couple of years). I look forward with anticipation to the days when Danny and Josh will snuggle up with Mommy and Daddy and read these books together. So, you can guess that we were thrilled to know the movies were being made and couldn't wait to see Prince Caspian. Upon leaving the theater, Scott and I seem to have the same response. We enjoyed it, but were a little disappointed. It is so hard to connect with a book on so many levels and then watch as the screenplay writers create scenes that never happened. And when so much of the Christian symbolism seems lost in the translation, it can be a let down. I give it high ratings for the special effects and the beauty of the scenery, but the story was not true to the book in many parts. I would guess that Mr. Lewis is rolling in his grave at the thought of creating random scenes and adding a love story that was not in his original plan. Why? Why, I ask, do movie makers feel the need to change something wonderful? The scenes that used original text seem to flow so well, but dialogue in the made of stuff seemed so contrived. I hate to be so critical, but I feel like the first movie was able to stay consistent with the book, so I had similar expectations for this movie.
Definitely worth watching in the theater if you liked the first movie, but if you love the books, prepare to be a little disappointed. I wonder if they will continue with the series and will they also butcher the Dawn Treader. I like that book the best, so I sure hope not!

In response to a friend's post

20 things I will never...

20. Bungee jump...no thank you
19. Use a portapotty unless I absolutely positively have no other option. I don't like dark small spaces.
18. Move to some place REALLY cold.
17. Stop loving Mexican food
16. Lose my love of traveling
15. Not think my son's play time is fun....he comes up with the best games to play by himself while I watch
14. Like the smell of a poopy diaper
13. Stop enjoying diaper changing(despite #14) b/c it is such a sweet time of one-on-one and I have my children's full attention!
12. Choose to be inside on a beautiful day(I am typing outside right now!)
11. Stop loving my family
10. Drive a Hummer or unnecessarily large car
9. Enjoy folding clothes
8. Enjoy putting away dishes
7. Stop loving ice cream
6. Understand why God chooses to love us....I know he does love us despite our actions, but it seems so unbelievable. Amazing love!
5. Stop trying to protect my children
4. Eat sushi....I know people like it, but I just can't do it
3. Sky dive(I am stealing that one from Greta, but I strongly agree)
2. Do anything illegal for money
1. Stop loving my job as mommy and wife!

That was my list of "I will never..." It was fun to write, but I still stand by the theory that sometimes we end up doing things we said we would never. Often God calls us where we least expect.....but hopefully my calling will not involve sky diving or giving up ice cream!!

Day at the Beach

This Saturday, our family took our first trip to Virginia Beach since we have moved to Richmond! It is a quick two hour drive away....definitely worth the travel time, because we had so much fun. We plan on making this a more regular trip in the future. But things sure have changed since we had children. Our last trip to VA Beach was pre-Danny and it is amazing how much STUFF it now takes to have a day of fun in the sun. Towels, tents, diapers, wipes, bottle waters, camera, two strollers, blankets, swimsuits, change of clothes, hats, lotion, and the list goes on! One reason we are required to bring so much junk is to make sure that our boys don't get too hot or in Josh's case, exposed to the sun. But it was a beautiful day with a wonderful breeze to keep Josh cool. He napped in the shade, while his brother had a blast. Some favorite activities included: eating shrimp and fries(with ketchup!)at a beach bar and grill, listening to cover bands play some music at the festival on the boardwalk, playing at the playground on the beach, throwing the sand, throwing the ball, running on the boardwalk, finding lady bugs(they were everywhere!), eating lunch in our tent, and playing with bubbles. Least favorite activity....going near the water. Apparently he did not want to put his toes in the ocean, despite the fact that he talked about the water and toes lots on the way home. Danny is at such a fun age for exploring new places! Hope you enjoy these pictures from our day...check out the whole album at our smugmug site....gaskills.smugmug.com



Josh is such a trooper.....he sleeps anywhere!


Danny and Daddy playing at the beach


Mommy and her boys!


YUMMY!


We loved the bubbles!


Worn out! The beach is tough...

Two weeks later

So, our little Joshua is now getting bigger already! He has already gained a whole pound since he was born. He is now 9 lbs. 13 oz....our doctor said that by this two week mark he likes to see them back at their birth weight. Apparently we have no problems eating! And this is also another blessing in that we don't have to torture him anymore at night trying to wake him up for feeding time. We are really blessed with the two sweetest boys! Both Danny and Josh have so far been realitively easy going babies(so are we in for it with #3?...that is if we decide to have another!) Danny is the best big brother and has only shown a little irritation when he wants Josh "OUT" of his crib or swing, so that he can give him kisses. Isn't Josh lucky to have such a loving big brother? Here are some photos from the past two weeks! Enjoy!

Family Photo!

Eyes open

Waking up happy as usual

So sweet!

That's my brother...isn't he cute?

My first milkshake!


We love our backyard!

Joshua Hayes Gaskill

Josh made his arrival late on Friday, April 25. He weighed 8lb, 13oz and was 20.75 inches long. This morning, Nana brought Danny to the hospital to meet him for the first time. Here are a couple of videos.

Trying to be patient

Baby update....so we are 4cm and just waiting. I should be more patient and should be enjoying this time, but patience is apparently not my strongest skill. Danny has been in Atlanta for the past week with Nana, Max, and Grandmommy. It is really strange to have a week without a 20 month old to take care of....I guess you could say I am a little bored! We have enjoyed having dinner out with out entertaining Danny, but now it is time. Even though we are only just approaching 39 weeks, we will be attempting to bring on labor at this Tuesday's appt. I will spare you the details, but our doctor has things that she can do that usually get labor started. And since he is already a 8-9 lb baby, even the doctor supports this early labor! So, hopefully we can introduce you to our little boy soon!

We miss our sweet Danny, but here he is having a blast at Nana and Max's house! What a big boy....he loves to eat with a spoon and does a pretty good job with feeding himself!

Is it time?

Every women who has had a baby will relate to the anticipation over the arrival of a newborn. I have gone crazy reading stuff on the Internet and in books about whether or not we are really in labor yet. But we had some interesting developments this week. At our appt. we found out that we were 3 cm and 50% and with the onset of light contractions, we believed we might be having a baby sooner rather than later. Last night I was having very small, but regular contractions and they continued this morning. My instincts said that we aren't ready, but my husband encouraged me to call and just talk to the doctor. They wanted us to come in this morning and I am so glad we did. In the past two days, this baby has decided that he would rather snuggle in mommy than come out(I must make a cozy home!). He flipped his way to a transverse lie(sideways) which is impossible to have a vaginal deliver from. Breach would be OK, but transverse is more complicated and carries with it some more potential complications. We did an ultrasound and at 37 weeks we are probably already 8lbs at least. BIG BOY!! Our next step is to meet with the doctor tomorrow and most likely go to L&D for a procedure to try and flip him back down. This can be a painful process and can bring distress to the baby, so we will be hooked up the ultrasound and monitors. There is no guarantee he will stay flipped if they are able to do it. Most likely we will either flip and engage in labor(they think I would be 4-5cm already if the head was down and helping in the labor process) or have a planned c-section next week.
We would love your prayers since this is more complicated than we had previously hoped.
But we realize it was truly a blessing that I went in today. If anything, it made them aware of the situation before I go into active labor. After active labor, it would be more complicated to discover this and have to have an unplanned c-section. My family votes for flipping this baby and inducing asap, since we know he is big and we are already full term. But we want to do what is best for this little guy!
Another blessing is that my parents are headed to Richmond right now and will be here in an hour. I didn't want to keep asking our neighbors to babysit and it will help us relax and make the best decision for our son tomorrow. I feel a little guilty if they come and nothing happens, but they felt like it was best to come also! I love it when they are here....and so does Danny! It is like having a nanny!! They are wonderful with their grandson and always helpful around the house! So, I am off to put my feet up and watch the newest episode of The Office and Scrubs!

update: There is no baby yet, but what a blessing today. The newest Gaskill decide to flip himself around into the correct position when we got to the doctor. No need for a painful procedure or a c-section. Our doctor will do elective induction at 39 weeks, so if labor doesn't start back up(labor had possibly started) then we will have a baby in two weeks.
What a blessing! Thank you for your prayers!
But thank you for continued prayers since we are still an "unstable lie" and could have more complications when labor starts.
I had some Eggplant Parmesan tonight and even walked to and from the restaurant(it is less than a mile from our house and there are sidewalks!), so we will see if that gets things going again!
We will keep you posted!