i took my digital camera to Gabey's wellness exam so i can make a book for him, to prepare him for next time. he flipped out again the minute he saw the nurse. he remembered the shots she gave from over 6 months ago. lol. he did ok for the doctor, calmed down, she's wonderful. she examined him while he played with a truck on the floor. i was so glad. i'm going to get a dr. kit, and we'll play dr. with his bunny and stuff, and i'll keep the book handy. i don't want him to be hysterical every time we go. i remember being so scared when i was little. i want him to feel a little better. he won't be getting shots til kindergarten, so that will help.
our nurse giving gabey a sticker afterwards. she is a sweetie.

i am just so thankful for our doctor, i can't praise her enough. she is just soo easy to talk to, and listen to. it's funny, if she wanted it, i would totally want to be her friend outside the office. she just seems so sweet.

Laus Deo (taken from an email I received recently

Laus Deo
I thought that you and others may like to see this. One detail that is not mentioned in Washington, DC, is that there can never be a building of greater height than the Washington Monument.
With all the uproar about removing the ten commandments, etc... This is worth a moment or two of your time. I was not aware of this historical information.
On the aluminum cap, atop the Washington Monument in Washington DC, are displayed two words: Laus Deo. No one can see these words. In fact, most visitors to the monument are totally unaware they are even there and for that matter, probably couldn't care less.
Once you know Laus Deo's history, you will want to share this with everyone you know. But these words have been there for many years; they are 555 feet, 5.125 inches high, perched atop the monument, facing skyward to the Father of our nation, overlooking the 69 square miles which comprise the District of Columbia, capital of the United States of America
Laus Deo! Two seemingly insignificant, un-noticed words. Out of sight and, one might think, out of mind, but very meaningfully placed at the highest point over what is the most powerful city in the most successful nation in the world.
So, what do those two words, in Latin, composed of just four syllables and only seven letters, possibly mean? Very simply, they say "Praise be to God!"
Though construction of this giant obelisk began in 1848, when James Polk was President of the United States, it was not until 1888 that the monument was inaugurated and opened to the public. It took twenty five years to finally cap the memorial with a tribute to the Father of our nation, Laus Deo ..........Praise be to God!"
From atop this magnificent granite and marble structure, visitors may take in the beautiful panoramic view of the city with it's division into four major segments. From that vantage point, one can also easily see the original plan of the designer, Pierre Charles l'Enfant...a perfect cross imposed upon the landscape, with the White House to the north. The Jefferson Memorial is to the south, the Capitol to the east and the Lincoln Memorial to the west.
A cross you ask ? Why a cross? What about separation of church and state? Yes, a cross; separation of church and state was not, is not, in the Constitution. So, read on .. How interesting and, no doubt, intended to carry a profound meaning for those who bother to notice.
Praise be to God! Within the monument itself are 898 steps and 50 landings. As one climbs the steps and pauses at the landings the memorial stones share a message. On the 12th Landing is a prayer offered by the City of Baltimore; on the 20th is a memorial presented by some Chinese Christians; on the 24th a presentation made by Sunday School children from New York and Philadelphia quoting Proverbs 10:7, Luke 18:16 and Proverbs 22:6. Praise be to God!
When the cornerstone of the Washington Monument was laid on July 4th, 1848 deposited within it were many items including the Holy Bible presented by the Bible Society. Praise be to God! Such was the discipline, the moral direction, and the spiritual mood given by the founder and first President of our unique democracy "One Nation, Under God."
I am awed by Washington's prayer for America. Have you never read it? Well, now is your unique opportunity, so read on!
"Almighty God; We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United states at large." And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
Laus Deo!
When one stops to observe the inscriptions found in public places all over our nation's capitol, he or she will easily find the signature of God, as it is unmistakably inscribed everywhere you look.
You may forget the width and height of "Laus Deo", it's location, or the architects but no one who reads this will be able to forget it's meaning, or these words: "Unless the Lord builds the house its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." (Psalm 127: 1)

my sister is such a great coach! she just started this year, and her girls are just so fantastic! they are crisp, and their voices are powerful, they're together and enthusiastic. i had such a great time watching them.

Huge Update-moving out!

Big changes are in store in the next few months. My brother has decided to move out of our family house, and Daddy needs someone to rent or buy the house, or he will lose it.
Soooooo. Yippeeee. We're moving! We're working out renting to own.
Our lease is up at the end of March, so we'll probably be moving through March, cleaning, painting, packing etc. I'm going to try to take February to ebay some items that are cluttering up the place we have now.
Bobby was so sweet. He said "I'm leaving tons of nice things for you." thank you bobby! He's going to be moving to a little apt. so he doesn't need much, or want much for that matter. :) Pray for him, as he's going through an icky divorce. We're hoping everything works out with him and his son. He has a step daughter, a real sweetie, but she's 18 now, so she's allowed to do what she wants, lol. She's going to college in the fall, and so she'll be able to see Bob whenever she wants to. But, Andrew. Bobby wants to have Andrew with him, and I don't blame him. Andrew is a dollbaby. We want the kids to stay in our lives.

So! Back to the house! LOL! It will definitely need TONS of work. The bathroom needs to be gutted and redone. The kitchen needs major help. The rooms need to be cleaned top to bottom, and repainted. I'm not fond of the dark colors they chose for any of the rooms. To each his own.


Bobby made the yard wonderful, he's a great landscaper. This is a picture of how large it is. I was standing at the back of the garage taking the picture. The front yard is just like a professional landscaper did it, oh yeah, he is a professional landscaper! LOL!
We'll have to maintain that, as it looks fabulous. I would buy the house just for the yard alone, it's HUGE. I don't know what the basement needs, but we'd like to actually have it waterproofed and finished, so we can use it as a rec room, and play room. He's leaving the appliances, which is a Godsend for us, as we have a microwave, and that's it.
The driveway and the garage will need to be worked on. I'm so glad to have great people in our church that know about things like that. We'll be calling on a lot of people to help us.

The house is very close to highways, but we live on a nice little side street, so even though it's close to everything, our street isn't busy. There's a fantastic playground within walking distance. I know that will get used. I grew up in the house, and loved going to the playground. There is a major shopping strip just down the street with everything we'll need. I am very happy.

sleeping like a baby

It worked! baby Gabey binkie free!

(binkie free, messy shirt, lol)
update- day 4
no mention yet of the binkie! yahoooo.and he's teething, so he's not sleeping too well, but he's still not upset that he doesn't have the binkie. PTL!

yesterday morning, he woke up early because his teeth hurt, and he was half asleep and groping around his belly where the binkie used to hang on it's strap, but even then, he didn't look too long, and never mentioned it. i'm so proud of him. I'm glad we did it when we did, and the way we did. it worked.
so unless something happens, this is the last update.
all is well.

binkie award

we did it! i woke up this morning with a plan to get rid of the binkie, and we did it today!

i put them in a baggie inside a gift bag, and made up an award for gabey that said "I gave my binkie".
we went to the mall, and had mcdonalds.




i gave him the award, we took a picture, and i gave the binkie to a mom with a baby there. she was cool, and had her other kids clap, and give gabey high fives and cheer. he was ok, kind of whimpered a few times on the way home. he was like "binkie?"


at one point i put the sign on a coat hook on the car, and he held up bunny so bunny could see the award. later, he asked to hold it.




we got him a balloon that says "congratulations" on it. and when he saw it, he screamed, "BALLOON!!" and starting running around it in circles. i got video, but accidentally deleted it. lol.

he was fine until naptime, and then he cried for about a half an hour, and then we got him out, so it's 8:30pm and it's been a looooong afternoon for me. lol. jeff went to watch the ohio state game over his friend's house. gabey has been totally bipolar, lol, laughing and being giddy one second, and crying the next.
i'm not looking forward to tonight, i'm hoping he'll just be soooo dead tired, that he'll just drop off. here's to hoping. lol.