For those of you checking in regularly and wondering what’s happening at the Toone household, it’s been pretty quiet. Analise and I have been laying low lately. This weekend was really cool, lovely weather. Not like y’all up North, but for Alabama, it was wonderful. We went to a Fall Festival in the small neighborhood of Rocky Ridge, for free food and some fun browsing on Saturday. Then we had some family pictures with Brian’s family. We were finally back at church for the first Sunday in 4 weeks, followed by the usual family lunch of baked beans and hot dogs with Brian’s mom and brother. That was about it for our weekend, and today’s been just as quiet. I’m feeling highly unmotivated lately, and trying to get things done one at a time. A “to do” list is seeming too overwhelming.

Oh – Analise has started trying to say a few more words. Last night, she was saying “flur” while we were outside by the flowers. Today we asked her what a kitty cat says, and she responded with “mew-mew” (not to be confused with “moo-moo” which will come soon!). She also said “ball” tonight. All this is a bit reassuring because her 15 month appointment was today, and I was feeling a bit worried that she doesn’t have more words in her vocabulary. They’ll come… and she definitely understands and follows commands very well.

Ok, I hope the 3rd time’s the charm. I’ve tried to post this blog 2 times already, and lost it somewhere in Toone Times Twilight land.

In early September, Analise was sick with a urinary tract infection (UTI) that quickly cleared up with a course of antibiotics. Though I was under the impression that most UTI’s are caused by hygiene issues (ie, wiping wrong), while in fact, research has shown that the majority of UTI’s in young children are caused by something called urinary reflux, where urine backs up toward the kidneys, causing infection. Just to be on the safe side, Dr. Stone wanted us to follow-up with a few tests (a renal ultrasound and a VCUG) at Children’s Hospital today. Hopefully, they won’t be more than just a little uncomfortable, and my easy-going girl will manage just fine. The worst of it may be that she can’t eat or drink from 7am until after the tests at about 1pm. How can I manage to keep her happy and quiet without her favorite graham crackers? We’ll keep you posted…

My favorite season is the fall. And my favorite place to be in the fall is the Midwest. Either Minnesota or Wisconsin will do, though if I had my choice, I’d be in Door County, Wisconsin, munching on fresh, homemade carmel apples. But the trees are intensely colored, all shades of red, yellow, orange and brown, the air is cool, the nights are crisp, and its just beautiful. My sweet friend Robyn picked a perfect time and place (Canon Falls and Welch, Minnesota) for a wedding.

Analise and I flew up by ourselves on Thursday because Brian had things to get done that afternoon. I wondered about traveling with Analise by myself, but we had a direct flight and it was so smooth. Analise slept for an hour, and then enjoyed watching Einstein on our borrowed (from grandpa) DVD player. She was perfectly entertained, and I’ll fly with her on my own any time… as long as we have a direct flight. My mom picked us up, and we had dinner at a fun buffet restaurant and wandered around the mega-store Ikea for a while. Man, I wish I lived near Ikea!

Brian was to arrive at 1pm on Friday, but he managed an earlier flight so we were to pick him up at 11. We spent a bit of time at REI, which was home to some statues of Charlie Brown and Lucy, created for an event honoring Charles Schultz. We wandered around the Mall of America for a time, and then had a great lunch at Chevy’s – a favorite of ours from California.

Oh yes… the wedding! That’s what I was posting about:) Robyn was on the cross-country ski team with me at UWGB, and we both fondly remember meeting as we were running at our first practice, my senior year and her freshman year. We were excited to find that we were both christians, a bit of a rarity on our team. We kept each other sane and became great friends through skiing and our work with Athletes in Actions/Campus Crusade. I’m very very blessed that God sent her into my life! She’s waited most patiently to meet the man with whom she would spend her life, and I can tell Scott is a wonderful man of God and makes her very happy. I only wish we were closer so we could know them better as a couple.

It was a beautiful wedding. They put so much work into all the little details of the weekend, and everything was wonderful. Scott surprised Robyn with a song he had WRITTEN just for her at the end of the wedding. The flowers were beautiful fall boquets, probably the most beautiful I’ve seen (though I love almost every wedding boquet!). The reception was at Welch Village downhill ski area, which was in the middle of nowhere (similar to our reception!), but in the prettiest area we were privelaged to see. Robyn and Scott were waiting at the turn into the parking lot with a “Thank You” sign for all their guests. I wish we had a few more pictures that captured the beauty of the wedding, but Brian had his hands full with Analise! We were so glad to share this weekend with them. And what a treat to see my parents and Kat for our brief time. I’m so lucky!

Yes, I do know how to spell Minnesota, but I wanted to put it phonetically the way its pronounced locally. We are having a blast up here. Analise and I got to go for a swim in the pool at our hotel this morning. Last night, I got to walk around the beautiful town of Cannon Falls while Kristine was in the dress rehearsal for Robyn and Scott’s wedding. Analise enjoyed playing with the rocks out in front of the church. We walked downtown, enjoyed the beautiful fall colors, and saw this butterfly/moth on a pretty purple flower. Enjoy the pictures!