Josiah Timothy Toone

So yes, I haven’t blogged much this past week. Mainly because everytime I sit down to write a blog, the only thing I feel like writing about is how miserable I’ve been this week. Ag. I’m feeling a bit better this Saturday morning, though, thanks so some pain medicine I’m taking before bed. The pain in my back has been so bad lately its really limiting the number of outings I’m about to do with Analise on my own. That’s frustrating. I’m almost 33 weeks along, thankfully, and up to this point, things have honestly gone by pretty quickly. Being pregnant with a little one is so much different that the first time around! When I was pregnant with Analise, I had much more time to put my feet up when they were swelling, rest my aching back by sitting, and I avoided bending over unless it was really necessary (this is where husbands are so invaluable at the end of pregnancy – picking up all the stuff we can’t get to!). This time around, though, it’s funny how much more movement is required. For example, after lunch, I’ve got the kitchen all cleaned up, Analise is cleaned up and playing, and I’ll carefully sit myself down (bc it’s hard to find a non-painful position to sit in) with a sigh of relief. Within 5 minutes, Analise needs help finding her water or its time for a diaper change. We’re making it, though. I’m having lots of contractions when I move around, too, so that makes things even more comfortable. Not to worry – they’re not “real”. We’ve got anywhere from 5-7 weeks left, which doesn’t sound like too long, so I’ll try to keep reminding myself of that fact! (and yes, Analise was 12 days late… but I have convinced myself that maybe I could “pray” this little one into being 12 days early:))

Oh! We’re telling people the name we’ve chosen… with a little encouragement, maybe I’ll post it later today!

The other thing very different about this pregnancy is that we’re seeing a regular OB instead of a midwife, like we had in California. Our whole pregnancy/labor/delivery experience in California (at Sutter Davis Hospital) was top notch, and we really loved the care we received from the midwives. Midwives are trained to approach prenancy from the perspective that it’s a normal process in a woman’s life. They were very “hands off” (though that was hard in the middle of my pregnancy when I really needed some “hands on” care… but it did get remedied). The midwife was with me for the whole delivery process, and she guided us through a long, complicated labor & delivery – that we didn’t even really know was that complicated until it was all over! Sutter Davis has a small birthing center, and it felt so different from the hospital we’ll be delivering at here in Alabama. We like our OB, and he came very highly recommended. But from the very beginning, we’ve noticed that the care is definitely approached from a medical perspective. “Any problems? No? Ok, we’ll see you in 4/2/1 week(s).” (usually the total conversation of our 5 minute visit.) This is just the standard of care here, though, as compared to California. Anyway, all this is just our perspective. I’m sure we’ll have very good care here, though it may be different. Since we’ve been through the process before, we know a bit more about how to be our own advocates and communicating how we’d like things done.

I’ve got some pictures from our Clearwater Easter Egg Hunt last weekend, but I’ll save them for posting later, as we’ve got another hunt this morning. None of these compare to THE HUNT in Indiana, when my family gathers in LaPorte for Easter. We’ll be missing that today, sadly, but maybe next year!

I just made some pretty blueberry pancakes with star molds that I got in a free offer from Hungry Jack. Topped them with strawberries… YUM! Off to shower and get ready for the egg hunt and our family Easter dinner tonight. After church tomorrow, Brian’s stealing me away for the night to a bed & breakfast as a belated birthday treat. Woohoo! I can’t wait!

Ok, I know it’s almost too late for this to do anyone any good, but I just stumbled across some pretty Easter basket ideas. If I didn’t have such a busy day tomorrow, I’d make some of these pretty Thread Eggs to fill these Ruffled Paper Baskets.

My other Easter idea is one I’m excited to do next year. They’re called Resurrection Cookies, and they look like they’ll be a wonderful tradition of telling the Easter story through baking a sweet treat the night before Easter. Here’s the directions cut and pasted from the Family Life website:

We recommend baking these cookies on the Saturday night before Easter. But before you start, read the full recipe and collect all the materials and ingredients needed. As you make the cookies with your child, read aloud the Scripture story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection where inserted in the recipe (highlighted in black after each numbered direction).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pecan halves
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 3 egg whites (room temperature for best results)
• pinch of salt
• 1-cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 300°F degrees. Place the pecans in a plastic freezer bag. Let your child break the pecans into small pieces by beating them with a wooden spoon. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, Roman soldiers beat him.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him whipped. The soldiers twisted thorns together to make a crown. They put it on Jesus’ head. Then they put a purple robe on Him. They went up to Him again and again. They kept saying, “We honor you, king of the Jews!” And they hit Him in the face. John 19:1-3(NlrV)

2. Now, ask your child to smell and taste the vinegar. Add 1 teaspoon vinegar to a bowl. Explain that Jesus was offered vinegar to drink while He hung on the cross.

Later Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” He knew that everything was now finished. He knew that what Scripture said must come true. A jar of wine vinegar was there. So they soaked a sponge in it. They put the sponge on a stem of the hyssop plant. Then they lifted it up to Jesus’ lips.
After Jesus drank he said, “It is finished.” Then He bowed His head and died. John 19:28-30(NlrV)

3. Add the 3 egg whites to the vinegar. Discuss with your child that eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life in order to give us life.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so they can have life. I want them to have it in the fullest possible way.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” John 10:10-11 (NlrV)

4. Sprinkle a pinch of salt into your child’s hands. Allow them to taste a tiny bit and shake the remainder into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers.

A large number of people followed Jesus. Some were women whose hearts were filled with sorrow. They cried loudly because of Him. Luke 23:27 (NlrV)

5. Gradually add 1 cup of sugar to the bowl while beating ingredients on high with a mixer. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know we belong to Him.

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who goes to Him for safety. Psalm 34:8 (NlrV)

God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son. Anyone who believes in Him will not die but will have eternal life. John 3:16 (NlrV)

6. Egg whites are ready when they are glossy, white, and stiff peaks form (peaks stand straight when beaters are removed). Share how the color white represents purity and how Jesus can cleanse us of our sins.

“Come. Let us talk some more about this matter,” said the Lord. “Even though your sins are bright red, they will be white as snow. Even though they are deep red, they will be white like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 (NlrV)

7. Now, add the nuts and fold in gently. Drop the mixture by teaspoon on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Explain that these mounds represent the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.

As evening approached, a rich man came from the town of Arimathea. His name was Joseph. He had become a follower of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate ordered that it be given to him.

Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. He placed it in his own tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb. Then he went away. Matthew 27:57-60 (NlrV)

8. Put the cookie sheet in the oven. Then close the door and turn the oven off immediately.

“Take some guards with you,” Pilate answered. “Go. Make the tomb as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure. They put a seal on the stone and placed some guards on duty. Matthew 27:65-66 (NlrV)

10. Go to bed! Explain that your child may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. To a much greater extent Jesus’ friends were sad when He died and was placed in the tomb.

“What I’m about to tell you is true. You will cry and be full of sorrow while the world is full of joy. You will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy.”

“That’s the way it is with you. Now it’s your time to be sad. But I will see you again. Then you will be full of joy. And no one will take your joy away.” John 16:20 & 22 (NlrV)

11. Do not open the oven until the following morning. Allow your children to examine the cookies. They will form small mounds and have a cracked side. When the children taste them, they will discover that the cookies are hollow representing that on the first Easter, Jesus’ friends were surprised to find the tomb empty.

The Sabbath day was not over. It was dawn on the first day of the week. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a powerful earthquake. An angel of the Lord came down from heaven. The angel went to the tomb. He rolled back the stone and sat on it. His body shone like lightning. His clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here! He has risen, just as He said He would! Come and see the place where He was lying. Go quickly! Tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead. He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb. They were afraid, but they were filled with joy. They ran to tell the disciples.

Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings!” He said.

They came to Him, took hold of his feet and worshipped Him. Matthew 28:1-9 NlrV)

This past Friday was my BIG birthday:) I turned 30

years old! It was such a lovely day that I just have to

share all the sweet moments.

1. Analise slept until 7:15am! That’s almost a record!
2. Brian’s 8:00am class was not meeting, so he was home with us

until 10am.
3. He left early (5:45am) to bike to a bible

study at Panera, and believe it or not, brought me a

Caramel Latte home WHILE RIDING HIS BIKE! It was pretty

sloshed, and only about 2/3 full, but still… the

thought was so sweet!
4. He’d also left me a homemade

birthday card with an old picture of just after we met

and a recent picture of Analise and I, printed on 13×19

paper, definitely the largest birthday card!
5. Brian’s parents came over with a pretty boquet of roses.
6. Analise was full of hugs when I was holding her, heading to my bed for her nap. She’d say, “hug!” and throw her arms around my neck and follow it up with a kiss. So sweet!
7. Brian’s parents took Analise overnight (she had a lovely time, of course), and I was relieved of my mommy duties for about 18 hours, including dinner, bath, bedtime, and breakfast.
8. Brian took me to Macaroni Grill for dinner, which was EXCELLENT, and its our new favorite italian restaurant.
9. Then we enjoyed a relaxing time at Barnes & Noble browsing and reading to each other.
10. We capped off the evening out by meeting 8 friends from church at The Cheesecake Factory… our 2nd time there in less than a week:) Great cheesecake, as usual. I had tiramisu cheesecake, and I think it’s my new favorite. We had such a fun time hanging out with our friends, too!

11. It was wonderful to come home and not have to worry about Analise waking up sometime during the night. The house was quite messy, as I’d spent the day scrapbooking, and Analise’s toys were all over, as were goldfish crackers. (My birthday present to myself was to avoid bending over to pick up anything so that my aching back would feel a little better.) My most amazing husband picked up the toys, and then decided since Analise wasn’t home to wake up, he’d VACCUUM the den – at 11:30 at night! Amazing… what an act of love! Can you tell it doesn’t take much to make me happy these days??
12. Lastly, we’re going away on Easter Sunday for a night of rest and relaxation. It’s a suprise as to where we’re going, but Brian’s assured me he’s got some nice plans.
13. I got fun cards, both online and in the mailbox. Analise has enjoyed all of them… she watches the online ones over and over and colors on the cards and envelopes that come in the mail.

What a list! There are plenty of things I left out, like the presents that have come in the mail, etc, but know that they were much, much appreciated. I’m such a lucky woman, and it was a wonderful day and I felt very “celebrated”. Thanks for thinking of me! I am so blessed and loved! God’s been so good to me!

It’s time to catch y’all up on photos from the last couple weeks! Above is from 2 weeks ago this Saturday, when we picnic-ed with Toones at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The trees and flowers were beautiful, and we snagged this family photo in front of a bright area of tulips. Unfortunately, it was impossible to catch Analise’s smiles that day as she ran all over the gardens.

This past weekend my Grandma Vivian and her husband, Charlie, made the long journey to Alabama from their home in Indiana. We had such a wonderful weekend with them! Analise loved having them to play with. She enjoyed climbing up on the couch next to them to read together.

I think she was planning to go back with them, too! First, she somehow managed to drag Charlies hardback suitcase into the living room. Then she plopped down next to Grandma to study the map in detail (she even said it was a map – her daddy’s passed on his love for maps even at this young age!).

Then, while we were all in the living room, she disappeared for a bit and returned with a set of keys that we finally figured out were for Charlie’s suitcase… they’d been inside! Sure enough, she’d opened it, and was packing her animals inside, and sat herself right down in it, ready to go:) Grandma just told me this morning that they found 2 of Analise’s toys stuck inside Charlie’s shoes that had been packed in his suitcase when they arrived home! If she couldn’t go, she found a way to send a bit of herself home with them.

Lastly, a couple cute pictures from this week. Only this first one needs explanation: While we were in the kitchen getting ready to bring dinner to the table, we heard Analise clinking silverware in the dining room. She was up on the chair, transferring Brian’s salad from the bowl to the table, carefully picking out her favorite, the croutons.

We sure enjoyed having Brian home last week! Analise has been missing him during the sday, but we’re managing. I don’t know exactly where the week has gone, but here it is almost Friday already. My grandma Vivian and her husband Charlie are coming for a visit tomorrow until Monday. I’ve got an unbelieveable meal planned for tomorrow… if it turns out as I hope, I’ll post the recipes next week.

I’m 30 weeks pregnant already, but the aching is getting worse. My back is so painful these days, I think I need to make a physical therapy appointment. Thank goodness for swim class tomorrow. Have I mentioned it’s hard to pick up a 25lb toddler with back pain? Not to mention the bending over to pick up food/toys/clothes/etc. I can’t believe how much more active I am this pregnancy than I was with Analise – just out of necessity because I’ve got her!

One of Brian’s fellow professors at Samford emailed him this funny link about the Dead Grandmother/Exam Syndrome. Very interesting and mind boggling research!

I had one or two others, but they’re slipping my mind at the moment. I’ll post them when I think of them. Oh, and for those checking in for Analise tidbits, her new phrase this week is, “Oh boy!” She’s parroting nearly every 2 syllable word we say. It’s sweet and amazing to see her changing so fast!

Click on any of the pictures in this blog to zoom in to see a larger picture.

 

We are enjoying Spring Break here in Alabama! Woo-hoo! We drove to Alabama’s highest point, Cheaha Mountain,
on Wednesday. It was a cool, clear, beautiful early Spring day. We drove some nice back roads to get there
following the same route that I took when I biked to
Samford’s new faculty retreat in January.

Analise decided to carry on an interesting conversation about ducks, cows, mommy, and daddy for almost
the entire two hour drive. She’s been amazingly observant in the car, keeping her eyes
constantly open for ducks and doggies. The conversation went something like this:
“Ducks? Wheah ducks? Moah (more)! Mommy, Daddy ducks! Doggie? (doggie sound) Ahh gone.
Moah? Moah! Ducks! Mmmmmmmmoo! (constipated cow sound).” I wish we could have taped it.
Very entertaining. She’s such a chatterbox lately! The other amazing thing was that she didn’
t nap – as we thought she would – on the entire 2 hour trip in the early afternoon.
Too much to talk about, I guess!

We parked at a lovely boardwalk trail that takes you to a beautiful overlook. (See the pictures at the top of this page).
Alongside the trail, though, is a rocky path that takes you to the overlook as well. We decided to take the path and let
Analise try hiking on her own for the first time. She loved it! She’s like a little mountain goat! My dad would be so
proud to see his little granddaughter climbing all over the rocks. She wanted to stand on top of all the rocks she found.
When she’d get past a rocky section, she’d take off running. A bit precarious, but we didn’t have any spills, amazingly.
At the overlook, we spent some time climbing the rocks, and from a distance away, Analise hard a dog, and she was
determined to get to it. We visited with the sweet Australian sheep dog, while Analise alternatingly lunged at him to
kiss him and leaned away as he nuzzled up to her. She loved it – going between squeals of laughter, cries of “Doggie!”
and her little doggie sounds. The dog loved her enthusiasm, I think:) We took the boardwalk trail back, and we had to
practically run to keep up with Analise.

After a short rest, we drove to the highest point on the mountain so we could check out the amazing view. We had to
climb up an old observation deck (built in the 1940’s) to get above the trees. Analise was amazing. She climbed up all
62 stairs (we counted on the way back down). The view was great, but we were ready to go hiking again. Off we went, and
we found a waterfall next to the road. We parked above the waterfall, and found that there was a cool pond behind it.
I told Analise that we might see some “fish” in the pond. Analise responded by saying, “Pish, Pish, Iwanpish, Iwanpish”.
We actually didn’t see any fish, but there were hundred of tadpoles swimming around.

All of our adventuring left us pretty hungry, so we decided to have dinner at the restaurant located on a cliff next to
the edge of the mountain. Analise was so good even though she had not had a nap all day, and she had hiked, climbed, and
walked all over the mountain, too. During dinner though, Analise pulled over a cup of ice water and it spilt all over her.
The shock of the cold water led to some crying, but we exchanged her wet onesie for a sweat jacket and all was good.
Then we watched a beautiful “God-painted” sunset together. A biker (motorcycle) told us that the sunset was God-painted,
and we agreed. Finally, we left to drive home, and Analise was asleep within five minutes of leaving and didn’t
wake up until the next morning. We drove home on part of the Cheaha Challenge bicycle route. Whew! Can’t wait to do that
ride in May.

Pictures, pictures, pictures! Click on any of the pictures in this blog to zoom in to see a larger picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Sorry we haven’t posted a blog this week! Brian’s on spring break, and we’ve really just been enjoying ourselves hanging out together, resting, getting things done, doing fun stuff. We’re in the middle of writing a lengthy blog with pictures from an adventure we took to Mount Cheaha this Wednesday. Today we visited Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve here in Birmingham and saw some fun animals.

Monday was exciting, as Brian’s parents arrived back from South Carolina with furniture for us! His grandmother has moved into a smaller apartment, so we inherited some nice furniture to fill our empty front, formal living room, along with some REAL dining room furniture. I’ll post a pic of that later too. I’ve been busy trying to put all the clutter away and get the house back in order. Kind of hard not to overdo it with all the back pain I’m having lately, but Brian’s been a huge help. Speaking of his help, he’s conquered the child-lock project that haunted him from 2 months ago. The magnetic Tot Lok’s are installed in the kitchen, and they work really well. Brian proudly showed it to everyone who came for our home church gathering last night. He’s even ready to get them installed in the 2 bathrooms. My domestic hero!

Analise has been sweet all week, and she’s loving having her daddy around. She’s a chatterbox, full of at least 20 new words that she’s using ALL THE TIME.

As I said in the title, Birmingham is in bloom. I have decided, I love Wisconsin in the fall because of the beautiful colors and the changing season. But I also love spring in the south. The cherry trees are full of poofy white blossoms, the redbud trees splash a bright pink in the midst of all the white, tulips and azaleas are in full color, the Bradford pear trees have turned a bright, spring-green color, and the occassional hardwood is budding in red or orange. Love it. It’s just beautiful to drive around and see all the color.

Ok, another exciting Friday evening at the Toones wraps up. Off to hopefully finish the blog and get some good rest. I’m still battling a cough, but thankfully, I’m much improved over last week. We’re having a picnic in the Birmingham Botanical Gardens tomorrow. Check back later!

Today is the first day of Spring, and I just found these great pictures that Kristine took last week of the beautiful Springtime in Alabama. Many of the smaller trees are blooming, and some of the larger ones are growing light green leaves that stand out on a hillside that still has a large number of “winter” trees. In the left picture above, you can see Analise running through our front yard with one of our red bud trees blooming behind her. In the right picture, you can see Analise holding onto the dogwood tree that we planted for her shortly after moving to Alabama. Kristine told me that Analise had been running circles around the tree.

Here is our neighbor’s beautiful “snow” tree. There are many trees like this in Alabama that bloom full of white blossoms that look like snow. You can also see the many pink blossoms on the bush growing next to our house.

Finally, I took this last picture of Analise as we were getting ready for church on Sunday. We started out by telling Analise she could take her baby and a book. The next thing we know, Analise has grabbed her toy grocery basket and was loading it up with as many things as she could possibly fit in it! Food, toys, books, and more!

I had a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday morning and came home to find Analise and my friend Lauren having a tea party in the guest bedroom. I snagged this picture later in the day – after her nap, which is why her hair is fuzzy – and the table was not so neatly set, but it was still an enjoyable tea time, just the same. If you come visit us, I’m sure Analise will serve you tea, as well!

I’ve been fighting a sinus infection all week, and maybe – fingers crossed – today’s the day I start feeling better. I’m more than ready… it’s exhausting to be sick and have to be mommy. Poor Brian hadn’t had anything decent for dinner since last Thursday, so he was excited that we had our home church over last night. Mmmm… good food – Paula Deen’s (from the Food Network) Barbecue Meatloaf. I have never really enjoyed meatloaf, but this was GOOD and very easy. I made dessert, something nearly identical to this recipe – Paula Deen’s Gooey Toffee Butter Cake. Instead of toffee bits, I used 1 cup of chocolate chips, melted with 1 cup of the cream cheese batter, poured on top and marbled. It was delicious!

Thank goodness today’s Friday. I’ve missed my swim class all week, and I can definitely feel that my body is missing stretching and moving in the water. But my regular babysitters – Grandma Beverly and Grandpa Tom – are in South Carolina for the week, and I’ve been coughing so much, I’d probably cough through the whole class. Besides being Friday, spring break starts today for Brian. Woohoo! We don’t have much planned except to hopefully get out and enjoy the beautiful spring blooms and catch up on a few household projects. Hope everyone’s doing well!