Just a quick picture of Analise building with the new blocks that Poppa Dale sent her. She – and I! – are really enjoying them. She, particularly, is enjoying anytime we get down on the floor to play with her. But today, we were building, and I was trying to snap a couple pics,and I was lucky enough to get this first one before she started saying, “Mommy, put camera away. Keep building!” It was so funny. She’s talking so well, it’s just amazing! I kept trying to pull it out and get another picture, but she was adamant that I put it down and keep building. We had a fun time:)

I’ve had a wonderful relaxing week with Brian and Analise at VBS in the mornings. Josiah and I have snuggled lots, I’ve gotten some thank you’s done, done a bit of cleaning, folded some laundry, but really spent some good time with my handsome little man. I’m feeling so much better about things this week.

Ok, we’re off to dinner with Bwaka and Boppa. Have a great weekend!

Today’s been a bit crazier than I had expected. Brian got Analise to “school” this morning, for her last day of the summer Mother’s Day Out. Josiah was incredibly unhappy this morning, and he’s been congested for the past two weeks. I’ve been debating taking him to the doctor, but I haven’t felt like it was necessary since he hasn’t had a fever. I decided finally that today was the day, just to make sure his little cold hadn’t turned into an ear infection. Sure enough, it had. My poor boy, not even 6 weeks old, and already he’s got his first ear infection. I’m crossing my fingers that this isn’t a trend. And guess how much he weighs already! Over 11 lbs! All that eating is fattening him up!

I dropped the prescription off at the pharmacy, and decided since Josiah had finally dropped off to sleep that I could steal away for my pedicure. It was LUXURIOUS. I thorougly enjoyed it, and my toes look great:) But i called Brian near the end of it to see how things were goin and if he wanted me to pick up some lunch. I could hear wailing in the background. But my sweet husband sounded calm and in control, and told me not to worry and to take my time. It was sweet… back in the early days (meaning “first child”), he would have been panicking and begging me to get home as fast as I could. But he’s been through this before and knows that crying will pass. I’m awfully proud of him:)

So we’ve got our antibiotics, Analise is napping, and Josiah is grumping a bit. Hope he feels better soon.

Brian’s teaching Vacation Bible School, and Analise has been going with him. So for most of this week, it’s just Josiah and I on our own in the mornings. WOW – is life easy with one child! I’m taking plenty of time to hold him, just as he enjoys so much. He’s such a snuggly little baby! He really sleeps so much better during the day when he’s in someone’s arms, but if he can’t be held, he’s sleeping a bit better if he’s swaddled tightly. But when I do have some time with my hands free, I’m at a loss with what to do with myself because there’s so many things to get caught up on! Empty the dishwasher, clean the kitchen, pick up toys, fold laundry, write thank yous, address baby announcements… where do I start?? I’m making a little headway, but let this serve as a preliminary “thank you” to those of you deserving it. And for those of you looking forward to a baby announcement… I’m slowly but surely working on it!

Crazy enough – here I sit with a few minutes to myself, and what am I doing? Taking pictures, uploading them and writing a blog:) Just want you all to get a chance to enjoy some of the sweetness I get to see! (The one below was taking as I was holding him, and I was contorting myself at a weird angle, trying not to move bc I didn’t want to use the flash. The things we do for pictures of our kids!) I think in the last couple days, Josiah’s outgrown the “newborn” phase and now he’s more of a baby. He’s plumping up, his baby acne is clearing up, he’s got much better control of his head (unless he’s sleepy), he’s more awake/alert, and he’s enjoying looking at us like he actually sees us. He really is a handsome little man!

Yesterday, I had a doctor’s appointment, and since Brian and Analise were at VBS, Josiah went with me. Then we visited the pool to say hello to all my swim classmates. They were thrilled to meet Josiah, of course. Tomorrow, while Analise is at her last day of “school” (Mother’s Day Out at Lakeside), I’m getting a pedicure courtesy of a gift certificate from church with my friend Lindsay. In the evening is a fun event that our church is hosting, One Amazing Night. It’ll be a carnival with all kinds of FREE fun stuff to do. Hope it’s not too hot!

In case you’re wondering, Brian’s doing ok. He’s awfully sore from his crash on Sunday, and he’s slowly scabbing over. He’s a bit grumpy because he had to ride to work this afternoon, but I suppose with the temp nearly 100 and a heat index over 100, it’s probably a good thing. He’s supposed to talk to the police officer this afternoon to see if anything’s changed about the hit-and-run. We’ll keep you posted. Gotta run… Josiah’s awake and hungry!

Well, I think tomorrow will be the first day in several months that I will not even touch my bike. Today as I was biking home from church after the VBS training and prep time, my front wheel slid out from under me as I was making a corner. I’ve included a diagram of the accident. Kristine took some pictures of my road rash, but they’re too gross to post. When I got home, Kristine helped me clean up with a bath. Analise woke up from her nap and came into the bathroom. She said all of the following things: "Daddy hurt?", "Daddy fall down?", "It’s ok." "Daddy all better.", "I wanna wash Daddy."

Thankfully, I fared better than some of the riders in today’s stage of the Tour De France!  Check out the video on olntv.com. I’ll post a link in the comments section later tonight. Or feel free if someone else finds a link to the video to post it below.

Today is Cow Appreciation Day at Chik-Fil-A. We took advantage of the offer today at lunch to get a free combo meal if you dress up like a cow by dressing both Analise and Josiah up as cows. I used a permanent marker to turn Josiah’s hospital shirt into a cow shirt. Analise already had a nice cow cloth diaper that we turned inside out to put the cow print on the outside. And we had two free delicious combo meals! Check out my beautiful cow family posing with the real live cow person:

Update, update!
We just got back from dinner a little while ago. Guess where we ate??? Yep, we went back to Chik-Fil-A for dinner. This time, they were giving out free desserts and roses and it was awesome. We met my parents and had a great time. Josiah still slept pretty much the whole time, but Kristine got in the spirit with a cow and a rose. Analise was excited to see the cow again and show off the cow that we brought with us. She even did the cow “break dance”. Then finally Josiah woke up just in time for two full size “cows” complete with cow bells to walk into the store. Here’s some fun pictures and two videos at the end…

Watch video	Watch video

Just wanted to share something Brian read tonight as we shared a few quiet moments after the little ones were asleep. Galatians 6:9-10 in The Message says:

So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us…

A good reminder for me in this season. A little fuel for another day of motherhood.

This picture is actually from Monday, which was farily productive. But yesterday and today have been spent much like this photo. He loves to lay chest-to-chest, and today that seemed to be the only way he wants to sleep. So we go from eating, to burping on my shoulder, to setting him in the swing. Then he starts complaining, so I’ll hold him and within seconds of me holding him, he’ll be dozing off, so I’ll sit on the couch a while, letting him go to sleep. Then I’ll gently try to move him to the Boppy pillow or the swing again, but he hasn’t slept more than 45 minutes or so other than on my chest. And since we had our friends over for the weekly home church, he went from one set of arms to another, and slept the whole time on someone’s chest. It is sweet to hold him, though, and you can just feel how content he is to be so close to you, with his quiet little sleepy squeaks and sighs. It’s been hard to get anything done, but I am remembering with a tug at my heart these days will be short and before I know it I’ll be wishing he was small enough to snuggle with and quiet enough to hold as he’s falling asleep.

A few more pictures of life in the Toone household… First, a quiet Josiah in the mirror just before his bath. In the next photo, Analise saw Josiah on his belly on the bed and decided they would be turtles together. Then she wanted to line all the animals up on their bellies to be turtles with Josiah. Fourth, Analise with all her friends on the bed, and then Josiah posing with all the friends on the bed. Finally, one more glimpse of our handsome little man enjoying his swing. I think he’s just recently noticed the fish circling around above him (on the mobile)!

Not only have I bought great things on Ebay, but when you finally dive in and SELL something, it’s an even greater “rush” to see your auction end than when you win:) My first Ebay selling experience came after I found a pair of Robeez baby shoes at a consignment sale for $7. These retail for $20-25, and never go on sale. Even on Ebay they were selling for no less than that price. When I put them up for sale, sure enough… they sold for $23 (not including shipping) and I made $16. Sweet!

Two weeks ago, I found a Pottery Barn Kids tote bag on Ebay that I thought would work as a diaper bag, now that our awesome pink Kate Spade knock-off tote/diaper bag is falling apart (and Josiah needs a more boy-appropriate color). The bag arrived, but it didn’t seem to fit my long list of requirements. Since it was brand new, with the tags still on, I decided to try listing it again on Ebay, in hopes of selling it for what I paid – $10.49. Lo and behold, the auction ended today, and it sold for $25.51! A whopping $15.02 of profit! WOOHOO!! I’ve decided I should go into Ebay-business:) It’s inspired me to finally post a few more things on Ebay that I’ve been meaning to sell.

Off to browse Ebay for something to spend my PayPal funds on…hehehe:)

It’s like good ol’ times here at the Toone house. I’m home with Josiah while Kristine is at the dentist and while Analise is at the Mother’s Day Out program at Lakeside. Here’s Josiah in his fish swing covered in the blanket Anna and Hal made. Josiah being in the swing reminds me somewhat of when I was taking care of Analise and she would swing in the same swing while I was working on my dissertation! Kristine is the one taking care of the little one this time (and his big sister, too!) while I’m working or riding so I enjoy these times I get to spend with him.

Here is an update on the bike accident investigation and aftermath. First, about replacing my bike, I got a chance to test ride this Trek Madone bike from a friend at Cahaba Cycles. He is selling this bike in about a month, so if all works out and insurance will pay for at least some of it, then I may be able to purchase this exact bike shown in the picture above. Next, about the hit and run investigation, I just talked to the Birmingham police, and I was informed that a letter has been sent to the address listed for the owner of the vehicle. They are currently waiting to hear a response back. If they don’t hear anything in 15-20 days, they will send police to the house to find out answers that way. Stay tuned!

We had a laid back weekend, and it’s been a quiet Monday, as well. Brian is test-riding a super-fast-and-fancy bike to replace his that was pretty much totalled in the accident. I wondered how the bike can really be that much faster… isn’t it Brian that’s fast? Well, he headed out for a 3 hour ride yesterday, which he’s done before, and he knows well. He was home in less than 2.5 hours! I was pleasantly surprised, and he’s excited about the bike.

We had a wedding shower to go to on Saturday night, so Grandma Beverly offered to babysit mid-afternoon to give us a chance to hang out. Analise had a wonderful time playing at Grandma’s, as usual, and we relaxed at Barnes & Noble, browsing books about Alabama looking for fun things to do with the Hafflys when the come in just over a month (yeah!!!). Then we ventured to a new restaurant, Up the Creek Fish Camp and Grill. Brian said on the way in he wasn’t sure he was in the mood for fish, but there were so many options we eventually settled on sharing the Charbroiled Tilapia with Lobster Creole cream sauce. It was outstanding! Tilapia is very not-fishy tasting, the seasonings were great, and the cream sauce was the perfect touch. We also shared an appetizer platter of fried things – pickles, green tomatoes (neither of which I enjoy, but are AL specialties), shrimp, hush puppies and chicken tenders. It was a great meal! Then we headed to the shower for our friends Natalie and Shane, which was a great time to relax and catch up with friends. I had a great time, but I was so tired. Josiah was with us, but he slept nearly the whole time, including being passed around from one set of arms to another at the party.

Brian’s at work right now, I’m about to head off to fold some laundry, Josiah is asleep, and Analise is snacking next to me. I feel like we’re doing pretty good today:) This week is a little busy with dentist and doctor’s appointments, getting ready for VBS at church next week, and school for Analise on Wednesday. We’ll keep you posted, and hopefully, I’ll find some time in the next day or two to post a couple cute pictures from yesterday.