Joey, Lauren, Brody and Peighton

The Good and The Bad

2011-05-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

The Bad

I guess it is customary to start out with the bad... go ahead and get it out there and end on a positive, right? For those of you that did not know, about 2 months ago we found out I was pregnant with our 3rd child. I know... I was a little behind on blogging. Surprise, surprise!?! Well, this past Monday I was having a little spotting and went to the doctor to get it checked out. They did an ultrasound and were unable to find a heartbeat. I would have been 12 weeks this past week. It all felt a little surreal at first. Previously, I had two easy pregnancies and deliveries and it didn't even cross my mind we would have any problems. I can look back in hindsight now and definitely see differences. (Not that it would have made it easier on that Monday). I had a procedure done on Thursday and am feeling a lot better than I did Monday thru Thursday morning. I am doing good. We are all good. We have 2 wonderful kids and will give it a little time and try again. I am blessed to have so many thoughts and prayers on my behalf. I am thankful for my husband and the comforting blessing he gave me. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and knows of my situation. It has been nice to fully rely on Him and see the blessings that come from doing so. To end on a funny note... Brody was convinced he had a baby in his belly too. I kept trying to explain that only mommies had babies, yet he was persistent in saying he did too. So, I asked him what we were going to do with two babies... his answer was name both of the boys in our bellies Hannah. I guess the good news is, we still have Brody's baby boy named Hannah left! :)

The Good

So much good!! Peighton is running around and talking up a storm. I do think that the only time she is not talking or trying to talk is when she sleeps. (I guess I can only blame myself here... my mom says I was the same way). She and Brody play together so cute! She follows him around all day. He is sweet to her... most of the time at least. Brody is growing so much too. He is figuring out how to do so much. He is trying to learn how to ride the skateboard. He loves playing basketball and baseball. He wants to sit on a piece of wood (a bench) and watch people play soccer. He loves running and playing outside. Summer is finally starting. YAY!! I channeled my inner redneck and decided until our pool opened, I would get Brody and Peighton a blow up pool for our backyard. They love it. It is fun to see them laughing and splashing around. I have so much hope for Brody this year in the water. Also, so much fear for Peighton.... she does not have any sense of limits when it comes to water. Summer is still the busiest time for Joey. He is doing great and staying busy. His last week teaching Seminary is this next week, so his mornings won't start so, so early anymore. As for me, I am thrilled summer is here and the pool opens this week. AHH! My favorite time of year. Just thrilled!! that is about all I have to say! :) Enjoy some pictures!!!

Yes, we are still alive!!

2011-03-24T10:35:00.000-07:00

After the Charlotte Half Marathon

Not the best of me... but having fun playing in the snow at our house

Just thought this was cute of Brody and Peighton doing the same thing :)

1st Birthday-spotting the cake

Brody played on the "basketball floor" and jumped in all the puddles on a rainy day

Say Cheese

Christmas Eve 2010- a little blurry, sorry! (couldn't figure out how to delete it :))

Picnic at the Park

Joey and Brody- Charleston
Joey and Peighton- Leatherwood Mountains

Mountains again-Brody is loving life with his mittens

Attempt at a family picture in the mountains after taking Brody fishing

Family Picture 2010

Delicious Burger place in Chicago- Billy Goat Tavern

Halloween 2010

1st Birthday- just getting started
And....done-getting cleaned off before the bath!

Since my last post was in September, (insert shame face) there is a lot that has gone on. I had my 28th birthday,we visited Chicago in October, spent Thanksgiving in the mountains and in Charleston, I ran 2 half marathons, spent Christmas in Mississippi, rang in the new year around 10 pm, celebrated Peighton's 1st birthday and currently, just enjoying the amazing weather here in North Carolina.

We are all doing so good. Brody is getting bigger and bigger. He has such an imagination and talks your head off. He is just starting potty training and did awesome, then got sick... so it is on hold for a few days. Hopefully we will get going on that again real soon. He loves to run and play outside. Thinks "Tow-Mater" and daddy are his best friends, rides the skateboard on his belly and has a new found love for bowling and golf. The movie Cars is his favorite.. he tells me he is "a one man show", which is a line from that movie. He is so much fun and is such a good boy. Peighton is going to miss center of attention. She loves the spotlight and will make herself laugh so hard to get you to look at her and smile. She is the happiest little girl. She is a pro crawler and is taking a few steps by herself, but she wants to walk so bad. I bet she will be there soon. She is a big girl. 24 and a half pounds of cuteness. She can say "mama" and "daddy" and "alice" (which is a song we sing) and "uh-oh" she loves to wave and snuggle, give kisses and hugs. She jabbers all day long. She is trying to talk to us and tell us stories. She will talk and then laugh... whatever she is trying to say, she thinks is so funny. I can not believe she is already one. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful family. We are having so much fun and really enjoying life :)

Get ready for a little picture overload!!!

2010-09-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

She gets worn out when she eats a lot ;)

This is at a little place called The Dish. Brody was happy we were done with lunch!!

He loves to watch Calliou (a PBS show) on our phone. He likes to hold it all by himself.

We just took a trip to Utah for a friends wedding!

Such a happy girl....obviously this is her favorite place to be :) near food!!!

She loves to roll around and try and crawl! She'll probably start crawling real soon!

We went to Atlanta with my family for Brody's birthday. We went to Stone Mountain and this is at the Children's Museum. I thought he looked so cute in that little smock.

Brody trying on our backpack for size.... It was as long as him!!!

We are all doing really good!! It is such a fun stage right now with the kids. Brody is getting so helpful with Peighton and he always wants to talk to her and he really likes to make her smile! Peighton will be 7 months next week. She weighs a good 21 pounds. She is in the 97th percentile. I could not be more proud :) We (mostly me and Brody) are excited for Halloween. Brody is going to be a fireman and Peighton is going to be a pink cat! Both are so cute! Brody keeps telling me he is going to dress like a fireman and save the fire... we're still working out the kinks in what a fireman actually does ;) I'll end with a funny Brody story... So one morning I was so tired and I told that to Brody. A little while later he comes to me and says "mommy--you're tired??" ( his voice going up at the end of his sentence so I know it is a question) I say- "yes baby I am." He says "want to take a nap?" I say, " I sure wish I could." He then says- "want to sleep in my big boy bed?" I laugh and ask him who would keep Peighton if I nap. He says, "I keep Peighton." I sure wish that could have happened. It sure was nice of him to offer. :)

2010-07-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

Peighton at 4 1/2 months old in her 9 month old swimsuit!!! She is loving life!

Smiling at mom!!!

Brody picked out his favorite hat! I think pink is a nice color on him

Peighton just waking up from a little nap in the swing.

Brody in his super cool shades!

Peighton's model pose-look at her rolls!! I think winter will be her most flattering season :)

Brody in Florida about to head out for a dive

Cutest little girl ever!!

Days of Summer

2010-06-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

I am so happy that summer is here!!! We have a pool in our neighborhood that I take the kids to most days. It has a little kid pool with little waterfalls and Brody is able to walk around and play in the water. He is getting so good in the pool. We started out playing outside the pool with toys and now he loves to play in the water with his toys. Peighton loves the water too. She will sit with me in the water for a good 45 minutes and then she gets tired and I feed her and she goes to sleep in the shade! It is really a good set up!!

We went to Florida with my family the beginning of June for a week. We had a blast and it was so nice to be able to relax and enjoy the beach. Brody loved the sand..not so much the waves.... Joey and I went sea kayaking. That was really fun. We took Brody to a dolphin show and he loved it. He still tells me at least once a day about that dolphin show and how he saw sea lions!! It was nice to get to see my family and spend time with them. I will post those pictures soon.

That about catches you up on us so far this summer. I had a little photo shoot with the kids one afternoon after the pool and naps and we got some pretty cute pictures! Brody is getting so big and loves to smile for pictures now. Peighton is growing like crazy and is just a cute, happy little girl!!!

2010-05-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

We decided to bless Peighton out here instead of back in Utah. My mom, sister, and little niece, (my dad was out of town) and Joey's parents were all here! We were so happy to have everyone was able to come and it was extra special to be able to be with both of our moms on Mother's Day. It was a such a great gift to hear Joey give her a blessing on my first Mother's Day with her. The blessing was so beautiful and she looked so pretty. Thank you Storey for letting us borrow your dress! :)

Peighton is just talking and cooing like crazy and is getting so strong. She can sit propped up on the couch. She now plays with and tries to grab things in front of her. She is just the sweetest little girl! At her 2 month appt. she weighed 12 lbs. 5 oz. So she is moving right into 6 month clothes, just like every other 2 and a half month old. :) Brody now talks to me in full sentences. It is so neat to watch him grow and watch him put words together to make a sentence. He really is catching on to a lot. Our neighbors gave him a plastic slide that they are not using anymore and he loves it! He has figured out he likes skateboards and can sit on it and roll. His new favorite thing is a soft t-ball stand with a bat and a ball (thank you Meme). He can put the ball on the top and hit it off and says "home run" haha!!

Well that catches you up on the kids!!! Joey and I are doing awesome too! He is busy with work, which is good and is on a softball team. He loves being able to get out and play. I am enjoying running again. I must say it is a little harder pushing 2... but I am glad I get to run. Joey got me an exercise bike for Mother's Day and I really have enjoyed having it. It is nice to mix it up!

Hope you like the new pictures.

The Latest.....

2010-05-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

Excuse the double chin ;)-I really like the picture

Peighton with Carson who is a week older.

Brody in some super cool bunny shades

Smiling by our back door-one of my favorites

Happy Girl!!!!

Things are going so great here! Peighton weighed in at a plump 10 lbs. 7 oz. at her 1 month... we go back for her 2 month this coming week. She is super happy and cooing a ton! She now likes to play with dangly toys. It is so fun to watch her grow. She is so sweet and it is great to wake up to her smile. Brody is doing wonderful too. He can sing his ABC's now and recognizes over half of the letters. He is now on this big "I go do it" kick... Ex.. Peighton starts crying and Brody says "Peighton crying....I go get her." It is really cute! He loves her a lot and she smiles when he starts talking to her. Another funny note on the "poopisodes" (see proir post if reading this for the first time) so it happened again... same reaction. This time I am getting him ready for bed and I am telling him it's ok and I ask him if he was scared of the poop and he starts saying "nice poop" and I say "yeah, it was" and basically from there try and tell him he does not need to be scared of it... He then says "Momma scared of poop." I laugh and say "oh you think...I think Brody was scared of poop, not mom." Well, apparantly he remembers the scenario a different way because he says "mom scared of poop" everywhere.... Wal-Mart, the park...to name a few. He says it loud too...I just laugh and say baby we need to whisper that... :) He makes me laugh a lot and he really is funny. After 2 months of being a mom of 2 now, I feel like we are all adjusted and in a pretty good little routine. We are all doing really well and just having a blast the four of us. :) Hope you like the new pictures!!!

Funny Story......

2010-04-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

So the other night...me, Joey and the kids went to Costco. We got home after 8 and usually I will just put Brody to bed and give him a bath the next morning. However, we played outside and with all the pollen and his new favorite discovery...dirt, and the spray sunscreen in his hair... he needed a bath before bed. So..picture this.... I have both the kids in the bathroom...Brody is in the bath, bathed and with shampoo in his hair and Peighton is in her bouncy seat. She decides that she wants to eat right then, so I start feeding her and Brody is just playing with his toys. Meanwhile, Joey is unloading the car. All of a sudden, I look down and Brody has pooped in the bath tub and is yelling and crying. I yell to Joey to come and get Brody because he pooped and is scared of it.... I mean... I am not sure why he was scared, but he sure was!!! Joey gets him out, takes him to the sink to finish washing his hair and then takes him to his room to get him dressed!! I get done feeding Peighton and go to Brody's room and right at that moment, Joey has Brody standing up drying him off and what happens.... he starts peeing all over Joey. We start laughing so hard. Brody starts crying again....It was a perfect ending to the whole situation. We were having one of those great parenting moments. I am pretty sure I have it written down somewhere in response to the question what will you be doing in 10 years after high school and I said cleaning poop out of the bath tub and pee out of the carpet!! ;) Family is what makes this life better and strangely enough, I love having crazy moments like that!! Well....maybe not JUST like that.... :)

Everything else is going great! Peighton will be 5 weeks tomorrow and is growing a ton. She has moved out of that brand new baby stage and is really filling out!! She is awake a lot more and smiling a ton. Brody is still doing great with her. He loves to play in the park and go down the slide and swing!!

Here are a few new pictures! There are some new ones along the side of the blog as well. We will have a picture of the four of us soon! :)

2 weeks and counting!!

2010-03-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

Peighton is just over 2 weeks now and is doing so good!!! She is eating like a champ and was back to her birth weight by the end of the first week. She is a lot like Brody and is a pretty chill baby. She is sleeping about 3-4 hours at a time... Brody is doing great as well. He has not been jealous of her at all. Half the time he is in his own little world... He comes up to her and says "hi Peighton" and "love you Peighton" and likes to point out all her features...his favorite being her eyes :) He has been great through this whole transition. Ever since we got home, Brody has seemed so big to me. Not just size wise, but overall... He is really getting to be such a little toddler. He says everything you say. He tries to sing his ABC's and can almost count to 10.... He leaves out 3,4, and 7...but hey...we are almost there.... He runs all around the house. He has gotten really fast too. He now has 8 teeth and a few more coming through... My little toothless wonder is really turning out to be a real kid ;) He genuinely makes me laugh most of the day. Here are a few more pictures of Peighton and couple of Brody.

Little Peighton Michelle

2010-03-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, we welcomed Peighton Michelle Toone to our family Saturday March 6th at 8:54 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and was 19 and 3/4 inches long. As you can see she has a great head of hair and is as sweet as can be.

Lauren did an amazing job. It was a privilege to be at my wife's side and witness the birth of Peighton. It's humbling to see your spouse work so hard for such a noble cause. Lauren did wonderfully and my hat is off to all mothers.

We brought Brody up to the hospital and he was not really interested in Peighton or the room that Lauren was staying in. So I ended up walking around the hospital with him for 2 hours. Since we have been home he has taken more of an interest and is learning to be soft and give Peighton kisses. We missed him incredibly while we were in the hospital and appreciate all those who helped watch him while we were there.

Lauren's parents got in town Sunday morning and have been a huge help. With their help we have really been able to focus on Peighton and Brody. I am sorry for taking so long to post pictures but we have enjoyed taking our time with the kids and getting settled back in at home. We feel blessed beyond what we deserve and are thankful for all the thoughts and prayers directed our way. We love you all and will post again soon. -Joey

New Pics and IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

2009-10-18T17:11:00.000-07:00

Here are some new pictures of Brody.... he is really getting so big!!! And yes, to everyone's surprise other than mine.... it is a girl!!! :) :) We could not be more excited!!

Sleeping

So sleepy!!!!

Definitely holding a plunger :)

Just loving life and his truck!!

This is a long one.....

2009-09-21T15:21:00.000-07:00

There is a lot to catch up on.....I guess I should start with camping in Green River Lakes, WY with me, Joey, my dad, and Joey's dad! This was the first time that me and my dad have been camping together!!! The anticipation of the trip was enough for me to have many laughing moments to myself. We had so much fun though! The camp was set up awesome.... Thanks to Blade!!! There was even a sanitation station..haha!! Turned out to be really nice!! I could have done without the little mirror though... turns out "ignorance really is bliss" :) Brody was super lucky and got to stay with his Grams ( Joey's mom) for the fews days we were camping. This was the first over night trip we have taken without him. We missed him like crazy, but had a blast just the two of us. We canoed in to our campsite. It was beautiful... breathtaking actually. Joey and his dad fly fished. The water was frigid, so I fished from the bank unsuccessfully. : ) One evening we saw a moose grazing in this high meadow, so early the next morning me, Joey and my dad hiked (off the trail) up to the meadow to see if we could find the moose (smart...I know) and right as Joey turned the corner, there he was... a big bull moose. It was really crazy to see him that close. As if I needed proof, but they are huge!! We were probably 25 ft from him. The weather was wonderful and the food really good...even for camping. It was really fun to be back in Utah and see family too. We can't wait to get back for Christmas. We were home for just over a week and then headed off to Boston. This time with Brody. My parents met us there for a few days. Brody loved to see them. We did a lot in Boston. It is a fantastic city. We did the Freedom Trail and toured all the historical parts in Boston with this tour guide named Steve. Yes, Steve was dressed in a colonial costume. It was really awkward because he and Joey were wearing the same thing ;) just kidding. We got to visit Harvard....the old Alma Mater!!!! ha!!! UVU/ Harvard... tomato, tomato right?? No, but really... it is a very pretty campus!! The most fun of all was going to a Red Sox game!!! We had amazing seats... The first night we tried to go, my parents kept Brody so me and Joey could go and enjoy a night to ourselves. I say "tried" to go because the first night got rained out. We still had a blast and ate a lot while we waited for them to call the game. Then we walked home and as if we had not had enough to eat, stopped and got some appetizers to-go and brought them back to our hotel room!!!! We did get to use our tickets on the make up day, but my parents had left, so Brody got to come with us. It was fun to have him there!!! The 2nd baseman, Dustin Pedroia, threw Brody his warm up ball. Joey caught it and gave it to Brody and Brody yelled "ball" real loud and the crowd behind us started laughing and clapping for him. We quickly took the ball from him so we would not have a Philly's incident. :) Then Brody fell asleep on my lap for about 4 innings... Go Brody... Red Sox fans are a very cheerful crowd!!!!

In other news...Brody is doing great... a video never made it on here.... but he is walking like a pro... Since about 2 weeks after his one year birthday. He saying all sorts of words. He has learned bubbles and papa (what he calls my dad). He is finally getting 2 teeth! I will admit I was a little worried for a while... I mean he was the only kid on the block without teeth.

As far as baby #2 goes... Everything is great with that!! I am now 17 weeks... I am through the sick part and am back to feeling good and not having to eat all the time... Old habits die hard :):) We find out in 2 weeks what we are having!!! We will update just as soon as we find out!

Enjoy the new pictures!!!

One year down and 6 and 1/2 months to go!!!

2009-08-11T13:27:00.001-07:00

So...as stated above in the title, I am pregnant with tiny Toone #2. We are really excited! I am doing really well for the most part... back to eating my weight in food to survive, but not too much longer and I will be in the clear. My due date is March 18th. It is kinda crazy we will be four soon!!! Two kids, for some reason, seems so different than one....I guess we will find out sooner than later!!!! I know Brody will be a great big brother... Joey is, once again, convinced it is a little boy...I am not sure yet....We should know in mid October. :) fingers crossed!!!

As for other news... Brody is one!!!! He is such a cute little guy!!! He loves Elmo. I am pretty sure that is actually an understatement. He gets so excited when Elmo is on t.v. or when he looks at Elmo books or sees him in a store.... anything at all Elmo and he is easily distracted for hours. He says a lot of words.... Mamma and Dadda... Elmo, cow ,car, wheel, dog, water, bottle and flower (pronouced wow-wer) and one of his favorites is wow!!! He likes to find your nose.... He calls it a no... He learned to climb the stairs, but not how to get back down. He is not walking quite yet...but is so close. He will hold on to his blanket and I barely have the top of it and he walks, but the second I let go... I may get 2 steps...then he realizes and go to crawl. He's got one of those little trains that he can push all around the house. He takes it everywhere. He comes to where I am.. parks it.... then will play beside me. It is so funny!! He loves to roll cars and trucks all around. He likes to ride in his wagon and go to the park and swing.

We had an Elmo birthday party for him. He loved his Elmo balloon. He did pretty good smashing his cake. He didn't try and eat it much at all. He just liked to play in it. We tried to give him a few pieces and he would eat that, but didn't really do it on his own. My family came in town for the weekend for his birthday. It was fun to have them. We took Brody to the zoo on his actual birthday. He was a little scared at times and I don't think he could see too many of the animals. It was really hot that day, so I think a lot of them were in the shade. Joey put him on his shoulders and he loved it. He was not scared at all up there.

Well, that about sums up the last little bit. All else is great here. Hope you enjoy the new pictures.

Quick Update....

2009-07-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pictures.... The Fray concert, Joey's birthday morning, 4th of July and Brody dressed up in some girls clothes (He had to borrow our friend Elise's pajamas one night-it is the picture in the bright green pajamas).... and a few more cute ones. Enjoy!!!

Crawling, our 1st pool trip, and some oldies but cuties!!!

2009-06-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

Where to start... It is like we have a different baby!!!! So much has happened!!!

Well the summer is our busiest time as most of you know....and it sure has not let us down. Joey has been super busy, but things are going great!!! Brody is doing fantastic too!!! He is crawling now... well half crawl-half monkey walk.... ( just take a look at the video) It gets him from place to place...pretty quick too!!! He gets his little band off on June 29th and he will have a perfectly little round head. We are really excited about that...I am worried that he is going to hit his head hard without it though...he has gotten used to the cushion I think :) He pulls up on anything he can and likes to walk along the couch or table. He is so full of personality and is such a happy little guy!! He laughs a lot and loves Elmo...or "mo" as he says. He says "momma" and "dadda" a lot and knows his name really well. He holds up a ball and says "ba." He says that with a lot of other things too, but I like to think he knows ball :) He weighs 22 pounds and is in 18 month clothes. He is a big boy.

We got to meet my family in Arizona for a week. It was great!! Nice to get away. Brody got to experience the pool for the first time. The first day he was not quite sure what to think... He definitely knew he was not in a big bath tub, but he was ok. Day two through the rest of the week he loved it. By the end, he was splashing around and playing with the ball in the water.

Well, that gives you a brief update of what we have been up to. The first few pictures are new and then there are a few funny and cute older pictures that never got posted!!

2009-04-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

Finally.... a video of Brody laughing...

2009-04-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry ahead of time for the long post.....I am not good at keeping this up on a regular basis....leaving a lot of updating to do and longer post. Let's start with Brody... he is now 8 months old. I can not even believe it... It has gone by entirely too fast. I love the stage that he is in now though... He is so fun!! His personality just burst out of him when he hit 6 months. He is wanting everything now. I am no longer can eat with him in my lap... He has moved up to a high chair when we go out to eat.. the days of him sleeping in his seat are way gone. :) He has found his voice... He talks all the time... He particularly likes to talk during sacrament. He stands on the pew looking backwards talking to whoever is behind us!! It is cute...but I do think he should be more reverent!! ;) He is eating a lot and sleeping through the night from about 7pm to 7 am--gets up to eat and then back down for another hour. It is nice. He can sit up by himself and pull himself up. He has not crawled yet... he more scoots himself around in a circle on his stomach... Much improvement from his previous backwards scoot he would do.... He got a little hemet... actually it is called a band... He has a flat spot on the left side of his head. He will have to wear it 3 months if that...It has already helped. We had an appointment this past Wednesday. He has to wear it 23 hours a day... It now takes me some time to get used to when I take it off... :) When I say "mama" he looks at me and smiles really big and goes "dadadada" !!!! Not quite what I am going for... but I have come to terms that he looks just like Joey and will probably act just like Joey and will say "dada" (and mean it) first!!!

In other news... We are doing awesome... just gearing up for another summer. Joey has been working really hard and this next summer is going to be great!! We hired a secretary, which allows for Joey and I to be away from the office at the same time if we needed to be and allows for Brody to have a really great summer and enjoy outside. We are really excited for that....We had one of Joey's mission companions come and visit. We got to go to Myrtle Beach... Brody and I watched as the boys got in the 52 degree water. Keep in mind it was barely 70 degrees outside and windy....Not your average day at the beach. We had a lot of fun and it was nice to get away. We also met my family in Atlanta for the weekend. It was really nice to see them and they loved to see Brody. We went to the Aquarium. It was actually really cool. I think Brody was not sure what to do.....He did stare a lot. I like to think he enjoyed it!!! :)

This past week was my 8 year anniversary since I joined the church. I am grateful for this gospel and the happiness it brings into my life. I am grateful for my husband and son and for our family... the fact that we are an eternal family. I am grateful for the change in me that happened all because of that still small voice that let me know this gospel was true. I will end on that note....for those of you that are still reading... :) Here are a few pictures of us and Brody.....

Happy Baby

2009-03-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

Post to come....but for now...here are a few new pictures of Brody!! He is a happy little guy!!!

The last month......and then some

2009-01-20T18:25:00.000-08:00

Where to start...So...the last month. Well I guess let's go back to mid December. I ran my half marathon. Quick funny story about that....I ran with 3 of my friends...all of which beat me....my time was 2 hours and 27 minutes. So, you have a chip on your shoe that clocks your official time... and when checking my official time online, I saw Lauren Toone-Monroe-26 Female 2nd Place overall.... WHAT... I definately was not 2nd... I was 4th out of all my friends.... Well turns out the race was a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon and my chip some how got mixed up with a girl who ran it in 1 hour and 27 minutes....Poor girl who worked so hard and got my time.....Oh well...Boston here I come... Apparently I was running good 6 minute miles. The reality was...I finished and was really glad that I did it!

So... Christmas comes next. We spent the holidays in Mississippi with my family. It was great to be home. My mom got Brody a sweet--in the ridiculously funny sense of the word--santa outfit. He pretty much slept through opening presents, but is loving all the cool stuff he got now. We left MS on a Saturday and drove to Atlanta and then back to Charlotte... just to be home for about 12 hours before heading to the airport to fly to Salt Lake to spend the rest of the holidays with Joey's family. His sister Storey, and her husband Ben, were sealed to their little boy Brooks they adopted this past June. Ben also gave Brooks a wonderful blessing. Joey and I also got to go snowboarding on New Years Eve....so much fun!!! We both miss being away from the snow and getting to go boarding. We flew back home on the 1st and got to rest a few days before the office opened back up. Brody was such a trooper....He did well.

Now as far as what has been going on recently.....Brody is now sitting up by himself...unless he gets excited and kicks his arms and legs and falls back. He has been sleeping through the night for a week now....let's hope that continues :) He also loves jumping in his little bouncy swing that he got for Christmas. He weighs about 18 pounds. We go to the doctor this next month and will have official stats!!! He is getting so fun...He laughs so much now. Joey and I are doing great as well!! We found a town home and I can not wait to move. We will post some pictures just as soon as we have some. We will move in about a month. We are just about 3 month away from our second summer, so Joey is working really hard to prepare for the summer. We had our first snow today. We woke up this morning to about 2 inches of snow.... Everything shut down...literally...and everything is on a 2 hour delay for tomorrow...did I mention that about 90% of the snow has melted already??? :) Well that about sums up the last month and what we have been up to....

Cute New Pictures

2008-12-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

2008-11-12T13:54:00.000-08:00

I would like to start off by apologizing on not blogging in weeks and weeks...I have slacked severely. So.... Here we are....Brody is now 3 and 1/2 months old...He weighs about 15 pounds!!! I would just like to share a few weight related stories with you guys!!! A woman at the bank sent a sucker for Brody through the little machine at the drive-thru and a woman at the airport asked if he was 7 months... NO.... (and random age to guess...personally I would have guessed 6 months 2 weeks and 3 days)...Moral of the stories??? He is large for his age. He is wearing 6 month clothes and proudly still sporting the double chinS :) But we love him lots!!! He is smiling and talking...coohing and gooing... I like to translate when we talk... He says "I love you mom" a lot... "I love you dad" when we are with Joey and "I'm starving...I ate like an hour ago" and "I just pooped all over myself" pretty run of the mill conversations... Sometimes I like to play like he is telling me a story and say..."Really" or "No...you didn't say that" It gets a smile out of him... And yes... I am that mom,who in public, coos and goos like an idiot!

As far as other news... he is going through a little growth spurt right now, so he is eating like crazy and is waking up in the middle of the night again.... he was sleeping through... He has started to drool a lot, has rolled all the way over twice... both were accidents I am convinced...none the less he did it... He does roll to one side all the time though. He can sit up and stand on our legs with support. So for those of you that don't know the developmental milestones...he is right on track.... He was a cow for Halloween. The cutest cow in North Carolina that is for sure!!!

In other news, Joey and I are both doing well.... We are enjoying a little bit of a break with the summer being over. I have been running... I am going to do a half marathon in December... I have never been a runner, so it has been fun to train and actually enjoy it!! We went to Utah for Brody's blessing...It was such a fun a trip. We spent most of our time at a cabin in Eden with Joey's family for a family reunion. Brody was blessed on Sunday....Joey gave him a beautiful blessing....and then had lunch with everyone who was there for the blessing. We got to meet Brooks...Storey and Ben's (Joey's sister and Brother-in-law) son who is 2 months older than Brody... He is a cutie and it was neat to see what Brody will be doing soon. It was nice to get away and great to be back in Utah for a visit.

Well I hope you guys all enjoy the new pictures of Brody.

7 Weeks

2008-09-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

So I can't believe how fast time has gone by..... It is Brody's 7 week anniversary.... that is 49 days of life! It has gone by way too fast. I have decided that it is a love-hate time right now. I love how cuddly and small he is and hate that he is now moving from the "oh look how tiny"... to "wow... he is a big baby" stage. But, I LOVE the new stages... There is something new every day that has changed....He smiled 3 big smiles today....I have yet to get it on camera, but hopefully will soon. Now, for those of you who have not met Brody (the majority of you reading this) let me tell you a little bit about him. :) He is an active little guy. He kicks and moves his arms a lot. I can lay him down in the pack and play vertical, but when I check on him a few minutes later, he is just shy of horizontal. He likes to take walks, either in his stroller or in the Baby Bjorn. He is a content baby. He does not cry... except when he is hungry and gives a quick shout whenever he has a bad gas pain. He is almost grown out of his newborn clothes and is into the 3 months size. He can no longer wear the hat you see in one of the pictures. hah... his chinS are in full force. He loves his Binkie. He will sit for hours just chomping on it!!! He loves to be held and cuddled. He is sleeping, burrito style... what I call it when they are wrapped all tight.... in his crib now. He sleeps from about 9 pm until about 3 or so...sometimes waking up about midnight... and then from 3 to about 6:30-7ish. Well I hope that gives you a little insight into who he is and how much he is growing.

As far as other things go.... We are wonderful!! The summer is over and now we work normal hours. It was a great first year!! We are excited for our trip to back to Utah the beginning of October. We miss it there and are excited to get back and see everyone! I will leave you with some updated pictures of Brody. Enjoy!!!

Almost 3 whole weeks!!!

2008-08-20T16:58:00.000-07:00

So I am just as bad at posting as before, except now I actually have something worth posting!!! These past 17 days have been so crazy!! Brody is such a great little guy! He seriously is just perfect. I know...I may be a slight bit biased, but I am already that mom. He is now almost 9 pounds... eating like a champ...pooping like a champ and making sure to pee on everyone that changes him!! We are really proud. He already has so much of a personality! His neck is really strong already. He likes to think he can hold it up himself and he is showing signs of wanting to roll over. I am pretty sure he is going to roll in a week, talk in a month and walk in about 3 months. As you can see... he is advanced for his age. hahaha!!! Really though, on a serious note....Having him is so amazing! Joey is super dad and I would be lost without him. He is so helpful and has been the greatest blessing to me and little Brody. I love being a mom. I love just watching him. I love his little face and cute little body. I love his reflex smiles that he has just after he eats... I keep trying to catch one in a picture, but he gets camera shy. I love his little sounds and love how cute he looks wrapped up like a little burrito... yes the food analagies are still here.....I love the spirit that he brings into our home and how much love we have for him. I love how his little toes point up when he eats and his glorious double chin he works so hard to keep. Well, I will leave you with a few cute pictures of Brody..... He has changed so much, even in the 17 days of life. Thank you to everyone for the calls and visits, thoughts and prayers. Also, thank you mom and dad and Tim and Michele for all the love, support, cleaning, dinners, shopping and for just being there. We appreciate it so much and hope we have expressed that enough!!

Brody Joseph Toone

2008-08-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

He made it!!! Brody Joseph Toone was born this morning at 7:08 am weighing 7 pounds 15 ounces and he is 20 and 3/4 inches long. Both mother and child are healthy and they did an amazing job during labor and delivery. Seriously, Lauren was awesome. Thanks for your prayers and we'll keep the updates and pictures coming. Joey

Not Yet But Soon. . . . . . .

2008-08-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

7 pounds 4 ounces!!!!!!!!! No we haven’t had the baby yet but the doctor told us this morning that this should be his approximate weight. They did an ultra sound and full check up and Lauren scored 8 out of 8 on all the tests and the doctor referred to her pregnancy as “the perfect pregnancy.” For those of you who need a reminder Lauren’s due date is Aug 6th but she has been having contractions since 7/17 and the doctor predicted that she would have the baby a week ago so Lauren is pretty anxious. She has been dilated to a 3 for the last week. She wakes up every morning and walks 3 miles and at night she eats anything spicy. From Wendy’s spice chicken sandwich to extra wasabi with her sushi she is trying everything.
I on the other hand, as of late, have found it very easy to engulf myself with work and not even think about the baby. I have had emotions ranging from throwing up to being so excited I can’t sleep. Mostly I just rub feet and fetch food to fulfill cravings. This is the craziest type of anticipation I have every felt. Now more than every am I grateful for the person I married and the mother she will soon be.
Now I will catch you up on all the other happenings. Over the 4th we were able to sneak away to DC to visit our good friends Burton and Janaya. They recently moved to the DC area and it was great to see them. We are excited to have them so close. This was my first time to DC and it exceeded my expectations. I loved seeing all the monuments, memorials, and museums. I was surprised by the deep reverence and respect I was able to feel for my country and its history while walking around such a busy and populated city. On my way home I tried to figure out why I have such a desire to travel to foreign lands when we have such amazing places here in the United States that I have never been to? I guess we will have to kill a lot of bugs and do both!! Anyways, since our little get away it has been nothing but work work work. The business is doing well and we are continually pleased with our decision to come out here to North Carolina. Hopefully in the next week or so we will have great news and pictures to post. Joey

Happy Birthday Joey!!!!!

2008-06-30T13:42:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday was Joey's 26th birthday.... I LOVE birthdays.... mine, other peoples...it doesn't matter!!! Seeing as how his birthday lands right in the middle of our busiest time, the summer, I try and do as much as I can, while trying to fit it into our work schedule. Unfortunatley, I stole his thunder a little this year, well Brody did :) and I had a baby shower here in Monroe that morning...He was really sweet about taking over for me, doing double duty, while I went to the shower. Other than working, here is a rundown of how his day/weekend went.... Friday night I made a pie!! Yes, a pie... homemade pie crust and all...Banana Cream....Joey's choice. I took pictures because I was quite proud of myself. We also went to dinner that night(Joey's choice). On his actual birthday, I got up and made him german pancakes for breakfast and then that night we had our friends over and grilled brats and burgers and had birthday cake and opened some presents! It was a lot of fun!!!

So....Happy Birthday Babe!! I hope you had a great day!! You deserve it! You are such a hard worker and driven by ambition. You are a motivating force in my life to be better and I am forever grateful for that!!! I love you so much and am truly blessed to be married to you. I'm grateful for you and the times we have together. We are always laughing and lovin life 24/7.... ;) Thank you for being the husband you are and for making this last year the so great!!!!

Love you---Lauren

Here are some pictures from his birthday weekend! 1)The pie 2)birthday breakfast 3) Joey and some of the guys 4) us at the birthday party

Teach Them While They're Young

2008-06-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share my first purchase for Brody with you all. Go Cougars!!! -Joey

2008-06-16T18:02:00.000-07:00

A Tiny Toone Update!!!

2008-06-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

I know I just posted, but I thought.... what the heck...I'll post again...So,I hate pictures of myself these days!!! Which is why mine and the cameras relationship has drastically decreased!! However, I understand belly updates are needed and before Brody comes would be preferable. So here you go!! Tiny Toone is doing great!! He is just growing and kicking and loving life 24/7!! He kicks a lot... and seems to be quite fond of my rib cage and organs. Which PS... they don't really have much of a place to go. I now have about 6.5 weeks left and counting!! I have not been too uncomfortable, but am really ready to meet him! :) I went to MS this past weekend and had a baby shower! Brody got lots of cute things and we are almost set with all that we need! I will post pictures when I get the nursery finished...my goal is to be done by July 1st!! (I heard all those "yeah rights")

As far as other news goes, bugs are dying and customers are happy!!! :) Really though.. we are doing awesome!! We are lucky to have the group of guys down here that we do... Joey has been having a lot of fun with them on the weekends, paintballing (with and without shirts), golfing, and barbecuing! They sure are lucky to have such a great boss!! I have also posted a picture of one of our Moxie trucks with 2 of our technicians for veiwing pleasure! We have a strict diet we keep them on to ensure their sleek physiques. It benefits us because they can get into smaller cracks and crevices!!!

On other news, life outside pest control is going great as well. We have gotten to know a lot more people and that makes our weekends fun! Joey was recently called as the Young Mens President and I got called as the 2nd Counselor in Primary, so we both stay pretty busy with our responsibilites! I had to fill in to lead the music one Sunday and realizing I do not know any primary songs, got Joey to fill in for me... It was funny! He is really good at Book of Mormon Stories!! I wish I had a video camera... I do think he added a few extra moves... but it was great... the kids didn't even notice!

Speaking of kids, some other great news is that Storey and Ben, Joey's sister and Brother-in-law, just adopted a handsome little boy...Brooks Jorgensen.. He is so stinking cute and has a head full of hair! We can't wait to meet him in October when we are back in Utah for a visit. I think Brooks and Brody will be great friends!

So that about sums up the 2 month gap in my posting!! :) As we say in the South....Byyyyyyyyyyyye!!!!!

2008-04-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

The long awaited pictures and posting is here!! To all those who will actually read this and have not given up on us yet (seeing as how the last post was about a month ago!!) I hope you like it :) So... I am sure you can guess the basis of this post by the pictures!! I am currently 26 weeks along and feeling wonderful... Other than the fact to get these pictures, I think I put on an endless amount of outfits to get a good picture of me and a good picture of my belly!! And I thought being a girl was bad enough when it came to liking pictures.... Adding pregnancy on top of it makes for a a long photo session with my photographer... Thanks for being patient babe!!! :) Everything is great though, I am doing well and feeling better than I have the whole pregnancy. The little guy is very active. I had a doctors appointment this past Friday and all is well! Brody ( what we have decided to name him) decided to show off for the nurses. They were using the little machine to listen to his heartbeat and every time that they put it on my stomach, he would kick really hard and kick it off. It was so funny and the whole doctor's office was getting a kick out of it ( no pun intended:)..hahha) good to know he is having fun in there!!! He is healthy and the doctor says I am right on track!

I have been thinking recently about what a blessing it is to be having a little baby!! At night, it is crazy how he just kicks and moves around. I sit and watch my stomach morph into different shapes depending on where he decides he wants to be. It is amazing how at 8 weeks he was just a little gummy bear and now he is as long as a Subway sandwich... footlong.... and weighs 2 pounds or so. As you can see pregnancy is in full swing, using the food analogies and all:) But really, there are times where I get all teary-eyed just thinking about him and what he will look like and be like.... his personality and his spirit! How he will look at me and Joey and know he is ours and feel our love for him. To think it is only 3 months away!!!

As far as other news goes... We will officially be up and running as Moxie Pest Control of Charlotte as of this Wednesday. We have our first batch of salesmen coming this next weekend. We are both excited and ready to get rolling! This summer is going to be a crazy experience!!! Well, I promise to be better about posting! We miss everyone and hope all is well!!

2008-03-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

Well, if you are wondering about the 2 above posted pictures, it sums up our weekend :) On Friday, I got one of my random pregnancy cravings and cooked some Velveeta Shells and Cheese and some sausage!!! Despite the description, is was quite delicious!!!! Joey thought this was a sight to see, hence the picture!! Hey... it is all the baby's doing!! The second picture is of Joey studying... Look closely and you may see Elder Toone or just a bug geek!! Either way... I guess he figured if he dressed the part, he would study better. Sweet part Boo!! We spent Saturday night with some new friends we have met here, Natalie and Brian and Katie and Jeremy, at a local mexican restaurant called La Unica. It was great!!! We have been so good about not going out to eat lately, that La Unica is now on my list of top 10 favorite places to eat! Sunday was great... We went to church and then spent the next few hours with the Elders (and no Joey did not dress the part this time.) Did I mention that these were the Spanish speaking elders in our ward? Also, that my broken Spanish did not help me much except to find the bathroom??? Really though, it was such a cool experience. We went to 3 discussions with them that night. Joey's Spanish is great and it has been fun to see him in missionary mode. We are having a great time out here and have met so many nice people. I will leave you on a little funny note. So Joey talks to our son...via my stomach.... about what all he will be when he comes out and grows up. One of his many talents will be that he will be a pro skateboarder like Ryan Sheckler... except when he was telling him, he said Ryan Seacrest instead of Sheckler.... Ooops!! Same thing right??? Now when he talks to our son after he says I love you, I make him leave with Seacrest out!!!! Miss and love you all!!!

2008-03-13T22:35:00.000-07:00

Here is the requested picture of the house. As the lawn illustrates we are in a bit of a drought here in North Carolina. When we turned our water on at the Monroe City Building they let us know we would be fined if we were caught watering our lawn or washing our cars. Hey, if it doesn't get watered it can't grow, and if it doesn't grow, it doesn't need to be cut.

2008-03-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

We made it to Charlotte and we couldn’t be better. First off I say Charlotte because it’s a city most people recognize but we actually live in the city of Monroe. We technically are 20 minutes away from downtown Charlotte. Let me know if you want our physical address, I'll shoot you an email. We left Sunday the 24^th of February at 5a.m. and drove our 26ft truck and car trailer 15 hours across the country and spent the first night in St. Joseph Missouri. The next morning we drove another 12 hours to make it to Mississippi in time for dinner (otherwise known as supper). Dinner is a pretty big deal especially when Laurens mom is making her famous red beans and rice. We spent Tuesday through Thursday with Laurens family and enjoyed some much needed relaxation and fun. Friday we hesitantly climbed back into our traveling beast and started our 12 hour journey to Monroe. We spent the night in a hotel and woke up Saturday morning to start moving into our new residence. We had plenty of help moving in, all which included Laurens two cousins from the ATL and 12 men from the Monroe ward. We had everything out of the truck and into its assigned room in 30 minutes. Lauren and I didn’t lift a single box, seeing as how we were more useful directing the 14 helpers we had. We couldn’t have received a better, more appreciated welcome.

Approaching 2 weeks here things are awesome and feeling more and more like home everyday. We miss friends and family but are also enjoying the time to ourselves. Especially considering that will be a thing of the past come August 6^th!! Lauren is getting to where people actually believe she is pregnant if she turns to the side and sticks here belly out. I am loving the weather and have been able to use my new Christmas clubs!!!

Well we got this to keep people updated on how things are out here and also to post pictues so I’ll post a small time line to catch people up on the last 8 or 9 months and post plenty of pics. Enjoy and we love and miss y’all!! That’s right I said y’all, and I’m fixin ta keep using it too!!

July 21^st 2007 Married in SLC Temple

Sept 2007 Moved into a home in Lehi

Dec 2007 Scooter, R.I.P.

Dec 13^th 2007 Lauren found out she is expecting

Feb 22^nd 2008 We found out Lauren is having a BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Feb 24^th 2008 Left for Monroe, NC

March 1^st 2008 Arrived in NC

2008-02-22T08:35:00.001-08:00

We are out of here!!!!!!