Reed's 18th Month Check Up

So I was 2 months late with Reed's 18th month check up but I seem to just be trying to keep my head above water these days. But, that's how it goes I guess. You just have to keep rolling with the punches and go on.

Anyway, Reed checked out great. He weighs 29 pounds and is 34 inches tall. This puts him at the 75% for both weight and height. He passed all the major milestones with flying colors and is developing perfectly.

He is becoming quit the jabber box lately and is working on putting 3 and 4 words together at a time. His favorite things to yell while we are driving are Cool Bufs (School Bus). We have to acknowledge that we heard him or he will just keep saying it. Once we acknowledge him, he says Bye Bye Cool Bufs about 20 times. By the time we get to that point, he sees another one and it starts all over again.

If you mention Mammy or Indiana he will start saying Nunnel (Tunnel) and Bich (Bridge). No he is not calling my mom a bad name (I don't think) but he is referring to the tunnel and the bridge we go over just before we get to Indiana on our way to Mammy's house.

Every time we go over RR tracks or see a train, he has to point that out by saying Bye Bye Choo Choo or Bye Bye Choo Choo Tracks.

We take one road to their school and a different road home so that on the way back from school, Reed can see the horses. He loves them and can not say horse but he makes a horse sound when ever we see one. One day they were paving the road that went past the horses so I did not go that way. As soon as I passed the road to the horses, Reed started making horse sounds and pointing to the road that I usually turn on but didn't. I was really surprised he noticed I took a different way home.

He has also started singing parts of songs that Millie sings a lot. It is very sweet.

I guess that sums him up right now. He is close to figuring out how to pedal the tricycle. I think it will only be a few weeks before he can zip around the neighborhood with Millie on her bike.

Day Out With Thomas

We have our tickets! I didn't wait until the last minute this year so we got an early morning train ride. That will give us the rest of the day to explore Chattanooga. This will be our third year to go. Millie has loved it every time and although Reed went last year, I am pretty sure he will be a little crazy this year because he LOVES trains.

I Love You Grandma, I Will Miss You

Grandma and Millie at Grandma's house

Grandma on the far left at Reed's baptism in Knoxville

Grandma and Millie at our house in Knoxville for Millie's 2nd Birthday Party

At Grandma's house with the entire Owen clan when Grandpa's niece Sherry came with her husband Bert on their way from Maine to Arizona

Grandma and Reed at my mom and dad's house for Reed's first birthday party

Grandma stemming berries at the Starlight Strawberry Festival. She did this every year all day so if you have been there, I am sure you have eaten some of her berries!

Grandma and my aunt Arnetta at my mom and dad's house for Millie's first birthday party

Me, my mom, Grandma, Jacob, Millie and my sister at my grandma's house
IN MEMORY OF:
Mary E. (Boesing) Owen

Mary E. (Boesing) Owen, 87, passed away on Tuesday, March 9, 2010. Although most of her life was devoted to raising her children, she later worked at the Charlestown Army Ammunition Plant. From there, she enjoyed many years of working at Stumler Orchard where she conducted educational tours for groups of children and enjoyed chatting with customers in the produce shop. Mary was a long-time member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Starlight, Indiana.

Mary was born on November 27, 1922 in Floyds Knobs, Indiana to the late William and Elizabeth (Book) Boesing. She is preceded in death by her husband, Nelson "Red" Owen, Jr.; son, David Owen; grandson, David Owen, II; siblings, Bernard Boesing, Ruth Gelthaus, William Boesing, Jr., Ursula Boesing, and Elizabeth Boesing.

She is survived by her children, Thomas Owen and his wife, Alanna of Arroyo Grande, California, Nelson Owen, III and his wife, Betty of Sellersburg, daughter-in-law, Arnetta Croxall Owen of New Albany, Bette Buechler and her husband, Larry of Floyds Knobs, Bernie Owen and his wife, Mary of Starlight, and Mary Jude Blair of Clarksville; grandchildren, Catherine Sclimenti, Kenneth Owen, Keri Owen, Cynthia Carter, Sara McClish, Dianne Owen, Matthew Owen, Jeffrey Owen, Joey Owen, Michael Owen, Laura Young, Paula Meunier, Danny Owen, and Adam Owen; 15 great grandchildren; siblings, Joe Boesing, Blanche Finn, Annette Chamberlain, Colette Zumstein, Marty Renn, and Margaret Stubblefield.

Visitation will be 11 AM to 8 PM on Friday, March 12, 2010 at Generations Funeral Home (3309 Ballard Lane, New Albany, Indiana). Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 AM on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and burial to follow in the church cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude's Children Hospital.

I addition to this obituary, she also loved playing scrabble, doing cross word puzzles, going to Derby Dinner Play House with her friends, and attending senior citizen functions. She enjoyed traveling and in recent years she made trips to Hawaii, Alaska and Germany and she loved to visit me no matter where I lived or how often I moved. In her younger years she loved to go bowling with my grandpa. Her views on life, religion and family were much like my own. She was a great women, an awesome grandma and a wonderful friend. She will be missed but I know she is in a better place and because of my faith and hers, I have no reason to be sad.

Finger Nail Clippings

Have I missed the memo where it is now appropriate to clip your finger nails in public places? I witnessed a mom today, in the tennis club waiting area where Millie takes lessons, clipping her sons finger nails. It was just not one or two clips like he had torn it and she was fixing it. I clearly heard about 5 or 6 clips before I turned to look and see if that is really what I was hearing. Yep, she was just sitting there clipping all the nails. YUCK!

This reminded me of another time I witnessed this completely inappropriate behavior and you will never guess where I was. Church! Rick and I were attending a church for the first time when we lived in Evansville and someone in the row behind us was clipping their nails. We didn't go back to that church.

So, when did I miss the announcement that it was ok to do this? What are your thoughts on this? Am I over reacting?

Nothing Major

Nothing major going on these days with the kids. Reed is still working on potty training. I have not yet enforced the potty every hour stage nor do I try to take him to the potty when we are out running errands. He is still doing well though and we will hit this hard core when the weather is warm and he can have his accidents outside.


Millie has mastered reading as far as I am concerned. She can easily figure out new words partly by sounding them out and by using the context of the sentence and story. I have started asking her to give me mini book reports after she reads a book so that I know she is not just reading the words but understanding what it is she is reading. In addition to that, she has started writing more, something we had not been working on much. There is just so much to teach them at this age, it is hard to do it all! She has started coping sentences out of her book of bible stories. I am not sure why she chose this book but it is one of her favorite books right now.

When Mom Skips Town

While I was in Indiana for a few days this week visiting my Grandma, Rick was left in charge...yikes! I found these photos on the camera when I got back.

All I can figure here was Reed was trying to run away and find me. He missed me of course and after I was gone over night, he figured I was far away. He thought back on his long life and remembered that anytime we left over night, we needed a bag packed with our clothes. So he was packing to get ready to find me and figured since he could not drive, he would pack himself in the bag and hope that when it was opened, he would be with me.


After a night without her mom, Millie had already taken on the role of disgruntled teenager. She stole her dad's phone and after loading it full of nursery rhymes, stories and Hannah Montana songs from the internet, she was avoiding all means of human contact. She only acknowledged the presence of her dad for this photo with a roll of the eyes and a hope for a supper consisting of mainly macaroni and cheese.


Hopefully 3 days without me didn't do too much harm.

University of Louisville Hospital

This is when I kick myself for not bringing a camera. If you have never had the pleasure of experiencing the atmosphere of University of Louisville Hospital, you really should spend a few hours, days or even weeks there. I am convinced that an entire study of human nature centered around ghetto city life, gang relations, homelessness and domestic violence could be chronicled and documented. This has nothing to do with the care of the Doctors and nurses, they seem to rock and are awesome. I am merely referencing the visitors and patients at this hospital that I witnessed and I didn't even partake in the emergency room experience which I hear is even crazier with the number of people in handcuffs, gun shot wounds and stabbings. I am convinced there were several people living in the waiting rooms which really isn't a bad idea. If I ever become homeless, I am definitely going to live in a hospital. Probably not University of Louisville but maybe a little nicer place...Floyd Memorial maybe...

But alas, my grandma seems to be getting excellent care with a team of top notch doctors, nurses and therapists. So, if we can just make sure my mom and family are not murdered on the way from the parking garage to the hospital, I think we will be in good shape!