So Owen turned 5 today.  Looking back through pictures I found this blog.  Wow... This was started to document Owen's life and well, I dropped the ball.  Life got busy.  Time increased speed.  Excuses Excuses.  My goal - this summer to be back on.  Thinking about what topic to Blog...

TIme is flying way too fast!!

I can't believe I haven't been on here since September. Wow - Time is going way to fast! Owen is getting ready to turn 3 and C.J. turned 15 in February. Owen is doing great at school - counting to 13 all by himself and making a very good attempt on his ABCs - getting to J before he randomly picks letters. He is completely potty trained which gave us a huge raise not buying pull ups any more. C.J. finished up basketball season and is now kicking back enjoying his down time. He is just focusing on grades and having fun as a teenage guy. He has really become a guy I enjoy hanging out with. He is funny and very caring about his family. Chris is struggling at school but is working on bringing up his grades. He continues to play violin at the Louisville Youth Orchestra. We got to see him play in a concert recently. Nick worked as a Post Master in Radcliff last year in which he was quite successfully. They had better numbers with Nick there than they had in years. Thankfully he is closer to home now and attempting to pull better numbers and making that office more profitable. He is now working on getting his EMT certification in July. I am so proud of all his hard work for our family. I (Mendi) graduated in December and passed all my boards. I am now opening my own practice working out of LAC in Jtown. I am proud to say that I was the massage therapist for Bellarmine Men's Basketball team this year and they were injury free all year and won the National Championship. I am very happy with those results.

As many of you know our family is facing another challenge. My brother, Doug was recently diagnosed with a rare form of ALS - Bulbar onset - meaning it is starting in his throat. This is causing him difficulty eating, swallowing and sometimes talking. This was quite a shock but we know God is at work in all things. The prognosis is not good. Obviously we would love miraculous intervention.

With the warm weather we cannot wait to open the pool! We finally got the decking finished after we closed to pool in the fall. So when we open it up next month it will be like a brand new pool all over again. So if you need me - I will be poolside!

We are going to Disney again! I know - shocker right! It is our favorite place on earth - besides Fripp.

I will try to get some pictures loaded soon. But that is a quick catch up on the Stone family.

Disney 2010

OK - We LOVE Disney! We went in December and it was packed! So we decided to go back in September - Their slow time. It was wonderful. We hardly ever stood in lines and if we did it was only for about 20 minutes. We used minimal fast passes, just as a convenience and you just have to utilize that benefit. Disney is one of our favorite places on the planet. Unfortunately Christian chose not to go - well he couldn't since he didn't feel like doing homework. That negative attitude has a negative effect on grades. So he missed out. We were pretty excited because CJ had a friend that was going to go but at the last minute the baseball coach made his parents feel bad for letting him miss a game. Can you believe it? So Cara, a dear friend's daughter got to tag along. Lucky her. And lucky us. She is such a sweetie. I think she had a good time. So here are some pics. I'm already planning Disney 2012!

Owen LOVES Handy Manny!!

I love Pooh!

Look at this awesome looking guy!

School starts back in 2 weeks - seriously?!

I can't believe it is already August. WOW! C.J. and Chris are going to be Freshman this year. Bigger WOW with a loud gasp!! I remember going to my Freshman Orientation thinking I had the world at my fingertips and I was ready for whatever adventure the world would give me. Now I am a parent.

C.J.'s leg continues to heal up pretty well, but the doctor gave us a heads up that basketball in the fall was very unlikely since he doesn't have full range of motion yet in his foot/ankle.

Owen is becoming more and more like a monkey. He now climbs into his bed and on anything he can get his toes onto. He is wild! But in an absolutely adorable way. His favorite words right now is "Mine" and "No!". Very passionately too.

Chris is still playing the violin and is actually going to audition for the Louisville Youth Orchestra. We are pretty proud of him for his dedication to his talent.

We just got back from Fripp. Our vacation was wonderful. We went with some dear friends of ours, the Connelly's. I think they fell in love with Fripp as well. Of course not as much as Nick and I love Fripp - but that is not possible for anyone. I thought this Fripp trip would be hard since this was the first trip after losing mom. But it was actually really nice. We stayed busy having fun. I think I spent more time in the ocean this year than what I ever did with all trips combined. Hehe! I am so much of a pool girl. But since we have the pool at home, I thought I would venture out. The weather was great but we had a lot of overcast on most days. But that made it easier for us not to burn.

We had only been back maybe a week when we booked our next vacation - To DIsney. Yeah! In September. We are so pumped Vacations are wonderful and we highly recommend them to everyone. Renews the spirit and mind.

Nick just had eye surgery on Friday. So right now he is very uncomfortable and has a huge sensitivity to light. Poor guy. But he should no longer need glasses.

School is getting very hard on me. I still love it but in the summer we are going non stop and studying seems to keep getting moved down on the priority list. Which is reflecting in my test scores. I got a B - and one C this semester. Yikes!

School is right around the corner and with that our life will get back on schedule - hopefully. I like the structure that the school year gives. I LOVE the freedom of summer, however when I am in school myself, I need the structure!

Well, I hope if anyone reads this, you have had a wonderful summer filled with many memory making times. Capture those moments as you dream of tomorrow. That way when tomorrow comes, you have happy memories of yesterday.

Summer - Whew!!

It used to be that summer was the time to slow down. Not at our house. I (Mendi) am still in school and will be until December. Nick is still working hard for the PO and the Fire Department. C.J. however did slow down some, unfortunately. At the beginning of our 2nd baseball season of the year he broke his leg. Yup - broke his leg! He was sliding into third base, foot got caught but his body kept going apparently. Broke the Tibia and damaged his growth plate. He is in a cast from his foot up past his knee, confined to a wheel chair. That was 2 weeks ago. So not having to go to games and practices daily has slowed us down quite a bit, but added a different kind of chaos. I take him on outings since he gets pretty bored cooped up inside. And we just got the pool installed in March. poor guy! Speaking of the pool... Owen loves it. He has no problem enjoying the water while bubby has to stay out and just watch. Again, poor C.J. Owen is doing really good. He has a life jacket and he "swims" all over the place. And I am loving it too. Nick enjoyed it 3 times just yesterday. Definitely would recommend a pool to anyone. It really is a money saver. I don't even want to leave the house for Starbucks or Paneras! And trust me - with my love for those 2 places - it is a huge money saver! Great family bonding time (except when older child decides to break his leg. not recommended). Added to all that fun, we got Dharma our new addition. She is an 11 week old English Bulldog. Absolutely adorable but very much puppy! Whew - too much energy for me these days! Well, that is the quick update for now.

What's happening?

Our home comes alive in the Spring along with all other living things. The flowers are in bloom, the sun is finally giving us warmth again, the grass is growing. Oh, I love this time of year. We feel like butterflies coming out of our cocoon. Easter is this Sunday, and that reminds me even more of the living one I love the most. There is a reason we celebrate the meaning of Easter in the Spring - or that Spring occurs during the time of the passover. God understood we need that "life" in the Spring.

Each year I try to get a picture of all the boys at Easter. Sometimes it just doesn't work. This year I really did not think it was going to happen. Owen had just woke up from a nap - which is normally a very happy time. He evidently woke up on the wrong side of the crib on this day.

But eventually we got a good one. Whew - it was a challenge though. By the time we got Owen smiling, I didn't care that the older two had their shirts untucked and if they didn't smile - oh well.

We have a lot of fun things going on right now. First of all, Nick is the acting Postmaster in Radcliffe right now. His assignment is for 8 weeks but I have a feeling they are going to use him longer then that. But that is o.k. He is doing good out there and he likes it.

I am in school right now. I did good on my midterm however each week gets harder and harder. But I am determined and will be finished in December.

C.J. is playing baseball and loving it. He plays for Whitefield and another league. With practice and games - we are running around like crazy. All while he manages to keep up good grades. We are pretty impressed with him.

Christian got a much needed hair cut last week. It was on the same weekend the pictures above were taken. He looked like a mop but when we got rid of that outer layer - he is actually a really cute kid under all that. Look at him - doesn't he look too cute! Not only did he get a haircut, but he got a shave as well! Hot towels, straight razor, the whole thing. Yes, I feel old since I have a son shaving now. Wow!

Owen is going to be two next month. He is already practicing the terrible two myth. He loves playing outside and from the time he wakes up til the time for bed he is constantly outside or at the doors pointing. He also loves the trampoline so he often is jumping while pointing outside to let you know that is what he wants to do. Even when it is raining he wants to be outside. Do you know how hard it is to reason with an almost 2 year old, explaining you cannot go outside when it is raining? It isn't easy! It is also hilarious listening to C.J. watch him outside. I hear all the sayings that I heard my mom say and obviously I have said to him like "You need to decide if you want to be inside or out" "I am not going to ask you again to get off that" It is kinda eerie.

Oh and to top all the fun. We are getting an English Bulldog and a pool. Probably in the same week! The puppy was born on May 11th. Her name that Nick picked out that I love is Dharma Shanti. It is Hindu for The Law of Peace. Dharma will be able to come home at 8 weeks and she is 2 weeks right now. I can't wait. The pool will be installed after we take down a huge sycamore tree in our backyard. Since we back up to a church that is allowing us to access the tree from their parking lot we are not getting started on this messy project until after Easter. The church was very thankful for that.

Well that is our update for now. Time just flies by. This time last year I was planning a 1st birthday party for Baby Owen. We didn't know what was ahead of us. (Mom had just had her u/s done but we thought it was still just gallbladder problems.) There has been a lot of changes. Some for the good, some sad - but thankfully Jesus tells us "There will be troubles in this world, but take heart - I have conquered the world."

We hope you have a wonderful Easter and remember He is alive and strong!

Owen's Surgery

Kosair Hospital is amazing. Owen had tubes put in his little ears after fighting months and months of ear infections and fluid issues. While wating for nurses and the doctor they have a play room and cars they can ride thru the halls in. So cool right? Why don't adults get fun stuff like this?

Owen couldn't wait to get his gown on. He was just given what the doctor called "goofy juice". It is given so kids aren't so unhappy when they take him away from mom and go back to the OR. It takes about 5 minutes to take effect. It was right on time. I sat him down and he fell over. Luckily I caught him but when it kicks in- it is fast!

Now you can see why it is called goofy juice. He was too funny!

The nurses warned me that when the goofy juice wore off he would be very grumpy. Not in pain as it appears he is but in a major fog that he does not understand. It is a quick anesthesia which put him under quickly but he wakes up just as quickly in a strange room with his ears feeling funny. Bear like? Ha - he was down right unhappy.

But briefly it was nothing that a frosty from Wendy's couldn't fix. Again, I say briefly. The click of the camera made him mad and I am still finding frosty on my walls where he launched it. But after kicking and screaming for a very long 30 minutes or so he took a 4 hour nap and woke up happier. Today he is completely back to normal. Yeah!