Water is So Much Fun

So, water really is fun. Most of you will now be wondering if after this post another will appear for another nine months! Don't worry!!

Tonight after I finished watering our new shrubs, Anja was insistent on playing with the hose. It was lots of fun!! She watered everything that moved and most other items also. She really enjoyed herself which seems to be in a direct correlation with being wet these days!

Anja and myself also found time to fit ina 20 mile bike ride, so all in all a very pleasant evening was had by all. Tired now though!!

 

Wet Lens

No prizes for guessing correctly that the water fun was turned on myself. This shot was taken a few milli seconds prior to the lens getting a wash!!

 

Mummy's on a Short Twip

Anja and myself are getting some quality time tonight since Lynne is away on her final trip prior to the arrival of Owens 2.0. She left early this morning since she had a four hour trip by car to north Chicago.

When she goes away, we classify the trip for Anja as either a "Short" or a "Long" trip so that she can understand when Lynne will be back. By way of assuring herself, she then goes around the house repeating to herself  that "Mummy is on a Short Twip". It's quite cute.  Of course it's all very well until she falls or something.  The tears roll and she wants her Mummy, but no amount of assuring her that Mummy is only on a "short trip" is anyway helpful!! Then it's not very cute at all.

Big News this Week - Potty Training

Well it's hard to imagine how one could get really excited about being able to go to the toilet, but when you're the proud parent of a 2 year old toddler, that's exactly what happens. Upon reflexion of this sentence, it's amazing how ones life changes in such a short time :)

This past few days we have been working really hard on getting potty trained. With Lindsay during the day and with us taking up the evening shift (mostly Lynne I must add), she is doing really well. She is in underwear all day with very few mishaps! Yes there are mishaps. It's hard not to show annoyance with a pool of pee on the floor or the carpet, but we are very focused on constant praise at her efforts. It's been less than a week and she is having very few mishaps.There are still nappies at night of course. More on this subject later. Thanks are due to Lindsay for launching into this piece of extra effort after not much discussion.

Not much else to update on. Have a great week everybody!!

Lynne's Reaserch Group Visits

This weekend, the highlight was having Lynne’s entire research group over for a BBQ on Saturday afternoon. We got rained out but it was nice nonetheless. Everybody attended with the exception of Dave who is currently doing an internship at Abbot. It was nice to see everybody again, particularly the more recent students. Now that they are fully complete, this will be the last time I get to see both Patrick and Håkan. Steve, who has been Lynne’s post-doc for over two years will also soon leave for a teaching job. So it really was a time to say good-bye to the old guard and hello to the new.

Shown below is almost the entire group. As noted Dave was away but Patrick had to leave early with a stomach bug. He and his wife Megan did manage to come see everybody before they had to leave.

Ever notice how our dog Daisy almost manages to be in every shot!

 

Alfred and this Son Christopher

Alfred, one of Lynne's graduate students is pictured here, pity his wife Grace was missing for this.

 

Steve, Ruth and Tori

This is Steve, Lynne's post-doc, with his Family.

 

Just One Blog Post

Here is a piece I read on Seth's Blog which I thought was worth posting here:

A lot of people have blogs. But most people don't.

I think you should. Even if you only have one post in you.

Having a blog is pretty daunting, especially if you don't like blank paper and are the sort of person that hates falling behind. I can imagine that the idea of posting 50 or 300 times a year is a little bit nuts for many people.

But what if there's just one thing you need to say, but you can say it clearly and well and in a way that hasn't been said before? What if you've got one great blog post inside of you, and, even better, you're willing to update that post as you learn more and gain more insight?

An entire post about a certain kind of fossil. Or the misuse of a certain word. Or about a key difference between two kinds of bluetooth...

Why not?

It's a Busy Week

So, it is and continues to be a busy week!!

We had a good friend from Sweden visit us Tuesday night. Mark Nicholas, whom we know from our days in Sweden and owner of the Depth Profile blog, was visiting Purdue University this week and he stayed with us. We all ambled off in the evening for a curry and a chat about life back in Sweden and old times.

Then on Wednesday, we had George Zografi in West Lafayette and we were out to dinner with him. He is Lynne's old supervisor from her time in Madison Wisconsin.

Today Lynne had her second student pass his PhD thesis defense in as many weeks. Patrick Marsac is now fully doctored up. He did really well apparently. We will see him and his wife Megan on Saturday since Lynne is having her entire research group with better halves over for a BBQ. Congratulations Patrick.

Tonight, to keep with our busy week schedule, we had Randy and Lorraine over for dinner. That was to easy organize since all we need to do is provide a little food and wine and the situation takes care of itself.

We are ready for Friday......

 

The Nose Game

It's not very hard to convince Anja to be close to Lynne for a photo. Interestingly, Anja is now starting to "want" to take photos. This is of course very cute and something to be encouraged, but most of you have met her and know of her persistance on doing something when it occurrs. I'm not just sure I'm ready to entrust her with our nice Canon Rebel XT. Soon perhaps!!

 

Check Out Sheri and Bruno's Blog

As I noted earlier, Sheri was here a few weeks ago and I happened to post my entry for the day while she was watching. Now she has started blogging so take a trip over there to see them on Hangman Hill.

Soapbox Car Racing

Anja and I went to our local soapbox rally this weekend. Most of my work colleagues went to the USA F1 but I think we had a better time. A soapbox is a small car with no engine that is placed at the top of a hill and allowed to travel down a hill, usually with a child in it. The fastest wins. Anyhow, we had one run on a hill close to our house on Saturday, as we do every year, and it was fun to watch. Anja certainly enjoyed it.

 

 

A Tender Moment

Lindsay and Mike had a few pictures taken by a friend who used to take photos professionally. She did a great job. Here is a great photo and what I think is Lindsay's favourite. I actually posted all the photos that we have stored on our computer to our web albums so you can check them out to see how she is growing. Despite her tiny start, she will look big next to our new baby when it arrives.

 

Anja enjoying her favourite outdoor activity

Anja is starting to become addicted to the swing. It's called for each time we go outside!! Life could be worse I guess!!

 

Dr Wikström

Today a very good friend of ours, Håkan, defended his PhD thesis. We have known Håkan for close to 10 years. He started working with me on his MSc thesis at AstraZeneca in Sweden. When he completed that he was employed by the company and we remained good friends for the remainder of our time there.

When we moved to the United States and Lynne decided she was headed for a life in academia at Purdue, she persuaded him to do a PhD with her. He arrived two weeks after we did. Today after a lot of hard work and sacrifice, both on his part and by his loved ones in Sweden, he completed that work.

Well done Håkan, we are very happy for you, enjoy the moment.

Lynne should of course also be very proud of herself since Håkan is her first student whom she fully guided through the process. She has actually graduated three students, however, the first two came to her partly through their studies. She will actually have another defend next Friday.

Paul, Lynne & Anja

 

Jonathan & Diarmuid Stay the Night

Last night whilst on their way to Springfield, Missouri for a wedding, Jonathan and Diarmuid stayed the night. They were also accompanied by Diarmuid's friend Ross. They arrived after a relatively good trip from Chicago but they were quite tired. After dinner the boys promptly established themselves in front of our TV while Jonathan, Lynne and myself caught up on what's happening in the world. Lynne of course went to bed at a normal time unlike Jonathan and myself. We put the world to right over a few too many beers in addition to some whiskey that Jonathan had brought. It was very enjoyable but I am feeling a little tender today.

They left this morning after we took in three famous West Lafayette sites. The XXX Diner, home to the best breakfasts in town. The boys even tried some of their famous root beer. Then we took a swing by Ross-Ade Stadium and Makey Arena, Purdue's football and basketball stadiums respectively.

We enjoyed their visit, short but sweet. It was great having you all.

 

Happy Birthday Clive

Today, June 13th, is my brother Clive's birthday. Good morning and happy birthday Clive. Hope you have a great day. Try to get through the work part and have a relaxing evening.

Generally having a quite week, not much going on. We are having visitors tomorrow however. Jonathan, his son Diarmuid and his friend will stay with us for at least one night whilst on their way to St Louis I believe. They will be here tomorrow evening, however, as a seasoned trans-Atlantic traveller I have a feeling that all they will want to do when they arrive is sleep. Of course this is in contrast to any get together we have ever had with Jonathan since he quite enjoys good company, catching up with the latest news and a few beers.

We are truly looking forward to his visit. If you check this on your way down Jonathan, have a safe trip, see you in a few hours.

 

Lynne in Full Glory

With only 8 weeks till the next Owens arrives, Lynne is certainly showing signs of late stage pregnancy. Starting to feel very uncomfortable, the Indiana summer currently in the upper 80's is not helping, particularly given the high humidities that we are experiencing right now.

She is doing great, we are very proud of her. Perfect pregnancy thus far (I'm now knocking on wood). Just need to wait a little longer, with a bit of luck this one will actually arrive on time unlike Anja who had to be induced into this world two weeks after her due date and even then hung on for an additional 27 hours. I'm now knocking on wood again ......


 

Pre-Weekend Update

Sorry I didn't manage to get a mid week update in this week, didn't really have much going on. We did have five new windows replaced ($$$) which didn't really merit a post on it's own.

Looking forward to a nice weekend, weather is supposed to be good, we have lots planned (touch up painting round the new windows of course) and some more shrubs to plant. I don't think it will ever end. Veggie patch and tomatoes are in desperate need of attention, have a football game to play and that's just what's planned!! Makes me tired thinking of it all.

Just returned from looking at new cars, went to the Honda, Toyota and Hyundai garages. We looked at mid sized SUVs and mini-vans....we are truly entering the 2.2 children phase.

Many thanks for all the recent comments, keep them coming in. If you have not done so already remember to cast a vote on The Poll, many thanks to all those who have already done so.

The Wyatt's Visit for the Weekend

Just a short update from our weekend activities. We had the Wyatt's visit us from Yellow Springs.

Chris and Karen with their two boys, Bob who is almost 3 and Morris who is a mere 6 weeks old, have just moved to Ohio from Scotland this January. Thus far they love it. Chris and Lynne both studied at Bath University many years ago and have known each other ever since. Chris is now an assistant professor in the School of Medicine at Wright State University.

They have had a hectic few months with the move from Scotland, the birth of baby Morris, a new house purchase and dealing with the many other nuances of moving to a new country. Nevertheless, they took the time to come visit us this weekend. It was great having them. Catching up on news from old friends, having a few drinks and generally relaxing in good company. The scariest of all, however, was the direct observation of how much work it is to have a newborn again. Must say we had forgotten and since Bobby is a toddler much the same age as Anja it also gave us a glimpse of what our short-term future is looking like. Yikes!!

Anyway, Thanks a million Chris and Karen for making the journey, we throughly enjoyed your company and hearing all about Yellow Springs. We are intrigued with your little town and look forward to a visit in the near future.

Chris maintains a myspace site.
 

Chris, Bob and Pooh Bear

 

Karen and 6 week Old Morris

 

Happy Birthday Mum

Today is my mothers birthday. Happy birthday from us all here in the US, we will be thinking of you. Hope you enjoyed the flowers. She is 21 today ::))