Updates from the Boones

Greetings, Loyal "Boones and Squirrels" readers!

We have been busy in the last month, and I have been really bad about keeping up on the Blog! My most important news of the last month, is that I am going to be teaching at Cincinnati Music Academy, starting in September. Their website is http://www.cincinnatimusicacademy.com
My bio is listed under the piano teachers. I will be teaching on Sunday afternoons, Mondays and Wednesdays to start. It will take a little while to build up my studio, but I am really excited about teaching once again. The great part is, the academy is 3 miles from our house (an Owen-free zone!) and all of the teachers set their own rates and policies.

Chris and I also just registered for a babysitting service, to resolve the question of childcare when both Chris and I have work lined-up. This week, I am tuning everyday at the Cincinnati Christian University. Chris has had a lot of work for PDG lately, and may even have some travel for them in the next few weeks. So...we needed to find a service that would work. We are having our first sitters come on Thursday and Friday, and they will be here at the house, while Chris is working downstairs. (An ideal situation for trying out a new sitter!) We are also trading some childcare with a family friend; she has a 10 1/2 month old son named Matthew. He isn't that small, but to me, he seems like a little wisp of a baby compared to Owen!

We spent the weekend in Pittsburgh, visiting Grammy Crystal and Grammy Retta, and getting together with other family and friends. Chris and Retta installed a new counter top in their kitchen, while Mom, Owen and I went to visit our Aunt Billie. Owen is usually so good...but he had a wild hair that afternoon, and was into EVERYTHING in Aunt Billie's small apartment. All of her silk flower arrangements and small decorations/candles were at Owen's mercy. I tried to managed him, but it was impossible to redirect him to toys that he could play with, when he was so interested in all the things he couldn't have! I'm sure Chris worked hardest of the two of us...but I was exhausted by the end of the day!

Grammy Retta and Owen

Grammy Retta, Grammy Crystal and Owen


This coming weekend, my friend, Jeremy is coming to Ohio! He is flying in to Cincinnati on Saturday evening, staying over with us, and then heading to Columbus to visit his family for a few days. I am excited to see him! He is moving to Geneva in September, and may be gone a year or more studying. :( How will the United States do without him?? In addition to preparing for a year abroad, Jeremy managed to find time to get engaged this month! I could not be happier for him, and his partner-to-be, Michael. FINALLY, I will have an excuse to travel to Colorado next summer to celebrate with them both.

Here's a picture of Jeremy and Michael from when they visited NYC in the Spring.

Next week: Chris, Owen and I are going to Cedar Rapids to visit Granddad Bob and Grandmom Lee. Owen hasn't been to C.R. since he was 6 months old...when he was just learning to crawl. Now he is running, climbing and oh the Hamills just don't know what they are in for...
I am anxious to see what Cedar Rapids looks like since the flood, and I hope to meet up with some old friends too. We are already planning a day trip to see my college friends, Xiao and Du, and their son, Adrian. Chris has not had the opportunity to meet them since he and I have been together!

This is a picture of the flowers that Dad, Lee and I planted when they came to visit us in May. Look how lovely these inpatients are in the swans! Good thing I took this picture; the deer ate nearly all of the flowers the day after I took this. :(


Chris and I spent our 5th anniversary visiting Ault Park; it was where we took our wedding pictures on our wedding day. This particular Saturday was far more temperate than our Saturday wedding was...it was a 1000 degrees 5 years ago! We arrived in the morning, just in time to see the end of...a wedding! We hung around a little, while we were looking at the flowers, and wished the new wedded couple well. We told them it had been a lucky place for us.


Owen saw his first frog while we were there too!

Owen made friends with this man who was practicing his guitar

Owen also made friends with this little girl...

and just when you thought he was going to love her and leave her...

He brings her his water bottle to refresh herself on a warm day!

Recent pictures of Owen

A little story about a boy and his comfy chair...










Chris and Owen try out Owen's new Travel Tent


Owen at the Park

Dancing Boo

Last weekend, we went to a Ceilidh. Owen watched his parents do square dances and rounds, and ever since then, he has been bit by the dancing bug. It took me a few days to figure out what he was doing...but it does seem to be dancing! (I'm not sure what Chris is doing...)

I've been meaning to add this for a while...

Jan painted this as a gift for Tim on Father's Day. Some of you may remember the original photo that was posted during their first visit to Jersey City to see Owen as a newborn. I love the painting too!

Kids know a lot about technology these days...

Owen, Grampa Tim and Aunt Jessie

Owen is trying out his Aunt Jessie's phone in this shot. Doesn't he look like he is texting a friend??

Chris and I are shopping for new cell phones, with local numbers. Cincinnatians are wigged-out if you give them your number, and it has an area code they aren't familiar with. They jump to the conclusion that we are in Guam, and if they return our call they will be calling Guam. I had a recent experience where I thought I had lost my wallet at our local YMCA. I gave the girl at the desk my cell number to call me back after checking their vault to see if the wallet had been turned in. She made it sound like it would take 5 minutes and then she would call me right back. Quite a while passed, and I was getting increasingly antsy about my missing identification, so I called the Y back to inquire about the findings. The same girl answered, and said, "Sorry, I checked when you first called, and your wallet had not been turned in to lost and found." I asked when she was going to call me back, as she had said she would? She said, "Oh, that number you gave me was a long distance number." (Um, I am a member, and had given her my name...she could have easily gotten my home number if she had cared to.) Sigh.

So, we are looking for new phone plans.

Chris Swears Owen did it!

Okay, so this could just be a lovely picture of jolly Owen and his Mom, Jess. But we took this picture for a reason. This is Owen's new play kitchen, by the way. He got it on Sunday because he loves to play with the one at the YMCA so much. Thanks, Craigslist! Anyhoo...Owen was playing with his kitchen this afternoon, and when I got home, I looked inside the oven, dishwasher, microwave and refrigerator...to find that not only had Owen stashed his blocks, but he organized them by color! The orange blocks are in the fridge, the purple toys both in the dishwasher. Red blocks belong in the oven, of course, because they are HOT! No Kidding, Chris was just as shocked as I was when I pointed it out to him. Look at that beaming little face, so proud of himself.

Pumping Owens for strength training...

This boy is 27 pounds now!!!

Do you wonder why my back hurts?