Cruddy Mocha Friday

September 30, 2011 by Adam in Family

It's been a marginally cruddy day, full of borderline-sick kids, interruptions at work, and miscommunication.  The bright point in it all is that it's almost done and the weekend is right around the corner.

Sam and Emma went to their mom's after complaining of illness early in the day.  They spent the day reading in bed, evidently without complaint.  We were going to start swapping Emma on Friday nights, but she'd like to come over tonight.  I think Emma would like a change of scenery.

We had pizza and Mythbusters last night, working around the family dinner Sunday night and not having Sam Saturday night.  It was quite enjoyable, though it did result in a lot of rushing about, trying to accomplish homework.

We also had Lana overnight, a friend of Berry and Duncan's. Lana's mom Maria was a good friend of Colette's, and just found out her son has cancer.  We took care of Lana for a bit while Maria got ready for a trip to California to see him.  I snapped a picture of all the kids watching Cinderella, even Sam (who hid his face).

As for the weekend, the plan is to get fish for Emma's tank, do some house projects, and possibly do a bit of volunteer gardening at Berry and Duncan's school.  Tonight Joanna and I are going out to eat and then visiting an art gallery.  It's nice to have adventures.

Colette's Birthday

September 28, 2011 by Adam in Family

Wednesday already.  I'm slowly getting over a mild cold, feeling fairly good at the moment.  Work has been interesting and family life is moving along.  Last night we had a special dinner in honor of Colette's birthday.  There were eggs and chips, and delicious treats from Metropol.  I had carrot cake, which was delicious.

Emma came over as well, and she was charming and happy.  It's always great to see her and am looking forward to the weekend.  Jamie and I have been fiddling with the kid schedule and have chosen to alternate Friday nights between houses.  It's a little tricky, but hopefully it'll work out for everyone.

Sam's been responsible with catching up with his missing assignments.  He's also continued his enthusiasm for programming.  Last night he was Skyping with his friend Evan, who contributed some theme music he created on his Mac.  It's cool seeing him collaborate and learn all these accidental skills while persuing his hobby.

Duncan yanked out his tooth during Monday dinner.  Berry continues to put on way too much makeup.  I drove them to school this morning, making sure to draw faces for them in the dew on the window.  Joanna finally got her graduation plan approved, so theoretically she'll get her bachelor's degree soon.  So much for dating a co-ed.  Sigh.

Pet-Filled Weekend

September 26, 2011 by Adam in Family

I'm back at work after a very pleasant weekend.  It was a pleasant mix of work and play, and the kids were funny and interesting, as always.

Friday night was a reprieve of sorts.  Emma went out to dinner with her mom, Joanna took Berry and Duncan to a school event, and Sam was too sick to play anything.  Instead, I listened to World War Z on my phone and maniacally cleaned the basement.  It was a wreck and a mess, so I scrubbed and organized and vacuumed.  I sat down to eat some salad, and then get Emma to bed.

We ran errands Saturday morning, going to the library, Down to Earth for soap and bulbs, and getting goodies at the farmer's market.  We cleaned and gardened more in the afternoon, as well as playing with kids.  Emma and I in particular had some great sword fights and play time in the basement.  She actually broke out her old kitchen set and prepared assorted soups for me while I scrubbed the floors.  Late afternoon, Emma, Joanna, and I watched Glee.  Now Emma wants to dye her hair pink.

Jessica came by to watch the kids in the evening, and we realized how much we missed each other.  I think her school has been rough this year, with lots of kid responsibilities.  Fortunately she's available in the evenings to come over and help on occasion.  Joanna and I went to Off the Waffle, where I devoured a delicious waffle with banannas and whip cream.  We also researched a Christmas trip on the netbook, which was terribly exciting.

Sam arrived early on Sunday, eager to program.  We ended up with jMonkeyEngine, an open-source java SDK.  It's pretty cool, and he got through the tutorials by the end of the day.  This morning as we left, he told me he'd look over the code and we could talk about changes later.  It was one of the happiest moments of fatherhood.

We also did pet expeditions.  Joanna returned with two gerbils - Sulu and Pear.  Emma and I went to get aquarium supplies.  It's all set up and running, and next weekend we can get the fish.

It was a wonderful weekend, and I feel refreshed for the week ahead.

The last bit of fall

September 26, 2011 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

All we got form the CSA this Saturday were green tomatoes and beets, a sign that summer is through. This picture - a tomato, basil, and potato au gratin- is in honor of all the great tomatoes we ate last month.

I just finished Gwendolyn Brooks' March, a fictional account of the experience of Little Women's Mr. March, who was a Union minister in the Civil War. It was fantastic, and I never read historical fiction- testament to my friend Anna Monas' impeccable taste. She has also passed on When You Reach Me by Rebbecca Stead, which I highly recommend for imaginative and precocious readers in or nearing middle school... and for everyone else who'd like their socks knocked right off and into the washing machine.

We had dinner with friends this weekend, who we haven't seen since mid August. Greg's enjoying classes and I'm loving every minute of True Impact. It's like graduate school with a funnier teacher and a more satisfying purpose. 

the candle wick flame

September 25, 2011 by Robbie in Cortez

Posted by Isabell:

Hey, adam I was wondering if you could make me a post for family of adam. Also I am going to start a blog on family of adam called the candle wick flame. So can you please give me a my own post?

Do you ever feel like the world just seems to freeze in the middle of somthing. Today I was looking for something to do when all of a sudden a my black cat (Midnight)jumped out of nowhere and scared me half to death. when I got up she just stood there like nothing happened, and looking at me like i had just dropped out of the sky. I looked back at her back but I think I was really breathing hard because she raced by me and nicked my skin, and thats when the world just froze on me. Any way I think sometimes cats are the ones who drop out of the sky.   

Meetings Over, Week Wrapping Up

September 23, 2011 by Adam in Family

I'm exhausted.

I've been in team meetings for most of the week, which finally wrapped up.  It was nice to see our geographically diverse team, and to finally get a play date set up between Emma and Summer.  Still, the whole thing took a lot out of me.

Wednesday night we went to dinner at Glen's house.  I picked up Emma from her mom's house, met up with everyone at home, and drove over.  Emma and Summer chatted, swam in the hot tub, and had a good time.  Everyone was amazed by Sam's height, and he loved the BBQ.  Duncan and Berry played with the parachute for most of the time.  Emma asked if she could move in with Summer when she's an adult.  I dropped Emma off at her mom's, wearing her swimming suit and boots.

Last night I drove out to the beach as part of our meetings, drove back, and returned in time to drive again to the Edgewood BBQ.  We ate, ran around briefly and returned.  I grabbed Sam to begin the homework process and started working on the kitchen.  I must have looked so pitiful that Joanna started helping me out and tried to get me to sit down.  Eventually I finished up, got Emma to bed, and the three of us relaxed with Modern Family.

Poor Sam continues to be sick, and was sleeping in this morning.  This is his second day out, and he was so bored yesterday that he made a "scarecrow" out of gym clothes and a blanket.  We left it in the play room, warning Joanna just in case she went down there.

Mid-Week Update

September 21, 2011 by Adam in Family

Wednesday already, with face-to-face team meetings over the next few days at work.  That means a lot of eating out and chatting with coworkers, which is generally agreeable.  I will my miss my gym time with Joanna.

The week has gone well, if relatively uneventfully.  We had Flynn over for awhile when Victoria had to go to a school event.  He and Berry played with Legos, which they proudly displayed to me at the end of the day.  We ended up with some chocolate cookies from across the street in compensation.

Sam and I had a guy movie night yesterday, watching the 1982 classic The Thing.  I'd never watched it somehow, and neither of us were particularly frightened or grossed out, but enjoyed it and the interesting story it told.  I miss 1980's Kurt Russel.  When we came upstairs, we found Joanna relaxing to Plants versus Zombies and Sam and I played a bit of Minecraft.  Our swamp village is coming along nicely (just below the house icon on the map).

Belated Wedding Photos

September 19, 2011 by Lohring in Lohring

Thanks to all of you for a wonderful wedding.  I'm late posting all this because right after Danica left I got the flu.  I'm recovering just in time for our trip to Las Vegas. 

Decorating with Danica & Krystyna

Ana's family: niece Stacy (Joy's baby), sister Helen, niece Joy, niece Erna

Seraph & Hani

Berry & Emma

Us with Reverend Will

Man & Wife

Cutting the cake

Sadie & Sue

Yayoe & John

Adam, Sam, & Emma

Seraph always helping out

Jenny

Ana's son, Vince & Krystyna

I think the bride ate a lot of wedding cake

Thanks again everybody

Relaxing at Work

September 19, 2011 by Adam in Family

I'm back at work, which sometimes feels relaxing after the wild weekends.  Friday night we put Hobbes down, which was a strange mix of laughing kids watching cat videos on YouTube, and Joanna holding Hobbes and crying.  My mom and Bob were over for moral support, which was quite nice.  The vet was very empathetic and understanding.

Saturday we met up with Danica after a breakfast of pancakes and cafe mocha (for me anyway).  We went to Saturday Market and the library, returning with food and books.  Danica was quite pleasant and helped with the smaller kids considerably.  She and Emma spent some time planning an aquarium, which may happen in the future.

Joanna and I went to a wedding in the evening.  We went to the wrong place (the invitations had the wrong address), and rushed in at the last minute.  The ceremony was lovely and the food was pretty good.  I managed to sneak in one dance and we headed home to kids.

Sunday wasn't quite as relaxing as I'd liked, though it did have some high points and we got some work done.  The pool was taken down, we worked in the garden, and Emma and I went food shopping.  Sam, Emma, and I played a bit of D&D.  Sam and I played some Dead Island, where he managed to crash the car and we were forced to tediously carry our juice boxes to the rest of the survivors.  The evening wrapped up with pizza and Rough Science.

I took the three younger kids to school today, which went quite well.  Emma walked Berry onto the bus.  Duncan cheerfully played with friends on the playground until his school started.  I dropped Emma off at nearby Edgewood.  Now I can relax and write some code.

Minecraft

September 19, 2011 by Adam in Adam's Games

There was a Minecraft update recently.  I've been expanding our world into the new wilderness, where deep oceans and mysterious island ruins await.  I've been mining iron to turn into mine tracks so that we can easily travel from place to place.

I also ended up getting this program that maps out your minecraft world, and I have it updating each night.  Take a gander.  It works just like Google Maps, where you can zoom in and pan around.

Kitty Pancakes

September 16, 2011 by Adam in Family

It's Hobbes' last day today.  I made kitty pancakes for Duncan and Emma.  It made Duncan sad, and Emma talked about how we'd still have the chickens.  So he didn't feel left out, I made Sam Cthulu pancakes.  I think he had fun eating his Elder God with syrup and peanut butter.

It's been a hectic week.  Last night Joanna and I fed leftovers to the kids and ate cereal for dinner.  She was off to school while I somehow got Duncan and Sam through homework, and packed three lunches.  Joanna was a bit late coming back, so I also got kids into PJs, ready for bed, and then rushed off to get Emma bathed and in bed.  Once the three younger kids were asleep, Joanna declared that she was going straight to bed herself.

Sam kept me company, and we played Left 4 Dead with Matt.  Of course, by bedtime I was so hopped up on adrenaline from fighting zombies, it took awhile to go to sleep.  We had a great time, though.

Tonight Sam goes to his mom's house, a bit reluctantly.  He's been lamenting his lack of free time during the school schedule, and wants to play more Dead Island with me.  He also wants to play D&D with Emma and I, and I suggested Sunday as a good day.  My mom wants to take the two of us to see a movie at the Bijoux, but I have no idea when I can schedule it.

I took Emma to school this morning.  She was very sweet last night and this morning, helping with younger kids and being cheerful.  I look forward to hanging out with her tomorrow.

We're putting Hobbes to sleep tonight.  I imagine it'll be pretty sad, with the edge taken off by kitty cookies and a cat-themed movie.  Danica is supposed to visit this weekend, though I've yet to hear a peep.  My mocha is finished and I best get back to work.

Affection/Infection

September 15, 2011 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

It was awesome seeing everyone this weekend. We brought much affection and infection home with us; Greg is on antibiotics for a sinus infection and I'm limping by on NyQuil and hot toddies. Greg is prescribing pork chops.

We took a bunch of blurry pictures of the wedding, but at least this one captured a gesture of the celebration of Ana and Lohring at the sweetheart table.

Zombies, Cyborgs, and Miners

September 14, 2011 by Adam in Adam's Games

We've been playing a mix of games in the Miller-Bartlett household.  The younger kids are all about Moshi Monsters, to the point where Duncan finally convinced Joanna to get him a membership for a month.  Sam and I are the only ones who have resisted playing.

I continue my Deus Ex gaming, sneaking my way through with as little bloodshed as I can manage.  It's an interesting zen-like experience, though I keep accumulating increasingly powerful and exotic weapons that I hope I'll never use.  I think the conspiracy is about to unravel, though I can never be sure with these sort of things.

In stark contrast, Sam convinced me to get Dead Island, a free-roaming zombie game.  It's extremely buggy and violent, though strangely the most effective way to fight zombies is to kick them to (even more) death.  Still, it's pretty fun co-op game.  Sam and I went exploring and freed an uninfected person from an old bunker after using a precious Molotov on a couple massive zombies.  We took our reward truck and drove around on the beaches like crazy people.

The latest Minecraft came out, and Sam and Duncan were cheerfully playing this morning.  Even Joanna piped in with a "we need to play some Minecraft this weekend."  Sam's encouraging us to start a new server, and abandon our months of construction on the old.  A family discussion may be needed.

Hobbes

September 14, 2011 by Adam in Family

We took Hobbes to the vet and got the prognosis that it was likely cancer and she didn't have long to live.  The plan is to spend some time with her over the next few days, and then arrange for her to be euthanized at home this Friday afternoon.  There's a place in Junction City that does pet cremation.

We told Duncan and Berry, who immediately started writing cards for her.  Duncan wanted Hobbes to be stuffed so that he could still play with her, though Joanna didn't seem keen on the idea.  We'll let Emma know tomorrow.  The tentative plan is to have a kitty wake this Friday night, perhaps with cat-shaped cookies and a cat-themed movie night.

The rest of the week has continued on relatively uneventfully, if somewhat busy.  Sam's getting into the swing of things at Roosevelt.  He hasn't found his old friend, Jordan, who has been absent, but last year's "new kid" Evan has been promoted to buddy status.  He likes his world history class, and is strangely enthusiastic about Spanish.  There are a few teachers he's not keen on, but he burned through his math homework last night without hardly any assistance.  Mostly we chatted while I did the dishes.

Joanna, Sam, and I finished the A-Team movie, which was fun and ridiculous.  We watched the original tv show for fifteen minutes or so on Netflix.  Joanna and I waxed nostalgic, while Sam thought is was relatively high-budget but extremely silly.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggidy Jig

September 12, 2011 by Adam in Family

It's official.  My dad got hitched.

Friday night was our brief moment of relaxation, Joanna and I going to Cafe Soriah for dinner, and then Market of Choice for food shopping.  Saturday morning we packed up the kids and drove like maniacs, picking up Sam and Emma from their mom's beach house on the way up.  We made it in time to freshen up and get ready for the ceremony.

The wedding itself was quite nice, one of the few times I've ever seen my dad in a tuxedo.  Anna looked lovely and everyone was on their best behavior.  I took all the kids to the church's rec room where we played pool, foosball, and ran about.  Eventually we ate, danced, and retired to my dad's beach house for dinner.

Sam and Emma were scooped up by Jamie, and we started getting Berry and Duncan to bed.  Joanna and I collapsed soon afterward.

Sunday was very pleasant, basically a continuous breakfast, snack, and lunch with chatting.  It was great hanging out with Seraph, Sadie, and Jenny, which is a rarity these days.  Eventually we made the long drive home, got pizza and Rough Science ready, did homework, and got to bed.

This morning we took all the kids but Sam to school.  Emma ran into her Little French School teacher when we dropped off Duncan.  The schools are so close together that it's easy to drop Emma off afterward.

The only really sad thing these days is that Joanna's 19 year-old cat, Hobbes, is in very bad shape.  Joanna's at the vet with her now, and we may be working through the end-of-life issues for the cat soon.  This summer has been full of weddings and funerals.

Happy birthday Bob!

September 12, 2011 by Robbie in Cortez

Kindergarten Humor

September 11, 2011 by Robbie in Cortez

We have had Oregon weather for the past two days with dark overcast skies and rain. It's been wonderful hearing the the pitter-patter of rain on our aluminum roof. Isabell and I went to Santa Fe to look for clothes for her. It was nice getting out and walking around. Today we will go to Espanola and do a little grocery shopping.

Quick funny Kindergarten story. We just finished reading and one of the activities was to name a part of your body. "What's on your head?" "Hair!" They would respond. So, Anyway here is there response to another question.

Mr. Cortez: "What's under your nose?"

Children: "Boogers!"

Not exactly the response I was looking for, but it was quite funny and I had a good laugh about it!

On the train going north to Portland

September 09, 2011 by Sue in Wielesek

On the train going north to Portland. What a great way to travel!

Almost Mocha Friday

September 09, 2011 by Adam in Family

It's been a crazy week of running around, getting kids to assorted schools.  I'm waiting for Joanna to get to work so that I can go get my Friday mocha.  I'm waiting not-so-patiently, but I'm sure it'll be worth it.

Sam started school yesterday, and was pretty exhausted by the end of the day.  He didn't find his buddy Jordan, though he ran into a lot of other people he knew.  A locker was assigned, and Sam got his classes.  I'm not sure I can remember them all, but I think there was math, science, reading, choir, Spanish, health, and something involving making a presentation that he wasn't quite sure of yet.  I may have missed one or two along the way.

Tomorrow dad and Anna get hitched, and it's a whirlwind of driving and moving kids about.  Joanna and I have a date night tonight, then Saturday we pack up Berry and Duncan and take them to the beach, picking Sam and Emma up on the way.  Then there's the ceremony, chatting, eating, and returning Sam and Emma to Judy's beach house.  Sunday we somehow make it home, get the kids again, and hopefully do pizza and Rough Science.  Whew.

Really looking forward to seeing Seraph, Sadie, and Greg.

See you soon!

September 08, 2011 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

We're looking forward to seeing all of you this weekend for our tiny visit. Here's a dreamy picture my friend Tally took while Seraph and I snuck off for a lay down at the farm. Best nap of my life.

First Day of School

September 07, 2011 by Adam in Emma

It was a whirlwind morning today.  We bid farewell to Sam, who had one final day of summer, and headed out to the various schools.  First we dropped off Duncan, who fortunately thought his teacher was pretty, and thus acceptable.  Next we drove the three blocks to Emma's school, and finally we dropped off Berry at hers.

Emma was looking a little flustered, trying to figure out the instructions for their first assignment that were displayed on the overhead.  We all gave her hugs and kisses and let her be.  I'll call her tonight and see how things go.

We left Berry in the care of Barbara, who was Emma's teacher many years ago.  A friend immediately ran up to her, so I think all is good there.

School Tours

September 06, 2011 by Adam in Family

It was quite the long, lovely weekend.  Joanna and I snuck out for a exciting date night of dinner and food shopping at Market of Choice.  Jen watched Berry and Duncan, and was given a house tour.  It was quite pleasant.

I got the kids Saturday morning and stuffed them full of pancakes.  Emma and I then went to the library and picked up an inflatable pool that was 50% off at Rite Aid.  I soon filled it and the pool became the central activity for all the kids over the weekend.  Even Sam got in the pool, once each day, though always wearing full clothes.  We set it up in front of the swings, so he'd swing into it repeatedly.  Everyone else got in eventually, even Joanna.  It was loads of fun.

Joanna worked her fingers to the bone canning plums and peaches.  She also cooked tons of dinners.  Saturday was pizza and Rough Science.  Sunday was family dinner, with my mom and Hanni showing up.  Monday we grilled meat and tofu.

Otherwise we hung out and did very little of importance.  Sam and I built the humanoid robot.  Emma, Sam, and I played D&D.  Kids played together.  Life was good.

Today was the school tours of the three younger kids.  I met up with Jamie and Emma and we went over to Edgewood.  Emma's teacher is quite nice, and she's sitting fairly close to her best friends Kate and Daniel.  The three of them played on the playground while we chatted with Kate's dad Tom.

I then dropped off Emma and Jamie, and ran over to Duncan's open house at Charlemagne.  We met his teacher, I ran into assorted Eugenenians, and returned home.  Tomorrow's the big day for the three of them, and Sam starts Thursday.  And so it begins.

Back to the daily grind

September 06, 2011 by Seraph in Cortez

Well, we had a golden opportunity of a 3 day weekend without Isabell and no work!  (Isabell went to the Four Corners Folk Festival with friends)  What you may ask did we do with our exciting time?  Not much!  Robbie had a cold last week, and by Thursday it hit me with a vengence.  Although the Nyquil allowed (forced) us to sleep in, we spent a lot of the weekend running errands and blowing our noses. 

 On an up note, we picked up a bushel of green chile from our friends farm, and for a little extra they roasted it for us.  Robbie and I then spent 3 hours peeling, seeding, chopping and bagging the chile.  Most of it went right in the freezer, except for the cup or so that went into a rockin green chile mac & cheese.  Perfect comfort food!

On a down note, we went up to Taos on Monday, and while heading out of town decided to drive in to the Ford dealership to look a the sticker prices on a couple of cars.  We weren't sure if they were open, but one of the gates was partially open, so we figured we'd just drive in really quick to check out the prices.  Unfortunately the low gate swang back a little and Robbie ran into it.  While there's not much outward damage, the radiator got a crack.  After a few hours getting it towed down to Espanola (buy a very nice company, who was actually closed, but took care of us and gave us a ride all the way home) we got my car and picked up Isa.  Thank goodness insurance will cover most everything including the towing and rental car!  It was a good reminder of why we should never attempt to go anywhere on a holiday, when everything is closed.

I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend.  I'm hoping all the green chile stew I'm making will blow the cold away and you won't have to avoid me like the plague!

Labor Day Weekend

September 06, 2011 by Sue in Wielesek

We had a lovely weekend - Friends here for dinner on Friday evening, and we went off to watch the Ducks on Saturday night on bigscreen. Glad to have a support group for that experience. Sunday, Dez came over and worked like a trooper out back. It looks much better, though there's a little to finish. Bob, he and I went to see Conan in 3D, quite possibly the worse movie ever made. The funny thing is that I took Adam and Mike Hackett to the first Conan, and thought it was a pretty okay movie. Yesterday I had a real treat. Emma wanted to work and earn some money, so she washed the big car, the Isuzu, and some flowers.

Then, as we had promised ourselves, we went to PF Chang's for a girls' lunch. Emma charms the socks off everyone, and is nice, to boot. I hope we can get the cousins together next summer - what would everyone think about a Yellowstone trip? It would be fun if Josh could come along. We'd have enough adults to help with Duncan and Berry.

I think that everyone's plans for next weekend are coming together.

Love, Mom, gma, Sue

Robot

September 05, 2011 by Adam in Sam

Sam and I spent a couple hours assembling a Mindstorms robot today.  Joanna remarked that she hasn't seen Sam this excited for a long while.  He's now writing programs for his robot, getting it to dance and respond to sensors.  It's been loads of fun.

Spam, spam, spam

September 03, 2011 by Adam in Adam's Projects

Okay, the comment spam is starting to annoy me.  I added a secret question if you're not logged in.  If you can't figure it out, e-mail me and I'll give you a hint.

Deus Ex

September 02, 2011 by Adam in Adam's Games

I'm enjoying Deus Ex, turning into a little hacker/sneaky person.  I continue being a pacifist as much as possible, defeating my first boss by repeatedly shocking him with a taser.  It's fun getting into a game again, and I've actually had a few hours over the last few days, which feels very luxurious.

I'm also enjoying the conspiracy theory background.  Evidently F.E.M.A. turns into some shadowy government group in the future.

Mocha Friday

September 02, 2011 by Adam in Family

Okay, I don't have my mocha yet.  I'm still waiting to head into work and drink deep of that delicious elixir.

It's the end of summer and Labor Day weekend looms ahead.  Joanna is going to a winery with her department, while I work away until late afternoon.  There are no big plans this weekend.  I want to hang out with kids and maybe make some jam.

Last night we went over to dinner at Joanna's ex-coworker Linda, who is also the grandmother of Bella, Duncan's "girlfriend."  It's a small town.  She was a longtime vegetarian, so there was excellent farm food and Linda told tales of her hippie days from long past.  Good times.

Midweek Update

September 01, 2011 by Adam in Family

I'm crazy busy at work.  Plus this website is getting blocked from work, which is vaguely annoying.  There are ways around it, but still.

Feeling somewhat ready for the start of school.  I have all the school supplies ready.  Emma's old teacher, Barbara, is teaching Berry next year.  Jamie and I mostly have a kid schedule worked out, though we're stuck on where Emma will be on Sunday nights.  We confirmed that Jen will be watching kids after school.  I really like her and she had great references.

Back to my endless emails . . .