Happy Halloween to all! I'm dressed like a p...

October 31, 2006 by Adam in Family

Happy Halloween to all! I'm dressed like a pirate here at work today, getting a fair number of comments from my more boring coworkers. Last night the kids and I dressed up and went to a neighborhood Halloween party. It was fairly entertaining and somehow Sam managed to get me to walk through the haunted house they'd set up in the basement. Sam and I went as pirates and I hauled along the old family flintlock rifle. Needless to say, a bunch of kids and a few adults wanted to caress it adoringly.

The week has been fairly uneventful so far. Sam's getting readusted to school. Emma's having a hard time going to school again, crying even the night before and asking if it's the weekend or not. This morning, though, she was excited to dress up and head out, so it may just be that she's tired from the time change.

In a couple weekends, it's looking like I'll be taking the kids to Portland myself. There's a Star Wars exhibit at OMSI that Sam's been wanting to see. Maybe we can do a zoo trip too, if Seraph and Robbie are up for it. We'll see how it goes.



Well, I'm back at work, slowly adjusting to b...

October 30, 2006 by Adam in Family

Well, I'm back at work, slowly adjusting to both the weather and time change. I was up at 4:30 in the morning and rode to work through chilly fog. November's just around the corner.

The beach was beautiful, warm and sunny when we arrived Friday. It was just our family and Sam's friend John. The two of them played non-stop, mostly huddling around The Movies on the computer, building up their imaginary studios. Emma alternated playing with her parents and exploring every nook and cranny of the beach house. On Saturday, Jamie took everyone to Newport for crab and visiting the aquarium. Emma continues to tell everyone she meets about the sea urchin that "hugged" her finger.

We left for home Sunday morning, as the rain had started. The ride back was gorgeous with the leaves turning colors. Sunday was spent mostly at home, though Emma and I went to a tea party that all the neighbors were invited to. Sam and Emma both start school today. Sam's been gone for a week, so I expect he'll return with piles of homework. Since I was out Friday, I have oodles of e-mails to catch up on. I'm trying hard not to get in frantic mode.



Yesterday turned out better than I'd hoped

October 27, 2006 by Adam in Family

Yesterday turned out better than I'd hoped. Sam seems to be on the mend, though he has a non-itching rash over most of his body now. Emma was extremely tired and cranky at dinner, though later was very pleasant and I lay down next to her while she fell asleep. Jamie's tired, as usual, though I think the kids going to sleep at eight o'clock is helping somewhat.

Now I'm getting packed and ready for the beach trip today. The weather is supposedly going to be cool but sunny, which is the best we can hope for in October.



It's been an odd week, with Sam sick and out ...

October 26, 2006 by Adam in Family

It's been an odd week, with Sam sick and out of school. Emma's back to normal, though she's been incredibly tired at night. During dinner last night, she almost fell asleep in her burrito. I was called in to keep her awake until a reasonable hour, and ate dinner while giving her a bath. Yesterday I was called in by Jamie to watch Sam while she took Emma to her school's pumpkin patch adventure. It made for a lot of bike riding.

It also sounds like we're heading off to the beach tomorrow, bringing along Sam's friend John. I think Jamie's parents may stop by for part of it, but otherwise we'll be hanging out by ourselves. Hopefully it'll be somewhat relaxing, though I'm a little uncertain about all the kids running about.

Work was crazy yesterday, with endless interruptions and doing work remotely. I still got quite a bit done, and hopefully this big project of mine can move along smoothly. I'll probably treat myself to a mocha today since I'm out tomorrow.



It's Sunday afternoon, and Jamie and Emma are...

October 22, 2006 by Adam in Family

It's Sunday afternoon, and Jamie and Emma are here safe and sound. Emma's in high spirits, but Jamie is tired and feeling sick. Sam is too, it seems, and they're both resting as best they can.

Last night Sam tried out his Halloween outfit, dressing up like a pirate. I must have been tired because I slept for nine hours last night, something unheard of. This morning we had the best breakfast ever - cafe mocha (for me), pancakes with blueberries, and sausage. It was heavenly.

I dragged a tuckered Sam along several errands - the gas station, video store, and library, and then we dropped off my mom's car. We then settled down in front of the the television and watched X-Men 3.

Now Emma's leaping around the play room and I can't stay away for long. C'est la vie.



It's been a fun weekend with just Sam and I

October 21, 2006 by Adam in Family

It's been a fun weekend with just Sam and I. Last night we hiked over to my mom's house and borrowed the car, with flashbacks to high school. Sam was complaining about sore arms and neck, so we passed on swimming and instead went to rent a movie. We wandered around for seemingly forever, finally settling on The Corpse Bride and The Bourne Supremacy. We watched half of the latter, then did the normal shower and bed routine.

This morning we finished the movie and then made a hearty breakfast. Sam announced that he missed Emma and mom (in that order), and asked me what I liked about them the most. It was very cute.

We then cleaned the basement, played with balloons, and headed off to his soccer game. It was the last game of the season, so we had pizza and awards afterwards. The coaches, as is our fine tradition, headed home with beer. Next was a lengthy shopping trip where we snagged all sorts of things: food, shoes, Halloween costumes, and a DVD as a treat. Every time I go to Fred Meyers, I wonder if Seraph had a hand in the clothes around me.

Now Sam's watching The Corpse Bride, I'm finishing the laundry, and taking it easy before I go into dad mode again. Maybe we can practice riding bikes or just putter around for awhile. I'm a bit tuckered.



Mocha Friday

October 20, 2006 by Adam in Family

Mocha Friday. I'm waiting for my coffee buddy Jim to arrive before I partake of that magical elixir.

It promises to be a somewhat exciting weekend. Jamie and Emma go to Portland today, with Sam being dropped off at home in the afternoon. It'll be interesting to be carless, especially with a soccer game on Saturday. I'm working on borrowing a car, though we may take the 25 minute trek over to the field if necessary.

Emma's still sick, though with proper use of Tylenol, she mostly seems her normal self. I took her and Sam to Sam's last soccer practice last night. The big excitement was the parents versus the kids game, which is a tradition for final practices for the last few years. It was fun lumbering about with a giggling Emma on my shoulders. At one point she said, "I love you dad! I don't want you to die from the crazy ball."



The weekend is wrapping up

October 16, 2006 by Adam in Family

The weekend is wrapping up. I made soup and salad for dinner, along with chocolate chip muffins for dessert. It's a bit of a treat for me to make dinner on Sunday evenings, harking back to the days when I was a second cook around the house. Now Emma's puttering around with me in the basement. She's seemingly absorbed with her pirate hat and little people.

Yesterday was fairly low-key, just hanging out with the family. Sam and I went to the library and Humble Bagel. Today Emma, Sam, and Jamie went over to my mom's to visit with Isabell. My coworker John came over to record piratey voices for my game. After that, we went to Sam's soccer game in the rain, and generally took it easy. Good times.



Quote of the day: "Emma, please don't handle ...

October 15, 2006 by Adam in Family

Quote of the day: "Emma, please don't handle the eyeballs."



Mocha Friday

October 13, 2006 by Adam in Family

Mocha Friday. I was really wanting it too, as I ended up taking cough medicine last night, to get me through the tail end of this annoying cold. My zombie-like fog has mostly lifted and I'm feeling somewhat normal.

There was no soccer practice last night, so the kids and I ended up doing all sorts of wacky things. We did experiments with oil, milk, vinegar, baking soda, and food coloring in the kitchen. We looked through scrap books. There was playing Zelda on the Gamecube. We watched the neighbor chop down a tree. Ah, good times.

Jamie's off to a friend's tonight, while I take the kids swimming. I'm going to see if I can convince at least Sam to go to the library with me. Other than that, we'll probably do our usual running around outside while the weather holds.



Monday already

October 09, 2006 by Adam in Family

Monday already. Emma and I are both goopy and sniffly, catching whatever cold that has been going around. After so many months of being healthy, it's somewhat annoying if not unexpected.

Saturday was quite productive, with Sam and I taking down the rest of the arbor in front of the house. It's very open now, which I sort of like. We do need to put up a railing and we'll probably do some sort of roof cover like the one over the patio. Jamie, as usual, is handling the details.

Speaking of Jamie, she's been a real trooper this weekend. Emma and I were both sick, so she took up the slack and sent me to bed early.



Mocha Friday

October 06, 2006 by Adam in Family

Mocha Friday. I've already downed my cup o' joe and am grinding through the morning e-mail and issues. It's pretty quiet today, with not a single member of my team occupying the nearby cubicles. Perhaps I'll rip off my clothes and code naked.

It's been a longish week, with Jamie and Emma both sick. Sam's so far avoided illness, due to regular hand washing according to him. Last night we had no soccer practice, so we kicked a ball around in the back yard. It was fun, and we both got pretty tired.

Tonight is swimming, as usual. In the morning Sam and I plan on destroying the rest of the arbor, and then head off to soccer practice. I'm not sure when I'll work in a library trip, but I've sunk to reading books from my library that I've already read multiple times.

Other than that, we don't have too many exciting things planned. I'd like to get outside if the weather holds. Jamie's visiting with Victoria on Sunday. That's about it.



What a day

October 02, 2006 by Adam in Family

What a day. I certainly earned my keep today, gardening and ripping down our rotting arbor. Sam helped out and gleefully enjoyed all the destruction. I had him hauling timber, carrying tools, and holding the ladder. It was satisfying in a blister-and-scrape sort of way. We're still deciding what to replace it all with.

Sam's had soccer games today and yesterday. I had Emma yesterday afternoon at the park while Jamie took Sam on a walk to the store. Neither kid seemed excited at the outset, but both were quite cheerful once they were on their way.

Not much else to report. Jamie visited with Angie and it sounds like everyone is doing well with the new baby. Sam picked a dessert of ice cream with whip cream and chocolate sauce for the last couple nights. I was good and stuck to my bowl of cereal as usual.



Older Posts