Sam got glasses

December 15, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam got glasses. He's been going around making statements like "You look totally different with my glasses on." and "I can see individually blades of grass!" He's still getting used to them and only wears them on occasion. I think he's excited to show them off at school on Monday. Already he's planning on telling his teacher he can sit anywhere, not just at the front of the class.

He's supposed to wear them "when he needs it" according to his eye doctor. He does fine with up close reading and the like and really only has an issue when he has to see far away. I suspect things like movies and hiking will be far cooler now that he can see the screen and scenery.

I was hoping Sam would get Jamie's eyesight, but at least he looks pretty good in glasses. Emma thinks he looks like a scientist, which Sam thinks is pretty cool.

Sam had his first fencing class last night

December 05, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam had his first fencing class last night. We weren't able to go to the Eugene Fencer's Club, as the hours were too late, but instead attended the Northwest Academy of Arms. The class was a mix of 8-12 year-olds, with a couple girls and left-handers thrown into the mix.

Like any new thing, it took awhile for Sam to get the hang of it all, but towards the end of the class they had the kids advancing and retreating, lunging, and doing a bit of parrying. Sam needs lots of practice, of course, but he has a good stance and picked things up pretty well. The instructor was very patient with everyone.

Watching all that fencing made me really want to fence again. When we got home, I kept wanting to show him various moves, though Emma made a fairly heavy foil for demonstration purposes. I'd also like to add that Emma was great during the class, quietly drawing and making friends with the other waiting parents.

Sam and I had some alone time this weekend wh...

December 02, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam and I had some alone time this weekend while the girls were off at a birthday party. He wanted to ride bikes, despite the wet and cold weather. We packed them up in the back of the car and headed down to the river path.

We wrapped ourselves up in layers, to the point where we could barely hear each other due to the layers of hoods and helmets. After a little fiddling around, we were soon pedaling away.

Sam had quite a bit of stamina and I think we spent a total of an hour and a half riding. We went past the foot bridge to Valley River, turned around and went to the bridge by the U of O, and finally came back home. He's now very excited to do it again and I have to start thinking of new places to explore.

We just got back from Sam's birthday party, e...

November 26, 2007 by Adam in Sam

We just got back from Sam's birthday party, even though he technically turns nine tomorrow. Like most birthdays, it's been a long affair, with his first present arriving early this month, another batch Wednesday, and more scattered over the weekend. The present that got the biggest reaction seems to have been the Nerf rocket launcher, and Emma seems enamored of the Nerf bow and arrow ("I finally know how to do this!" she just told me).

Jamie planned a pool party, which turned out nicely. Endless kids gathered in the Tamarack pool that we typically go to. Getting in the warm water was a wonderful comparison to the cold weather outside. Earlier today the kids were playing with blocks of ice in the backyard.

Now that he's nine, he's old enough for my old fencing club. We might check it out this week.

Sam went to John's birthday party Friday nigh...

November 18, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam went to John's birthday party Friday night and only got a few hours of sleep. Evidently his friend Zach decided that repeatedly rolling over everyone in his sleeping bag was a keen idea.

The next day he was very tired and seemed to be coming down with the sickness that we've all gotten. He couldn't nap, but ended up going to bed early and sleeping for twelve hours. I think he's much improved now.

Sam learned how to ride a bike today

November 03, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Jamie went to the parent-teacher conference f...

October 26, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Jamie went to the parent-teacher conference for Sam this week. Though I offered to beat him more, it turns out it won't be necessary. His teacher says he's smart, funny, and doing very well in school. I think he's gotten pretty close to 100% on all his math and spelling tests.

There's also a writing contest coming up that she's thinking about asking Sam to participate in. I shudder to think what wild creativity may bubble up from deep down in Samuel's noggin.

I just finished Half-Life2 episode2

October 20, 2007 by Sam in Sam

I just finished Half-Life2 episode2. Last week I finished Portal. They were both really fun. My favorite part of portal was that it was funny. Half-Life2 episode2 was fun because of the physics puzzles.

Sam had his last soccer practice of the seaso...

October 18, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam had his last soccer practice of the season, and quite possibly his last soccer practice ever. As tradition would have it, we had a kids versus parents scrimmage. Emma joyfully directed me while on my shoulders. After awhile she got bored, though, and went to pick mushrooms and dandelions.

This weekend is Sam's last set of soccer games. After that, I want to look into fencing and see if he likes it. It would be fun for me to practice along side of him. I'm not sure how we'd manage the Emma watching - hopefully Jamie would take her most of the time, but we'll see how it goes.

We came to the conclusion last night that Sam...

October 10, 2007 by Adam in Sam

We came to the conclusion last night that Sam likely needs vision correction. We were testing him on the oven clock and his guess as to the time was way off. We'll get him formally tested and hopefully get him some glasses and/or contacts relatively soon.

Sigh. I was hoping this one would miss the whole "blind as a bat" thing that seems to be the family curse.

Sam got a paper cut on his finger last night

October 02, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam got a paper cut on his finger last night. It was sore while he was having a snack. "Can I have a placebo?" he asked. I whipped up a mixture of salt water and lemon juice. He wasn't impressed.

I picked up Sam from school and somehow he ma...

September 17, 2007 by Adam in Sam

I picked up Sam from school and somehow he managed to hurt his back while doing push ups at recess. It's not too bad, but running around and jumping seems to make it hurt, so I'll probably keep him out of soccer tonight.

On the plus side, I got him packed, off to school, and picked him up at the right time without any problem.

Sam's having a bit of an issue around sports ...

September 11, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam's having a bit of an issue around sports these days. Soccer isn't panning out as his exercise of choice, so we're looking into other options for him after this season is over.

Swimming is something he keeps talking about. The YMCA has a swim team, which is conveniently located close to our house. I'd also be interested in taking him fencing once he turns nine. It's something I could do with him, plus I'm curious if my old reflexes are still there.

I took Sam on his first camping trip

August 19, 2007 by Adam in Sam

I took Sam on his first camping trip. I opted for someplace close, so we went out to Fall Creek. When I was eighteen or so, we'd head out to Fall Creek nearly every Summer afternoon, so it was a return to my old stomping grounds.

We packed up Friday afternoon, found the camp site, and took a tour about the place. The swimming area in the brochure was completely dry, the lake level down twenty feet below normal. Still, it was fun to run around a dry lake bed and explore. Eventually we went back and set up camp.

Sam's favorite part was playing with fire, with the excuse of cooking dinner. We cooked and ate hot dogs on sticks, then moved on to marshmallows. Eventually Sam tossed on the remaining firewood with pyromaniacal glee. Eventually we dumped the water on the fire and went to sleep.

Sleeping was the hardest part, loud and bumpy. Our nearby campers were up fairly late and a bit chatty, along with too many dogs. In the morning we eventually woke up, ate a bagel, explored the river, and drove on home.

We continued our guy-only weekend with some Sam and Max, going to the Bourne Ultimatum, and a short walk at the duck pond. Now he's watching old episodes of Sliders and we're taking it easy. Good times.

Sam finished Harry Potter, taking about two w...

August 01, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam finished Harry Potter, taking about two weeks to get through it. His reading has improved immensely since the first novel and it ended up expanding his vocabulary as well.

He also started swimming lessons yesterday. It turned out he was so good that they ended up giving him private lessons with a teenage girl. According to Jamie he was learning the butterfly stroke.

Sam's been getting into Garry's Mod again for the computer. It's basically a big sandbox game where you can do anything you want. Today we ended up making a ramp over a flaming truck that he'd jump over. At the moment he's building a haunted house, I think.

Sam decided to follow the tradition of many y...

July 24, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam decided to follow the tradition of many young boys before him and camp outside last night. Emma and I helped find the old, dusty tent that Jamie and I used to hike the Grand Canyon. It was quickly set up and provisioned, with the kids trying it out for much of the evening. There was a brief moment where Jamie didn't want him to stay all night after seeing clouds roll in. Evidently Sam's powers of persuasion are strong and he somehow got the okay.

He stayed outside, reading his Harry Potter book, and didn't come in until just a few minutes ago. Since it was 6:30 in the morning, I think he got a little cold or bored or something. Last I saw him, he was headed upstairs to the relative warmth of his own bed.

Sam's playing a new online adventure game cal...

July 22, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam's playing a new online adventure game called Chore Wars. I told Jamie that there was a computer game that she'd want him to play all the time. She initially scoffed, but then admitted I was right once I explained it. Sam's character is Samtastic, a first level Barbarian with a couple adventures under his belt. Yesterday he put his shoes away and this morning he put away his clothes. Soon he'll take on the biggest adventure of his short adventuring career, cleaning the pool. There's a 20% chance of finding a +2 Discarded Swimming Suit of Power. Wish him luck.

A week ago, I took the kids to Elephant's Tru...

July 09, 2007 by Adam in Sam

A week ago, I took the kids to Elephant's Trunk at 5th Street Market. Sam saw an Ugly Doll there, these odd, distorted soft toys for non-traditional kids. Well, Sam really wanted an Ugly Doll, to the point where he was seriously thinking about cracking open his piggy bank and shelling out the $20 for one.

When he came home and told Jamie, she said she'd make one for him. Even better, it would be of his own design. Soon enough, Sam sketched out a one-eyed, three-tentacled monstrosity and they went to get some felt. Jamie did the sewing and Sam added the stuffing. Soon Ogg, the home-grown Ugly Doll was born.

Sam hit another big milestone last night, finishing the 6th Harry Potter book. The series really turned him into a serious reader. When he started a year ago, he was slowly sounding out words and managing picture books on occasion. Now he can read a couple chapters a night. He explained to me how when he reads, he doesn't sound out the words any more, but is instead transported to a different world.

Now he's reading a book about Sasquatch, at least until the last Harry Potter book comes out.

I put together a quick movie of our Bend trip

June 23, 2007 by Adam in Sam

I put together a quick movie of our Bend trip. Mostly it's about Sam, and all the things he did for the first time while we were there.

Sam occasionally brings home interesting stor...

June 08, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam occasionally brings home interesting stories from school. This one won the "Spooky Creepy Award" from his teacher.

The Door

Once upon a time there was a run down mansion. Don't open the door to the mansion, if you do you will fall into a trap door.

If you are careful you can grab onto the side of the trap door then pull yourself up and go inside the mansion. The mansion is dirty. You shouldn't go into the next room. It has three objects. The first object is a glass eye. The second object is a pair of scissors. The third object is a knife. If you pick up one of the objects you wouldn't be able to let go.

Last night, Sam went to his school's carnival and had the most fun in the squirt gun ring. I tried to capture a photo of him stalking his prey.

Last night, Sam and Emma were playing in the ...

June 01, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Last night, Sam and Emma were playing in the backyard. It was hot, so everyone was in their swimming suits. Sam decided he wanted to drink from the hose on full blast, which he found greatly amusing.

It's hard to imagine that there's only two and a half weeks of school left. We usually have Sam do a camp or two, though I'm not sure if that got lined up for this year. He'll do swimming lessons for sure, as that's something that he really enjoyed last year.

As for now, soccer is over and the various summer vacations are looming. Hopefully in Bend he'll have a good time fishing with Jim, going to the lava caves, and riding a horse.

Sam and I climbed Spencer's Butte on Saturday

May 28, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam and I climbed Spencer's Butte on Saturday. We had a great time and Sam had a tremendous amount of energy. He hardly took breaks and by the time we got to the bottom, he stopped to climb a tree. Once we got in the car, though, he was suddenly exhausted. By the time we got home, he very much needed some food and quiet time.

Sam's class presentation on the Wolverine went very well. Everyone liked his comparison to the X-Men wolverine. He also excels in his math, reading, and spelling. At this point, most of his tricky school issues involve interpersonal relationships with his friends, making sure people don't feel left out and reminding him he's not responsible for everyone's happiness.

I'm going to see if Sam and I can go to the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie today. Fun, fun!

Sam made his first video game today

May 19, 2007 by Adam in Sam

I'm reading Harry Potter five and so far it i...

May 08, 2007 by Sam in Sam

I'm reading Harry Potter five and so far it is really exiting. I've been reading a lot of Harry Potter lately. I'm typing about typing now so read Harry Potter you'll enjoy it.

Sam's lip has finally healed, which makes him...

May 04, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam's lip has finally healed, which makes him quite happy. For a week he was going around like a chipmunk, trying to protect his cut. Of course, now he's got assorted ills, from stomach problems last night to ear aches this morning. Poor kid.

Sam continues to do quite well at school. He gets great scores on every spelling test. He was telling me how he won the respect of another kid by successfully pronouncing "Rayman's Raving Rabbids" (his latest Wii game). Last night we were brainstorming on his homework, trying to come up with a game for his math class. It's fun watching him grow and learn.

Sam's funny

April 25, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam's funny. We just finished the game Rayman's Raving Rabbids for the Wii, which was quite an amusing experience. Sam got it in his head to make a Lego version of a Rabbid, which looks just like a rabbit except crazy. Plus a plunger.

Sam's poor lip got whacked pretty hard at school the other day. The story behind the injury was complicated, involving another kid wearing stilts. He looked pretty horrific for a day, but now the swelling is greatly reduced.

Sam had his soccer game this Saturday

April 23, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam had his soccer game this Saturday. He was a little disappointed that he only got to play forward for less than a minute the entire game. Still, he had a good enough time spreading mud on his face and running around in the rain.

For whatever reason, Sam's rediscovered Legos. This morning he came down while the girls were sleeping in. We started building vehicles and other assorted gizmos. Throughout the day he worked on and off to create a bridge over lava, complete with bubbles popping out from the surface. It was rather clever.

He continues to read like a fiend. He'll probably finish up his current Harry Potter book and start in on Order of the Phoenix next week. It's pretty cool.

Right now I`m typing about typing about typing

April 19, 2007 by Sam in Sam

Right now I`m typing about typing about typing. So I played line rider a lot today. I made a track where the line rider went into space, fell back down, and went through the earth.

It was actually fun watching Sam's soccer gam...

April 16, 2007 by Adam in Sam

It was actually fun watching Sam's soccer game over the weekend. In the past, it's been a fairly disorganized group of kids running about. My goal for Sam last year was to remain upright, as he seemed to constantly fall over for no good reason.

On Saturday he did quite well, chasing the ball about and holding his own. No goals, which is fine with me. Sam was also looking pretty beat towards the end of the game. If he had fun and got lots of exercise, that's my main goal.

School continues to go well for him. He blazes through his math homework without any trouble. He's similarly good at spelling, which he attributes to all the reading he does. I think he's on the fifth Harry Potter book and typically finishing a chapter each night.

Sam continues to play the traditional video g...

April 10, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam continues to play the traditional video games, such as Tomb Raider, but lately I've turned him on to the classics. Yesterday I had him playing Wishbringer, a classic text adventure that I played when I was a kid. He's a pretty good reader and he's just learning how to type, so it's a perfect time for him. I also put the game in a special "educational" category that doesn't count against his computer time limit.

It's been fun watching him giggle as different things happen in the game, like the cute poodle turning into a hellhound. I heard him exclaim "Hey, I'm getting good at this" as his typing skills noticeably improved. During dinner I talked about how this was what computer games were like before there were graphics.

I have these nostalgic feelings about the old text adventure games, learning to type and spell things like "gazebo". You can even play it online, though you can't save.

Sam's had a somewhat exciting week, all around

April 06, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam's had a somewhat exciting week, all around. It's back to school, which he seems to enjoy quite a bit. As usual, he's doing very well at his studies, and enjoys hanging out with his friends. It's also the start of soccer. I was worried he wouldn't enjoy it, but he seems to be having a fairly good time. As he explained to me last night, there's a lot of things he likes about soccer, just not the game itself. He likes the exercise and visiting with friends, which is fine with me.

Sam also completed the grand treasure hunt that Sadie sent him on. For months he's been getting letters and packages with mysterious clues. We finally got a mysterious package with a massive glass diamond inside. He raptly listened to CDs that told of clues, which he assembled and found. It was extremely cool and Sadie did a great job.

I just got back from the coast, leaving Jamie...

March 26, 2007 by Adam in Sam

I love reading Sam's homework

March 21, 2007 by Adam in Sam

I love reading Sam's homework. Today I found his answer to the question "Who is your hero?"

Can you guess who my hero is? He is tall and has long hair. He can draw. I can always count on him to play video games. If you guessed me, you're right!

Sam got a nasty bloody nose the other day

March 19, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam got a nasty bloody nose the other day. We were walking down to Dave's house for dinner, when he started dripping blood everywhere. By the time we reached the house, it looked like he'd been attacked by a wild animal.

On the way back, Emma fell and scraped her knees too, so it was a rather traumatic experience for all.

Sam seems to be doing fairly well these days. School seems fairly easy for him and he enjoys going to see his friends. Last night he and I had a long conversation about space exploration, all stemming from the question "What if you could make sound in space?"

Sam wrote this as part of a school assignment...

March 17, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam wrote this as part of a school assignment:

My dad is funny and nice. My mom is nice too and she talks alot. Me, I do lots of things. I play video games, draw, write, and I'm smart. My sister plays with Barbies and is annoying.

Well, I bought Sam a domain name

March 16, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Well, I bought Sam a domain name. SamuelMiller.com was taken, but Samatopia.com was free. For those who are curious, it's an imaginary place that Sam created a year or two ago. He'd spend long hours telling me about it's lengthy history and terrible battles.

We put together a little site yesterday. I admittedly got a little carried away, having fun doing some weird and wacky web things. Visitors to his site can play with magnetic poetry, adjust the map, or help make his comics. I want to get a better list of words from Sam and perhaps get him to do a bit of drawing as well. Fun, fun.

Sam's had a rash on his face for the last few...

February 23, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam's had a rash on his face for the last few days. It's been getting better, but we've been trying to figure out what might have caused it. I was going through our Healthwise book which talks about various medical issues and I started going through the symptoms.

Eventually I got to the question about whether or not he'd eaten any new foods recently. I gasped as I realized I'd made him eat asparagus a few days before. "I've killed my boy!" I cried. We compared dates and it might have instead been the home made vanilla ice cream, though Sam vigorously disagreed.

Sam's gotten into playing chess lately

February 05, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam's gotten into playing chess lately. The last time I played him, I started half-heartedly, then quickly realized that I had to pay attention. I won, but he really should have, had he not made a few glaring mistakes. Tonight we played again and both of us were being very careful. As it stands, I'm not sure who's winning, and we shelved the game until tomorrow. It's neat seeing him become so good at something.

In other ways, he's a pretty typical boy. We played a version of frisbee where he jumped off a ledge and tried to catch it, usually landing with a melodramatic thud. He's also fond of playing "training" in the basement. This usually involves leaping onto the Foof from the couch while I try to block him with pillows moving in a pattern. The goal is to leap at the right moment, Indiana Jones style, and avoid being chopped up by the dreaded Pillows of Doom.

Math, reading, and spelling all seem easy to him now. He gets 100% on his spelling tests, plus usually gets all the challenge words too. He's reading a chapter or more of Harry Potter each day. It's nice having him be so good at school, though I do see those elements of obsessiveness that run deep in the Miller-Mellor genes. Fortunately I think he'll use his special power for good instead of evil.

Sadie's been at it again

January 31, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sadie's been at it again.

Yesterday in the mail, I received a mysterious package. Inside was a box for Sam with the simple note to play the game and if he wins, give him the second box. The game was Mastermind and he miraculously won in three moves, guessing all the right colors the first time.

Inside the second box was a vial. Inside the vial was a small metal tablet that unscrewed to reveal a strip of rolled-up paper. On the paper was a code key, which I won't display here for fear of disclosing a future secret. Sam, of course, thought the whole thing was incredibly cool and now awaits further packages in hopes of decoding it.

On another note, Sam finished the second Harry Potter book. He now plans to get through the rest of the books in hopes of getting to the seventh book when it comes out.

Sam put together a class presentation on Uranus

January 23, 2007 by Adam in Sam

Sam put together a class presentation on Uranus. Sure enough, preparing the night before seemed to have endless giggles, most from Jamie of all people. Supposedly it turned out pretty well when he gave it today. One boy said it looked like he'd worked on it for a long time, which he sort of did.

Tonight Sam got a pretty good bonk on the head. We have this jumping game where he lands on a "Foof" (which is basically a giant pillow). We decided to mix it up a bit, and there was a trampoline which launched him upwards after the first jump.

Well, Jamie had carefully purchased well-padded floors, but somehow forgot to equally pad the ceiling. Sam knocked his head on a low beam and was pretty miserable afterwards. He's mostly better now, having iced it and taken Tylenol. I'm feeling guilty for helping it all happen. Sigh.