Glad I'm Not Eaten

September 03, 2010 by Adam in Family

Joanna and I went for a nice hike around the trails near the hospital.  It was a bit of an adventure, and the trail near the river faded to deer trails and tall grasses.  There had been cougar sightings, so every little noise made Joanna jump a bit.  I joked around, and was somewhat cavalier about it.

We'd been hiking for 45 minutes, trying to figure out how to get back to the hospital, when Joanna announced "I see cat ears in the river."  I thought it might be nutria, a rather large rat-like thing, and we continued on.  Within a minute, we heard a deep growling/coughing noise and immediately decided to slowly backtrack and head inland.

We got a little giddy on the way back once we reached the big field next to the hospital.  All the people in the gym thought we were pretty awesome for having seen one of the mythical cougars.  I think we'll stick to exercising in the gym next week.

Sweet Mocha Friday

September 03, 2010 by Adam in Family

For some reason I woke up at 5:30 a.m., convinced Joanna that getting out of bed was a fine idea, and everyone got to school and work when they were supposed to. Dishes were done, laundry was folded, and the kitchen was cleaned up. Of course, today is the last day of summer school, but it's nice to know that we finally figured out the routine.

Last night was busy. I got to say hello to Emma when we returned, who was playing with Berry and Duncan, as well as catching ladybugs. My mom very nicely cleaned and organized Emma's bedroom. The rest of the evening was fairly frantic. I helped Collette put up curtain rods and a couple other things. Then it was off to food shopping, where I somehow managed to get it all in one cart. Returning home, Joanna and I collapsed on the couch to fold laundry and watch Chuck. We also delivered the "sorry I backed into your car" pie to the neighbors, who were quite appreciative.

The plumbing issue has turned into a confusing, expensive mess that I'm trying to sort out. Insurance will pay for replacing the ceiling, but not the plumbing. The contractor already charged me $900 to open up the ceiling, and the plumber charged another $600 for the less-than-satisfactory emergency repair. I'm getting a check from the insurance and my hope is that I can somehow do a bunch of the work myself and it won't be quite as crazy expensive as it is. I'm getting a plumbing estimate today, and maybe Monday I'll start cutting holes in walls.

There are countless other things to do, such as taking old TVs to be recycled, and selling the Subaru. The sprinkler system is still not working. Still, things are getting done and taken care of. Most of the driveway is empty, and Joanna's office is unpacked. We saved all the bubble wrap and let Berry and Duncan jump up and down on them. Sam and Emma have school supplies and clothes for school. Life is slowly getting organized.

My morning mocha was delicious, as always. Tonight Joanna and I are going to watch Yayoe play the ukelele. This weekend the plan is to hang out and get ready for school, perhaps with a berry-picking trip in the middle. Sunday night is the big family dinner. I'm looking forward to seeing my dad after his death-defying open ocean race.

Morning Eggs

September 01, 2010 by Adam in Family

This morning Emma directed Duncan and Berry to fetch her herbs from the window box, and cooked herself scrambled eggs for breakfast. Everyone had great fun, and Emma extracted promises that they would come stay with her when she moved to Italy as an adult.

Yesterday was fairly remarkable, in odd little ways. The old pipe from the kitchen sink burst last week, after the plumber drilled through it while cleaning it. At the moment that part of the basement has the ceiling removed and there's a temporary pipe that lets us use the kitchen sink. Fortunately insurance is going to pay for all but the deductible, so I think I'll be stuck with a little over a thousand in damages. That's strangely the good news, as otherwise it would be over three thousand.

Jamie and I also appear to have reached an agreement on spousal support. I think that means that we can finally get something written up and signed relatively soon. The next few years will be tight financially, so I'm hoping no more pipes burst until then.

I've arranged for Sam to walk to Roosevelt with a couple girls from the neighborhood. Hopefully that'll increase his street cred, or at least minimize the chances he gets lost. Sophia used to go to school with Sam, so it'll be good that he has a familiar face with him.

In terms of Joanna and I, I think we're spending our hot date night at home, replacing car batteries, getting ready to make peach jam, and unpacking the office. Good times.

Parades and Beaches

August 30, 2010 by Adam in Family

We had a very exciting weekend, all around.

Friday night Joanna and I headed down to the Eugene Celebration for music, food, and a horde of people dressed in interesting costumes. Days later, Joanna brought up the ice cream bar, dipped in chocolate and nuts. It was that good.

Saturday I collected the kids, fed them crepes and bacon, and headed down to watch the parade. We lasted a reasonable length of time before the kids got restless and we dashed across the parade route to make it to the library. We stocked up on assorted books before making the long walk home. I ended up carrying Emma much of the way, along with the massive bin of books she begged me to take with her.

The afternoon was fairly low-key. Joanna stepped out to get the reins of the Fox Hollow web site. I went to TrueValue after that and got the parts for the tire swing. Assembling it went surprisingly well, making our backyard even more of a playground/farm combo. I made dinner for everyone and their bottomless stomachs. I think I eventually got to sit down and have a bite after fetching butter, salt, more drinks, and a half-dozen other things.

Sunday was our great expedition to the coast. The drive out went fairly well, with movie players for all. Sam got a little car sick, so we parked by the side of the road briefly to let him eat ginger candy while we picked blackberries. Soon we were on our way to Heceta Head. We got the perfect parking spot and picnic table. Immediately everyone rushed off to jump in the water.

It was a perfect beach, with sea caves and a little stream to build forts upon. Sam and Emma got completely soaked and we were constantly getting people to change their clothes. The weather was beautiful and we played until late afternoon, stopping by Florence for dinner before heading home.

We're in the final week before school starts. We have another grand school supply shopping trip, and Sam should get a bunch of clothes arriving magically in the mail thanks to Joanna. I'm starting to get excited for the fall to start in earnest.

Mocha Friday

August 27, 2010 by Adam in Family

My morning mocha is a distant, sweet memory. I'm busy writing arcane code and enjoying the caffeine bubbling through my veins.

I scooped up Sam and Emma from my mom's house yesterday. Emma proudly showed off her training bra, which evidently got handed down to her from Natalie. I'm a little fuzzy about these things, but I'm not sure several years of training are really necessary. What do I know, though? I had a conversation with Sam about when he'll start shaving last night. It's amazing how quickly they grow.

In any case, it was fun having everyone running around, playing and chatting. We had mac and cheese, followed by ice cream cones. Sam and Emma both gave Berry a final push on the swing before leaving.

Next up was a meeting between Jamie, Sam, Emma, and myself. Jamie had suggested some changes to the kid schedule for school, and we walked through it with everyone to make sure it was generally agreeable. The new plan is that Sam will be at my house Saturday night through Friday afternoon. Emma will be here Thursday afternoon through Monday morning. Jamie plans to take Emma to school and watch her most afternoons, which I very much appreciate. Thursday afternoon she'll hang out at my house with Collette, Berry, and Duncan. Sam will walk or bike to Roosevelt each day. It's a big change, especially for Sam. I figure we'll see how it goes and adjust as needed.

I left Jamie's house and went food shopping. I borrowed a bluetooth headset from Joanna and Sam chatted with me on the phone as I shopped for an hour. It's gotten to the point where I need two shopping carts to bring all the food home. We arranged buckets under the basement drips that appeared after the plumber's visit on Wednesday, folded laundry, and finished watching Up in the Air.

This morning we got Berry and Duncan to school and tonight Joanna and I plan to walk down to the Eugene Celebration. Duncan's really excited about having the babysitter come over. Tomorrow the plan is to watch the parade in the morning, along with a library trip. Sunday is our grand Florence expedition. Life's good.

Blackberry Picking

August 26, 2010 by Adam in Family

Joanna and I try hard to get out together once or twice each week. Last night we'd planned on going blackberry picking and then watch Up in the Air on a laptop in the back of the minivan, parking somewhere pretty. We ate eggs on the patio with Berry, Duncan, and Collette, bid them farewell, and drove up to Crest drive to pick blackberries.

It was grand, painful fun. We ended up with a couple big tubs of berries, and scratched and bleeding legs and arms. The weather was beautiful, and I had to pull Joanna away as the sun set. Since it was so late, we ended up going straight home. We put on the movie, I folded clothes, and Joanna kept crocheting her blanket. It was a great movie, and I'm eager to finish after we had to cut it short due to lateness.

This morning we only had two kids, with a bit of Tears of Suffering from both Berry and Duncan. I had to break out the silly humor and voices on the drive to school. For some reason, expressing my longing for a magical pony got them giggling and cheerful once again.

Tonight I'm going home for dinner, talking with Jamie and the kids about the new school schedule, and wrapping up the night with food shopping. Life's busy, but good.

Back to Work

August 23, 2010 by Adam in Family

I'm in the third meeting of the day, and it's not yet noon. Ah, the joys of the business world.

We had a pleasant weekend all around, relatively low key and full of kids. Saturday morning was our typical library run, bringing home assorted goodies for all. Sam turned out to really love Foxtrot, which he read pretty consistently all weekend. Emma tried to take home 5 Guinness Book of World Records books, which I paired down to 2.

We stuffed kids full of food and puttered about, putting in some more work getting things put away. After that was a Target run and Jordan's birthday. We loaded up the minivan and spent the remainder of the afternoon swimming, hot tubbing, jumping on a trampoline, and eating lots of food. We returned home, got kids to bed, and wrapped up the day. Joanna kept working on a nightgown for Emma. I fiddled with my computer.

The next morning we had crepes and blueberry pancakes, a welcome part of the weekend routine. More unpacking occurred while kids played. I fixed Joanna's old computer and set it up for Duncan. Art work was hung on walls. We went to a church picnic at noon. Emma got her face painted with flowers and sparkles. Sam indulged in hot dogs and chased Duncan about. Berry and Duncan reveled in the playground at Tugman Park.

The afternoon continued house projects and play. The kids had quiet time, and Joanna ran off to buy some more shelves for her office. We rode bikes down to the park, Sam pushing Berry and me holding Emma. Duncan was less than enthusiastic about bike riding, and soon everyone was playing on the cheese or in the sand. Everyone was surprisingly cheerful and played well together, with even Sam getting in on the action. The night wrapped up with tacos and everyone going to bed early, even Sam.

There may be some changes to the kids schedule coming up. Jamie suggested some changes as school approaches quickly. Jamie, the kids, and I are getting together to chat soon, and hopefully get things finalized soon. It's hard to believe that there are only two and a half weeks until things change yet again.

The Weekend Fun Begins

August 21, 2010 by Adam in Family

Sam and Emma have arrived, and I'm cooking up crepes for a traditional tasty breakfast.  Emma's eating zucchini from the garden which Joanna just picked.  It's nice having all the kids about.

Last night we took Berry and Duncan swimming, where they had a really good time.  It's neat seeing them get increasingly confident in the water, and with their floaties they roamed about the pool by themselves.

It's nearly breakfast time, and then we're off to the library.

Sweet Mocha Friday

August 20, 2010 by Adam in Family

I'm wearing the Superman shirt Joanna got me, and working away at my morning mocha.  Life continues to be busy, but satisfying.  We're slowly dealing with all the little aspects of moving in together.  I'm hoping to get our donation pile moved from our driveway soon, and we have someone interested in buying the Subaru.

Wednesday night Joanna and I went out to the Em's game, which was surprisingly fun and different.  Joanna quizzed me on the rules, and then comically cheered for our team while politely encouraging the visitors when they did well.  We were up in one of the suites, served traditional American food, and had fun mocking the terrible puppet show they snuck between innings.  We headed home early, after it was clear the game would go on pretty late.

Last night after work, Sam, Emma, and Josh were running around in the backyard, as Jamie was working and my mom was doing some event at the Fairgrounds.  I taught Sam how to jump a car, as the Subaru battery had died from disuse, and we had to show it off that night.  He also rolled the free tire we got on craigslist into the backyard.  Hopefully I can get it hooked up this weekend.

I went out food shopping after dinner while Joanna got kids to bed.  It's amazing how much food I buy these days, and I ended up using two shopping carts to return to the car.  I returned home, and we cleaned the kitchen and did the dishes.  Joanna and I collapsed on the couch and watch an episode of Chuck.

We have a fairly busy weekend ahead, with picnics, birthday parties, and house projects.  It's getting towards the time of week when I start missing the kids again, so it'll be nice to see them tomorrow.

Midweek Fun

August 18, 2010 by Adam in Family

The week has been moving along nicely, uneventful and pleasant. The summer routine has involved Josh watching Sam and Emma Monday and Wednesday, my mom Thursday afternoon, and Jamie the rest of the times. For Berry and Duncan, they're home a little after noon, with Collette keeping an eye on them and sometimes taking them places. Emma often plays with them when they're about, leaving Josh and Sam to do more boyish things.

It's strange thinking that this is only the second week with everyone under the same roof, as it seems like much longer. We haven't had any huge traumas, other than the usual middle-of-the-night excitement. Last night Berry came upstairs to scream outside our door. Joanna got her back to sleep and I got Emma back to sleep. Another time there was sheet changing. Usually our nights are fairly restful and the kids are more polite than not. It's certainly busy, but never boring and often fun.

Jamie came by to drop the kids off last night, and we have the school schedule generally planned out. She's free to pick Emma up after school and watch her in the afternoons. The plan with Sam is to drop him off at my house the mornings Jamie has him, and have him walk or ride his bike back to my house in the afternoon. Jamie also expressed an interest in having just one kid from time to time. Otherwise I think we're going to keep the sleep over schedule the same.

Jamie and Joanna also had a very nice chat in the kitchen while Emma and I watered. I'm glad they're able to get along so well, and all us grown-ups can focus on raising good kids.

Tonight Joanna and I are off to the first of the Em's games in the new stadium. I've never had box seats before, and they're feeding us. It's with a bunch of marketing people, and fortunately I've watched a lot of Mad Men to prepare. I better start drinking whiskey now, followed by smoking and womanizing. Can't wait!