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I think that global warming is slowly turning...
January 31, 2005 by Adam in Family
I think that global warming is slowly turning Oregon into California. It was so sunny and warm Sunday, quite a departure from the typical cold and wet winters of my childhood. Emma and I had a long walk around the neighborhood, visiting with the various neighbor kids. Sam had nonstop play time, first with grandma Sue, then Graham, then Ben and Sebastian, and finally me.
Jamie and I just enjoyed the weather, glad to be finally over all these various illnesses. The upstairs bathroom had the last coat of paint applied. Now we just need to find a bolt that mysteriously disappeared when it fell out of a ceiling fan. Our suspicions are pointing to it falling in the paint bucket, but neither of us have taken the steps to search there.
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Saturday is coming to a close
January 30, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Saturday is coming to a close. I feel okay, if more tired than usual. As usual, it was kid playtime from sunup to sundown. We split up the kids a bit differently today, with Jamie and Sam going to the park while Emma and I played at home. There were stories, playing pretend, learning how to use toy tools, painting, and a little television at the end. I did manage to find ways to restrain her when she got out of hand.
The main productive thing of the day was painting the upstairs bathroom. It was a bit on the pinkish side and now it's a light green. We've got another coat to lay down, but it's coming along.
At the moment, I'm with both kids in the basement. Sam's shooting it out with an invisible opponent. Emma's pushing buttons on her talking toys. Same ol', same ol'.
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It's late Friday, right before bedtime
January 29, 2005 by Adam in Family
It's late Friday, right before bedtime. I managed to make it to work, even get myself my normal Friday mocha. Work was pretty frantic, but I muddled through and played with the kids upon my return. Poor Emma bonked into Sam as they were playing - she's starting to look like a boxer with all the scrapes and bruises.
Sam's starting to become quite the reader. We've been reading every night - he does a little and then I do a little. Seems to work out pretty well.
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Yesterday afternoon I got really, really sick
January 27, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Yesterday afternoon I got really, really sick. It was the writhing around on the floor and wishing for death sort of illness. I was really nauseous and my head hurt more than it has in a decade.
Jamie was upset and distraught, Sam was disappointed I couldn't play with him, and Emma was beside herself with grief. It was sweet, if troublesome, to hear her call out "Daddy!" all through the night.
Fortunately blissful unconsciousness finally overtook me and I woke up at three in the morning feeling much better. I had a bowl of cereal since I had skipped dinner, then fell back into bed until this morning.
I've been working from home, sending off e-mails and doing work. Jamie enjoyed giving the kids to me so she could take a shower. I generally feel okay as long as I don't have to move around a lot. Hopefully it's just a short viral thing that will quickly pass. I suggested that it might have been food poisoning, but Jamie didn't appreciate the accusation very much.
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It was a long day yesterday
January 25, 2005 by Adam in Family
It was a long day yesterday. Work seemed somewhat frantic and Jamie left after I got home to have dinner with Victoria. Emma started crying fairly constantly towards the end, asking "Why?" every time I told her mom was away. Somewhere around 8:00 I staggered downstairs to stare bleary-eyed at the computer and eat my cereal. I then worked on my gaming hobby, debugging code in a card game. I got up a couple times during the night to put Emma back to sleep, which she fortunately did fairly well.
This morning I rode through the fog, greeted only by my fellow bike commuter neighbor Todd. Now I'm sitting at my desk here at work in the quiet before the masses arrive. My tea is steeping. Soon I'll put on the headphones and dive into the code once again.
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I finally gave up with Josh's computer, forma...
January 24, 2005 by Adam in Family
 I finally gave up with Josh's computer, formatting and starting from scratch. Fortunately it all came together pretty quickly after that and he gets to go home with a basic but functional computer.
Sam and I put in a ton of playtime today, from time travel pretend games to playdough surgery. Later in the day we went out to minature golf with Dave, Kirsten, Josh, and Ray. Sam got a hole in one. Emma ate pizza. A good time was had by all.
Sunday is coming to a close and I'm feeling a little worn out. Hopefully Emma sleeps well tonight.
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Saturday seemed incredibly busy, though it do...
January 23, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Saturday seemed incredibly busy, though it doesn't feel like we accomplished all that much. I made breakfast for a change, while Jamie watched the kids. Then it was playing with children until Seraph, Robbie, and Isabell arrived. Sam and Isabell quickly descended to the basement to play Star Wars while the adults chatted. It was very nice to chat with Seraph and hear what she's been up to. Eventually they had to leave and go off to visit my mom.
I took Sam out to the park to play, which he seemed to really enjoy. Then it was more play time until Jamie's dad arrived to deliver belated Christmas presents. The kids loved that part, and perked up yet again once Dave and Josh arrived.
Since the computer that Dave was going to give Josh died, I decided to resurrect one of my beat up computers to give to him. It was all going quite well until something went horribly wrong and it's currently not booting up properly. I'm not sure if it's the antivirus, an issue with the hardware, or something else equally dumb. Sigh.
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Mocha Friday
January 21, 2005 by Adam in Family
Mocha Friday. I feel fairly perky today, though we'll see if I can make a dent in the large piles of work that await me.
It's promising to be a busy weekend. Seraph and her crew are coming into town, as is Jamie's dad and Josh. Seraph is handing me her old computer to try to resurrect, though I'm not sure how easy it'll be. We're trying hard to get Sam and Josh some time to play together (and Emma too, who adores Josh).
I have some practical things that are on my list. My bathroom heater is broken and permanently on. We have a replacement but have yet to find the time to stick it in. Busy, busy.
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After a year and a half, Jamie's finally begu...
January 20, 2005 by Adam in Family
After a year and a half, Jamie's finally begun roping me into getting Emma to sleep at night when she wakes up. The good news is that I seem to be almost good at it, getting her to sleep two of the three times last night. I suppose helping with three younger sisters must have done some good.
As usual, it was a kid-filled night last night, ending with Emma chasing Sam and I in circles around the basement.
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It's been a bit nutty today
January 18, 2005 by Adam in Family
 It's been a bit nutty today. Poor Jamie called late this morning asking if I could come home. She's got the brunt of this latest cold and went in to see a doctor. It would be nice to tell her to get more sleep an exercise, but small children tend to exclude that.
Emma's been fun. We wandered around outside for awhile, enjoying the incredibly warm weather. She's got the sniffles too, but seems almost used to the constant illnesses. Sleeping is hard for her, though.
Sam's been practicing his spelling skills. This morning he spelled out "ugly mom + dad" on the refrigerator. He though it the pinnacle of humor.
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The weekend is coming to a close, another Sun...
January 17, 2005 by Adam in Family
 The weekend is coming to a close, another Sunday winding down. I actually got some sleep last night, though Emma did wander down around seven in the morning to visit. After breakfast we bundled the kids up and hiked down to the library. It was pretty fun and we all ended up with something interesting to read. We stopped for a bagel and I fortified myself with a mocha before hiking back up to our house.
Jamie ran off to help my mom to clean her kitchen, which I think secretly meant that she'd do anything to escape the children for a couple hours. Fortunately she returned, and brough Shrek 2 for us to watch until dinner time.
The kids and I played some more in the basement, coming up with silly games that involved stuffing balls in their clothes. No one was hurt and they had a great time. I even recorded the experience and put together a new movie detailing the things we do in our basement these days.
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Yesterday was admittedly pretty exhausing
January 16, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Yesterday was admittedly pretty exhausing. I woke up around 5:30 with Emma deciding it was time for everyone to get up. After that, it seemed a blur of kid stuff throughout the day. I picked up Thunderbirds and I, Robot at Flicks and Picks. Everyone went to bed early and Sam and I read a ton of books together.
There were some highlights of the day. We got lots of little icicles on the pergola that covers our patio. I got some for the kids and then Emma sent me out repeatedly to get more for her to eat. We moved the antique card table upstairs for Jamie to use in her craft room. The kids were exceptionally funny at dinner, with Emma pressing her face against the glass of the kitchen door. Good times.
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Happy Probe Day! The probe that descended to...
January 14, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Happy Probe Day! The probe that descended to Titan, one of Saturn's moons, seems to have landed just fine. It's sending back data and everything looks good. Hopefully we'll get some pictures or even sounds from the microphone later today. Nifty stuff.
Other than that, it's a pretty busy day. I had my morning mocha and am slowly wading through work. We have a few things to do this weekend, but it's otherwise relatively open. Maybe we'll try to get to some snow, which would be fun.
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It's another Mocha day for me, for medicinal ...
January 13, 2005 by Adam in Family
It's another Mocha day for me, for medicinal purposes of course. Jamie came down with the cold that the kids had yesterday and it seems to have snuck up on me late last night. I was given Emma to watch during my normal 8 pm Wednesday Lost viewing time. I kept it going, trying to distract her from the invisible monsters stalking people by playing with her talking puppy toy. Hopefully her dreams were filled with "itsy bitsy spider" and not the manevolent forces that haunt the forbidden isle.
Since Jamie was sick I was sent out to get food at Tasty Thai. It was a complete madhouse. It turns out they were giving all their sales to the tsunami relief effort, so I guess I accidentally gave $19.65 to charity. Emma absolutely loved the curried tofu, gobbling it down in between exclaimations of "More tofu!"
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My new computer desk arrived yesterday, with ...
January 12, 2005 by Adam in Family
 My new computer desk arrived yesterday, with some assembly required. It quickly became a huge project that consumed the evening and perhaps our very souls. I optimistically thought I could simply sit down when I got home from work and put things together. I did the desk before dinner time, letting the kids play with the packing material.
Little did I know that the styrafoam blocks quickly broke down into tiny balls that clung to everything. Before I realized the danger, they covered the kids, the couch, and the floor. Jamie came down and announced that I might as well put the hutch together.
It turns out that the hutch was seemingly ten times more complicated than the desk. Finally, at about nine o'clock, we had everything assembled, cleaned up, and I moved Sam's computer to its new home. Now the only problem is that the network cable barely reaches it and I think I jiggled something to make the network card fail. I'll take it apart sometime later.
Otherwise, it looks great and the extra storage is quite handy. Let's hope I can continue to stay organized.
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The kids came over this morning and I enterta...
January 11, 2005 by Adam in Family
 The kids came over this morning and I entertained them while Jamie worked out. I got a flu shot finally, something that is my normal thing to do at work in November. Sam decided that I was very good so we went out for hot chocolate. Emma had a good time making smiley faces at the college students and rearranging the chairs.
In theory my new computer desk arrives today. I'm excited to set it up and get rid of the wobbly card table I'm currently using. Emma likes to push on it and watch it rock back and forth, something that's not a good idea with a huge 19" monitor on it.
Other than that, everything's going well. The kid's latest round of sniffles seems to be fading pretty quickly. I continue to brave the cold and ride my bike into work. One of these days it would be fun to take the kids to play in the snow, though I'm not sure we'll get organized in time.
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Mocha Monday you ask? Even better, free Moch...
January 10, 2005 by Adam in Family
Mocha Monday you ask? Even better, free Mocha Monday. I went down to Starbucks to use up my Christmas card, there was some hijinx with their computer system, and I ended up with a free coffee which tastes even sweeter.
The big event of the weekend was definitely the shindig last night when Jamie's girlfriends came over. Though she'd planned a movie, they instead sat around eating yummy food and chatting. Sadly there was no pyjama wearing and pillow fights, but they did leave some tasty looking snacks to take to lunch the next day.
The kids, Dave, and I were stuck down in the basement for three hours. Dave was fresh and played a ton with the kids. I made sure they were fed and relatively content. Eventually the guests left and we got everyone to bed fairly late. A good time was had by all.
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We somehow fumbled our way into Sunday
January 09, 2005 by Adam in Family
We somehow fumbled our way into Sunday. The kids both seem to have a cold again and Jamie and I had headaches yesterday. Winters are killers around here it seems. Still, everyone seems in relatively good spirits today. Dave came over to help put up cabinets in my office which ended up looking very nice.
Today I'll probably continue to play with the kids until Jamie's party this evening, at which time Dave will return to assist.
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Mocha Friday
January 07, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Mocha Friday. It's a good thing too, as my day started around 4:30 with Emma convinced that it was time for her parents to get up and play with her. Jamie and I descended into the basement and I spent the next hour and a half playing away. Of course, now my stomach is complaining about the change in schedule and I'm in a coffee-induced perky stupor.
I'm hoping we get some time to work on my office this weekend. The cabinets are assembled and need to be hung on the wall. The tricky part is coordinating that and kid watching. If anyone out there wants to come over to help, give us a call.
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Jamie let me know yesterday that her nagging ...
January 05, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Jamie let me know yesterday that her nagging cold is finally better. Emma still has the last lingering sniffles, but hopefully the last of the winter illnesses are behind us. Sam returned to school yesterday and seemed to enjoy it. Dave and Kirsten joined us for pizza and kid entertainment.
It looks like this Sunday Jamie's going to be hosting a girl's night and locking the kids and I in the basement. Fortunately Dave offered to help out so I won't go completely mad.
It's been really cold the last few days, with a tiny chance of snow this Friday. Riding to work has been especially fun. I've been walking my bike down the ice-covered hill on the way into work as I have this fear of sliding down into the middle of Willamette street. Silly me.
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It's was a good first day yesterday, hopefull...
January 02, 2005 by Adam in Family
 It's was a good first day yesterday, hopefully setting the trend for the new year. I tried hard to give Jamie some time to rest and recover from Emma's sickness-induced lack of sleep. Sam and I played with Legos while Emma watched parts of Disney movies on the computer. Jamie also snuck off to return with cabinets for my office which are currently going unhung due to lack of adults to coordinate both children and heavy objects. Dave's promised to help out once he returns from the beach. I also picked out a desk to replace the rickety card table I'm currently using. Hopefully my new office shall be complete in a week or so.
Sam and I went for a halfway hike up Skinner's Butte. It was wet and muddy and cold, so after Sam's second slip we decided to turn around and head back. Then we finished up the last part of the last Lord of the Rings movie while Jamie rather loudly guessed at what would happen next.
The big excitement for the day was dinner at my dad's with most of my family. It went really well, with the kids both having a great time and Jamie getting a chance to relax and chat. Sadie's been teaching herself the banjo, so we had some dueling banjo-ukulele action with Yayoe. Emma was mesmerized.
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Happy New Year to all
January 01, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Happy New Year to all. Since we don't have a real baby New Year hanging about, we'll make due with our own. Emma simply did not want to sleep last night and stayed up until ten o'clock (her semi-official bedtime is eight). She'd act tired, I'd take her upstairs to Jamie, and a few minutes later she'd get dropped off downstairs again. Fortunately she was really cute and we played non-stop.
The only thing on our agenda this weekend is to get the cabinets for my office from Dave's house. If we're lucky we'll put those up today and organize a bit. Jamie brought down a cardboard box and made me purge all the stuff I never used. I appeased her by tossing a bunch of computer part manuals, which I can probably get online anyway.
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It's the last day of 2004 and the hours are s...
January 01, 2005 by Adam in Family
 It's the last day of 2004 and the hours are slowly slipping away. It's doubtful we'll actually make it to midnight. Emma was up a lot last night with a bad cold. Finally I went to the guest bed and left poor Jamie dealing with the grumpinator.
Today was rather nice. Sadie came by early in the morning and had a great time playing with the kids. There was lots of pretending to be pirates today, playing my new Pirates! game, watching Pirates of the Caribbean, and generally swashbuckling about. We all went on an expedition to buy a new computer desk, but mostly got wet and returned empty handed.
The kids have been exceptionally cute tonight. Sam and Emma are having a great time playing together. We told Sam he'd earn a penny if he played with her and now he doesn't want to stop. These are the good times indeed.
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