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After four days of whirlwind family activitie...
November 29, 2004 by Adam in Family
 After four days of whirlwind family activities, I'm heading back to work. Yesterday we all pulled ourselves out of bed, nearly everyone coughing but me. Sam played with his remote control car for awhile, then both kids ran around the basement as I played the music from Pirates of the Carribean. Evidently Sam couldn't help but run during the exciting parts.
We headed over to my mom's around noon for Robbie's birthday. Seraph was a trooper, making lunch and keeping everyone organized. Sam played with Isabell for a long stretch, then Destin once he arrived. Eventually we headed home with a Costco sized package of paper towels balanced on my head.
The rest of the day we tried hard to be fairly quiet. Sam played his new chess computer game a bit, though it was fairly hard. Emma and I took a short walk and admired all the people and animals wandering by. Before bedtime, I helped Sam read his second easy reader book. We'll have to hit the library and pick up some new ones for him to practice on. Fun stuff.
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Saturday Thanksgiving with the Mellors has co...
November 28, 2004 by Adam in Family
 Saturday Thanksgiving with the Mellors has come and gone. Sam got his last wave of birthday presents including a remote controlled car that Emma's afraid of. Everyone had a great time, with Brant and Wendy driving over from Bend, Darrel coming in from Washington, Ray from Portland, and the assorted Eugene folks making an appearance as well. The food was good and everyone liked playing with the kids. Emma in particular loved all the attention. Jamie was still sick, remaining quiet to avoid hurting her sore throat.
It looks like today we're going over for a brief leftover lunch and birthday combo for Robbie at my mom's house, then we'll try to recover for the rest of the day.
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It was a fairly exciting Friday
November 27, 2004 by Adam in Family
 It was a fairly exciting Friday. Sam turned six and a stream of well-wishers came by for cake and presents. In between guests, he played with his Robotix toy, his new boots, and the game Jenny and Destin got for him. Good fun.
Josh was over for much of the day, something that Emma and Sam enjoyed immensely. Emma in particular seemed enchanted with him, wanting to come up and hug him all the time.
Sam also got a couple first reader books from Judy. Last night we tried one of them. He sounded out the words as best he could, quickly starting to recognizing some by sight. Though it took awhile, he read the entire book. When I left him, he was trying to read his second book by himself. Sniff. Our boy is growing up.
Thanksgiving with the Mellors is today. I think we'll have eleven people coming over. Poor Jamie is still sick, though hopefully she'll get well soon.
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Thanksgiving Day is coming to a close
November 26, 2004 by Adam in Family
 Thanksgiving Day is coming to a close. It's been a pretty packed day, with lots of kid watching and a big dinner at my mom's tonight. Fortunately Robbie and Isabell took Sam away to feed the ducks, giving Jamie and I a short break in the middle of the day. Then it was some wind down time before the big dinner. We all hiked over the hill to my mom's, though Jamie didn't stay too long. Her cough continues to make her feel lousy and she hasn't been able to talk much. Poor girl.
Tomorrow is Sam's birthday with Jim and Judy coming down from Portland to help out with everything. Plus we've got to do our cooking for Thanksgiving dinner with Jamie's family. Whew.
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Ah, mocha Friday
November 24, 2004 by Adam in Family
Ah, mocha Friday. Well, okay, it's really Wednesday but it's the end of the work week. I think I'll be heading home early anyway as Jamie's feeling lousy and suggested I not dally at work.
I managed to efficiently get both kids crying last night as I accidentally dropped Emma on Sam, bonking their heads together. They recovered in a minute or two but I felt miserable. I think my "safety dad" license has been temporarily revoked.
Not much news on the home front. I learned through the grapevine that my old friends Jason Kronholm and Bridget are expecting a baby. Funny how parenthood is sneaking up on the old crowd.
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It was a packed Sunday, with kid playing in t...
November 22, 2004 by Adam in Family
 It was a packed Sunday, with kid playing in the morning then off to see The Incredibles with Sam around lunchtime. When I returned, Sam played with the neighbor boy Grahm for most of the afternoon while Emma and I went for a walk, watched Bug's Life (again), and generally played around.
Jamie unfortunately caught the horrible cough that we've all had for the last month. Hopefully she won't be quite as miserable as I've been.
It looks like Thanksgiving is slowly shaping up. It's going to be a busy one, with Thanksgiving at mom's Thursday, Sam's birthday party Friday, Thanksgiving at our house with Jamie's family on Saturday, and perhaps Robbie's birthday party in there somewhere. Hopefully I can find some time to relax too.
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It was a good Saturday as Saturdays go
November 21, 2004 by Adam in Family
 It was a good Saturday as Saturdays go. We played with the kids all morning, then headed to Sam's friend John's birthday party. Jamie and Emma went to shopping for Thanksgiving while Sam bowled and ate cake. It turns out that the rest of the free world had the same idea so it was a bit of a madhouse. Sam had fun bowling for the first time, even getting a strike.
Strangely enough, it turns out that Sharon's sister is someone we went to the teaching program with twelve years ago (Sharon is Jamie's friend and John's mother). It's a small world indeed.
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Yet another mocha Friday
November 19, 2004 by Adam in Family
Yet another mocha Friday. My cough is finally subsiding, which makes life seem so much better.
Jamie had a surprise for me yesterday, though she spilled the beans a bit early. Sam kept the secret too, which was also impressive. Our old refrigerator that came with the house was replaced by a shiny new one, something that Jamie's been wanting for awhile. Emma and Sam had a great time taking all the packing tape off and we're slowly adjusting to the new food locations.
I'm hoping for another quiet weekend before the madness of Thanksgiving begins. Hopefully Sam and I can make it to The Incredibles, which sounds like our kind of movie. It would be nice to get outdoors before real winter hits. We'll see how ambitious I really get.
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I was up at 4:30 this morning, given a charmi...
November 18, 2004 by Adam in Family
 I was up at 4:30 this morning, given a charming little baby as a wake up present. We've been playing for the last couple hours, waiting for Jamie to wake up and relieve me of my burden. Then it's off to work where I'll probably treat myself to a mocha . . . for medicinal reasons, of course.
I think my cough is a little better, though it's hard to tell. The inhaler isn't supposed to do much for a couple more days. It may just be that it'll improve on its own anyway.
I suspect I'll be continuing to rebuild my work computer. The new hardware should be faster and better but I find myself having to reinstall all the goodies I rely on.
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Wednesday is wrapping up and life seems to be...
November 17, 2004 by Adam in Family
 Wednesday is wrapping up and life seems to be looking up. My cough has been persisting for the last few weeks. The doctor visit went well and I picked up an anti-inflammatory inhaler to help a bit. My work computer died but I now have a very capable spare that should get me through the two months before my replacement.
Sam turns six in nine days. He seems so grown up these days that I forget he's only five. Reading is the next big skill we're working on. He does reasonable well if given the time and motivation. At this point he needs to build up his vocabulary and start recognizing more words at a glance.
Emma is quite the imp. She bit Jamie's leg the other day, then made puppy dog eyes and gave it a kiss. It seems to be a time for her to test the limits of what we'll do.
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Saturday went fairly well
November 14, 2004 by Adam in Family
 Saturday went fairly well. We didn't try for anything too exciting, mostly just played with kids for most of the day. Sam and I managed to get a short hike in, climbing halfway up Spencer's Butte. The fog was thick all around us, giving it a magical quality. We also wandered off the path and came across a little altar made out of sticks, moss, mushrooms, and bark that someone had made.
When we got back, Emma and I wandered around outside for a bit while Jamie and Sam played a board game. I think the denziens of the garden call Emma "Snailbane" as she loves seeking them out and crushing them with her love.
The evening was a low-key continuation of the day. We watched Mission Impossible, gave Emma a bath, let Jamie have a little mud mask bath of her own, and quietly went to bed.
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I managed to get a zipper related injury on m...
November 12, 2004 by Adam in Family
I managed to get a zipper related injury on my lip this morning. Unfortunately it's not as risqué as it sounds. I was unzipping my rain jacket when I got to work and zipped over my lip. Oops.
It's fortunately sweet mocha Friday, which I'm happily enjoying at the moment. I don't think we have any particularly exciting weekend plans, other than me feeling like I need to get cracking on shopping for Sam's birthday and Christmas in general. It would be nice to have a quiet, restful weekend as this week has seemed so very busy.
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Jamie and Emma were woken up in the middle of...
November 11, 2004 by Adam in Family
Jamie and Emma were woken up in the middle of the night by a car alarm going off. I soon joined them in the kitchen for an impromptu midnight snack. It's been a bit of a bumpy week overall, with the kids and I coughing away and Jamie looking exhausted. Hopefully everyone will perk up by the weekend.
No exciting news. Sam and I have been incorporating the cushions from the basement couch into a variety of games these days. I can't say how many rafts, forts, and lava platforms we've constructed as of late. Emma's been taking lots of baths and likes to play on the computer (though I usually have to use the mouse for her). Jamie does Xtreme unwinding when I get home, trying to escape from the children for a few moments. Ah, the joys of life with children.
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The weekend has come and gone
November 08, 2004 by Adam in Family
 The weekend has come and gone. Sam's finishing up watching his Justice League episode, Emma's hanging out with Jamie, and I'm taking a short respite to relax.
Saturday was filled with playing with kids. Sam went over to his friend John's house, returning this morning after having lots of fun. It was pretty quiet without him. Jamie and I watched Pillow Talk, the classic romantic comedy from the 50's. It was a rare treat.
This morning we went to my mom's for Seraph's birthday. Everyone was in a good mood and Sam and Isabell played for nearly the entire time. As usual, there was plenty of good food and lots of conversation.
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Mocha Friday
November 05, 2004 by Adam in Family
 Mocha Friday. I slept like a rock last night. Jamie said I coughed, but I must have been so tired that I didn't wake up. Jamie's been a real trooper lately. Both of the kids have been feeling poorly, plus her husband hasn't been good for much over the last few days.
Sam's going to stay overnight at a friend's house this Saturday. Evidently he's pretty excited about it and it's nice having the house quiet for at least a little bit. Sam and I don't get enough time to play together as it is, so hopefully we can get some alone time together.
Other than that, I'm feeling generally disorganized. There's a variety of obligations that I suspect I'm going to meet only partly or not at all. These days it seems that I have everything I want except for time.
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Well, after all my family members used a vari...
November 03, 2004 by Adam in Family
 Well, after all my family members used a variety of colorful phrases to describe their election feelings, I'll probably have my site put on various blocking lists. You've all earned a mouth washing with extra soap!
I'm completely exhausted, having gotten very little sleep for two nights in a row. My mild cold has turned into an annoying cough that keeps me up. Cough medicine makes me spacey, which I counteract with coffee, and it's pretty much gone downhill from there. I hide at work to get some rest, knowing that I'll be swarmed by children when I arrive home tonight. I'd kill for a hot bath and a good book.
The family is well, with Emma being increasingly cute. She's getting really good at communicating using her hundred or so words. She's got the non-verbal communication down pat as well, with some really funny facial expressions. It's good these days to focus on the things that are going well.
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Halloween night is winding down
November 01, 2004 by Adam in Family
 Halloween night is winding down. We're trying to get rid of the last of our candy as the kids are exhausted from daylight savings time. They both had a great time going around the neighborhood, Sam as a vampire, Emma as a bat, and Jamie and I as Sam's victims. Good times.
The trip back from Portland went fairly well. We stopped by the outlet mall and did a little shopping. Upon arrival, we unpacked, entertained kids, went shopping, made dinner, and prepared for Halloween. Now I'm looking forward to my quiet time when the kids are in bed and I get to have my bowl of cereal and watch a show. Hopefully not much longer now.
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