|
|
Snow covers the ground all about
December 30, 2003 by Adam in Family
 Snow covers the ground all about. I made it home through the slush last night, but now it's frozen and there aren't very many snow plows in Lane County to keep the streets all clear. So, I'm getting ready to gear up and walk to work. I've been trying from home, but the network connection keeps going down and Jamie keeps handing me Emma. Time to brave the snow.
We might be getting some sort of illness. I've had headaches since last night and Sam's a bit warm. We'll see.
|
|
I swam to work this morning
December 29, 2003 by Adam in Family
I swam to work this morning. At least it felt that way, with the rain pouring down and the massive puddles on the road. At the moment, there's snowflakes out the window, though they're not sticking. I also have my shoes off and I'm drying off my socks. It may be time to switch to my car again. Sigh.
I was pretty frazzled last night. Too much holiday excitement, I think. The latest Lord of the Rings movie was great and somehow Sam survived the three and a half hours.
Today it's back to work and hopefully a little normalcy. Leaving Emma this morning was pretty tough as she was all happy smiles.
|
|
Lots of fun in the snow yesterday
December 28, 2003 by Adam in Family
 Lots of fun in the snow yesterday. We drove out highway 58 until the white stuff came down in sheets. The drive was a bit long, but well worth it.
We ran through snowy forest paths, had several snowball fights, built a snowman, then drank hot chocolate in the car. Great fun.
Today Sam and I hope to get to the latest Lord of the Rings movie. We're all pretty excited, of course. I'm trying to prepare Sam for a three and a half hour movie, which seems a bit grueling.
|
|
We're all back in Eugene now, the week-long C...
December 27, 2003 by Adam in Family
 We're all back in Eugene now, the week-long Christmas holiday finally over. Sam got lots of good loot and Emma got endless clothes. Quite the haul for the kids. Jamie and I are trying to return things to normalcy as both kids have been a bit hyped up for the last couple days. I'm not sure we'll be able to pull it off as the weekend plans are already looking fairly exciting.
It was great picking up Sadie in Portland and seeing her again. She and Sam spent a bunch of time playing, including arm wrestling at Judy's house. I got to wish her Merry Christmas when the clocked ticked past midnight after picking her up at the airport.
I think we're going to try to go to the snow today, though my mom is holding a "family planning" event this morning. Hopefully it's not like those in the mafia. Tomorrow, if all goes well, Sam and I will see the final Lord of the Rings movie too.
|
|
We're up in Portland, getting ready for Chris...
December 24, 2003 by Adam in Family
We're up in Portland, getting ready for Christmas Eve dinner. Sam's on the floor with Carrie, playing with the tank that grandpa Ray got him as a present. At the moment, they're debating how the ammunition is shot out of the turret. We suspect it's only sound effects, not actual moving projectiles.
The drive up was fairly uneventful and mostly involved trying to help Sam putting his Lego presents together. We opened up a couple things before we came up. Jamie actually seemed to appreciate the intercom system I got her. All that pounding on the floor to call for dinner suggested that it might be desired.
It turns out Judy figured out how to fire the tank. I guess it took a woman's touch.
|
|
It's been quite the whirlwind weekend, slowly...
December 23, 2003 by Adam in Family
It's been quite the whirlwind weekend, slowly trying to get ready for Christmas while taking care of two kids. I think most of our presents are under control at this point, though it took awhile.
This morning was also the time for Sam and Emma's doctor checkup. Both are big and healthy. Sam's three foot ten inches and Emma's in the 90th percentile in weight. They also both had shots and aren't feeling great. Sam was incredibly brave, getting three shots and not crying a drop. The last one was a bit tougher because he knew what was coming.
The Christmas whirlwind begins tomorrow. Hopefully we'll all survive and have a bit of fun as well.
|
|
Mmm
December 19, 2003 by Adam in Family
Mmm . . . Mocha Friday, my second favorite time of the week (the first being weekend breakfasts). I think we have Sadie's flight all figured out. We're picking her up at the airport in Portland and Jamie's parents are going with me so that I don't have terrible flashbacks of getting lost on the bus in Portland when I was five.
Sam called this morning to inform me that they'd discovered the little chocolates I had put in people's stocking. I think Jamie was in on the scheme as she made him split it with her.
|
|
Work this morning was overwhelming, sorting t...
December 18, 2003 by Adam in Family
Work this morning was overwhelming, sorting through all the e-mails from when I was gone. I'm feeling dazed now, though my list is somewhat manageable. Hopefully by tomorrow it won't be quite as insane.
Last night was fun, with Seraph, Robbie, and Isabell over for dinner. Isa is evidently a big Lord of the Rings fan, so she and Sam ran around in the basement with swords and helmets while the grown ups chatted.
|
|
Wacky days
December 17, 2003 by Adam in Family
Wacky days. It seems as if the Christmas mayhem is beginning. I envy the days of my youth when I was blissfully unaware of all the chaos that seems to swirl about during the holidays. Like Seraph, I'm frantically gathering up Christmas presents. We'll see if I can actually get everything organized.
Work has been weird lately. We're having off-site all-day meetings about "standards". I admit to being a tad unenthusiastic about the issues, strongly suspecting that very little will actually be accomplished. A nice thing about it is that the meetings are in the old Vet's building. I've been getting up, having breakfast with my family, then walking the five blocks over. Yesterday I even came home for lunch. Pretty neat.
I've unfortunately started resorting to waking up very early to get things done. This morning I was up a little after 4 am, drinking Chai Tea down in the basement (which now has a frige). I checked e-mail, this website, and now should probably take a shower and start thinking about turning into a real person.
|
|
The weekend came and went like a blur
December 15, 2003 by Adam in Family
 The weekend came and went like a blur. I'm finally getting some of my Christmas things organized. We went out shopping yesterday and I picked up a few goodies. I also managed to finish up some of the things I'm making and Jamie helped wrap them up.
I took the kids to the park yesterday, which Sam thought was great and Emma looked about intently. It was raining off and on and puddles were everywhere. I mentioned that he should be careful not to get water in his boots. Within a minute, he was slogging about in water-filled footware. That was only fun for about ten minutes, then he got cold and we headed home for a shower, discussing the merits of listening to your parents' advice.
My grandfather came over last night with my mom and we had a nice dinner together. It's pretty neat seeing Sam with his great-grandfather. I remember my great-grandmother Sadie when I was a kid, even across all the years.
The next few days are going to be a bit odd. Jamie's helping out at Sam's preschool today, so I suspect she'll be a bit frazzled tonight. I've got two days of off-site meetings, fortunately just five blocks from my house. I'm not really looking forward to it, as I'd rather be at my desk getting work done.
|
|
It was a nutty, busy day for me yesterday
December 14, 2003 by Adam in Family
 It was a nutty, busy day for me yesterday. Sam woke up at the crack of dawn and it seemed as if I was watching one kid or another until I went to bed. I took both kids to the bank and then the library in the morning, then later that night Jamie went off to a friend's for dinner while I managed both kids. In between, it was a bit easier as I was typically just watching one kid.
That seems my primary job on weekends these days. Somehow I manage to do the normal day-to-day things such as laundry and shopping, though it's often hard to do. Jamie worked on finishing up some basement tasks and I worked on my Christmas presents a bit more. Slowly making progress.
|
|
Sadie - your hotmail account (sadiemiller@hotmail
December 12, 2003 by Adam in Family
Sadie - your hotmail account (sadiemiller@hotmail.com) doesn't seem to be working.
I'm trying to get in touch with you about your travel plans. We're wondering if it's easier to put you up in a hotel for the night, then grab you in the morning on our way back home. Give us a call this weekend if you can.
|
|
The week chugs along
December 10, 2003 by Adam in Family
The week chugs along. The kids were up early this morning, so I entertained them before I went to work while Jamie took a shower (which is a rare and precious thing to her). I've been fighting a touch of the "crud", though it seems much better today. Yesterday my advil and coffee trick worked just great.
Last night we had Jon and Kate over. They recently moved to Eugene from the east coast and Jon is the son of my aunt's close friend. It was nice to pretend to be grownups for at least a little while. It's so rare to have anyone over to our house these days.
I'm also trying hard to finalize Christmas plans this year. It sounds like we'll be heading up to Portland for Christmas Eve, then coming back to Eugene for Christmas Day. I'm not sure what the scoop with Sadie is exactly. I think people are under the impression that we'll be picking her up, though I don't know any of the details.
|
|
It's the end of a three day weekend, slowly c...
December 08, 2003 by Adam in Family
 It's the end of a three day weekend, slowly coming to a close. Friday was pretty hectic, though I'm not quite sure what I did. Jamie went off to have a very nice massage while I watched Emma. Later, I tried to watch both kids, but once again realized how tough Jamie's job really is.
Mostly we've been hanging out at the house trying to get the last of the remodel issues taken care of. I moved my computers back downstairs, though there's still much to do. My dad now has all the parts he needs to make my cool computer panel and that'll hopefully be done. In the meantime, I've been enjoying my new office and having a good time playing with Sam in the rec room.
The remaining big item is getting the plumbing done, mostly the new sink that goes into the counter. After that, we'll move the refrigerator back and hook up the microwave. Then we'll be fully operational.
|
|
Well, it's my Friday today, even though it's ...
December 04, 2003 by Adam in Family
Well, it's my Friday today, even though it's really Thursday. I'm taking tomorrow off so that I can watch Emma while she goes off to get a massage. I'm hoping that the rest of the day can be spent working on Christmas presents. I'm pretty sure I know what I want to do, it's just somewhat time consuming.
This morning it was Emma who was up early. Jamie called over the baby monitor to tell me to take her away for diaper changing and entertainment. I ate breakfast with her balanced on one knee. She kept wacking on the keyboard while I was trying to read my morning news.
|
|
Another busy day at work over and done with
December 03, 2003 by Adam in Family
 Another busy day at work over and done with. I'm hoping the pace slows down over the holidays, or at least I take some time off to relax a bit. The carpet, trim, and doors did indeed go in today. The carpet was a major addition, as we've been carefully walking around in shoes for the last few weeks. Jamie has been regularly awakened by my "clomp, clomp, clomp" of sandals going up the stairs.
Sam seemed to enjoy the carpet as well. He started tearing around in a big circle around the basement, through the new door that connects the office with the rec room. I'm still getting used to the idea that I can go through the new door as I'm so used to going around the other way.
It's looking like it'll be finished up by the end of the week. The electrician comes Friday, with more carpentry and plumbing before then. With luck, I'll be moving all my computer gear down ten feet within the next few days.
|
|
The cabinets and countertops did indeed go up...
December 02, 2003 by Adam in Family
 The cabinets and countertops did indeed go up yesterday, along with the vinyl floor and doors. The rumor is that we'll get carpet today too. It's pretty exciting to see it close to completion. I can't wait to move my computers and work stuff out of the craft room, along with Sam's Legos and other toys.
Yesterday was pretty busy at work, though not overwhelmingly so. I think everyone is getting back from Thanksgiving, realizing that they hadn't finished their projects yet, so they've been turning to me to get things done. Swell.
|
|
Yet more painting yesterday
December 01, 2003 by Adam in Family
Yet more painting yesterday. I wasn't quite such a maniac as previous days. I probably spent a couple hours working on trim and doors while Angie, Matthew, and Victoria came over to help us out. I also tried to keep an eye on kids as best I could, hopefully giving Jamie some breaks before I head back to work.
I've gotten used to the lazy mornings and kids running about. It'll be strange to return to the nine to five (well, seven to four) of the work week.
Supposedly I'll be returning today to major progress on the remodel. We're scheduled to get the vinyl put down in the kitchen area, cabnets going up, all the doors hung, and trim put up on the walls. We'll see how it goes, but that seems like a huge amount of work to me. After that, it's electrical, plumbing, and carpets. I can't wait to get things back to normal.
|
|
Older Posts
|
|