It's Mocha Friday and I'm slowly settling int...

February 29, 2008 by Adam in Family

It's Mocha Friday and I'm slowly settling into the day. The only recent excitement was that Sam had bad stomach pains last night. They came on quickly, he didn't want to eat, and it took him forever to hobble into bed. Fortunately he was perfectly fine this morning, so hopefully it was no big deal.

Jamie's off to Portland to an antique show tomorrow. She leaves early and I don't know when she'll be back. It sounds like I'll be feeding the kids a grand breakfast, as well as entertaining them for the day. I suggested a hike, but Sam doesn't want to go with Emma. We may just run around a park instead. Tonight may be swimming as well, if I can convince the kids to go.

All-in-all, life's pretty good at the moment. I'm loving the warm and sunny weather we've gotten lately. It makes me want to putter around in the garden. Maybe tomorrow I can pick up some compost and the kids and I can spread it around the garden.

The week is more than halfway over, already

February 28, 2008 by Adam in Family

The week is more than halfway over, already. It's been a good morning so far. I put on a puppet show via webcam for my coworkers, a technology first I believe. Work was supposed to be insane yesterday, a perfect storm of two go-lives. One was delayed two weeks. The other was screwed up and my work probably won't start until Monday. It's been nice to work on things I've put on the back burner pending a little free time.

The new washer and dryer arrived, which made Jamie very happy. Unfortunately a bit of work was required, replacing the outlet and cutting a new hole for the dryer vent. All was accomplished, though, and I was rewarded with a heartfelt thanks from Jamie.

I puttered around with the kids in the front yard yesterday after work. It was warm and sunny, with Sam trying to convince Emma to put on her swimming suit. They ended up playing with water and pouring it down the hill for a reason neither one of them could articulate. Good times.

Medicare celebration and Lohring's 65th birth...

February 28, 2008 by Yayoe in Yayoe

Medicare celebration and Lohring's 65th birthday reminder. It's Saturday, March 8 at Rolling Rapids Pizza formerly known as Pietros..it's on Franklin Blvd but at the Glenwood end of Franklin. We'll see you at NOON..I reserved a table under Lohring's name. I'm buying the pizzas so think about what kind you want to eat. See you on the 8th.

Somehow the weekend zipped by, bringing Monda...

February 26, 2008 by Adam in Family

Somehow the weekend zipped by, bringing Monday along for the ride. Nothing particularly thrilling happened, though I felt busy all the time.

Saturday Jamie went up to Portland with Pat to an antique show. I hauled the kids to the library, who weren't too thrilled with me, but enjoyed the books and movies we brought back. I tried to go swimming, but messed up the times, and instead we just hung around the house.

Sunday was my big seven-course meal day. I went shopping, prepared the quiche and chocolate mousse, then took the kids shopping. About half the courses turned out okay. The kids liked the scones, ham and cheese, and Emma liked the fruit dish. The chocolate mousse was a huge hit with everyone. It's fun to do a big blow-out cooking extravaganza every once in awhile.

Monday was pretty busy for me at work, as so much is going on again. Plus I had a customer call me up right before I ate lunch and talked until I was late for a meeting. I think I ate lunch around three in the afternoon. Sigh.

No wonder women want to leave the home and jo...

February 26, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

No wonder women want to leave the home and join the workforce. This little Susie Housewife stuff is pretty darn dull. Ive been trying to mix in some fun tasks, like using
art store fancy wrapping paper sheets for drawer liners, but I haven't really fooled myself into thinking that it's useful work.
Bob and I have a short trip planned. Aric's basketball team at LCC is getting to go to the Playoffs in Richland, Washington, and we're going to drive up on Wednesday, and stay, probably through Friday. I think the coach is pretty happy; last year was his first year, and their win-loss record was awful. Should be fun!
I've had fun with grandkids. Sam and Emma were over Friday night, and both Dez and Jordan were home today with the flu,
and spent the afternoon with me.
Lots of hugs and kisses! mom

It's Friday already

February 22, 2008 by Adam in Family

It's Friday already. The week seems to have gone quickly, though maybe that's because we were so busy. Sam was sick for a couple days, though not too bad. He stayed home from school and did quiet things while sniffling away. Jamie had one evening where she was feeling achy and tired, and took a rare nap. Last night it seemed as if everyone was finally feeling better.

Sam's latest game is this mix of choose your own adventure and role playing. He made up an adventure about an island city nearly destroyed by a volcano and attacked by giant bugs. It was pretty creative, all-in-all. Now he's demanding I make up a little adventure for him. Hmm.

Emma's activities are much simpler. After work yesterday we colored a "Heart Unicorn" drawing the Jamie made for Emma. As expected, it had a unicorn along with many hearts and flowers. For some reason, Emma loves playing a game where I either tickle her or try to gobble her up. I'm happy to oblige, of course.

As for Jamie, I think she'd like to have an evening watching an old movie. We're shipping the kids off to my mom's for dinner, so maybe we'll make our own dinner together and watch an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

As for the weekend, I think it's pretty open. I'd like to take the kids swimming tomorrow. If it's nice, maybe I can spread more manure around. There's something deeply satisfying with that particular activity. My mom thinks it's those farmer genes of mine, crying to get out.

And I had a nice breakfast, too! I needed the...

February 20, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

And I had a nice breakfast, too! I needed the energy in order to spend the day cleaning out the basement. The bad news is that it's a boring job. The good news is that with the exception of Sadie's stuff in the bedroom closet, and
the tools, the downstairs bedroom is cleared of everything but the essentials - bed, dresser, desk and book shelf. What's even more amazing is that the only stuff left in the laundry room are a few canning supplies, and one set of shelves with paint, painting supplies, and the like. Am I
Martha Stewart or what!

I had a great breakfast with my mom

February 20, 2008 by Adam in Adam

I had a great breakfast with my mom. It's always fun to chat with her without the usual interruption of kids running about. I also get the latest family gossip, such as Seraph and Robbie wistfully wishing they could move back to my mom's farm. I don't know how they could technically pull it off, but I think the rural life can look nice after so long in the big city.

My big physician directory redo project continues to loom large. Go-live is in one more week, with countless details still remaining. Busy, busy.

Sam had a wart frozen last night

February 20, 2008 by Adam in Sam

Sam had a wart frozen last night. The now sell these kits where you mix a couple chemicals together and get the tip of this applicator really cold. You then press it against the wart for 20 seconds or so and theoretically it falls off a week or two later.

Sam was all excited to give it a try, and Jamie demanded to do it (claiming I wouldn't read the instructions fully). Unfortunately it ended up being somewhat painful and he's not very enthusiastic about trying it again. Hopefully it works and doesn't need another application.

After he finished his homework and was looking somewhat pitiful with his sniffly nose and sore foot, I asked him what he wanted to do in the hour before bed. "I want to go downstairs and program and have you help me." With a smile, I took him to the basement where we worked on the Lego Star Wars game he was making in Scratch. He's a chip off the old block.

I don't seem to talk about Emma all that much...

February 19, 2008 by Adam in Emma

I don't seem to talk about Emma all that much, unless she's feeling under the weather. Let's see if I can remedy that.

I pulled into the driveway from work yesterday afternoon. Emma waved at my arrival, then went back to looking for lady bugs in the shrubbery. It was a bright, crisp day and all the kids were running around outside. Jamie went in and I kept an eye on Emma. She decided to water the planter box, so I helped fill a watering can for her. She watched Sam and the neighbor boys climb our cherry tree, then eventually decided to head inside.

We went down into the basement and ended up playing miniature golf. Emma, Sam, and Jamie had played earlier that day, so Emma was excited about recreating the experience in our basement. She had the score card and a pencil, and pretended to be the shop keep. She had me write down my name and she explained the rules. After a couple rounds, she decided I should be a robber who stole something. I stole the recycling away, which she didn't think was all that amusing.

We wandered upstairs where Jamie was watching Gone With the Wind. I'd never actually seen it, and both Emma and I decided the costumes and overly dramatic Scarlett were pretty neat. Eventually dinner happened, and I pulled her away. Emma was unhappy with her dinner, so Jamie ended up feeding her noodles.

Afterwards we literally ran around in the basement for awhile. I'd chase her, trying to tickle her, and we'd go in repeated circles. Emma thought that was hugely amusing. Later on she went upstairs and Jamie gave her a bath, read her stories, and got her to sleep.

That's a pretty typical day in the life of Emma. She's a great kid and a wonderful daughter. I'm a lucky man.

Actually, the conversation was about a week w...

February 18, 2008 by Seraph in Cortez

Actually, the conversation was about a week without sugar/sweets, not meat.
We went without television for the 1st week of Lent (movies still permitted). It was only momentarily difficult for Isa, who realized on Sat morning that there would be no cartoons. This week we're going veggie. We have not yet decided on next week, but we've discussed a week where NO money is spent.
The last week, in preparation for the gluttony of Easter is not sugar/sweets. I will be lamenting the loss of sweetened coffee, and Robbie & Isa will have to do without candy & chocolate. This was the part where the topic of lying came up. Although Robbie & Isa may consider eternity in hell a nice change to my nagging ; )

The weekend is slowly coming to a close

February 18, 2008 by Adam in Family

The weekend is slowly coming to a close. Sam and his friend across the street, Ben, are working on making some computer game involving X-Wing fighters. Emma's upstairs watching Babe. Jamie's out at King Estate with Angie. I'm cooking some rice for dinner. All is calm.

Friday night Jamie and I went out to a tasty vegetarian place. We ordered way too much food, especially the chocolate cake. Fortunately we've been snacking on leftovers since then.

Saturday we went to the Asian Celebration. Emma decorated a Chinese Lantern, Sam played with robots, and both kids drew anime. I liked the massive drums, myself. I had a touch of a headache the entire day, so I took it easy when we got back home. Jamie slaved in the kitchen for Barbara, Zoltan, and their family's arrival. There was great food and conversation, the kids playing on the Wii, and everyone being tuckered out at the end.

Today started with french toast using my home made bread, which was most tasty. Later on I picked up some steer manure to spread in the garden. Somehow I managed to splatter it all over my face, which made for some great one-liners. With the sunny weather, I've been itching to play in the garden.

I took the kids swimming while Jamie went out to lunch with a friend. We stayed for a long time, with both kids having a wonderful time. Emma's getting really good at swimming around, picking rings of the bottom in the deep end. She can go halfway across the pool, though she still needs to be watched.

Tomorrow the kids are out of school and Jamie wants to buy a new washer and dryer. I'm back to work, trying to deal with the last of the details before our new medstaff software goes live.

Sunday afternoon, and our lovely sunny weathe...

February 17, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Sunday afternoon, and our lovely sunny weather has disappeared and we're wondering if we should just go to the movies. I spent yesterday afternoon digging out and consolidating cans of paint. I finally have put together one large (five gallon plastic bucket) for all the off-white
interior latex odds and ends. I intend to keep it forever, sort of like that sour-dough starter, adding an occasional leftover and lending it out when someone needs off-white paint. I also have about three gallons of left over yellow, the curse of the depressant.
We had fun last night, driving up to Mt. Hood Community College for one of Aric's last two basketball games, after stopping to pick up Seraph, Robbie and Isa. Robbie and Seraph had one of their usual hysterical long running arguments (I think it had to do with whether Robbie would tell the truth about not eating meat for a week, one of the things they're doing for Lent, or whether he would compound his sins by eating meat AND lying about it...) Anyhow, Seraph, Robbie and Bob enjoyed the game, and I enjoyed Isa;
we pretended that we were one a wagon train on the Oregon Trail. I had a good visit with Sadie this morning, and told her that it was time for her to come home. Adam, can't you load that 70's song about "I'm the number one fan of the man from Tennessee"? She was, no surprise, accepted to the grad school in Minnesota, and the Vista guys are trying to suck her in to working for Vista in Minneapolis, but it seems ridiculous to go some place that cold. She must have heard of Brain Freeze. Come home, Sadie. We need you. It's
time to plan the housing, irrigation and fields out at the Farm. Springfield needs you. The segregated classist Eugene
School system needs you. Morgan's grandpa just died, and Morgan needs you. Plus, we love you better than anyone else in the world, and there are a lot of people who love you better here. And all you need is love. And we won't boss you around or treat you like the baby of the family.

I finished up my Friday mocha and now I'm sta...

February 15, 2008 by Adam in Family

I finished up my Friday mocha and now I'm starting to dig into the endless tasks here at work. With the new hospital getting finished and being moved into in August, I've got a lot of applications to update and modify so they work properly. Already we're having to get PTO approved months in advance.

Last night I brought flowers to Jamie, who appropriately "ooh"ed over them before heading out to the gym. The kids and I played hard in the basement while she was out. We were superheroes for one part, fleeing from a killer worm in another, and playing with the big exercise ball for the finale. I think everyone was pretty tuckered out when Jamie returned from the gym. After a dinner of Thai take-out, Sam played video games downstairs, the girls watched their rock star dad play Guitar Hero, and another Valentine's Day was wound down.

Tonight Jamie's taking me out to dinner. It's far easier to get babysitters near Valentine's Day, rather than on the day itself. It's also not very fun to go out to dinner on that crazy day, so we're going to a vegetarian restaraunt tonight, just for me.

The Asian Festival is this weekend, and I might take the kids to that. Sunday swimming is another possibility. If it's nice out, I'd love to go bike riding with Sam. We'll see how it goes.

Happy Valentine's Day to all

February 14, 2008 by Adam in Family

Happy Valentine's Day to all. When I woke up to get out of bed, Jamie wished me a Happy Valentine's Day, groggily handed me a card, and informed me I could read it downstairs (presumably so she could get some sleep). It was sweet. Emma is armed with a shoebox full of Disney Fairy themed cards, each one containing a fairy tattoo of one kind or another. Sam, being a boy, opted out of the whole thing.

It was a fairly quiet night last night. Emma's been tired after school, so she's mostly been watching shows or hanging out with Jamie when I come home. We chatted at dinner time, and danced in the kitchen, but that's about it.

One of my more inspired Christmas gifts was a big exercise ball. Sam loves playing games with it, referring to as "Big Ball". Last night we invented "Radioactive Big Ball" where you could only knock the ball around with couch cushions. Scoring points by hitting the opposing wall was really secondary to the game. Way more fun was trying to hit the ball into your opponent, who had to pretend that any touched parts were irrevocably burned to a crisp. Most games ended somewhat horrifically, with lots of laughing.

Work is crazy busy, but otherwise life seems ...

February 13, 2008 by Adam in Adam

Work is crazy busy, but otherwise life seems pretty good. Last night I took Sam fencing and read a Neil Gaiman book. Watching him fence makes me want to get back into it as well. Maybe when he's older we can both do the Eugene Fencing Club.

Afterwards Emma and I did drawing on the flagstones of our fireplace while Sam did homework. She's a sweet girl and quite self-reliant at times. Emma even let me rock out a little with Guitar Hero, which was strangely satisfying.

Eventually the kids got shuffled off to sleep. I watched the latest Sarah Conner Chronicles while doing step aerobics on an old plastic stool. A bowl of cereal finished it and I was off to bed.

That's pretty much what I do every day.

Tuesday afternoon at the office, and a decrea...

February 12, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Tuesday afternoon at the office, and a decreasing number of loose ends linger. My hope is to have some help on Friday, borrow the pickup from Bob, and clean out the last few things. I just realized the irony of that - almost 30 years to the day from my first day as an attorney, Feb. 14th, 1978.
We had a lovely time in Portland; Seraph and I had a spa day
on Thursday, and Friday morning after Isa went to school Bob took us big people to breakfast. He and I went on to Seaside, where we hit the Nike factory outlet store at its
"50% off-plus-another-30%-off" sale, loading up on stuff for
the boys. Gray and soggy in Seaside...

It's been an age since we last posted! I've ...

February 12, 2008 by Seraph in Cortez

It's been an age since we last posted!
I've been enjoying my annual week(s) of back pain. I travel to LA on Thursday, so I'm hoping it's cleared up by then.
We're in the middle of the Chinese New Year at work, so work is relatively quiet. This holiday used to shut everything down for 3 weeks, but as our demanding delivery schedules encroach on other cultures, they've narrowed the holiday down to 5-10 days.
Robbie has been writing away on his book, surpassing the 100 page mark! He also met with a meteorite specialist the other day, and swapped rock knowledge over coffee.
Isa continues doing well at school and in her various activities. For Lent we've decided to give up 1 thing each week. Week 1 is television. Isa was reluctant at first, but it hasn't turned out that hard, as we don't watch much to begin with. She was happy that we are still letting her see the Arthur Spiderwick movie on Thursday!

My son, the rocknroll hero! What mother would...

February 11, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

My son, the rocknroll hero! What mother wouldn't be proud?

The weekend is over and I'm heading off to wo...

February 11, 2008 by Adam in Family

The weekend is over and I'm heading off to work shortly. My guess is that Emma will be heading back to school after a week away. She still coughs on occasion, but otherwise seems her usual self.

I took the kids swimming on Friday while Jamie went out. Sam really didn't want to go, but we had an okay time once we got there. Saturday was warm and gorgeous, a perfect setting for Sam and I riding bikes to the store. He got tuckered out, though, so it was up to me to ride to the library and return with assorted treasures.

The rest of the weekend was fairly low-key. We had a yummy family dinner on Saturday, combined with perfect Sundaes for dessert. Sunday we lazed about, heading to Hendrick's Park to kick the last of the fallen snow. My mom came over for dinner, where I got to show off my Guitar Hero skills. I think she was very proud, despite the smirk.

Sam's been perfecting a punch-proof vest ov...

February 11, 2008 by Adam in Sam

Both Sam and I have beat Guitar Hero 3 on Easy

February 08, 2008 by Adam in Adam's Games

Both Sam and I have beat Guitar Hero 3 on Easy. The final song is a rock version of The Devil Went Down to Georgia, which is lots of fun to hear and play. Now both of us are working on Medium. So far I'm doing fairly well, though it's taken me awhile to get used to the extra fret. Hard and Expert frighten me, so I may stay away from that for awhile.

I'm occasionally tempted to get a second guitar to play co-op mode with Sam, though Jamie would probably roll her eyes even more than normal. Yet again, Judy, thanks for this frivolous and fun gift of yours.

Sam and I played a bit of Garry's mod last night. Essentially it turns into a game of "create the most interesting trap", where we beg the other player to walk into our carefully made contraption. My favorite, but impractical one, was a dozen bowling balls attached by rope, swinging around the room. Sam created this room full of enemies that he lured me into, then escaped via teleporter. Good times.

It's that magical Mocha Friday, though I'm st...

February 08, 2008 by Adam in Family

It's that magical Mocha Friday, though I'm still at home, quivering in anticipation. Last night Sam, Jamie, and I were playing Apples-to-Apples. The green card was "Healthy" and I was the judge, deciding which of the red cards was a closer match. I technically didn't know who played what card until later, though it was pretty obvious at the time. Jamie was sensible and played "Salad", while my impish son played "Coffee". Needless to say, coffee won.

It's been a rough week for Emma, who's been a little feverish and coughing all week. It hasn't been horrible, just annoying enough to get her out of school, which she probably secretly enjoys. Yesterday we did projects, played in the basement, and snacked away. It was actually pretty fun for me, and I even managed to get in some important work things during some movie breaks.

As for this weekend, Sam really wants to ride his bike to the library for books and the store for dinner fixings. We'll likely go swimming tonight as usual. I'm horribly excited.

I'm at home today, taking care of a sick Emma

February 07, 2008 by Adam in Family

I'm at home today, taking care of a sick Emma. She's not too bad, but she still had a fever this morning and Jamie wanted to get to work after three days away. Jamie's not feeling too great herself, so I suspect Sam and I get to nurse everyone back to health.

I've somehow managed to get work done this morning, despite taking care of Emma. Work's somewhat busy again, though I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Emma and I cleaned her play kitchen, worked on craft projects, and had cocoa (with espresso for me). Good times.

Congratulations, Julie and Callie

February 07, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Congratulations, Julie and Callie. (Though you may wonder why you're being congratulated on events which will result in years of hard work and poverty!) But we're so fortunate to have wonderful responsible kids in the family, and we are certainly very proud of you both and your career choices.
Bob and I are going to spend tomorrow in Portland, and then
going to spend Friday night in Seaside with Bob's sister and
brother-in-law. Many hugs - love, mom

Joy of joys! Julie was accepted to Jefferson ...

February 07, 2008 by Meg in Lytton

Joy of joys! Julie was accepted to Jefferson Medical School today!! We're delighted.It's a nuturing atmosphere-I have always been impressed by the kindness, competence and self-possession of the Jefferson students who have come to work in our office. This has been a grueling ordeal because of the intense competition--hundreds of applicants for each positions and several hundred interviewed for a hundred or so spots. She's relieved and now just has to finish off physics II. She'll start in early August. She is so bright, so hard working and so kind that she does proud all the grandparents who gave her her genes.

Not to be outdone, Callie has now been accepted to about 4 grad schools to study Nonprofit Business Administration, including being offered a $60K scholarship over 2 yrs at BU. Her boyfriend Will applied for the later entry cycle in March and is now anxious, wishing he had done the early cycle. We may have to finesse summer vacation arrangements because of kids' schedules but hopefully will get away somewhere!

It's just been such a day of good news that I wanted to share it with family right away. Please hold our happiness and good fortune in your hearts and in the light, as Quakers say....

I just had my first eye exam in four years, a...

February 05, 2008 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

I just had my first eye exam in four years, and my eye doctor increased my correction from -10 to -14. How could I have lost that kind of vision in four years? I'm never going to the eye doctor again. Plus they dilated my eyeballs, which remained catlike for four hours. Who could have known this morning that my eyes would need the largest correction my contact brand makes? Sigh.

However, I have some fun news: I'm going to train VISTAs in Tennessee next month! Teaching community organizing and rabble rousing professionally is so much fun.

Poor little Emma is sick again

February 03, 2008 by Adam in Emma

Poor little Emma is sick again. Yesterday she was sleepy all day, perking up only after I gave her Motrin. She woke up again this morning, moaning and rolling around, so I gave her some more. Unfortunately it didn't do well with her stomach, so she was soon throwing up too. Poor girl.

She's now on the couch watching Peter Pan while I do laundry and get ready for the day. I had hoped to go grocery shopping, but we may just take it easy.

Despite it all, Emma managed to do quite a bit of projects and playing yesterday. We got into Sam's Christmas presents and opened up the model airplane kit. Soon we had a psychedelically painted balsa wood plane, covered in stickers. We also put together a Fairy puzzle and played pretend in the basement. Hopefully today we can do more of the same, though perhaps a little more slowly.

Austin was wonderful, and my friends and coll...

February 02, 2008 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

Austin was wonderful, and my friends and colleagues in Massachusetts gave me encouragement presents for every day of the meeting: a mix cd, a beautiful collection of stories from the StoryCorps Project called "Listening is an Act of Love," my own personal treat bag, and a set of tattoos called "I've got world peace in my pants." Here's me showing off my favorite one.

It's been a good weekend so far, just the kid...

February 02, 2008 by Adam in Family

It's been a good weekend so far, just the kids and I. We had a great time swimming last night and Emma didn't cry for her mom too much when she went to sleep. Around six thirty the next morning she crawled into bed and we had a nice chat before going downstairs when Sam awoke. Breakfast was crepes and sausage, along with a mocha for myself. The kids only ate one crepe each, so there's a lot of frozen crepes in the freezer.

Afterwards we played, went to the library, and headed to Humble Bagel for treats. Emma was clearly not feeling well, so we went home and I gave her some Motrin. She perked right up and Sam did a great job entertaining her. Now she's watching a show, Sam's drawing zombies, and I'm taking a short kid break. I'll need to get lunch started shortly.

I'm thinking we're going to take it easy for the rest of the day. Hopefully Emma will be up for running about outside by tomorrow.

It's mocha Friday and I just finished up the ...

February 01, 2008 by Adam in Family

It's mocha Friday and I just finished up the last drop of that delicious elixir. I forgot to take a picture as I usually do. Needless to say, Emma is still cute and Sam looks like a mad scientist with his glasses on. Jamie still looks the same as the day I married her, at least that's the story I'm sticking to.

Jamie's going up to Portland, leaving the kids and I to fend for ourselves. I tend to move into "Fun Dad" territory when she's away. We'll probably eat weird things for dinner, go somewhere and get muddy, and otherwise get in trouble. Hopefully the police won't need to be called.