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We went over to my mom's Sunday night and wer...
March 31, 2009 by Adam in Family
 We went over to my mom's Sunday night and were stuffed full of good middle eastern food. Jamie made chocolate cookies, which the kids couldn't get enough of.
Yesterday I headed back to work, though the kids had one final day of vacation. Emma went to her first Karate class, which she loved. Jamie's planning on signing her up for ongoing classes.
Other than that, it was a fairly uneventful afternoon. We played on the computer, ate dinner, and did our normal bath and bedtime routine. With school starting today, it's good to get everyone ready for the schedule.
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It's the final day of four luxurious days awa...
March 29, 2009 by Adam in Family
 It's the final day of four luxurious days away from work. The first couple were quite productive, taking advantage of the warm and sunny weather. I painted the two sides of the shed you can normally see, though I think Jamie may eventually make me paint the other sides. I still haven't decided what to do with the interior. So far, it's been fine as-is, with the kids using it as a play house.
Yesterday was wet and lazy. We stayed inside and did very little. The highlights were watching Mythbusters, playing Pretty, Pretty Princess with Emma, and doing art projects.
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It's a Mocha Wednesday for me today, as I'm t...
March 25, 2009 by Adam in Family
It's a Mocha Wednesday for me today, as I'm taking the last two days of Spring Break off. It was great having my family back Monday night, as I was missing everyone terribly. The kids were like wild puppies, leaping all over me when I came home from work.
Everyone is settling into vacation, though I think it's been harder for Jamie. Her favorite aerobics instructor stopped teaching classes due to job reductions at the hospital, and she's been spending a lot of time with the kids lately. Hopefully I can give her some time to herself tomorrow.
I'm hoping we get a little sun tomorrow and I can recruit the kids into painting the shed. As my mother taught me, there's nothing like some honest hard work to build character.
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I did a bit more work on my long project list...
March 23, 2009 by Adam in Family
I did a bit more work on my long project list yesterday, despite the rain. The kid's beds are all made, I folded laundry, and filled in some holes in the front yard. Still, I was a little lazier than planned, and never did find the right paint for the shed. It was probably best that I avoided it, though, as hail and freezing weather doesn't help paint dry much.
It was fun going over to Jenny and Dad's for dinner. Mostly I helped get all their computers running smoothly and set Sadie up so everyone could talk to her via webcam. I remember how we used to all get together for dinner and miss Sadie. Now we all get together and miss Seraph. Hopefully some of that stimulus money will get Internet access to her house so she doesn't have to live in primitive squalor.
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It's been very strange being by myself these ...
March 22, 2009 by Adam in Family
It's been very strange being by myself these last couple days. Fortunately it seems that everyone in my family wants to hang out with me. Friday night I chatted via webcam with Sadie, yesterday I watched a movie with dad, tonight I'm going to Jenny's for dinner, and tomorrow I'm having dinner with mom. Somewhere in there I'm trying to manage to get my long list of projects finished, though the dreary weather isn't helping much. I was thinking about painting the shed, but the weather isn't cooperating.
I got to talk to Emma on the phone last night. I miss the kids already.
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It's Mocha Friday
March 20, 2009 by Adam in Family
 It's Mocha Friday. Emma came downstairs to help get me ready for work and give me a goodbye kiss. Jamie and the kids are off to the beach after school, so I won't see them until their return. The kids have been lots of fun lately, and Emma has been especially sweet.
It's supposed to rain the next couple days, but perhaps I can get supplies and work on the interior of the shed. I already have a couple social events set up this weekend, including seeing Dad and Jenny's new house. Mostly, though, my hope is to hunker down and get a lot of projects done around the house.
Work is crazy busy, mostly through my own doing. We're down a staff person, so I offered to help get through our backlog of work. That's added to my normal work, so I'm frantically busy most of the time. Still, it's nice being busy and gainfully employeed. Can't beat that.
Oh, and the robot is briefly on and active, though I doubt the batteries will hold out very long. Maybe I can find a solution to that pressing issue as well.
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The weekend was pleasant and lazy, and we're ...
March 17, 2009 by Adam in Family
 The weekend was pleasant and lazy, and we're already up to Tuesday. I was a bit cranky and had a headache yesterday, even yelling at Sam, which I almost never do. Today I took the occasional Advil, but still managed a four mile run at lunch today. Sam was sick yesterday, but hopefully everyone's on the mend today.
I find myself in awe of Jamie's ability to whip up interesting and tasty meals. Last night was asian themed, with everyone eating chopsticks. It's one of the few times where I slow down at meals. Getting those individual peanuts tends to take some concentration.
Sam's been having us help him practice his multiplication facts. Today he's tackling his fours and fives. I think he's been feeling behind in math and some successes would do him good.
Emma's magically learning how to read, sounding things out better each day. I love watching the kids figure things out and get excited about learning something new. Emma's always asking me about the science news of the day during dinner time.
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Another Mocha Friday
March 13, 2009 by Adam in Family
 Another Mocha Friday.
It's been an odd week, mostly at work where the general stress levels have been fairly high. It looks like we'll be asked to cut our budget, but fortunately I think our team will be okay in terms of layoffs. There are also hints of a new system office being built, either in Seattle or Portland. There's no hint yet of whether or not they'll try to move the 300+ people in our department to the new location. I think it's unlikely, especially any time soon, but these times are more uncertain than I'd like.
Sam had fencing yesterday, and I entertained Emma while he dueled away. Afterwards it was so nice and sunny that the kids ran around in the yard while I enjoyed feeling sunlight on my skin. I tried to run outside at lunch on Tuesday and nearly froze.
Jamie's preparing a pioneer dinner this weekend, and it looks like all sorts of interesting folks might drop by. Her dad in particular is coming down, I think. Otherwise this is the last weekend with the kids before spring break. Next weekend I'll be working on the shed non-stop.
I've decided to leave the robot activated this morning, warning Jamie that strangers may be controlling a webcam in our basement. Feel free to give my quirky experiment a try. Robot gets lonely.
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I can't believe it's Wednesday already
March 11, 2009 by Adam in Family
 I can't believe it's Wednesday already.
The weekend was a blur. I helped dad move Saturday morning and then headed back to manage kids. Jamie was off for most of the day, so we puttered around and I did my usual entertainment. Sunday was much of the same, though we managed a long trip to the playground in the morning before the weather turned completely miserable.
We're starting to see some layoffs at work and other cost-cutting measures. I'm pretty sure my job is safe, specially since the stimulus package specifically has money for IT healthcare spending. Still, Jamie was not happy when she came back from the gym and discovered that her aerobics instructor was cut from teaching her classes.
I ran outside yesterday, the first time in months. It was freezing cold and my lungs hurt when I went back inside to finish on the treadmill. I only managed two miles before it started to rain and get really miserable.
The kids and I are having lots of fun with Sam's robot. Expect some news about it soon.
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Another Mocha Friday
March 06, 2009 by Adam in Family
 Another Mocha Friday. Sadly I finished my last sip and I'm munching on carrots. Jamie and the kids are at home today as there's no school. I think Jamie has wisely lined up a morning play date, so hopefully the kids won't go too wild.
Happy birthday, dad. I'm planning on seeing everyone bright and early tomorrow morning for the big move. It'll be fun to see the new house.
I've been doing some experiments with hooking up Sam's Lego robot up to the Internet. It's pretty technically challenging, but I think I figured out the hardest part so far. We'll see if I can make it self-aware and search for Sarah Conner before the end of the weekend.
Tonight is pizza and movie night, at least according to the kids. We'll probably push the couch in front of my computer and watch another Mythbuster's episode. Good times.
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It's the end of a busy Monday, and I'm tired
March 03, 2009 by Adam in Family
 It's the end of a busy Monday, and I'm tired.
Fortunately the weekend was great, filled with library trips, swimming with Emma, and hanging out with the kids. We performed several science experiments, the most exciting being mixing two chemicals that produce carbon dioxide when wet, then covering that with something that turns to gel when wet. It made for some slow-motion bubbles.
We had a fun walk through the alleys near our house, taking advantage of a short break in the drizzle. Friday and Saturday nights we had a Mythbuster viewing, much to the kids' delight. Sunday night we went to my mom's for dinner.
As for this week, I'm taking my dad to get his second eye fixed early Wednesday. On Saturday morning we're moving him to the new house. Busy, busy.
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