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A bunch of work got done around the house yes...
June 30, 2004 by Adam in Family
 A bunch of work got done around the house yesterday. Fortunately none of it was done by me.
The fence went up, making our back yard fully enclosed. I'm looking forward to playing soccer with Sam and not worrying about fetching balls from the neighbor's yard. They still need to stain it, though that should happen soon. The next project is to put up a pergola (also known as a patio cover).
Jamie's brother Brant was here as well, power washing the front porch in preparation for painting. That, unfortunately, I might get suckered into.
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Sunday came and went like a blur
June 28, 2004 by Adam in Family
Sunday came and went like a blur. Weekend mornings are my favorite, with some time to myself before the kids get up, followed by a hearty breakfast and a day full of promise. Sam and I went on a crazy path hike in the woods at Hendrick's Park, going to places I'd never been. We returned scratched, smelly, and tired, but had a great time.
There was much playing with kids for the rest of the day. Jamie invited all our neighbors to a block party in a month or so. We're also hoping to get our fence finished up this week, along with a patio cover soon after that.
Now I'm back at work slaving away. Hopefully it'll be a quiet work week.
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It was an amazing day - one of those where ev...
June 27, 2004 by Adam in Family
 It was an amazing day - one of those where everyone in the family seems to be healthy, happy, and enjoying each other's company. It began with a hearty breakfast, amazing blueberry pancakes that Jamie whipped up. We puttered around, just us and the kids playing together. It was nice not to have anything we had to do for a change.
I watched The Last Samurai and enjoyed it. Sam watched Secondhand Lions and thought it was pretty good too. Emma had a great time playing in the water, the sand, and the bath. Somewhere in the middle the kids and I went to the mall and Toys R Us, buying some presents and goodies for ourselves.
As the day wound down, we ate some amazing spaghetti that Jamie cooked up and hung out in the back yard on the freshly mowed grass eating popsicles (Jamie's work again). Hopefully tomorrow will be as equally relaxing.
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Emma was fully wacky last night
June 25, 2004 by Adam in Family
Emma was fully wacky last night. She's been skipping her second nap lately, which causes her to get overly tired and cranky as the evening progresses. I ended up putting her to sleep with AC/DC and Winamp visualizations, something I haven't had to do in awhile.
Our whole family tromped over the hill to my mom's house, trying to solve the mystery of the missing pickup truck. We haven't found any messages on the answering machine, the truck wasn't there, and calling Caesar's house has been fruitless. So, make of it what you will.
It's Friday, mocha day, and I'm enjoying the morning so far. I've got a fairly big work project that I've decided to do. It's one of those things that could be really useful but no one's quite sure how to get started. Ah, the joys of web development.
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I got to go out to dinner with Jamie last nig...
June 23, 2004 by Adam in Family
I got to go out to dinner with Jamie last night, with Yayoe keeping an eye on the kids. Unfortunately the restaraunt we were planning to go to was closed and I was sporting a headache that never seemed to go away. Fortunately the Lucky Noodle was down the block, which had some damn fine good food. Upon returning, the kids were neither cooked nor eaten and Emma was fast asleep.
I did perform a bird rescue last night. I kept hearing a weird thumping noise from outside the basement window. It turned out a bird had gotten stuck in one of the window wells. I donned a long sleeve shirt and gloves then bravely picked up the little bird, who just sat there after I set him on the ground. Hopefully he made it out into the wide world today.
Update: When I checked this morning, the bird had jumped back into the window well, stuck again. I threw on some gloves and this time took him further away into the bushes. We'll see if his tiny bird-brain can figure it out from there.
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It's been hot
June 22, 2004 by Adam in Family
It's been hot. Way too hot.
All Sam wanted to do when I got home last night was to play Harry Potter. We played with Legos. We re-enacted parts of the movie. It never seemed to stop. I finally couldn't do it any more, and Sam looked wistfully sad until I tucked him into bed and read him the latest comic book.
Emma missed an afternoon nap and was wacky most of the night. She alternated between being cute as a button and crying hysterically for most of the night. By bedtime, Jamie and I were pretty exhausted.
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Jamie and Emma made it back safe and sound fr...
June 21, 2004 by Adam in Family
Jamie and Emma made it back safe and sound from Portland. They left a little early, coming back around two in the afternoon. Sam and I had a library visit, some miniature golf, and lots of Lego playing by then. I think Sam wishes he could have spent even more time with me, which was a nice Father's Day present in its own way.
I went to my dad's to wish him a happy Father's day as well, along with Seraph, Robbie, Isabell, Hanni, and Jenny. It sounds like everyone's doing well. Robbie was busy preparing for his new teaching job. Seraph was bemoaning the fact that she looked far too normal to fit in at an art school. Jenny was enjoying a few moments of calm as her kids were with their dad.
After that, Jamie's family descended on our house for an improptu dinner. The kids were pretty wacky by the end of the day so we shuffled them to bed as soon as humanly possible. It's pretty warm tonight, so I've been hiding out in the cool basement. Back to work tomorrow . . .
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Guy's weekend has begun
June 20, 2004 by Adam in Family
 Guy's weekend has begun.
I came home early from work yesterday and got Jamie off to Portland. We proceeded to charge up my dead battery, try out the slip-and-slide in the backyard, and play lots of Legos.
Today was even more filled than the day before. It started with a hearty breakfast, food shopping, washing the car, and seeing the new Harry Potter movie. Sam loved it and couldn't stop talking about it for the rest of the day. As soon as we arrived home, he had to have it be our latest "play pretend" game.
We puttered around for the rest of the day, exploring the hidden parts of the attic, shoveling bark-o-mulch, and breaking out the slip-and-slide once again. I managed to break it but it didn't matter much. Pouring water directly on it worked fine when I'd set it up on our little hill.
We had corn-on-the cob for dinner, chatting at the table as I wondered in amazement at how grown up he seems. During the nightly bath, we waved to grandma Sue in the general direction of Russia. It's a good life.
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It's mocha Friday, though I haven't gotten my...
June 18, 2004 by Adam in Family
 It's mocha Friday, though I haven't gotten my mocha quite yet. It was really hot yesterday. Jamie handed me the kids at lunch yesterday while she went to the gym. We ate our typical bagel then entertained ourselves with the architecture of the new business building at the U of O.
Brant was over for dinner last night. Jamie wanted to pry information from him concerning his upcoming move to Bend, but I think she mostly got a few grunts in typical Brant fashion.
Sam and I's guy weekend starts this evening. I borrowed the neighbor's battery recharger so that we'd be properly mobile. The tickets to Camp Putt are in my bag. I've reviewed Harry Potter showtimes. We should be good to go.
I will miss Jamie and Emma, however. Emma's been staying up later these days, giving us 20-30 minutes each night to putter around with just her. I read books to her and played with blocks last night. She's such a sweet kid.
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It's been a fairly quiet week so far
June 16, 2004 by Adam in Family
It's been a fairly quiet week so far. Jamie spent some time with Angie last night and I took the kids to the park. The weather has been beautiful the last couple of days after our week of rain. I'm looking forward to Sam's and my "guy weekend", though Jamie worries that I'm making too big a deal of it. Already Sam has a list of all the exciting things we'll be doing once the girls are out of the house. Good times.
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It was another quiet day yesterday
June 14, 2004 by Adam in Family
 It was another quiet day yesterday. The kids woke up really early, which left Jamie and I in a tired daze later in the day. I actually took an unheard of nap on the couch while Sam played with paper castle models.
We did a store run and later took a walk around the neighborhood looking for items on our treasure hunt. Jamie got extra points for finding a "severed head" (one a restroom sign - the round heads were disconnected from the body). The other things on the list were much easier.
Emma's still a little sick, but seemingly on the mend. She mostly had a hard time with sleep, but seemed quite cheery whenever she was awake and playing. She's gotten quite interested in books, reading to herself in the car on occasion.
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The day began with a hearty breakfast, then l...
June 13, 2004 by Adam in Family
The day began with a hearty breakfast, then later took a turn for the worst when I got stung on my foot by a bee then poked in the eye by Emma. Emma's also been sick today, so she's a little grumpy. Later on I did some prep work for the patio cover, sanding and painting as needed.
Still, I wasn't injured for long, other than sore biceps from a gym workout combined with carrying heavy things off the porch. Sam was calling me "jelly arms" by the end of the day.
We all sat on our front lawn playing with bubbles, then ate tacos and enjoyed the weekend evening.
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It's mocha Friday and I'm busy buzzing my way...
June 11, 2004 by Adam in Family
It's mocha Friday and I'm busy buzzing my way through the morning. The week has gone reasonably well. My cough has finally faded, which I'm thankful for. Jamie and the kids seem to be doing reasonably well, trying to adjust to a no-school Summer. Jamie's trying to line up babysitters and play dates so that she doesn't go mad watching two kids all day long. Emma's getting braver with her walking, taking steps like she's practicing some sort of rare martial art. Crawling is still faster and more reliable.
We're getting yet more work done on our house. This time we're putting up a cover over the patio and finishing fencing in the back yard. It looks like we get to do some prep work - sanding, priming, and paining the board that it'll attach to. With luck, it'll start tomorrow.
I'm also trying to arrange some time to spend with Jamie. I have a gift certificate to the Locomotive that I'd love to take her to. If there are any volunteer babysitters out there, let me know.
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It was pouring down rain this morning, leavin...
June 08, 2004 by Adam in Family
It was pouring down rain this morning, leaving me soggy after my bike ride into work. For some odd reason I'm more cheerful than I've been for the last couple days.
Jamie and the kids got me an early father's day present by going to get their portraits taken. It was great, especially as I'd been lamenting not having a good portrait of Emma. It also sounds like the weekend after next will be an "all boys" weekend, with Jamie and Emma going to Portland to visit her mom. I'm sure we'll do some hiking, go out to a movie, and play lots and lots of Legos.
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Today seemed a bit bumpier than yesterday
June 07, 2004 by Adam in Family
Today seemed a bit bumpier than yesterday. I made the mistake of drinking too much coffee and not eating enough, which put me in a grumpy mood. I was also watching Sam and Josh for much of the day, trying to find things that would entertain the three of us. I did reasonably well, though I think Jamie was upset with the amount of computer playing that went on.
We did manage to make it to Hendrick's Park and introduced Josh to the concept of "crazy paths". We ended up getting pretty muddy and wet, but had a great time doing it.
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It's the end of a pleasant Saturday, everyone...
June 06, 2004 by Adam in Family
 It's the end of a pleasant Saturday, everyone asleep except for me. Everyone seemed in a pretty good mood and we tried hard not to accomplish to much of anything important. Sure, there was some laundry done and we managed to walk down to the library, but it seemed incidental to the playing and relaxing that we tried to do.
Emma has become quite fond of bubbles, making a blowing face and saying "baba" when she thinks of them. Then she'll stand there and giggle while trying to pop the bubbles. All my kids are characters. Sam is fond of puns and silly situations and loves to try to get Emma to laugh.
I think tomorrow we're having Jamie's dad over for breakfast, and possibly the boys as well (as Jamie refers to Brant and Dave). Hopefully I can continue to do a whole lotta nothing.
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It was a fairly chaotic day today
June 03, 2004 by Adam in Family
It was a fairly chaotic day today. My cough continues to annoy me, and I was unfortunately a bit testy with Jamie. I also had a flat tire this morning and since my car battery was dead as well, I ended up walking to work. Emma had her check-up at the doctor, getting three shots in the process. Sam just wanted to play, play, play by the time I got home. Four hours later when I tucked everyone to bed I was completely wiped out.
I've spent the last hour eating cereal and surfing the web. Soon I'll close my bleary eyes and fall into sweet oblivion.
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Having that extra day off on Monday was beyon...
June 01, 2004 by Adam in Family
 Having that extra day off on Monday was beyond pleasant. The morning seemed almost decadent with Sam away. I had several hours to myself in the morning, then I took Emma to Metropol for goodies and watching people make pizza. Jamie and I had the longest breakfast together in recent memory, chit chatting away over scones and coffee.
My friend Chris came over while Emma was napping, allowing the three of us to talk like adults for an entire hour. While this seems mundane, it's such a rarity that it was remarkable.
A bit after noon I picked up Sam and the bundle of energy that he is. The entire drive back, he talked about "Dragonslayer", a game he made up on the spot. It did make the drive back pretty quick, though upon his return he had to reinact all the parts from the game. Emma was my faithful puppy and every time I said the word "puppy", she'd say "woof woof!".
Towards the end of the day, it was pretty clear that Sam was overly excited by the weekend's events. We tucked him into bed, read him his Star Wars comic, and got him to bed. It's hard to imagine that he graduates from preschool this Friday.
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