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Happy Father's Day!
June 21, 2015 by Adam in Family
 Happy Father's Day dad and all you other dad-like people out there. Joanna woke up early and made pancakes, filled with blueberries from our balcony that Berry picked. It was delicious.
Yesterday was pretty entertaining - we took kids to the Black Sheep gathering at the fairgrounds. Joanna returned with alpaca fiber and Berry with an alpaca stuffie. Honoka enjoyed herself, as did Emma. We swung by the library where Honoka got her free book and I loaded up for the beach trip.
In the afternoon Sam and I played Goat Simulator, which is ridiculous fun. I turned into a demon goat with telekinetic powers. At one point we had turned into giraffes and got to space. It's crazy.
Eventually we piled into the pool and hung out there for an hour or two. We need to get some more pool toys, I think. Joanna worked away in the garden, getting a nasty blackberry scrape in the process.
As the evening rolled around, I got pizza for the kids and Joanna and I went off to dinner at Belly's. The dessert was absolutely delicious and Joanna got me a great wedding book for our anniversary. We finally have the vows written down somewhere, so I can refer to it and see if letting Joanna eat the last bite of ice cream was really in the vows somewhere. We returned home to find Emma putting the kids through the evening routine nicely. Honoka had made us a beautiful 3rd anniversary cake, which was much appreciated.
Life is good.
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Mocha Friday
June 19, 2015 by Adam in Family
 Joanna cooked up a storm last night - lasagna and a tasty apple tart for dessert. Mom, Seraph, Robbie, and Isa all arrived for dinner, bringing bread and a salad, and we added Joanna's pomegranate cider for a delicious meal.
Isa and Emma discovered a shared love of Supernatural, and chatted away with a steady stream of "shipping" this and "cosplay" that. When it came time to go, Emma begged me to go stay with Isa, which was very sweet. I think she'll end up following her around all day.
It was great to see Seraph and Robbie. The great thing about family is just starting up where you last left off. We chatted about raising chickens and the womenfolk got together with Jenny about vacation plans. I've decided I'm going to just go with the flow. We'll see which door at the rental has my name sticky-noted on it.
I'm heading into work shortly. I'm trying really hard not to make any dramatic changes before I go, but we keep having crises pop up. Hopefully the doctors will get paid right while I'm away.
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First Weekend of Summer
June 15, 2015 by Adam in Family
 It was a warm, quiet weekend. Friday night Sam and Emma came over and we proceeded to do much of our usual routine. Emma was happy to get a free book from the library - she chose Lord of the Flies.
Saturday we went to a picnic at Armitage Park. Theoretically we were meeting with Honoka's exchange student comrades, but the event was canceled. Fortunately I ended up buying way too much food on a Humble Bagel run, so we ate well. We threw around the frisbee and I made two short trips down the river in a slowly deflating raft. Eventually we packed it in and headed home.
I didn't see much of Sam over the weekend. He was either playing with friends online or working for my mom. We did manage to play a little Nidhogg together - a crazy pixelated sword dueling game. I was happy that I managed to beat him twice after much effort.
Emma broke out the watercolors and did a bunch of art. She also gleefully finished Broken Age, a point-and-click adventure like those of my childhood. I left her playing Sam and Max as I left to work.
I spent much of Sunday afternoon DMing a D&D game with Emma, Duncan, and Berry. Unfortunately they were all knocked out - I'm going to have to find a way to get them back into the action, as I don't really want to kill them off. It might stunt their development as nerdlings.
As for the upcoming week, my mom is putting Emma, Sam, and Honoka to work today. Duncan and Berry are going off to camp. Joanna is working away. I've got a work trip to Vancouver tomorrow where I'm going to try and reign in crazy management decisions. Should be entertaining.
I was quoted in an article about workplace monitoring recently. I posted a comment in a Reddit thread and got a call from a nice English journalist. Since my Fitbit died for a week, I don't feel particularly guilty when Emma wants to shake it about for a while.
The gadgets are also easy to game. Adam Miller’s employer gives him cash rewards if his Fitbit shows he has taken a certain number of steps a day. But it registers “steps” when jolted, so if he has not met his daily target, “I might watch TV and wave my arm around or my kids will grab it and start shaking it to see what the numbers get to.”
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Mocha Friday
June 12, 2015 by Adam in Family
  The transition to summer has gone relatively well. Sam's school had a lockdown triggered by a SWAT guy in camo dropping his kid off at the YMCA and a 4J staff person reporting an armed man at the school. It disrupted finals, but otherwise was uneventful.
Joanna took Duncan, Berry, and Honoka camping at the beach. I think they've generally enjoyed themselves and will return home at noon today.
I had Sam and Emma last night, which was a fun and low-key experience. Sam wants to just veg out for a week, while his friends want to play games and mom wants to put him to work. Emma is happy doing art and playing games. Last night we played Superfight together, making up crazy rules. I left her at home this morning, engrossed in Broken Age. Presumably Jamie will pick her up one day.
As for this weekend, I'm hoping to take everyone hiking as the weather will be great. Emma really wants to go to the library for her free book. Otherwise it's more of the usual.
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Last Day of School
June 10, 2015 by Adam in Family
It's the last day of school today. Duncan was going to take a camera to document the day. I helped Sam put together a little Japanese book for his class. I think everyone is ready for the start of summer. Duncan and Berry have several camps. Emma has her list of daily goals. Sam just wants to do nothing for a week.
The last couple days have been crazy hot, well into the 90's. Berry even lured Honoka into the pool on Monday. The little kids have spent a lot of time swimming and have been skipping track due to the heat.
Joanna and I have a date tonight, with Brenna babysitting one last time before she leaves forever for California. The plan is to take a picnic to Hendrick's park and enjoy the weather while it lasts.
I'm excited to see everyone in just a couple weeks. Can't wait.
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Solo Parent Weekend
June 08, 2015 by Adam in Family
 Joanna left Friday afternoon for a women's retreat at McKenzie Bridge. She did art, workshops, and hiked in the hot sun. Berry was fairly grumpy before her departure, but ended up being just fine. I took Berry to a birthday party in between working help desk incidents.
Saturday morning I made dutch babies for Duncan and Berry, fetched Emma, and then got her to an art supply shopping spree with Yayoe. The little kids and I made a library run, where they were pleasantly surprised by free books at the summer reading program. Emma returned with fancy watercolor art supplies. Everyone hung out in the pool and took it easy for the rest of the day. Sam returned. Pizza and science videos were watched. It was all good.
Sunday morning was equally low-key. I made a hearty breakfast for all the kids, even Sam, and we migrated to the pool to cool off from the heat. Somewhere in there we played Dixit and Emma and I worked on art. Flynn came over at some point, and Joanna returned for a little to then go off to a music performance.
All-in-all, it was a very pleasant weekend. I want to have more of them.
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Mocha Friday
June 05, 2015 by Adam in Family
 I'm heading into work soon. Duncan and Berry have no school, Sam and Honoka have a half day, and poor Emma goes all day. It's been a generally good week, with a bump here and there.
Wednesday night was a combination date night and listening to Emma's concert. We ordered pizza, which we had to take in a "to go" box, arriving at Emma's concert just in time to hear her. After she was done we ran off and hid on the patio to eat dinner, slinking in when our babysitter was done.
I've been fretting a little over finances after learning of yet another car repair expense ($1K for a broken A/C). I think it's all okay, but we've managed to spend $4K in car repairs over the last few months. The bills for Sam's knee continue to trickle in too.
Still, we have a pleasant weekend ahead. Joanna is going to a women's retreat. I've made a list of all the things I want to do, from playing board games to building weird things in the garage to finally trying out the pool. Fun times.
My mocha awaits. Time to get ready to go.
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Mid-Week Update
June 03, 2015 by Adam in Family
The school year is drawing to a close, with drizzly weather all week. Honoka made incredible cookies for her senior friends in her catering class. I think that one ended up being her favorite.
Joanna and I are off to a date night and then listening to Emma's last concert of the year. It feels like everything is wrapping up and getting ready for summer.
I'm also pondering things to do while we're at the beach in a few weeks. Here are some highlights: Can't wait to see everyone there! |
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Birthday Weekend
June 01, 2015 by Adam in Family
 It seemed to be a weekend of perpetual birthday, with Emma getting some sort of cake or treat every day. Friday night she had friends over, she went over to a friend's house Saturday night, and hung out with us in between.
As for the rest of the crew, it was generally a pleasant weekend. Joanna and I finished Wild on Friday, which made me want to get out hiking more. Saturday after the birthday party I took Emma and Duncan to the library. Sam and I continued to play Witcher 3 and compare notes. Honoka went out with some friends to hang out at the mall.
Sunday morning I prepared for summer while everyone was off or in their rooms. I set up the air conditioners, took down the storm cover from the side door, and started setting up the pool. Eventually Joanna returned to help finish the assembly, and we began the slow filling of the pool. Sam joined Emma and I, splashing our toes in the filling pool. Duncan and Berry both had friends over - Duncan and Flynn played on the slip and slide in front and Berry and Daisy played in the shallow pool. Honoka spent the afternoon making cookies for departing seniors.
It's the last full week of school. Joanna leaves on a women's retreat next weekend - not sure what I'm going to do with all the kids. I'm sure I'll think of something.
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