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I have a few more gulps remaining in my Frida...
June 29, 2007 by Adam in Family
 I have a few more gulps remaining in my Friday Mocha. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do once I move offices - pick up something on the way? Make it at home? The impending office move looms ever closer. Yesterday I pulled off all the stuff from my cubicle walls and drawers, stuffing them in four boxes. It's feeling increasingly drab and clinical, working away in these gray walls.
Sam had a great time in the pool yesterday. Emma got too chilly, like before, but Sam toughed it out and we ended up doing a little photo shoot of him jumping out of the water. His hair has gotten really long, so it sprays nicely. These are a few of the more choice shots.
I think the transition to the Summer months has been a little bumpy for Jamie. The kids were both a little wacky when I got home last night. The kids briefly pretended to surf on couch cushions while I played surf music. Eventually that broke down and we played with Magnetix, building odd, magnetically attached constructions.
As for the weekend, we'll probably do the usual swimming and library stuff. I have a hard time convincing the kids to go to the library with me these days. Even a trip to Humble Bagel doesn't cut it. Maybe after Sam finishes his Harry Potter book, he'll be up for it. At the rate he's going, he might finish in a couple weeks.
Emma's last day of baking camp is today. Yesterday she brought home cookies and two kinds of cheesecake. If she did this all the time, I'd end up the plumpest parent on the block.
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I had a lot of fun last night
June 28, 2007 by Adam in Family
I had a lot of fun last night. Sierra, one of Emma's teachers from the Little French School, came by to watch the kids. They had a great time together, with even Sam talking a liking to her. Jamie says glowing things about Sierra and it sounds like she'll be a recurring babysitter over the Summer months.
Jamie and I went for a long walk, having dinner at Turtles, a local bar and grill. It was nice to just chat about odd things and hold hands, a pleasant reminder of how fond I am of my wife.
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The kids tried out the swimming pool for the ...
June 27, 2007 by Adam in Family
 The kids tried out the swimming pool for the first time yesterday. It was still pretty cold, though I think the outside temperature was in the 80's. Sam stayed in the longest, with Emma quickly getting too chilly. She then played with paddle boats, trying to run into Sam as he pretended to be a giant sea creature.
Sam was up late again, reading Harry Potter until 10 o'clock. He'll easily finish before the movie and last book come out later this month.
Emma returned from baking camp yesterday with pineapple upside down cake and white chocolate mousse. I restrained myself and only had a nibble.
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Emma started her baking camp at the Little Fr...
June 26, 2007 by Adam in Emma
Emma started her baking camp at the Little French School yesterday. It's led by teacher Barbara, who taught her all last year. They make assorted goodies and return home with them.
When I came in yesterday from work, she excitedly showed me her chocolate brownies with rasberry frosting. She didn't like the frosting, so she said I could have some. After eating the entire thing in all it's gooey goodness, I informed Jamie that perhaps next year we could send her to gardening school.
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While I was in Portland, I had the chance to ...
June 26, 2007 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg
 While I was in Portland, I had the chance to see Seraph, Robbie, and Isa's beautiful new home, and took a few pictures of it. Here's the front view.
All is well in Williamstown, and I'm wrapping everything up to move to Providence at the end of July to start work at the national Campus Compact office. You are all welcome to visit!
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We went to an Old House Expo on Sat
June 25, 2007 by Seraph in Cortez
We went to an Old House Expo on Sat. It was fun learning about the style of our house, and gathering resourses for future projects. Robbie went golfing with some folks from church, while Isa went to another church friend's house. As I am incapable of sitting still when I have alone time - I went to Home Depot and ended up putting in a small pond! My goal is to slowly delete lawn space.
Isa starts her second week of swim lesson tonight. Her teacher pushed her up two levels, so she's a little nervous. I think we've created another water-rat in the family!
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We're now proud owners of a swimming pool, 3 ...
June 24, 2007 by Adam in Family
 We're now proud owners of a swimming pool, 3 feet deep and 12 feet in diameter. Toys R Us had a sale and we picked it up for $70. Since we're both nervous parents, we laid down various rules, especially to Emma. I feel pretty good about things, as she's tall enough to stand up in the water. Nothing beats parental supervision, though.
It took all afternoon to fill and takes up a sizable portion of our back yard. The kids were pretty excited about it, with Emma trying to convince us that it wasn't freezing. We ended up breaking out the paddle boats that my dad made for the kids. Sam ended up trying hard to capsize his with massive waves.
Tomorrow we begin the Summer routine. I've got endless e-mail to catch up on once I return to work. Emma starts a week of cooking camp with her French School. Sam and Jamie will get some rare alone time, hanging out together for much of the week.
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Well, I got the new DSL modem and router set up
June 24, 2007 by Adam in Adam
Well, I got the new DSL modem and router set up. It has some funky issues, but generally seems to be working okay. It took me forever to realize I had entered a "1" instead of a "7" for the static IP address of my computer. Everything looked great, but I just couldn't talk to the rest of the world. Finally I figured it out.
At this point, I'm going to see if my Internet connection is more stable. Theoretically if my web server goes down, I can still connect to the rest of the world. It's also a more flexible configuration, I suppose, even though I'm not trying anything fancy with my little network.
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Saturday came and went, with it finally feeli...
June 24, 2007 by Adam in Family
Saturday came and went, with it finally feeling like we're settling into our old routines again. Jamie made crepes for breakfast, which I coupled with a hand-made Mocha. Afterwards I went to the library and Saturday Market, returning home with goodies for the mind and body.
At noon I took the kids swimming. After our trip to Bend, swimming every day, Emma has become extremely comfortable in the water. Her days of floaters are behind her and can swim short distances without help. My favorite thing was watching her go under water, a big smile on her bubble-covered face. Her new big thing is swimming to the bottom to touch it and go back up to the top.
The afternoon and evening was filled with cooking. I decided to make a six-course meal for her. Initially it was going to just be for Jamie, then Jamie and Sam, and then Emma decided to be part of the fun. They watched The Song of the Thin Man while food arrived. As dessert rolled around, we transitioned to Emma, the movie with Gwyneth Paltrow.
First was shrimp cocktail, the first time I've cooked with meat in ages. Afterwards came a fruit dish, served in a half-pineapple. Fresh French bread was next, hot out of the oven. The main dish was spaghetti with fresh herbs and tomatoes. Next was a salad in the continental style. Finally I brought out the cheesecake, made the night before. Wine was served throughout, with Sam pouring for Jamie.
It was a fun activity for the day, though I probably don't have the energy to repeat it any time soon. Today will likely be simpler fare, along with running errands. We might try and get a small pool for the backyard. We'll see how it goes.
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Sam, if you would like to do some serious rid...
June 23, 2007 by Betsy in Betsy
Sam, if you would like to do some serious riding you can come and visit us on our farm. We have a Paso Fino mare that is a very spirited riding horse. Patrick rides her in our fields everynight. Its great for developing balance and is definitely a work out. Plus you learn all about caring for an animal and her tack (that's her saddle, bridle and riding equipement) I'll send some pictures to your dad. Have a great summer and I'm looking forward to the new Harry Potter book too!
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I put together a quick movie of our Bend trip
June 23, 2007 by Adam in Sam
I put together a quick movie of our Bend trip. Mostly it's about Sam, and all the things he did for the first time while we were there. th reading, mostly because he reads a chapter or two of Harry Potter each night. He's on the sixth book now, hoping to finish up in time for the final book.
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We're back from our trip
June 22, 2007 by Adam in Family
 We're back from our trip. There's so much to say that it's hard to know where to begin.
Sam in particular had a great time in Bend. We explored lava caves with Dave and Josh. He got to ride a horse for the first time and is pretty excited about doing it again some day. Sam went fishing with Jim, and he was the only one to catch anything - two Rainbow Trout, which he actually ate a little for dinner. Sam and I also rented a tandem bike and rode around the grounds at Eagle Crest. Hopefully that'll translate to him learning to ride a bike.
 That's not to say the rest of us didn't have a good time. It was extremely relaxing and lazy, especially with other people around to entertain the kids. Nearly every day I'd take the kids swimming. Emma learned some new tricks and is more comfortable in the water than ever. Even though I lathered on the sunscreen, I've returned with a tan. Bend had gorgeous weather every day, plus the great view of the Cascades.
We also saw Brant and Wendy's new place. It's a barn with a kitchen, utility room, and bedroom tucked away to one side. They're raising some grain for a cash crop. Sam got to help move the irrigation thingies. We also had a funny moment, trying to jump the creek and failing miserably. We got very wet but had a good time.
 Still, it's nice to be back. I'm planning on making a fancy meal for Jamie tomorrow. We went out to eat at Jen's Place in Sisters, which it turns out won the Bite of Bend. It was a five-course meal, crazy expensive, but also crazy good.
I did have a bit of Internet withdrawl. Plus adamandjamie.com was down for part of it. Fortunately Dave, Kirsten, and Josh came home early. Josh walked over and rebooted the poor server. It's nice having Josh in town again, though not just for his fine computer skills.
I need to unpack some more, mow the lawn, and run to the store for basic food stuff. We'll try to put together a little movie of our activities and post it here.
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Well, I just rebooted our main work computer,...
June 14, 2007 by Adam in Family
Well, I just rebooted our main work computer, so I'm twiddling my thumbs for a few minutes while it comes up. Since today is my last day at work before the vacation, I've declared it Mocha Thursday. The sweet elixir is bubbling away next to me on my desk.
I had the kids to myself last night while Jamie went out to Angie's. I decided it was a movie night, so the kids and I went to Flicks and Picks, returning with Deja Vu for Sam and I, along with Polly's World for Emma. There were also a bunch of $1 used movies that I snapped up. Catwoman, even for $1, stayed on the shelf.
Tomorrow is the big day, packing, having lunch with my mom, and getting ready for the trip. I'm excited to have so much leisure time. Maybe I can actually be lazy for a change.
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In much better spirits! The tile in the bathr...
June 13, 2007 by Sue in Wielesek
In much better spirits! The tile in the bathroom is coming along really well; the whole project is more expensive than I thought it would be, but then, I'm used to do-it-yourself remodel projects, and I couldn't possibly have done the extensive changes to these two rooms with me and worker guys. Stop by soon for a bath!
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My Internet connection went down again last n...
June 12, 2007 by Adam in Adam
My Internet connection went down again last night - complete inability to connect to our ISP at all. Extremely frustrating. Jamie's mom even called, asking to make sure our house hadn't burned down or something.
At this point, I'm thinking I want to spend some money. My server is several years old and the DSL modem I'm using is similarly ancient. There's a chance that the issue is on the ISP's side of things, but it's probably time for an upgrade anyway.
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Well, adamandjamie
June 11, 2007 by Adam in Family
Well, adamandjamie.com is back from the dead, after a night of being off the Internet. I think my old DSL modem gets overly warm sometimes. I left it off overnight and everything seemed fine this morning. Time to buy a new modem.
The kids have only a few more days of school this week, and then we're all off to Bend. It'll be nice to be away from it all, hanging out with the kids and playing outside. Eagle Crest is a golf resort, though fortunately there's a pool and some hiking trails. Maybe we can load up Sam's bike and teach him to ride.
Rumor has it that Sam's cousin Josh is returning to Oregon with his family. Dave mentioned it in passing to Jamie, though I know little details beyond that. Josh used to walk to our house after school when he lived here, playing with Sam and generally entertaining us. We're awful fond of him.
Last night Jamie and I went to Bel Ami and sat by a fireplace, chatting away. It was nice to sneak away and just visit, something that seems a rarity these days. We discussed frivolous things, such as Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. We came to the mutual conclusion of "Well yeah, but so what?"
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Seraph's hair straightening iron, Dudley's ha...
June 11, 2007 by Sue in Wielesek
Seraph's hair straightening iron, Dudley's hat, and a lone
Dalmatian mouse....two nice pitchers, a cocktail shaker and four cocktail glasses, and a blue towel...
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Came home after moping around Bob's all day y...
June 11, 2007 by Sue in Wielesek
Came home after moping around Bob's all day yesterday, unable to face my empty house, to try the Sadie Jones cure-all, namely, cleaning house. Like Eugene after the wave of Country Fair hippies recedes after the event is over, my house produced a certain amount of detrius - Margot Tanenbaum's fur coat, Sam's soccer trophies, a light stick of uncertain ownership, Jenny's black leather jacket, etc..
But Seraph and Sadie had both washed sheets and generally cleaned up, so I've sort of had to manufacture tasks. I'm
headed off to see Dez' play in a few minutes...should be fun!
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Here I am on Sunday afternoon, watching the P...
June 10, 2007 by Sue in Wielesek
Here I am on Sunday afternoon, watching the Prefontaine Track meet on the TV with one eye, while trying to catch up with e-mails, posting, etc. Bob and I drove Sadie up to the airport yesterday morning, stopping briefly to see Anna before heading back. I have done nothing useful yet today, and really think I'll putter around for the rest of the day
as well. Many hugs to all, mom
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We've had a lovely weekend of lots of family ...
June 10, 2007 by Meg in Lytton
We've had a lovely weekend of lots of family visiting. Allie came Friday evening on Amtrack. Dick picked her up and they stopped in my office to see the almost-complete renovations. (We are having an open house June 22). Dick and Allie shopped Sat AM for plants and I went downtown to pick up Callie and Will, then Julie and Alex.Alex brought along a hugh birthday cake for Julie's 23rd. We had a scrumptious poolside brunch, then Callie helped plant the new plants while Julie and Alex sunbathed. Julie has been applying to med schools and Callie is starting GRE review courses before she and Will start grad school applying next year.
I am relieved to be done with most of the office renovation work, able to devote more time to the house and working on getting our electronic health record really going. Kayla is helping us with training-- I'm amazed at how she can actually figure things out from the oblique, fragmented training materials for the new software program (not that the ones for the old software programs were much better!)
My other looming project is preparing for my re-certification exam Aug 3. I've always managed to come in in the over 90% backet on these but feel I should do some formal study program. There's always something to be learned....
My peonies have de-petaled and the trumpet vine and bee balm are not yet red so no humming birds yet--hopefully soon!
Well, we have to get Allie to the train. All my love to everyone!
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Sadie had her Royal Tenenbaums birthday party...
June 09, 2007 by Adam in Family
 Sadie had her Royal Tenenbaums birthday party last night. It was quite the event, reenacting various scenes from the movie. Seraph in particular looked great in her role. The kids and I wore our red track suits and I'd periodically yell "Emergency! Emergency!" in my role as Chaz.
Unfortunately I had pretty horrible allergies and everyone fussed over me. I went home, took a bath, popped some Advil, and went to bed. This morning I'm much improved, though perhaps my arsenal of allergy medicine helped. And the mocha, a real one this time.
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I just finished my morning coffee drink, whic...
June 08, 2007 by Adam in Family
 I just finished my morning coffee drink, which was annoyingly enough not an actual mocha. The coffee lady put in some weird sugary stuff which wasn't to my liking. Curse you, coffee lady! Fortunately the caffeine was just fine.
It's been a whirlwind couple of days. On Wednesday, I spent the day with Sadie. In the morning we spent way too much time with her and my dad at breakfast. They chatted about helping the underprivileged, that common bond they both share these day. After breakfast, mom, Sadie, Janet, and I all went shopping for costumes. Sadie's having her Royal Tenenbaums themed birthday party tonight. The kids and I ended up with red track suits. Afterwards we made jam, recorded Sadie's voice for my game, and played with the kids. It was a great day.
Last night was the carnival at Sam's school. Sam held his own in the squirt gun arena. Emma got her hair colored and ate bubblegum snow cones. I sneezed at the allergies.
Today the kids are at school and I'm trying to catch up with things. I ended up volunteering myself as an administrator for a new system, so my life should be rather exciting over the next few days. Yippie.
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Sam occasionally brings home interesting stor...
June 08, 2007 by Adam in Sam
 Sam occasionally brings home interesting stories from school. This one won the "Spooky Creepy Award" from his teacher.
The Door
Once upon a time there was a run down mansion. Don't open the door to the mansion, if you do you will fall into a trap door.
If you are careful you can grab onto the side of the trap door then pull yourself up and go inside the mansion. The mansion is dirty. You shouldn't go into the next room. It has three objects. The first object is a glass eye. The second object is a pair of scissors. The third object is a knife. If you pick up one of the objects you wouldn't be able to let go.
Last night, Sam went to his school's carnival and had the most fun in the squirt gun ring. I tried to capture a photo of him stalking his prey.
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Emma continues to be her typical, quirky self
June 08, 2007 by Adam in Emma
 Emma continues to be her typical, quirky self. She loved getting her hair done at the Carnival last night, going for the "rainbow" look. When I wanted to take her picture, she gave me a variety of poses.
She continues to very much be a girly girl. She loves pink, stuffed animals, and playing games that emphasize interpersonal relationships. It did surprise me a bit when she wanted to enter the carnival's squirt gun ring along with her brother. She half heartedly squirted the other kids, but mostly wanted to run around and be part of the action.
She continues to do well in school, bringing home odd craft projects and more French words. It's hard to believe that there's only a couple more weeks of school and then she's off for the summer. This Fall she's returning for five days a week, with class going into early afternoon. She usually likes school, so we don't fret too much about it. I think the biggest change will be for Jamie, who will suddenly have a lot of free time.
Emma's slowly moving out of the toddler phase, though it happens in fits and starts. Last night I went to bed, only to find myself usurped by a four year-old. I carried Emma back to her bed and dumped her in there, where she stayed for the night.
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Hi, everyone
June 06, 2007 by Sue in Wielesek
Hi, everyone. I'm at Bob', having loaned my laptop to Anna for a week while Adam downloads stuff from her Mac, which is
expiring from old age. It is a treat to have Sadie, who flew in on Sunday. Her housemate Janet came out to Portland to visit a friend, and then came down with Sadie and me on
Monday morning. We've had fun, and they've been wined and dined by various family members; right now they're at Adam
and Jamie's, making strawberry jam. I'm going to drive Janet up to Portland this afternoon so she can take a plane out tonight, and bring Seraph back down. The girls will help put together the birthday dinner on Friday. On Monday afternoon we went with Jenny to get pedicures. I'd never had one before, but now I have bright red toenails! Jenny bbqued steak for us.
I took my first bath in my new bath tub! Love to all, om
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It's Sunday afternoon
June 03, 2007 by Adam in Family
 It's Sunday afternoon. Sam's stalking about in a Death costume, while Emma convinces him to dance about. With Jamie in Portland, it's been a rather full and exciting weekend.
We did our usual Friday swimming routine, with Emma nearly falling asleep in the parking lot as we went in. She perked up, had a good time, then pined for Jamie as she took an hour to go to sleep.
On Saturday we had a hearty breakfast, went to the library, munched at Humble Bagel, played at the park, hosed the kids off in bathing suits, and went to my dad and Yayoe's for dinner. Today we had breakfast with my mom, watched movies, and played until Jamie returned, right in the middle of typing this.
As for the rest of the day, I'd like to sneak in some alone time. Jamie's returned with various antiques from her grandmother's house. Emma was trying on clothes that Ray got for her.
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Last night, Sam and Emma were playing in the ...
June 01, 2007 by Adam in Sam
 Last night, Sam and Emma were playing in the backyard. It was hot, so everyone was in their swimming suits. Sam decided he wanted to drink from the hose on full blast, which he found greatly amusing.
It's hard to imagine that there's only two and a half weeks of school left. We usually have Sam do a camp or two, though I'm not sure if that got lined up for this year. He'll do swimming lessons for sure, as that's something that he really enjoyed last year.
As for now, soccer is over and the various summer vacations are looming. Hopefully in Bend he'll have a good time fishing with Jim, going to the lava caves, and riding a horse.
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I just finished the last of my mocha
June 01, 2007 by Adam in Family
 I just finished the last of my mocha. I'm chomping down on carrots and trying to fix a weird computer interface issue. After scratching my head for a long while, it turned out someone had just turned off the job that's supposed to move data around. Oopsie.
The kids and a great time in the backyard last night. Sam did his job for the day and I got them into their swimming suits. Then they chased each other with a hose, getting wet and having a great time. Eventually we moved to the front yard and discovered every neighbor kid had the same idea. I think I counted seven kids playing with hoses, squirt guns, and slip-n-slides.
Today's the big day for the kids and I. I have the weekend pretty planned out. Tonight is getting movies and going swimming. Saturday is the library, Humble Bagel, and dinner at my dad and Yayoe's house. Sunday morning is breakfast with my mom and hanging out unti Jamie returns. I'll try to schedule a little fun in there somewhere.
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