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The week is nearly over
August 31, 2006 by Adam in Family
The week is nearly over. It's been strangely quiet at work, with much of the team on vacation or on leave.
Nothing too exciting to report. Jamie and I had a lovely hike on ridgeline trail, just like the good ol' days. The kids have been hanging about for their last week of Summer.
This weekend Sam's going up to Portland to stay with the grandparents while we have just Emma to ourselves. I plan on giving her a lot of individual attention, something she doesn't get much of these days.
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Ah, work calls yet again
August 28, 2006 by Adam in Family
 Ah, work calls yet again. It's also the last full week of Summer vacation for the kids, with soccer practice starting up tomorrow night.
I was in a grumpy mood Sunday, for no good reason I could think of. We took a trip out to the apple orchard and then to Thistledown farm, loading up on all sorts of good produce. Afterwards we headed home and Jamie took Sam shopping for school supplies.
Emma was really tired and grumpy, but refused to nap, and eventually we found our way to the front yard, playing on the slip-and-slide. Sam returned home and joined her, fully clothed, and soon both were quite soggy.
I made dinner, stir fry noodles, and we all played Clue. It was pretty fun, especially as Sam is now able to read and play fairly complicated games. I think family game night is going to be a recurring theme.
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It was an exciting day yesterday
August 27, 2006 by Adam in Family
 It was an exciting day yesterday. The kids and I went to the library, as usual, and rushed home so that Jamie could take the car to get her hair and nails done for Victoria's wedding. We came back with all sorts of loot, including a bunch of Level 2 books for Sam. After that, we went on a long walk to Humble Bagel where the kids scarfed down on bagels and goodies.
Returning home, we stopped by my mom's house, where she was busy getting ready for her new college basement renter. The kids and I finished our trek back, where we took it easy until Jamie's return. After that, we played in the basement for an hour or so, snacked the kids up, and headed out.
Jamie went to the wedding and the kids and I went to Amazon pool for Jake's birthday. It was great only having to share the pool with a couple dozen other kids. Emma and I went down the slide repeatedly. She was a bit cold until we discovered the hot tub made a fine way to replenish our body heat.
We soon picked up Jamie from the wedding, headed home, and got the kids to sleep.
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I had a lovely dinner with my mom last night
August 25, 2006 by Adam in Family
 I had a lovely dinner with my mom last night. We ended up getting Greek food and my mom amused our waitress by her ability to translate beverage names into phrases clearly understood by sailors. It felt good to catch up with her in the relative quiet of a restaurant. There's usually endless people running about.
After dinner, the family and I went to Angie's to drop off some cake. It was fun seeing the new baby, in addition to the home where I lived when I was eight. Both Angie and Matthew are in good spirits and the baby was sleeping and cute. Sam really enjoyed holding Winnie and kept talking about it the whole ride back.
Today is my Mocha Friday, though I've an hour before I head into work. Tonight is also swimming, and Jamie goes to Victoria's rehearsal dinner. Next week soccer starts up and the week after that the kids start school. Boy life feels busy.
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Thursday already
August 24, 2006 by Adam in Family
 Thursday already. Jamie and my usual date night got postponed last night, as Jamie went out to Emma's new school for orientation. It sounds like both Emma and I will be packing lunches each day. Jamie was going to go to Victoria's bachelorette party, but both Emma and I were sick, so she ended up making warm vanilla milk by candlelight and tucking everyone into bed.
Angie had her baby yesterday. I guess it went pretty well, though Angie is understandably tired. Jamie dropped off some food last night and told Angie to get some sleep.
As for the kids and I, we're doing our usual after work routines. There's computer time, playing in the back yard, and generally fiddling around in the basement. Yesterday Sam had me photograph this elaborate scene he'd created from a game Ray got him last Christmas. Emma kept trying to secretly destroy it with her toe. What an imp.
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We're back from the beach
August 21, 2006 by Adam in Family
 We're back from the beach. It was a successful trip, all around. The kids got sandy and enjoyed hanging out with Dave and Kirsten. They were fairly well behaved, though Emma had her typically exhausted melt-down on the trip over before falling asleep. Jamie and I had a nice beach visit while Emma played in the sand.
As seems required by beach law, we didn't do anything particular productive. We played board games, I read a lot, and the kids and I figured out assorted things to do in the basement.
Sadly, it's somehow turned to Monday and I've got to head in to work in less than an hour. This week has busy evenings, but the days are pretty quiet.
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Mocha Friday
August 18, 2006 by Adam in Family
 Mocha Friday. I still have an hour or so before I head into work, though.
It looks like we're heading to the beach as soon as I return from work. I should probably stop fiddling with my computer and pack as much as I'm able. Jamie's itching to hit the road quickly so as to maximize beach time.
Jamie and Emma went to the farm yesterday, returning with all sorts of produce. Dinner was rather interesting, with fried green tomatoes as a side dish. They were interesting, though fairly bitter.
I made a library run after Jamie's visit to the gym, returning with all sorts of movies and books. I actually started tearing up while reading one to Sam last night. It was about a father going off to war while his children were left behind and it got to me. He also read a couple "level 2" books by himself, which he was very proud of.
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It was a beautiful ride to work this morning,...
August 17, 2006 by Adam in Family
 It was a beautiful ride to work this morning, though a bit chilly. I can tell that Fall is right around the corner.
Sam's pirate camp continues to do well. He's been having a great time with his friends. Yesterday he got second place in a three-legged race with John, which he was quite proud of considering the age range and number of kids.
Emma and Jamie have been getting some alone mother-daughter time. They went to the county fair, where Emma was quite taken with the horse that was all dressed up with flowers, braids, and the like. Emma decided that the horse was going to be married.
Last night I took the kids to my mom's house where they played and puttered. Jamie and I got some time together to cook dinner, chat, and go for a walk. It's been seeming like I haven't seen her much as she was gone last weekend and busy every night but last. Fortunately we're doing another beach trip with Dave and Kirsten, so hopefully there's a walk together on the beach in our future.
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Well, I'm not quite as cheery as I was yester...
August 13, 2006 by Adam in Family
 Well, I'm not quite as cheery as I was yesterday morning, but I've got a hot cup of coffee next to me and the weather is amazing once again. Emma was up in the middle of night with growing pains. After some Tylenol and a warm bath, she settled down, but it was an hour or two before I got back to sleep. It's like raising kids is hard work or something.
Yesterday was lots of fun, fortunately. The library trip went well, as did our bagel run afterwards. We hung out at the house for awhile, and then around two I took the kids swimming at Amazon pool. It was crowded, but not too crazy, and we stayed for a couple hours. Emma has turned into an amazing little swimmer. She'll go under water and kick and move her arms about until she runs out of air and has to stand again.
The evening was filled with dinner, watering the garden, and movies, though Emma got scared by Hoodwinked and we stopped after fifteen minutes. I read all our library books and regailed them with tales of Jamie and my honeymoon's adventures in England. Eventually I tossed them in bed and ignored them until they went to sleep.
As for today, I have challa bread for French toast and a likely trip to a park this morning. I'm a bit tuckered out, so I'll try to take it easy. Hopefully Jamie will arrive around lunchtime, which will make the kids quite happy (and me too).
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It's the quiet time in the morning, with the ...
August 12, 2006 by Adam in Family
 It's the quiet time in the morning, with the sleepy sunlight peeking over the fence.
I had a pleasant evening with the kids, after Emma gave a fairly unhappy send-off to Jamie. Sam's been great, trying hard to make Emma feel better. At the pool he made up a game where she caught rings before they sank. Later at bedtime he offered to tell her "Princess Emma" stories. She still cried a fair amount at bedtime, and they didn't get to sleep until ten o'clock. Somewhere in the middle of the night Emma came into my room, cheerfully told me hello, and crawled into bed. It wasn't even that bad, unlike her endlessly kicking days when she was one and two.
I plan on enjoying my next hour or so of leisure, doing laundry and cleaning up, and then get ready for breakfast and the library. I also armed myself with a trip to Flicks and Picks, stocking up on four movies for $5. I think they've had to cut their prices due to competition. Good for me, I suppose.
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Ah, sweet Mocha Friday
August 11, 2006 by Adam in Family
 Ah, sweet Mocha Friday. I'm drinking coffee and planning on coding like a maniac, ignoring all other things that try to distract me today. We'll see how I manage.
I watched the kids when I got home last night while Jamie went to the gym. Sam played the demo of a game called Dark Messiah, several times, and has decided to do chores in order to get it. Emma wanted to play Zelda on the Gamecube and so I helped her do it. Her 3-year-old reflexes aren't quite there, though she tries really hard. When her hour was up, she cried and told Jamie, "Dad won't let me play Zelda. I have to save my sister!" It's pretty normal that she get cranky around that time, now that she's given up naps, so I didn't take it personally.
After Jamie returned, I went off to my dad and Yayoe's for dinner. It was great hanging out with just him, and we jabbered on for well over an hour on all manner of topics. I'm really enjoying the one-on-one visits with family members, especially after chatting with Seraph about her new job. I really want to visit my mom next, though between her surgery and my kid watching, it might have to be next week.
Tonight's the start of the dad and kid weekend. I think I've mentally prepared as best I can and I'm hoping it'll be fun for all. If I start getting too tired, well, that's what espresso is for.
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Jamie and I hit the town last night, going to...
August 10, 2006 by Adam in Family
Jamie and I hit the town last night, going to a Thai food place near the Zenon. Jamie got particularly gussied up, wearing a slinky black outfit that left me feeling under dressed. We chatted away without interruption, which was a nice change. The only event of note was that she conveniently forgot to order a vegetarian version of our shared dinner. I wonder what a psychologist would make of that.
It looks like Jamie will be gone for much of the weekend, so it'll be the kids and I puttering around. I'll probably do my normal routine Friday through Saturday noon, lazing about during the afternoon, and maybe walk to the Glenwood for dinner Saturday night. I'm thinking Sunday morning we'll go to the park by the river. This time I'll be sure to carry along a full change of clothes for everyone.
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The week keeps forging ahead
August 08, 2006 by Adam in Family
 The week keeps forging ahead. Tuesday already.
Sunday was fairly uneventful. After a morning filled with consumerism (buying food, clothes, and a pirate board game), we hung out at the house and did nothing. The kids were a bit cranky towards the end of the day and my usual weekend fatigue set in.
We had a nice and relaxing dinner with the Musgroves last night. The kids played together quite nicely, leaving the adults some time to chat.
This morning I got a call from Emma, explaining how she wouldn't let Sam hug her because he was stinky. The cycle of life continues.
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It was a fairly exciting day yesterday
August 06, 2006 by Adam in Family
 It was a fairly exciting day yesterday. We went to Amazon park, I went to the library solo, and returned to join everyone for Humble Bagel and sharing my bounty of books, DVDs, and video games. The kids and I browsed the game store for a gift for Darrin, while Jamie walked home. We puttered around all afternoon until it was time to go to the Darrin/Jordan birthday combination.
My favorite part was chatting with Seraph non-stop for nearly an hour. I kept asking what it is she did, and learned far more than I ever knew about how clothes are designed, manufactured, shipped, and so on. It also sounds like she'll be making a professional salary relatively soon, and hopefully will become a formal employee next year. Currently she's freelance, which only sounds impressive at parties.
Jamie left for Angie's when I returned home, not returning until after nine. Emma had a bit of a grump, evidently because she was overly tired. Sam and I played cards until late and I sent him to bed.
As for today, I think we're going to try to just do family stuff. It seems like we've been rushing about more often than not these last few weeks. Plus house projects. Those never end.
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It's Mocha Friday and I'm already halfway thr...
August 04, 2006 by Adam in Family
It's Mocha Friday and I'm already halfway through the work day. Last night Jamie kept me up talking, and I think our entire schedule for the next month is planned out. Or maybe I dreamed the whole thing, I'm not quite sure.
Work is strangely quiet, with most of my coworkers out of the office. I could get used to it. I've only had a single interruption all day.
I'm hoping to do my normal routine with the kids tonight, something I haven't done for awhile. I look forward to the swimming, library, and bagel trifecta each weekend, though it seems that Summer activities have disrupted it a bit. Tomorrow is also Darrin and Jordan's combo-birthday. Sunday we have assorted house projects to do.
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The weeks more than halfway over and we're in...
August 03, 2006 by Adam in Family
 The weeks more than halfway over and we're in August already. It's crazy how quickly time flies.
The kids have been taking and enjoying swimming lessons this week. They've another week of that and then it's pirate camp for Sam. Jamie had a couple days this week when she was sick, but as usual she was a trooper about it and sucked it up.
Josh heads home to Tennessee today, and the kids spent some time with him last night while Jamie and I had some time in a quiet household. We'll sure miss him.
I've been insanely productive at work lately. Yesterday I fell into a coding trance and didn't surface until I'd implemented a clever and useful piece of code. I also cranked out a new application and enhancement to an existing tool. Busy, busy.
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