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It's Friday, but strangely not a Mocha Friday
August 29, 2008 by Adam in Family
 It's Friday, but strangely not a Mocha Friday. I'm instead sipping tea and eating almonds and raisins. I decided the ultra-sugary mocha wasn't what I wanted today. We'll see if it's just a fad.
Instead of showing off a picture of the kids as usual, I thought I'd give people a sense of what I put my family through. Jamie gets these big Nancy's Yogurt containers with a place on the side for writing what you're putting in it if you reuse it. Jamie prefers the clear containers, of which we have plenty, so I've been writing silly things on them for my own amusement. Last week it was "Body Parts" and this week it's the "Souls of the Damned." Such fun.
The last week of Summer vacation is coming to a close, something that Jamie has been looking forward to greatly. The kids waiver between playing together nicely and trying to kill each other. Hopefully once they're back in school, they'll lean more towards peaceful coexistence.
The week has been fairly uneventful. I bought a couple rockets and assembled them with the kids. Perhaps on Monday we'll try to fire them off. Unfortunately I've thrown out the igniter, launch pad, and parachute wadding, so I may need to send Jamie out to get some today (I'm guessing the store is closed on Monday). The last time we launched rockets, Emma was scared. Now she seems pretty gung-ho, which seems to go along with her new Kung Fu persona.
We head to the beach this afternoon, one last hurrah before school starts. I'm hoping to spend a lot of time building sand castles and swimming at the pool, hopefully giving Jamie some time to relax.
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I'm back at work, after a very quiet weekend
August 25, 2008 by Adam in Family
I'm back at work, after a very quiet weekend. Having Sam out of the house was very odd, and the lack of kid squabbling created a peaceful atmosphere about the house. Emma was sweet in the mornings (though she'd often turn to the dark side in the evenings).
Jamie helped me assemble the bench, after having it sit in the driveway for a month. Her help was invaluable. Saturday night dad came over and we hung out together. Jamie also made this wonderful peach pie that I can't resist.
Sunday Emma and I went shopping, where I picked up some running shorts and decorative hooks for my room (Steampunky ones for the WWII headphones and a candle lamp). Later we tried to go to the pool, but they were having dogs swim in it before they did their annual cleaning. I tried to get Emma to bark like a dog, but they weren't buying it.
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It's Mocha Friday, with me foregoing Starbuck...
August 22, 2008 by Adam in Family
 It's Mocha Friday, with me foregoing Starbucks as Jamie lured me to the kitchen nook with homemade mochas. Sam headed to the coast with Josh, Jim, and Judy last night. I did projects and drawing with Emma while Jamie drove Sam and Josh up to Corvallis to meet everyone. Tonight I'm planning on taking Emma swimming.
Last night the kids practiced their Kung Fu, with me as the photographer. Emma's adoration of Kung Fu Panda continues, though we're trying to make sure she doesn't end up injuring everyone with her wild kicks.
It's great hearing from Robbie on his grand adventure. I can't wait to see pictures!
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The week has been slowly moving along, the la...
August 20, 2008 by Adam in Family
The week has been slowly moving along, the last of the lazy Summer days slowly coming to an end. Sunday night the thunderstorms rolled in. I spent Monday morning laying next to Emma (who often calls out for Mom or Dad), listening to the hail plink against the roof.
The kids were tired when I got home yesterday, probably from running around with John and Natalie during the day. We finally settled on a "Master Thief" game involving webcams, and later a bunch of freeze tag. Eventually Emma was so tuckered out that all she wanted to do was play on the Kung Fu Panda site.
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We made it back, safe and sound
August 16, 2008 by Adam in Family
 We made it back, safe and sound.
It started off well enough, packing up and chatting away for the two hours it took to get to the trailhead. Immediately upon leaving the car, mosquitoes began swarming. I broke out the bug spray, but it basically did nothing. By the time we hiked the half hour to the camp site, I was swearing away and threatening to head back home. Sam wanted to stay, so we stayed.
We set up the tent quickly, leaped inside, and killed whatever mosquitoes had followed us in. Dinner was tasty, as we were exhausted and hungry. Afterward Sam got on his swimming suit and jumped into the lake for awhile. The bugs feasted upon us, so we hid in the tent reading until it was time for bed.
We slept horribly, uncomfortable and continually woken up by the wind blowing the tent around. When dawn came, there was no discussion, just a plan to pack up as quickly as possible and head back to the car. I carried both packs to maximize speed, swatting and mosquitoes that landed on my bare arms. Sam ended up falling and skinning his knee. We finally made it to the car, threw our gear inside, and killed any that came in with us. We were safe.
A couple hours later we were back at home, with Jamie handing me a coffee as I went into the door. We showered, cleaned the car, and reveled in civilization. It was good to be home.
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It's Mocha Friday, though I'm at home today (...
August 15, 2008 by Adam in Family
It's Mocha Friday, though I'm at home today (and drinking drip coffee since Jamie prefers it). We're headed up to Indigo Lake, south of Oakridge, for an overnight camping adventure. Sam and I have lists of items, our gear mostly laid out, and a trip to REI planned for this morning. Jamie was planning on taking Emma "camping" in the basement tonight, if only to escape the heat. Jamie and I were fighting over the bed in the craft room, which is the only air conditioned room in the house.
This last work week has been great, and the hospital move went really well. Now it's time to gear up for all the projects we put on hold.
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Work was blissfully quiet today
August 12, 2008 by Adam in Family
 Work was blissfully quiet today. We have hordes of staff on hand to support anything that went wrong with the new hospital, but fortunately most of the issues were pretty routine. Most of the problems people are reporting aren't computer related, but instead seem to have to do with construction or the phone system.
I took the kids off to Toys-R-Us when I got home from work. Sam wanted to use up some of his chore-acquired checks, and he went out specifically looking for another Nerf gun. He's really excited about this one, as it disassembles into assorted pieces. I let Emma indulge her Kung-Fu Panda obsession and got her a Po doll. It says things like "Ouch!" when you hit it, so it's like the opposite of Tickle-Me Elmo.
Later we went swimming and got completely exhausted before bedtime. Jamie had a few hours to herself, which I think made her quite happy.
Last night Sam had his hair cut slightly, the first time in years. I think he likes it.
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Today was my one real weekend day, as yesterd...
August 10, 2008 by Adam in Family
 Today was my one real weekend day, as yesterday I'm working pretty much all day long. I tried to fit as much as possible into every moment, as well as yesterday evening.
Friday night the kids wanted to go swimming, so I ditched the baseball game with my coworkers and we hopped into the car. The pool was nearly empty, so we broke out the huge floaters and played a game involving sea monsters. Mostly Sam recreated scenes from Jaws, with Emma alternating between shooting Sam with flare guns and lassoing him with imaginary rope.
This morning Jamie made another wonderful breakfast and we walked to the library. Everyone returned with interesting tidbits, and we headed to Saturday Market to meet up with Summer and Debbie, a couple of out-of-town coworkers. Emma and Summer immediately bonded and Summer spoiled Emma horribly. They ended up getting their faces painted and Emma ended up with a new dreamcatcher for her room.
We headed home, unloaded Sam and Jamie, then I took Emma for a picnic at Hendrick's Park with Debbie and Summer again. Mostly I chatted with Debbie while Emma and Summer chased wild turkeys.
As the day wore down, Sam and I had some Nerf gun fights. We finished painting and reassembling his computer, which now matches his monitor and other equipment. Jamie made yet another great dinner and dessert. A very tired Emma was tucked into bed early while Sam and I played Unreal Tournament 3, gleefully making things explode until bedtime.
I just finished up my pre-move go-lives. Tomorrow I'll wake up at the crack of dawn and experience the madness of the hospital move.
Fun, fun.
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It's Mocha Friday, that sweet conclusion to t...
August 08, 2008 by Adam in Family
 It's Mocha Friday, that sweet conclusion to the end of the work week. Of course, the work week doesn't really end today as we're moving the hospital this Sunday. Tomorrow evening I have a bit of work to do, and then Sunday I'm starting at the crack of dawn and working until they let me free. I really want to take the kids to a birthday party at Amazon pool that night. We had a great time the year before.
Sam's been a social butterfly lately, playing with Sebastian in the morning and Sophia in the afternoon. When I got home, Jamie went off to work and Emma and I played while Sam and Sophia played with Nerf guns. Eventually we walked Sophia home and threw dinner together as Jamie came in the door.
It's hard to think that in only three weeks, school starts up again and the kids will go to the same place.
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This morning I was awoken by a naked Emma and...
August 06, 2008 by Adam in Family
This morning I was awoken by a naked Emma and clothed Sam, coming down to the basement to greet me before I went to work. Emma had horrible nightmares a couple nights ago, keeping Jamie and I awake much of the night (admittedly it was mostly Jamie). Last night she slept great. She had a dream where another kid was trying to drown her in the pool, but she was saved by Tigress from Kung-Fu Panda.
I was slightly injured in a shoot out last night. The incident took place in the basement, as Sam and I went at it with Nerf guns. My feet was a little sweaty and Sam got me in the leg. For the sake of realism, I hopped on one foot and ended up landing hard on the rug. Fortunately only my pride was seriously hurt.
The work madness is starting to begin. I'm trying hard to not do anything too exciting this week and spend lots of time with my family. This weekend I'm going to see if Saturday can be mostly normal. Sunday I'll be working starting very early, but I'm hoping to sneak out to take the kids to a birthday party that evening.
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Everyone's home again
August 04, 2008 by Adam in Family
 Everyone's home again. The kids are in the back yard, with Emma spraying Sam repeatedly at the hose. Jamie's watching them, periodically yelling "Not at the house!" Yes, things are back to normal.
We didn't do any grand events in Bend. On Saturday I took the kids on a long bike ride. Sam had this weird three-wheeler. Emma and I rode a tandem bike, which she happily helped me ride around. Later in the afternoon we went swimming and returned to the hotel for a dinner in honor of Dave and Kirsten's engagement.
Today we watched Mythbusters in the morning, swam around lunchtime, ate, and came on home. Jamie's exhausted, the kids are rambunctious, and I'm thinking that maybe moping around an empty house wasn't all that bad.
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It's Mocha Friday, though I just finished the...
August 01, 2008 by Adam in Family
It's Mocha Friday, though I just finished the last drop a few minutes ago, furiously working some reported problem that turned out not to be my fault. As we get closer to the big hospital move, I find the number of last minute issues and weird problems continues to grow exponentially. I find my sense of humor is slipping up into the "inappropriate" zone in response to stress. I've been wondering lately if claiming my director was trying to kill me was such a keen idea. It was pretty funny at the time, though.
It's been a weird week all around. I had coffee with Dad yesterday, chatting away about his upcoming international speed record for electric boats. As for me, the house has been incredibly quiet. Last night I got the bench nearly finished. I painted the metal, though some touch-up is probably needed. The wood is all sanded and stained. I started to do the final assembly, but got frustrated that things weren't lining up quite right. I finally gave up and ate dinner.
I'm very excited to head over to Bend tonight. I've been missing Jamie quite a bit, and not just because I've eaten sandwiches and smoothies every day this week. I miss our evening chats after the kids have gone to bed and am looking forward to seeing her tonight. In terms of the kids, life seems vaguely pointless without them. I've been planning hiking trips and rocket launches for the weeks ahead.
For now, I'm going to use my caffiene-fueled super powers to try and get ready for the RiverBend opening. The e-mails continue to pour in.
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