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Mocha Friday
August 30, 2013 by Adam in Family
I'm at work, frantically trying to get things done as usual. It's been a pretty quiet second-to-last week of summer. I've been a little stressed about the upcoming changes - getting Sam smoothly transitioned into high school, and Berry into first grade. Joanna's severance is over at the end of the month, and she'll be redoubling her efforts on building up her business. I'm sure it'll all work out.
We're heading to the coast tomorrow, hopefully seeing my dad and poking our toes in the sand. Pizza and Mythbusters tonight.
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Hoses and Fruit Pianos
August 25, 2013 by Adam in Family
We had a generally fun and silly day, as is the way of our people.
I was up with the three little kids at the crack of dawn, as usual. I pried them briefly off computers to play card games before making crepes for breakfast. Sam slept in really late and I fed him after I returned from the library, taking Emma and Berry who gathered up a huge number of books.
Duncan had two play dates today, the first focused on making a movie about Moshi Monsters, the second completely about Minecraft. The rest of us puttered around, doing yard work, rediscovering Wii Sports, playing a bit of video games, and finishing things up with pizza and Mythbusters. We created a piano out of fruit. We carved secret compartments in old books. It was a good day.
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Mocha Friday
August 23, 2013 by Adam in Family
 It's still pretty darn early, with only Duncan tapping on his computer to keep me company. I'm going to work from home and feed the rest of the crew breakfast, then head into work for my official mocha.
Yesterday was pretty busy. Joanna took Duncan and Berry strawberry picking (and goat feeding). Emma went to the doctor's for a checkup, mostly a conversation to emphasize healthy lifestyles. She worked away diligently in the exerpod last night, and played some Wii tennis before dinner.
Duncan and Emma both discovered the programming courses on the Khan Academy last night, writing in a C-like language to put little images on the screen. It's cool watching the kids learn a taste of what I do all day.
No big weekend plans. We have some play dates lined up. Summer is slowly wrapping up, so I'll enjoy the weather while I can.
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Late Weekend Update
August 21, 2013 by Adam in Family
 We had a good weekend.
It's hard to know how to expand beyond that. Friday night Sam went out with mom, Bob, and Anna to Kabuki's for dinner. The rest of the clan tried to get in to listen to Yayoe, but it was insanely crowded.
Saturday I took the kids hiking around Hendrick's Park, picking blackberries as they listened to my great adventures as a 15 year-old climbing Middle Sister. We eventually returned home and had our first official pizza and Mythbusters for many weeks.
 Sunday was equally low-key. Emma and I worked on her room, installing an air conditioner and tidying up. I spent some time putting down flooring in her "secret room". I was eventually driven out by the dust and insulation, but perhaps it'll make a decent place for some storage. Sam, Emma, and I played Dungeoneer at Sam's little bedroom table. I think that was the first time we used the new Ikea chairs. Sam won, just barely, and Emma played really well.
The afternoon was wonderfully lazy, wrapping up with ribs and Joanna's amazing corn bread muffins. Life is good.
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Uke Mocha Friday
August 17, 2013 by Adam in Family
 We're off to Hodgepodge soon to listen to Yayoe play ukelele. Sam's going next door with my mom and Bob to eat Japanese food. That's about as exciting as it gets with us these days.
The horde has returned. Last night we had all four kids under the roof for the first time in a month and a half. Everyone was generally excited and well behaved. Sam was ridiculously silly, doing weird things with a squishy eyeball toy that we got him in Vancouver. Joanna has been a little more worn out than usual, taking everyone to the park or leading them in projects. She seems cheerful to have everyone back and thankful she remembered how to be a mum again.
Work has been crazier than usual. Fortunately I still like playing with computers all day long.
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Mid-Week Update
August 14, 2013 by Adam in Family
 It's the middle of the week, strangely enough. Let me ponder what we've been up to . . .
We had a tiny door cut in the wall of our bedroom, giving access to the electrician to put in more outlets, as well as creating a little storage area. It's dusty, hot, and small, but perhaps we could do something useful with it.
Joanna continues to make jam at a prodigious rate. The kitchen is taken over with jars, fruit, and sacks of sugar.
 We've been slowly cleaning up the house in preparation for Duncan and Berry's arrival. They're actually in town at the moment - Joanna got to see them yesterday. Tomorrow morning they'll arrive and our brief days of being childless will be over.
We went out to dinner at a sushi place last night, and returned to water the garden. Joanna thought intercity bow hunting was a fine idea after discovering deer ate virtually everything tasty in our garden last night. And pooped on our lawn to twist the knife.
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Three Day Weekend
August 12, 2013 by Adam in Family
 I do love my occasional three day weekend. I'm sadly back to work today, having just finished my oatmeal and pondering the shower. The last few days were productive, fun, and relaxing.
Saturday was a blur of activities and play. Emma, Sam, and I walked to South Eugene in a thunderstorm. Emma worked hard making little squid, octopus, and crab shapes out of cocktail weenies for the evening's event. That night we all went to Jenny's for Jordan's birthday and Dorothy's memorial service. The camera we were using to record died halfway through, but we got some recordings on our phones. Hopefully we can put together a presentation sometime later. My dad did a great job - it ended up being both informative and touching.
Sunday morning Joanna went to church and I took the kids to the ponds near the Science Factory. Emma in particular excitedly caught fish and bugs. We puttered around there for a long while, returning with a container full of what looks like fish eggs. We'll see what hatches.
Jamie picked up Emma after lunch. Sam and I played a bunch of Shogun 2, slowly conquering Japan together. Joanna and I put up shelving in Duncan's closet as well as our own. It's nice getting things organized.
Only a few more days until Duncan and Berry arrive. It'll be nice to see those critters again. The next few days should be pretty quiet, and I'm sure Joanna and I will find some time to appreciate the solitude.
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Day with Daddy
August 09, 2013 by Adam in Family
While I did have a mocha today, the highlight was a Day with Daddy. Emma filled up her chore chart and her prize of choice was to hang out with me all day.
We woke up and cuddled, then played Magicka together. Eventually Joanna and Sam woke up. Emma and I made crepes for everyone, and then headed out to the library. That was the start of our literary journey, and we next went to Smith Family bookstore and then to the comic book store nearby. The guy was the same one who was there when I was in college - it's nice how some things don't change much. Emma's prize of the adventure was a Manga cook book. Apparently it has a recipe for tentacle creatures made out of cocktail weenies.
The rest of the afternoon was fairly low-key. Sam and I stormed the beaches of Normandy together for the millionth time. We played on the swings in the backyard, tying swings together and throwing Frisbees. Later we walked to South Eugene so that Sam would remember how to get there.
Joanna has filled the kitchen with canning supplies and endless fruit. It's tied into her business - her plan is to give away jam with her company logo on the side. I think it's some Pavlovian thing, associating her with delicious jam on a regular basis. Her customers will probably drool every time they meet.
I've got to order pizza for Bang Goes the Theory tonight. Tomorrow is Jordan's birthday and Dorothy's memorial service. We have a ton of house projects as well. The day off was quite nice.
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Quiet Weekend
August 05, 2013 by Adam in Family
The weekend was mostly quiet. We had pizza and Bang Goes the Theory Friday night. Saturday morning Emma and I went to the library. In the afternoon, we broke out the water balloons and got completely soaked. That night Emma went to Kate's for a sleepover and Joanna went to a thing downtown, leaving Sam and I to watch Tabletop, anime, and play a lot of Dark Souls.
Sunday was similarly lazy, playing with the kids and hosting family dinner later that night. Sam, Emma, and I performed experiments with vinegar and baking soda. That afternoon we all walked over to Down to Earth and Tsunami books.
Berry and Duncan are slowly working their way back home. I think they're somewhere in St. Louis. Ten days until life returns to happy chaos.
The kids are headed to Jamie's this afternoon. I sadly left everyone this morning to sip tea and write computer code. I miss them all.
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Vancouver Memories
August 01, 2013 by Adam in Family
Joanna and I have returned from Vancouver, leaving strip-malls, housing developments, and corporate headquarters at the Washington border. We took a side trip to IKEA, wandering past inexpensive, stylish furniture probably named after bloodthirsty Norse gods. We picked up some chairs and an ironing board.
 Monday was pleasant. Sam and Emma were left to their own devices. We found a scarecrow-like dummy at the dining room table and Monopoly in the basement as our only evidence of their time here. Joanna and I drove to Portland and wandered briefly around downtown, scavenging food among the steel drums at Pioneer square. Eventually we found ourselves in Nordstrom's Rack and left empty handed. We discovered the generosity of a coworker's parting gift to Joanna at Starbucks, as determined by dollars on a gift card. They must have really liked her. I finally brought Joanna to Powell's books and bought You for myself. It's a wonderful book about game development and 80's nostalgia, and I've been reading it constantly.
We checked in to Heron Haus, a wonderfully quirky room in what must have once been the servant's quarters. The Rose Gardens were relatively close, and we fortified ourselves with artisan ice cream at the Salt and Straw. Joanna had pear and blue cheese ice cream, while I settled for coffee and bourbon. Joanna cursed the Google Map the entire way, but we made it to the Rose Garden. The roses were lovely and we lingered in the gift shop, thinking we could plant a rose at our house in honor of Colette. As night fell, we returned to sushi and then home, Joanna's FitBit reading 78 flights of stairs for the day.
At breakfast we chatted with midwesterners on vacation, then began the long drive to Vancouver. It seemed a vast, lifeless city of chain stores and wide highways. Joanna found an organic coffee shop in the old downtown Vancouver, asking what they do around there. Hop in a taxi and drive eight miles to Portland, they replied.
My coworkers were generally pleasant - I was surprised that I already knew a few people but didn't realize they were on my team. Dinner was at Joe's Crab Shack by the river. With no vegetarian options, I snuck in Mexican food from next door. This morning I frantically worked fixing crises during the vendor presentation, thankful for the time.
As we drove into Eugene this afternoon, I felt an overwhelming giddiness. Ah, home.
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