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Mocha Friday
September 30, 2005 by Adam in Family
Mocha Friday. It was fairly dreary on the way in, sprinkling a bit on the ride into work. The bike cage was fairly empty and it seems quiet at the office. I started to get whatever Emma has last night, though so far it hasn't been too bad. Mostly I feel tired and my throat is sore.
I'm going to try to go see Serenity with Sam and my dad tomorrow. It's a little tricky with Sam's soccer game at one, but I think we can go see it afterwards.
There's also talk of a trip to Eagle Crest near Bend later in October. It may be that Jamie and Emma go, leaving Sam and I for a boy's only weekend. We'll see how that all turns out.
In general, things keep moving on. I took the kids to soccer practice last night. Emma and I played on the playground a lot. Dave and Kirsten came over and played with the kids. Life's pretty good.
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I got a call a few minutes ago from an insura...
September 29, 2005 by Adam in Family
I got a call a few minutes ago from an insurance agent, asking me about a car accident. After a bit, I realized that Jamie had been in an accident and hadn't told me about it. I passed along Jamie's cell phone number, sweating bullets and hoping that everything is fine.
After giving a suitable amount of time for the agent to talk to her, I rung her up. It sounds like she backed into a pole in the parking lot, so all is well. Freaky experience, though.
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Emma had her first dance lesson yesterday
September 29, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Emma had her first dance lesson yesterday. Jamie said it was pretty free-form, with two-year-olds wandering about and playing with instruments. Still, she was very excited, putting on her pink Barbie ballet outfit for the occasion.
Emma also says some hysterical things at times, though not always intentional. The kids were in the bath and Emma was distracted with some odd toy. Sam decided to take Emma's hygene into his own hands, resulting in Emma replying, "Thank you for washing my bottom." Needless to say, Jamie and I started cracking up.
The kids are going to the dentist today, and perhaps get dropped off for an impromptu visit. Jamie called this morning and reported that Sam was taking extra care with brushing, flossing, and rinsing.
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I spent most of last night with poor sick Emma
September 28, 2005 by Adam in Family
I spent most of last night with poor sick Emma. As soon as I arrived, it was a whirlwind getting Sam ready to go get his team picture taken and then off to practice. Jamie took him and they went out to dinner as well, so I didn't see them until close to bed time.
Emma was sniffly and somewhat miserable, though trying hard to be cheerful. I took pity on her and we played all the games she liked to play. We broke out Candyland, moving the pieces along the path to sample the candies and talk to the various characters. Giraffe-shaped swizzle-sticks became our dear friends, talking and kissing each other. In the basement we made a little fort and put the kitties down for a nap.
She ate a huge dinner and then collapsed asleep on the couch. Sam and Jamie arrived a bit later. Somehow Sam and I managed to play a little Counterstrike, work on spelling homework, take a bath, and get him tucked into bed all within a 45 minute period.
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The week has been slowly moving on
September 27, 2005 by Adam in Family
 The week has been slowly moving on. Sunday evening was fairly low-key. Sam did well at his soccer game. We returned home for dinner and a family walk about the neighborhood. Emma was a little on edge, going from sobbing for Jamie to happily petting a cat in a few short seconds.
Yesterday Sam returned with another 100% on his spelling test. He's doing very well with school in general. We have homework every night, which we're getting into the routine of doing. I did have to make his math homework a bit exciting by turning it into "Battle Math". Now he wants to play board games where you move troops around.
Emma's getting increasingly strong-willed about certain things. Sam went through a similar phase, so it helps to know that it will pass. Still, having Emma wildly scream when she doesn't get what she wants is unpleasant. At other times she can be very sweet and loving, so I know there's a happy kid in there somewhere.
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For having nothing in particular planned, it'...
September 25, 2005 by Adam in Family
 For having nothing in particular planned, it's been a fairly busy weekend. Friday night had both Yayoe and Dave and Kirsten coming over, at different times, while Jamie was off at her friend Victoria's house. My week-long illness was mostly over by that point, but the help was still welcome. Dave enjoyed himself, tossing the kids about the yard.
On Saturday, Jamie announced that she'd finally fell ill herself. I tried to give her time to rest, always a challenge with strong-willed children. She whipped up a wonderful soup with a name I can't pronounce, and then we both left the house at three to leave the kids in Dave's care again. Strangely, we ran into Seraph and Robbie at mom's house while we were watching an old 60's movie.
I've had the kids for much of today as well, trying to make Jamie rest. I've been largely unsuccessful as she ended up cleaning and doing various projects in our bedroom, mostly hanging paintings and candle holders. The kids and I did have a fun library run this morning, though, returning with about fifteen books for them and one for me.
In a few moments, I'll be leaving to take Sam to this year's first soccer game. We practiced a little today, with the main goal being not to fall down as much.
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Mocha Friday
September 23, 2005 by Adam in Family
Mocha Friday. I'm feeling increasingly recovered, though still a bit achy. Hopefully by this weekend I'm be mostly myself again.
I'm not quite sure what's happening this weekend. I know Dave's watching the kids tomorrow afternoon. There's endless house projects to work on. A little relaxation would be nice, as well as spending time with Sam. Emma's been monopolizing all my free time and poor Sam gets stuck with the short straw.
Sam got these animal trading cards from a Ranger Rick subscription through my mom. He was very excited about them, and so we created a little card game out of them. It was pretty fun, especially getting to play with just Sam for awhile. I love that kid.
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I was feeling pretty good yesterday, up until...
September 22, 2005 by Adam in Family
I was feeling pretty good yesterday, up until the time I got home. I somehow powered through getting the kids to bed, and then started down another spiral of misery and woe. I kept waking up in the middle of the night feeling horrible, finally getting up around seven in the morning.
I managed to drag myself to work, though I'm only slowly getting things together. Hopefully the caffiene can move my puppet body about, maintaining the illusion of a productive worker.
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I was sick as a dog yesterday
September 21, 2005 by Adam in Family
 I was sick as a dog yesterday. I left work around 3 pm with a headache and upset stomach. Riding my bike home was fairly grueling, but I made it there. Initially I watched a show quietly, taking breaks to writhe around on the floor until my nausea passed. I took a long nap and woke up to eat crackers and keep an eye on Emma.
As the evening continued, I felt quite a bit better. Jamie brought me tea in the bathtub and generally kept the kids out of my hair. I had a long sleep and woke up nearly normal.
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I'm pretty tired today, waiting for my tea to...
September 20, 2005 by Adam in Family
 I'm pretty tired today, waiting for my tea to kick in.
Jamie went off to Angie's last night after I got home, so the kids and I played all evening. For the hour before dinner, we pretended we were monsters, being chased by evil hunters. Then it was "Breakfast for Dinner", complete with waffles and sausages. Both kids were pretty hungry, wanting seconds. Emma was poking at her bagel with a fork, when all of a sudden she laid her head down and fell asleep.
Sam patiently watched a show with me until she woke up a half an hour later, and we transitioned to bath time and getting ready for bed. I brought them outside to watch the sunset and see a couple bats flying around, catching bugs in the twilight. Eventually I got a hold of Jamie and she said she'd come home. We waited by the window for a long while, being silly and watching cars. As nine o'clock approached, I tucked the kids into bed and Jamie finally came home.
I snuck downstairs for my typical evening routine, cereal and a show. Now it's back to work for me and the cycle of life continues.
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I can tell that Summer is ending and Fall is ...
September 19, 2005 by Adam in Family
I can tell that Summer is ending and Fall is around the corner. This morning ride to work was quite crisp and I ended up wearing a long-sleeve shirt for the first time in ages.
The drive back from Portland was relatively uneventful, with everyone puttering around for the rest of the day. I managed to shuffle all the computers around, giving my second computer to Jamie, turning my primary computer into my secondary one, and finally getting my new computer hooked up.
Emma and I played a lot, filling a wading pool with warm water, playing in the basement, and generally having fun. Sam rediscovered an old bridge-building game on the computer, making his bridges and testing it with a train that often tumbled into the river. Jamie took it easy after she unpacked, making us dinner and relaxing a bit.
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We've had a pleasant weekend so far, enjoying...
September 18, 2005 by Adam in Family
 We've had a pleasant weekend so far, enjoying the wonders of Portland. The drive up was a little grueling, being stuck in traffic for an hour due to a wreck around Salem. Once we got here, we all collapsed and took it easy for the rest of the evening. The next morning we were all up bright and early, going to the zoo with Seraph, Robbie, and Isabell. The naked mole rats were a little boring, but the baby monkey was hysterically funny.
Afterwards Jim and I headed to Fry's. I picked up a new LCD monitor, which I think I've grown to appreciate. It's big, has a fast refresh rate, and is easy on the eyes.
Come evening, Jamie and I went out for a birthday dinner. We went to the up-scale mall with fancy restaurants, waiting a half an hour to get in for dinner. It was nice to get out with her for awhile, a rarity to have it be without children.
It's Sunday morning now and we're taking it easy before we return home. I'll probably take the kids down to the part and help finish setting up Jim and Judy's new computer.
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It's a Mocha Friday, though I'm still waiting...
September 16, 2005 by Adam in Family
 It's a Mocha Friday, though I'm still waiting for my coffee buddy to show up so that I can taste that heavenly beverage. It's also a half day for me as we're heading up to Portland as soon as Sam gets out of school. My morning at work is packed, with upgrades and meetings galore.
Sam was in a foul mood when I arrived at home last night, and Emma was taking a late nap. Fortunately as soon as we got to soccer practice, he perked right up and seemed his normal self. This was the first time I assisted with the coaching as I wasn't watching Emma. The six-year-old boys were driving me crazy. They couldn't stop wrestling and touching each other. I was sorely tempted to break out the duct tape and take care of the situation in a more direct fashion. Sam seemed angelic by comparison.
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The kids wore me out last night
September 15, 2005 by Adam in Family
The kids wore me out last night. As soon as I got home, we went outside to play and walk around the block. Jamie left to go with Angie and her friends to the Art Museum, returning shortly before eight. Fortunately she'd left us with a tasty polenta dinner, which of course Sam refused to eat. As the evening wound down, Emma was screaming how she hated me for taking away her toy kitties when it was bath time. Sam got a bloody nose and kept asking where mom was. By the time Jamie returned, I was happy to turn over the reigns.
I'm starting to get excited about our Portland trip we're taking tomorrow. It always seems fairly relaxing up there, I'm eager to see Seraph, Robbie, and Isabell, and I've got a gift certificate for Fry's that's been calling to me for nearly a year.
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The week continues along, occasionally bumpy ...
September 13, 2005 by Adam in Family
 The week continues along, occasionally bumpy but still moving forward. Jamie was dead tired yesterday. I think I spent all of fifteen minutes with her. She apologized to me this morning, which was nice. In some ways, not having Sam around as a helper is hitting her hard.
Sam's adjusting fairly well to school. He did have some problems on Monday when they dropped him off. Sam had teary eyes and said, "But Emma will miss me, mom, she wants to stay and sit on my lap." Jamie called to chat about finding time when Sam can do homework in between soccer practice, dinner, bath time, and so on.
Emma continues to be two. I had her while Jamie went to the gym this morning. She happily chatted with the people in the bagel store, munching down her entire bagel. Later on we explored the buildings on campus, still empty before the term starts. She also woke us both up at four this morning, sending me downstairs to return with a bowl of cereal to feed her always-hungry tiny body.
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I was admittedly a bit grumpy this morning
September 12, 2005 by Adam in Family
 I was admittedly a bit grumpy this morning. Too much coffee, I suspect, as well as having the kids be a little grumpy as well. I watched the kids for awhile and then broke free for a short trip to the mall where I picked up a present for Jamie. We hung out at the house, with the kids and I puttering about. Towards the end of the day, we all decided to go to Amazon park.
The day was beautiful and both Sam and Emma made friends very quickly. Sam played pretend with a four-year-old named Emmet, while Emma was followed by another girl her age named Chloe. Jamie and I kept an eye on them and otherwise enjoyed the scenery.
Towards the end of the day, we went out for pizza and ice cream. I picked up Lady and the Tramp, which the kids are watching now. Soon enough we'll be getting ready for bed and the work week ahead.
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Everything was red and white at our house yes...
September 11, 2005 by Adam in Family
Everything was red and white at our house yesterday, with large posters proclaiming "Go Big Red" in our window. Jamie had her brother and dad over for the afternoon to watch the Nebraska football game. She spent much of the morning cooking food out of a family recipe book. Probably the most quirky food item was Husker's Popcorn, which was normal popcorn with red candy melted on them.
The kids and I spent a bunch of time hanging out, usually one at a time. Emma and I took a walk down to the playground, fiddled with playdough, and did some coloring. Sam and I worked around the house, including washing Jamie's car, sweeping the porch, and taking down our porch cover. This wasn't necessarily out of the goodness of his heart, though. He's been saving up "DS2 points" so that he can start playing a new computer game I got for him. Yesterday was the big day and he finally enjoyed the fruits of his labor.
I have no idea what's in store for today. I'd like to go shopping for Jamie's birthday. Jamie's dad is still about, and rumor has it that Brant is in town. We'll see how it goes.
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After work yesterday, Sam, Emma, and I went o...
September 09, 2005 by Adam in Family
 After work yesterday, Sam, Emma, and I went out to Sam's soccer practice. Most of the time I spent trying to manage Emma and her wild ways. I was trying to take a picture of Sam playing, turning my back on Emma for about 30 seconds. The first time, I caught her taking her shoes off. I scolded her and told her it was important to protect her feet. The second time, she'd removed her diaper and was letting it all hang out. We spent the rest of the time in the car.
John is coming over tonight to spend the night with Sam. Sam continues to settle into school, making friends and meeting teachers. It's always hard to pry information from him about how things are going, but I think it's generally okay.
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Sam's first day of first grade was yesterday
September 08, 2005 by Adam in Family
 Sam's first day of first grade was yesterday. I think he generally liked it. He says his teacher is nice and that school lunch was pretty good. He also has a new group of friends that he's gathered up, as well as a new club based on a pirate computer game. Today's the first full day, as yesterday was only a few hours. Hopefully he'll survive the experience.
Emma's been a bit wacky these last few days. She's not unpleasant or unkind, necessarily. It's just ever clear to us that she's two years old. I spend my afternoons following her about and making sure Hurricane Emma doesn't cause too much distruction. Last night she didn't get to bed until quite late and she crawled into our bed sometime in the middle of the night. Ah, the joys of waking up to the impacts of tiny little feet on one's belly.
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It's the start of the work week, and I'm dela...
September 06, 2005 by Adam in Family
 It's the start of the work week, and I'm delaying getting out of the house. The last couple days of the weekend were quite pleasant. On Saturday we mostly puttered around, taking the kids to a park, dropping them off with Dave for awhile, and then heading out to fifth street market for a snack in the afternoon.
The main excitement there was finding a car that had caught on fire. Within a few minutes the fire department showed up, but it was still rather exciting. People were leaping into their cars next to this one, trying to get them out of the way before the flames spread. Crazy.
Sunday morning was fairly odd. I was handed Emma a bit after four in the morning and she didn't go to sleep until ten. By the time Jamie woke up, I was pretty exhausted and took a long nap around the same time my family was having a brunch for Seraph and Robbie. Sorry, guys.
 Yesterday afternoon we took the kids out to Alton Baker Park to run about. They were both in a somewhat grumpy mood, though it was generally improved once they got to a new and interesting place. Sam enjoyed picking blackberries for me, which were incredibly sweet. They both had a good time climbing a big pile of rocks as well.
The day ended with a BBQ at Jeff and Sharon's house. All of Sam's soccer kids and parents were invited, so it was a mad collection of boys running about in the yard. All injuries were minor and Sam had a good time.
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It was an exciting start to a three-day weekend
September 04, 2005 by Adam in Family
 It was an exciting start to a three-day weekend. After breakfast, Sam and I headed over to Seraph and Robbie's Eugene home. We spent a couple hours there, pruning and hauling away yard debris. I ate far too many of the bagels Yayoe brought. Sam and Isabell played some sort of alien puppy game. Good times.
By the time the afternoon had rolled around, everyone was getting a little stir crazy again. We loaded up the stroller and took a long walk down to the library. It was a beautiful day, and everyone's moods improved. Later that night, Jamie whipped up a tasty batch of home-made soup and Dave and Kirsten came over for dinner.
I have the kids to myself this morning as Jamie goes off with Angie, and then Jamie and I get some time to ourselves after we ship the kids off with Dave for an hour. I think Jamie has painting and shelf hanging projects lined up for me this afternoon.
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It's been a rather pleasant last couple of days
September 02, 2005 by Adam in Family
 It's been a rather pleasant last couple of days. Jamie went off with Victoria last night, so the kids and I made pizza and played in the yard. Later on, Jamie and I stayed up way too late watching the Pamela Anderson roast on Comedy Central, trying not to laugh too hard and wake up Emma.
This weekend is hopefully going to be fairly low-key, after two fairly exciting weekends. Seraph sent out a plea to help with gardening at her house, and Sam's already agreed to be my assistant. Other than that, some downtime would be nice.
Sam lost another tooth a couple days ago. He's getting to be a pro at these sort of things. It's strange to think that in a few short days he'll be going into first grade. Already he's started reading random things as he moves through the world. I have to be careful keeping him away from certain graffiti.
Emma's a jewel, though very strong-minded. Last night she spent a long while with her tea set, pouring water from one container to another. She also had a lot of fun helping me make pizza. I threatened to cook her after she'd covered herself with dough and flour. Mmm . . . tasty pizza babies.
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