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It's Mocha Friday on this typical Fall day in...
September 28, 2007 by Adam in Family
It's Mocha Friday on this typical Fall day in Eugene. Raindrops beat a steady plop on my Starbucks lid as I walked in from my car. It's also move day for me, as I relocate my cubicle this afternoon so they can reconfigure it. When I move back in, Dave and I will be able to see each other, like the way it's been for the last few years.
The week has gone fairly well and everyone is settling back into the normal routines. Emma seems to be doing much better in school. Jamie has the house in order again. Sam's pretty much the same as always, wanting to play computers, talk to me about odd subjects, and run around in our yard.
This weekend Barbara, Zoltan, and their kids are coming over for tea. Barbara is Emma's teacher from last year and their whole family is very cool. I've been wanting to go swimming, but with Sam's soccer game tonight, the tea party, and Emma starting ballet tomorrow morning, I think it'll be too busy. I'm also hoping I can sneak in a library visit. Sam's been burning through the Magic Treehouse books at the rate of one a night.
All-in-all, life seems pretty good. Everyone is healthy, happy, and doing well. The pessimist inside me wonders how long it'll last, but the rest of me just wants to enjoy the moment.
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It's been very nice having Jamie back
September 27, 2007 by Adam in Family
 It's been very nice having Jamie back. The house is ship-shape and I actually have free time again. Emma seems to be enjoying school more, much to our relief.
I posted a bigger picture of the witch jars at Sadie's request. Already Sam is plotting to make more.
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Well, according to the Internet flight trac...
September 24, 2007 by Adam in Family
Well, according to the Internet flight tracker, Jamie's plane just touched down in Portland. I don't really know if she plans on heading home right away, or if she'll have a break before driving down. We have a tiny family birthday party planned. Emma and I made cheesecake on Friday and the kids wrapped up all sorts of odd presents over the weekend.
 Of course, tonight is sort of wacky, with Sam having soccer team photos and a practice. I'm sure both the kids want to see Jamie too, so there could be a bit of tension. My guess is that Jamie wants to take it easy after so much time in the air today.
As expected, Emma cried all morning trying to get out of school. Fortunately she was greeted by Barbara, her teacher from last year, and given so much love and attention it was easy for me to slip out.
Update: Jamie called and she's driving home now. It sounds like I'll be getting Emma, picking up Sam, and reuniting as a family this afternoon. Can't wait.
Update 2: Jamie's back, had a wonderful time, and has taken the kids to soccer tonight. She's pretty exhausted, but trying to stay up a little in an attempt to get back into the normal routine.
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I think we had a better day today
September 22, 2007 by Adam in Family
 I think we had a better day today. Emma said, "I wish every day was a weekend" and Sam heartily agreed. We had a few bumps in the road. Sam refused to go to his first soccer game and I threatened to keep him in his room all day long if he didn't go. Once there, of course, everything was fine. Emma played with a couple other girls and Sam did relatively well in the game.
I made crepes for breakfast, which were a big hit. For some odd reason, we started to make "witch jars" in preparation for Halloween. We paused for the soccer game, but had a great time working on them in the afternoon. We had Elder God Spawn (spaghetti stuffed in snail shells), Reconstituted Pixie Dust (sand with a Barbie head poking out), and much more. The labels were particularly fun to make, crumpled and tea-stained. The kids were greatly impressed.
The afternoon is winding down. Sam's playing with Sebastian and Emma's playing a Putt-Putt game. I'm looking forward to Dave, Kirsten, and Josh coming over tonight. A bit of relief sounds blissful.
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Emma had a much better day yesterday
September 22, 2007 by Adam in Family
Emma had a much better day yesterday. We made Jamie's birthday cake, went shopping for presents, and generally hung out together. She very rarely cried and was almost her normal self again. In the evening Yayoe made us a wonderful dinner and the kids enjoyed exploring her house. We returned home and the kids took turns reading the Scaredy Squirrel book. Emma in particular was very funny, remembering most of the words, though a few specific words were a little off (e.g. antibacterial soap).
We returned from Sam's soccer game moments ago. I had to threaten to keep him in his room all day before he'd go. Needless to say, this is going to be his last season. Once he got to the game, though, he was just fine.
Now we're working on a pre-Halloween project, making ingredient jars for assorted magical spells. We've done shrunken gnome heads out of lemons already. Next is fairy dust. Fun, fun!
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It's Mocha Friday, though I have to admit I'v...
September 21, 2007 by Adam in Family
It's Mocha Friday, though I have to admit I've been making Mochas every day while at home. It's gone beyond a mere weekly treat and is well into the realm of blissful codependence. Mocha helps me defend against Emma's wailing sorrow and summon the courage to get through another day. I think I'll call it Father's Little Helper.
I decided not to send Emma to school today. The week of Eternal Sadness finally got to me. Now I'll debate with myself all day as to whether I'm a kind parent or merely a pushover. In any case, we have a lot of errands to run today, half revolving around putting something together for Jamie's birthday. It's also picture day for Sam, so Emma and I may have to pin him down to apply the necessary hair products and brushing. Ah, the joys of single parenthood.
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Yar, ya scallywags! It be Talk Like a Pirate...
September 19, 2007 by Adam in Family
Yar, ya scallywags! It be Talk Like a Pirate Day and I be tryin' to work and manage the kids as usual. Emma pretty much cried all the way through breakfast and on the car trip to school, saying she didn't want to go to school over and over. I dropped her off feeling horribly guilty. If only I be a black-hearted scoundrel, or three sheets to the wind. Avast!
I did the food shopping and need to start in on the laundry. I'll probably pick up Emma early from school, along with an eyepatch for her to try out. Hopefully she can help me make hamburger buns and fresh bread for grandma Sue, who's coming for dinner.
Yar!
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I survived another day
September 19, 2007 by Adam in Family
I survived another day.
I decided to ignore the children's cries of pain and agony, stuff some painkillers in both of them, and send them off to school. I think they're both a teeny bit sick, but it's hard to tell. Emma was a little quiet and cried a little at school, but the only real symptom was an itchy nose. Sam's back was a little sore, but I think it's on the mend.
Emma has been taking Jamie's absence a little hard. Her protestations of love continue every few minutes, from me to her family to her teacher. She was also pretty tired tonight, going to bed around 7:30.
I managed a fair bit of work today, though I'm sorely tempted to take tomorrow off. I have shopping and laundry to do, plus a little time to myself sounds blissful.
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It was an exciting first day with the kids
September 18, 2007 by Adam in Family
It was an exciting first day with the kids. I managed to get them fed, dressed, and off to school, then picked up later. Emma was very cute and helpful. I think she said, "I love you, Dad" nearly fifty times over the day. We also talked a lot about how long until Jamie returns.
While they were at school, I managed to work some. Working from home is okay, though I felt a little disconnected from things. Basically I sat down, slaved away, ate lunch, and picked up the kids.
Sam hurt his back during recess, so I decided not to send him to soccer. We hung at out home, with a brief visit by Dave, Josh, and Kirsten. Later on we did a park run, then dinner, and getting ready for bed. Emma was feeling pretty lousy, likely with the cold Sam and I had over the weekend. She wanted me to take her temperature and was quite distraught to find it normal.
Eventually everyone got to bed, with Emma falling asleep in less than a minute after I read her a story. She tossed and turned all night though, eventually crawling into bed with me. I suspect I might be keeping her out of school if she feels bad. So much for working again.
Busy, busy . . .
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Dear Adam, Sam and Emma
September 17, 2007 by Jamie in Family
Dear Adam, Sam and Emma. A note from Mom:
Gramma Judy and I are getting ready to go on the airplane today. We will be flying over the North Pole to Europe (see world map in Sam's room) I will take lots of pictures so you can see what it is like. Take good care of Dad, remember he needs your help to learn what we do every day ;-) Have a fun week in school and I will see you in 8 days. Drink lots of water. I love you. MOM
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Jamie's headed up to Portland in preparation ...
September 17, 2007 by Adam in Family
Jamie's headed up to Portland in preparation for leaving tomorrow for Italy. The kids are both taking it easy, watching shows before bath and bed. We did a lot of playing and running around, and a few moments of peace are blissful.
It's been a bit of a rough weekend. I was fairly sick, as was Sam, with headaches and sniffles. Fortunately we're both on the mend and the girls seem to have missed getting it.
I'm going to try to go to work tomorrow, from home. It could be a bit of a challenge, hustling kids to school and taking care of the ordinary things of the world. We'll see how it goes.
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The kids grabbed the camera and went around t...
September 14, 2007 by Adam in Family
 The kids grabbed the camera and went around taking pictures of things. I can't remember who took what, but they both independently decided to take a picture of the sun. Fortunately the camera survived their artistic flair and they came up with a few interesting and quirky pieces.
It's Mocha Friday, though I've got a bit more time before I jump in the shower and hit Starbucks on the way into work. Jamie goes to Italy on Monday, leaving me to manage the kids, house, and work all by my lonesome. I think I'll survive, though I may have to duct tape the kids to the ceiling.
Sam hasn't been holding back when it comes to expressing his displeasure as of late. He really didn't want to go to soccer last night, though with some threats and cajoling, he went and had an okay time. Yet again, I think we'll get him into swimming or fencing later this year.
I'm hoping to keep the routine pretty standard this weekend, so it's swimming tonight and probably the library in the morning. It might be nice to see if Jamie can give me some time to myself while I build up my strength for the week ahead.
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It's the end of the weekend and I should prob...
September 10, 2007 by Adam in Family
 It's the end of the weekend and I should probably be in bed already. Saturday we went down to see the Eugene Celebration parade. Poor Emma was afraid of the noise and people, so Jamie took her back home while Sam and I watched it. Sam though it was pretty cool and funny. Afterwards we went to the library and walked home.
Later that day we had my dad and Yayoe over for dinner. Emma and I made fresh rolls and bread. Jamie made a wonderful custard dessert. It was all so tasty.
As for today, we had Dutch babies for breakfast, along with generous helpings of espresso. The kids and I hung out and then went canoeing. It went pretty well this time. Sam's favorite part was going through the rapids after a small waterfall. We circled around and went through it four or five times before heading home.
Tomorrow it's back to work and school. It'll be the last week before Jamie goes to Italy. I'm not sure what I should do to prepare. All I know is that I haven't really done much to get ready.
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Mocha Friday
September 07, 2007 by Adam in Family
 Mocha Friday. I just finished my beverage of choice and am feeling quite perky. The first week of school finished for the kids, which I think has made everyone pretty tired. Emma collapsed in a chair last night while Sam and I were loudly playing Metroid Prime. I went to bed fairly early as well.
I think in general, school has gone fairly well for the kids. Emma's starting to speak a little French again after getting out of the habit over the Summer. Sam's enjoying hanging out with his friends again at school. He's in the same class as Zach, which could be rather exciting.
Jamie had her first day of freedom yesterday, with five whole hours to herself. I don't think the change has quite hit her yet, and she's not exactly watching television and eating bon bons all day long. The normal household business calls, and she's getting ready for her Italy trip. Of course, she did find the time to buy Emma some pink hair spray, so it's not all hard work.
We've got a busy weekend ahead. I want to go swimming tonight, which we haven't done in awhile. We have dinner with my dad and Yayoe tomorrow, and tea with Emma's ex-French teacher and her family. Fun, fun.
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The kids' first day went fine
September 06, 2007 by Jamie in Family
The kids' first day went fine. Sam was disappointed that the recess time was more minimal than he had hoped, but he had pizza for lunch which seemed to make up some points. Emma said she learned names and painted a shaker but she "couldn't roll it up for a long time still" Both were very tired at pick up. I went to work and had lunch at home in peace but it seemed to be over all too soon. We'll sleep well tonight and do it all over in the morning!
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It's the first day of school for the kids today
September 05, 2007 by Adam in Family
 It's the first day of school for the kids today. We went to the ice cream social last night while Jamie went to the gym. Sam found his buddies and ran around with them while Emma chased after a couple older girls she knew. We discovered that Sam's teacher is Ms. Anderson, who evidently married another teacher from the school over the Summer, right on the school grounds. Hopefully Sam likes her.
We threw Sam in the bath in preparation for his big day. Emma had already taken a bath earlier, but while Jamie and I were chatting, she climbed in with the boy. I think Sam was demonstrating too much fun with the bubbles, and it proved an irresistible lure. Soon enough the two of them were splashing about, getting bubbles everywhere.
It's been surprisingly quiet at work lately, especially in comparison to the madness of our various computer upgrades last month. I'm trying to take care of things that have been languishing, ignored for more important projects. I'll probably do more of that today.
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The long weekend has come and gone
September 04, 2007 by Adam in Family
 The long weekend has come and gone. My mom, Dave, Kirsten, and Josh came over Friday night. We had some apple pie and a cobbler made from the blackberries Emma and I picked the night before. My mom bestowed gifts upon everyone, including a cute dress from Spain.
Saturday morning was spent with the kids, with a library trip in the afternoon while Jamie took them to 5th Street Market. Sunday was the "Sam play" day, with a visit to Zach's for swimming and a long play time with Ben and Sebastian across the street. Monday was spent going shopping and generally hanging around the house. In the evening we went to a BBQ at Bob's where I returned with an entire pie from Anna.
Now I'm back at work, getting ready to update our home page. School starts tomorrow for the kids. Jamie goes to Italy in a couple weeks. Busy, busy.
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