Don't tell Seraph and Robbie, but I've been d...

January 31, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

Don't tell Seraph and Robbie, but I've been doing some Very Bad ThingsÖ to their old computer. They dropped it off so that I could upgrade it (my Christmas present). Unfortunately, it's a Dell and it's not quite standard.

I ended up having to drill a hole in the back of the case in order to provide room for the second serial port. Now the new motherboard fits, but I'm running into a problem turning it on. Dell uses a weird ribbon of wires that connect to the power switch, lights, and reset button. Standard motherboards use individual wires, so I'll have to jury-rig some way to hook the two together.

Never daunted, I'm going to try to go at it tonight. If lucky, I'll even be able to turn the thing on.



I had ordered a Microscope from Intel a while...

January 30, 2002 by Adam in Family

I had ordered a Microscope from Intel a while back, and it arrived yesterday. I plugged it into my computer, and was soon watching magnified pictures of strange objects on my computer. Sam thought it was pretty cool, and we were magifying Lego people, dead insects, and pond water in no time. He also got a kick out of the equipment that came with it.

There was one plastic container that Sam dubbed his "containment unit", after a device in one of his Pajama Sam games. We hunted for insects around the house, mostly finding dead ones and plucking them with the tweezers. Great fun.



My classes are amazing, and it looks like all...

January 30, 2002 by Sadie in Sadie & Greg

My classes are amazing, and it looks like all of them are based on a large final paper, student presentations, and constant reading, all seminar style. Even qualitative methods in sociology is based on a large research paper on a community activist of our choice. South African international relations and politics is fasinating, and the teacher is so passionate- I'm thrilled. We only have six in the class, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders has thirteen. I'm meeting John tomarrow for our first meeting on the special studies on south Africa. I'm getting the pre-independence period from the special studies and the post-independence period from the S.A. seminar. She also seemed intent on covering relations with the region, with an emphasis on Zimbabwe. All very rewarding.



It's been fairly low-key the last few days

January 29, 2002 by Adam in Family

It's been fairly low-key the last few days. My cold continues, but my "cold-be-gone" cocktail of coffee and Advil seems to have conquered it. I've been paying my dues as a dad and playing lots of games with Sam. Lots of Legos, pretending to be superheros, reinacting Star Wars scenes, and the occasional wrestling match. Jamie called and will hopefully be coming over for lunch. Always fun to visit with the family.



We had a lot of fun in Portland on Sat

January 29, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

We had a lot of fun in Portland on Sat. helping Raven and Cheikh move. It even snowed for us! Unfortunatly Isa caught a sniffle, and Robbie seems to be right behind her.



I was playing MoH this morning and ran across...

January 28, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I was playing MoH this morning and ran across a strange sound. When I'm manning a stationary machine gun and firing a lot, there's this weird knocking noise that seems to be coming from my left. I kept thinking that someone was knocking on the door, but determined that it was really coming from the game. I still wonder what it's supposed to be. Shells being ejected and hitting a wall? Ricochets? I'm sure that there's a real-life reason for the sound, but it's pretty baffling.



Still sniffly today

January 28, 2002 by Adam in Adam

Still sniffly today. I'm also feeling amazingly tired. No coffee today, so I'm going on all self-produced chemicals. It's not working all that well so far, as I find myself having a hard time working through problems.

Got my new work computer. It's all black, so it's gotta be better, right?



I finished up AvP2, found it to be quite the ...

January 28, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I finished up AvP2, found it to be quite the enjoyable game. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, showed up the day before I finished, so I got the opportunity to jump right into it. It is a most excellent game. It's supposedly quite short, maybe eight hours of straight play time, but every moment is pure gold. The variety of missions, the music and sound, the graphics, and the heart-pounding excitement all make for the best first person shooter I've played in years. If I had to sum it up to someone, I'd say it's like being in Saving Private Ryan.

I stormed the beach at Omaha yesterday morning, everything going to pieces and virtually all the men under my command dying within the first few seconds after the Higgins landing craft unloaded. Just making it to the bunkers brought a strong sense of accomplishment. Very tense, very frightening. Glad it's not real.



Sam's been working really hard at potty training

January 28, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam's been working really hard at potty training. He has a slew of cool underwear, from Darth Maul to Batman. Every day for the last couple weeks, we dutifully put on underwear and keep a close eye on him the whole day. He's usually pretty good, remembering to let us know if he has to go. When he does, he can do the whole thing himself (well, sometimes he can't quite get the seat of his pants all the way up). We're still having the occasional accident, though. I keep reminding myself that urine is sterile.



The snow this morning took us all by surprise

January 28, 2002 by Adam in Family

The snow this morning took us all by surprise. Sam wandered down to play with me, first thing in the morning as he always does. We fiddled around for a bit, then I looked out the window to see everything blanketed in snow. Sam was terribly excited, and immediately wanted to head outside. We played and played, coming in after I started to get pretty hungry.

Unfortunately, all the excitement and lack of food was a bit too much for Sam. He threw a huge fit and we had to let him cry a bit before he'd settle down enough to eat his breakfast. The rest of the day was much better, and the neighbor kids (Ben, Sebastian, and Graham) came over to play for a bit. Jamie took a trip to the craft store, which turned into a three-hour long expedition. I was a bit played out with Sam towards the end of the day.

Otherwise, the weekend was very quiet. We did a few projects. I got the sound card back in my computer, and we hung up some shelves. Nothing too exciting, which was fine by me.



Well, I typed out a long addition about our t...

January 28, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Well, I typed out a long addition about our trip, but I managed to erase it before inputting it.

I'll do my best to reconstruct. Seraph, Robbie and Isa took us to Portland, and our plane left at 1:20. We were a little surprised at how full the plane from Portland to Chicago was, and how crowded the flight was from Chicago to London.

We had made arrangments to meet cousin Sandie at her office in Pimlico, and we left our stuff at Left Luggage (sounds vaguely politically, doesn't it?) and took the Heathrow Express and Underground. We were pleased and surprised to find that Mary had come in from the Isle of Wight. We had a good but all too brief visit.

It was a little eerie to be back in the London airport. Security there still seems much more thorough than here.

We had more space on the night flight to Johannesburg, and both got a little sleep. However, we both arrived a bit groggy, and were promptly set upon by hordes of people obviously not airport employees, who were anxious to direct us in the right direction, for a small gratuity.

We had reserved a hotel, called The Senator, over the Internet. We were even further non-plussed when we got there and the desk clerk said, cryptically, "We've been having Big Brother parties, and there have been complaints about the noise. We're going to move you to The Emperor". The shuttle took us a little further, to a gaudy, glittering hotel with a huge statue of four horses leaping through an enormous fountain.

At this point, it will be obvious that Dick and I don't watch enough TV to figure out that Big Brother is a reality type show, and the Africa version of the show had just ended. It will also be obvious that we don't spend much time in Las Vegas, or we would have recognized a replica of Caesar's. The place was surrounded by a wall and patroledby men with police dogs, and the only auto entry was through a security check point. Even so, the parking lot had guys offering to watch the car, and we were advised not to part in a secluded area of the lot.

Sadie was due in on Friday, so we picked up our rental car at the airport. For some reason, it was hard to find anything but manual transmission. Dick spent an hour driving around the parking lot at the hotel, trying to get a handle on left hand driving.

We weren't quite sure when Sadie was to come in by plane, so we spent yet more time in the Joburg Airport. The Johannesburg airport is one of the least lovely places on the planet. It's dirty, and the sound system blasts unintelligble Afro-pop and old 80's american hits. The food is awful, and Joburg has a higher percentage of noveau riche and white trash, all of whom seem to hang out at the airport. I did find passable coffee, but coffee went rapidly downhill from there.

Dick and I decided we might as well stay at the Emperor on Friday night, in part because everyone uniformly advised us of the dangers of travelling around Johannesburg. Sadie finally arrived, looking brown and lovely, and we all went back to the hotel. Sadie was slightly stunned by the opulence, having spent at least some of her time in Botswana
using an outdoor privy at a house with no electricity.

We had thought we would heading north to Botswana the next morning, but Sadie wanted to wait for her gentleman de jour, who was flying home through Jburg on Saturday. However, instead of spending more bonding time with Jburg International, I said I wanted to go to Sterkfontein Cave, part of a World Heritage archeology site, so we all piled in the car. Dick was still white knuckle driving, but we finally found the cave, and had a wonderful tour. We saw our first Weaverbird nests, and guinea hens, too.

We never did find Sadie's boyfriend, and learned later he got hung up in customs.

South Africa was very strange. It took me awhile to figure out that what I felt so uncomfortable about was the fact that white people did all the sitting jobs and black people did all the standing and stooping



Just a quick note from work to say that Sadie...

January 26, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Just a quick note from work to say that Sadie made it back to school ok. She's probably snuggled deep in her bed catching up on her sleep.
Robbie and I are off to a movie reight now, "A Walk to Remember" I think we'll need our Kleenex! Then tomarrow morning we head up to Portland to help Raven and Cheikh move into their new apartment.



Hi from mom

January 25, 2002 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi from mom. Sadie should be getting into Northampton just about now. While Dick and I were at symphony last night, Sadie called, and called again just as we got in to tell us that there was some security breach in St.Louis, which meant that their flight was delayed and she missed the flight into Hartford. They put her in a Ramada Inn, and she was fine. Thank heavens we had made arrangements for her to go back a couple days early (classes start Monday).
Dick and I are going to the Coast this weekend, but hope to have some grandkid time next week or next weekend. Love to all



Another Mocha Friday

January 25, 2002 by Adam in Family

Another Mocha Friday. Sam got a Bionicle Lego character yesterday, so we basically played with the new toy for four hours after I got home. It was fun playing with him, though, and I always appreciate his quirky sense of humor. In the bath, his Bionicle guy was "Sitting the Seven Seas" (instead of "Sailing the Seven Seas"). Not sure where he heard that phrase, but he definately paused and looked at me to see if I got it.

More exciting work meetings today. Our whole team is together, going through various issues. It's a good thing I enjoy what I do, otherwise the various politics involved with getting big projects moving would drive me mad. I think I've been pushing an Internet redesign for a couple years now. May actually happen this year.

I'm looking forward to this weekend. I think we'll mostly putter around. I'd like to spend some serious dad-Sam time, possibly going for another hike. For some reason, I feel I haven't really been hanging out with the little guy much this week. With being sick and a few family things, it seems I've been absent more often than usual.



Happy Birthday Isabell! Isa's First birthday...

January 23, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Happy Birthday Isabell! Isa's First birthday was great fun as all the family decended to our house for cake and ice cream. Thank you for all the wonderful presents! Isa's looking quite stylish today in her designer clothes.
Hanni knitted Harry Potter scarves for Robbie, Isa, Sam and Destin! We'll have quite the fmily Quitich (sp?) team soon!



Exciting evening last night

January 23, 2002 by Adam in Family

Exciting evening last night. Jamie was going off with a friend for dinner, while I was trying to make it to Isabell's birthday. It was touch and go, but I managed to entertain Sam, get Sadie's webcam hooked up, assist with dinner, wrap (sort of) a present, do Sam's post-dinner bathroom routine, and get everyone and everything into the car. Whew.

The birthday party was great fun. Lots of family descended on the house. Seraph made a great cake, so seconds were necessary. Sam had a great time playing with Robbie's old Star Wars action figures from when he was a kid.

We rushed home for a quick bath and bedtime by 8 pm. Jamie returned well fed and rested. After a little computer gaming on my part, I went to bed, woke myself up snoring, then retreated to the guest bed so as not to bother Jamie. What a wonderful, quirky life I live.



Massive headache last night

January 22, 2002 by Adam in Adam

Massive headache last night. I kept upping the dosage of Advil until I had well exceeded the recommended amount. This morning, I'm doing my usual cocktail of Advil and coffee to keep me going. Not bad so far.

My time seems to be disappearing again these days. Tonight is Isabell's birthday party, which I'm going to try to get to. I think I'm meeting with mom and my siblings tomorrow night, though I'm not sure about the topic exactly. Maybe I'll have time again this weekend. Work is following a similar trend, with meetings all afternoon and Thursday and Friday completely booked. Sigh.



I walked out the door to go to work today, wh...

January 21, 2002 by Adam in Family

I walked out the door to go to work today, when I found everything covered in snow. I took a few steps through the slush in my normal work outfit, then turned around to put on some sensible clothes. Getting to work wasn't too bad, though the sidewalks were pretty wet with slush. I'm now looking out over campus, the buildings looking like frosted gingerbread houses. Must be time for a morning snack.



Sadie, Dave, and Josh all came over today

January 21, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sadie, Dave, and Josh all came over today. It was nice having them over to entertain Sam and visit. Jamie started the actual miscarriage today, so it looks like a second ultrasound won't be necessary. I think part of her is glad to get things over with. We both want to move on with our lives. The support everyone has given us has been wonderful. Thank you all.

Tomorrow work starts, which is vaguely disappointing. The more time I spend with my family, the harder it is to leave. We'll probably continue to take it easy over the next week. I'm not sure if we'll make it to Isabell's birthday party, though we'll try.



We had a fun day today

January 20, 2002 by Adam in Family

We had a fun day today. We were mulling over our weekend plans at breakfast this morning, and Jamie suggested we head up into the hills and play in the snow. Sam thought that was a fine idea, so we dressed up warmly and piled into the Subaru. We headed towards Oakridge, and then went another fifteen miles past that. When we found the place where everyone was putting on their chains, we turned around and found a place next to the road to park.

We spent an hour throwing snowballs, building snow structures, and re-enacting the Star Wars scenes that took place on the ice planet Hoth. Jamie plays a pretty good tauntaun, and gave Sam several rides. Sam also found great joy in peeing in the snow. I suppose there's a first time for everything.



I picked up Aliens vs Predator 2 pretty cheap...

January 18, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

I picked up Aliens vs Predator 2 pretty cheaply after the Christmas season. I loaded it up the other day and found it immensely gripping. I'm currently playing through the marine mission (there's also one for the alien and predator). It's like living through the Aliens movie, which I thought was the coolest thing when I was a teenager.

In a strange way, it's a useful outlet to my current personal stresses. Most modern problems are solved by internal processing, leaving my good ol' caveman instincts screaming for attention. There's nothing quite like opening up on full auto, watching leaping aliens explode in yellow ichor. Sometimes, Grok just want to smash.



Thanks to all those who sent in notes, flower...

January 18, 2002 by Adam in Family

Thanks to all those who sent in notes, flowers, and reassurances. We're doing better. It helps to think of this as part of life, not unusual or uncommon.

Sam is quite good at convincing us of his utter need for Star Wars Legos. Evidently Jamie and Sam were at Fred Meyers looking for a Boba Fett Lego, but instead found one with two Ewoks, a Stormtrooper, and an Imperial Scout (with speeder bike). Of course Sam had to get one, and it was funny that his wiley ways worked on Jamie too. So, that's what we played with much of last night.

It's Friday, and that means Mocha day. Looking forward to the soothing caffiene. Work continues to be busy, so it may not be much in the way of relaxing.



We sat down with Sam to explain what's been g...

January 16, 2002 by Adam in Sam

We sat down with Sam to explain what's been going on to him. We told him that the new baby wasn't growing right, and that it wasn't strong enough to get big and come out of mom's uterus. "Why?" was his first question, which we tried to answer as simply as we could. "Well, let's have another one," was his solution. We agreed, deciding that Sam was probably smarter than the two of us put together.



After the doctor's appointment yesterday, we ...

January 16, 2002 by Adam in Family

After the doctor's appointment yesterday, we were all feeling a little sad. We hung out in the living room by the fire, ate dessert, and watched cartoons for Sam's sake. I was exhausted and slept from about 7:30 until 5:30 this morning. When I went out to get into my car, I realized we never picked it up. So, I'm here at home until everyone wakes up to take me to work.

I've had a little time to think about things, and I'm feeling better today. I didn't realize how many pregnancies end in miscarriage (somewhere between 25% to 50%), so it's seeming like more of a normal thing. I suppose the downside to genetics is that chance ends up producing fertilized eggs that simply won't turn into a baby. Knowing that miscarrage is a natural thing helps some.

I keep thinking about what happens next, both short term and long term. There are short term things we need to deal with, so I may be a little quiet or absent the next week or two. We still hope to have a second child, though the timing is up in the air. We'll see how things go.



Sad news about the new baby

January 16, 2002 by Adam in Family

Sad news about the new baby. We went to the doctor's today for the heartbeat visit. While it's not certain, things didn't appear to be developing the way they are supposed to. You can read more here.



Sad news

January 16, 2002 by Adam in Emma

Sad news. We went to the doctor's office today for the appointment to hear the heartbeat. Unfortunately, there was none, and an ultrasound confirmed it. There's a small chance that things just aren't as far along as we thought, so Jamie has a follow-up ultrasound next week. Still, it's likely that this pregnancy is over.

We're still a bit in shock. Last time, we waited quite a ways before telling anyone. I think we weren't expecting problems this time around, so we're having to communicate both the good and the bad news. We still haven't sat down with Sam yet.

I think Jamie would like a little bit of space for awhile. Neither of us have really had time to think about things. I'll keep posting to the best of my ability.



Greetings from Florida, Please share this e-...

January 15, 2002 by Yayoe in Yayoe

Greetings from Florida,
Please share this e-mail with the rest of the family. I can't add them to the address list for some reason. The Cortez' address is not correct..it still lists them as using the pond as their ISP.

It's so wonderful to log onto this website to learn about what you folks are all up to these days. So glad to hear that Jamie is feeling better and that the morning sickness is fading. I'll be at Isabelle's baptism on Sunday but Lohring will still be in Florida racing his boats.He'll return on Monday eveningIF they let him on the airplane.

Dorothy is looking wonderful and keeping very busy. She's cooked up some delicious meals and has planned some fun stuff for us to do. On Sunday we rented a pontoon boat and sailed down the Homosasa River with the mission to sqatter half of Franklin's ashes into the river. The ashes floated out toward the gulf but some of them blew back into the boat.I think it was Franklin's way of being with us and also hitching a ride in the boat on a more permament basis.We were fortunate to have a warm and sunny day to send him off. The other half of the ashes will be buried with a tree in Meadville in March.

We later dropped anchor in a warm part of the river and watched two spectacular manatees swim by. It was awesome. They were so close I could have touched them IF I wanted to jump into the water.

Suspicious looking Lohring got searched and frisked twice while trying to get into the Eugene airport and into the airplane in Phoenix. I almost laughed hysterically but realized that I would be next. I guess he fits the profile of a terrorist. When Dorothy heard that story she said she was also searched at the airport only she was searched when she was in a wheelchair being transported from one terminal to another. I guess the suspicious look just runs in the Miller family! If they try to search me I'll flip out and confess to something but what?

So enough for now. Dorothy's computer is now hooked up. Please write to her with time permits. I'll see you folks on Sunday. I hope this baptism stuff for Isabelle means she will be Bat-mitsvah'd when she is 13! Adios/Sayonara



I had a dream last night that I was a god

January 14, 2002 by Adam in Adam

I had a dream last night that I was a god. Evidently, it wasn't such a big deal, because I was at a big convention center where all the other gods turned out. They had seating according to how good or evil you were, putting those that were really good on one side of the room, the evil on the other, and those that were neutral in the middle. I was somewhere between the good and neutral side, which probably reflects my true personality.

There was more, but I don't really remember much. I think I had some cool godly powers, but they unfortunately didn't carry forward to my typical workday. Sigh.



And so another weekend ends

January 14, 2002 by Adam in Family

And so another weekend ends. Jamie and I had a nice Saturday breakfast together, after trucking Sam off to grandma Sue's house. It was a little hard, as he was in such a good mood that we didn't want to let him go. The rest of the day was spent running errands. Sam and I got our hair cut and we picked out a new dresser for Sam (after he almost dropped a drawer on his foot from his current one).

Sunday was equally lazy. Sam and I played for most of the day, going off on a hike at one point. It was pretty cold on the Ridgeline Trail. We shared some bagels and told stories from the Lord of the Rings as we trudged along.

Jamie's arranged for a date for us tonight. Angie's watching Sam while we go off somewhere mysterious. Should be fun.



Sam was explaining how a Lego spaceship we ju...

January 14, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Sam was explaining how a Lego spaceship we just put together worked. He talked about the elaborate relationships between the various engines, ending with "It's complicated."



Jamie let me know yesterday that she and Sam ...

January 12, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Jamie let me know yesterday that she and Sam would be heading to the beach in early February. Fortunately, that coincides with the time my preorder for Medal of Honor: Allied Assault should be arriving. It's a first person shooter, based in World War II, and is getting rave reviews from everyone who sees it. So, if anyone wonders where I'll be in early February, I'll be drinking beer and storming the beaches at Omaha.



The new baby keeps growing every day

January 11, 2002 by Adam in Emma

The new baby keeps growing every day. Jamie's got a noticeable bump, so she's wearing maternity clothes most of the time. I think the nausea is finally tapering off, though she's still tired from time to time. I'm excited for next week, as we have an appointment to hear the heartbeat.

We're also working on having Sam become as independent as we can. Dressing, potty training, and being generally helpful are high on our list. We also do playacting with Sam's doll Emma. Of course, he did try to run over one of his little babies with the monster truck. I had to tickle him a lot for that one.



Ah, Fridays

January 11, 2002 by Adam in Family

Ah, Fridays. The one day where I let myself drink a mocha and cruise through the day in caffinated bliss. It's been a good day at work, whipping out code and listening to bif naked. Coupled with my new black leather jacket, I feel much cooler than I really am.

I had a hard time with Sam last night. I was a tired, he was tired, and we ended up getting on each other's nerves for awhile. I also ended up injuring myself in a dumb way, involving an impromptu cardboard box slide on our stairs. Note to self: sliding upside down while holding a child and only your skull to cushion the blow is not a good idea. I begged Jamie for a half hour so that I could take a bath, afterwards which I felt much better.

Jamie took off to watch television with a friend, while Sam and I hung out in a much more subdued way. We played a funky Lego game for awhile, then watched Friends together. "Why do you sometimes watch silly shows?" was all he asked afterwards.

I tucked him into bed, told him a story of high adventure involving Tommy and Tess, and he fell asleep next to me. I love being a dad.



This week seems to have turned into a series ...

January 10, 2002 by Adam in Family

This week seems to have turned into a series of busy days. Last night, Sadie came over to work on her Botswana project while I tried to manage Sam. He was tired all day, and was a bit on the frantic side in the evening. He wanted to pretend to be an "evil guest" for awhile, whatever that is. Later on, we slid down a flattened box we'd put on the stairs. Much cooler than the Christmas present that was inside.

Jamie was out last night giving an orientation for Tiny Tots. Tonight she's going to Victoria's to watch television. I'm hoping to take Sam shopping tonight. I think we'll just crash this weekend as best we can.



Come One, Come All! Isa's baptism is next Su...

January 08, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Come One, Come All! Isa's baptism is next Suday during our church service (starts at 9:30am). Hanni is hosting a brunch after the service. The location will be discussed at that time



Happy New Year to all

January 06, 2002 by Adam in Family

Happy New Year to all. Over the last few days leading up to the weekend, I've been discovering presents at my desk. They were from Jamie, but I was mystified as to how they got there. The person in the next cubicle would call me over, then I'd return a minute later to find a present next to my keyboard. Jamie wouldn't say how she did it, and I still haven't found out. On Friday, I was wisked away by her for a romantic evening. All very cool.

Saturday was a bit quiet. All of us went swimming, then hung out at the house. I finally managed to get my new computer hooked up to the Internet, and I cleaned "the nerd cave" at the same time. No big plans for today. Probably just hang out as a family.



After much fiddling and lots of patience by J...

January 06, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

After much fiddling and lots of patience by Jamie who watched Sam for several hours, I finally got Internet Connection Sharing set up on my main computer. I can now access the Internet from my new Windows XP computer, which I haven't been able to do for several months. I promptly updated all the security patches, surfed the net, and generally enjoyed myself. Great fun.



The nerd gene is strong in Sam

January 04, 2002 by Adam in Sam

The nerd gene is strong in Sam. Last night, Sam and I discovered all the online games on the Lego site. He was instantly addicted, even though many of the games were too hard for him. Jamie called and evidently it was the first thing he wanted to do when he woke up, even before breakfast.

I picked up a couple cheap Lego games for Sam from a clearance sale that Amazon was doing. Hopefully those will entertain him for awhile.



Isa is now walking and escaping all situation...

January 04, 2002 by Seraph in Cortez

Isa is now walking and escaping all situations at great speed! Yesterday she got out of her car seat without unbuckling it. Robbie was driving and heard her cry. When he turned around she was sitting on the back seat! We proptly upgraded to the larger, and more difficult to escape from, carseat.

She has also been taking a few steps here and there the last week or so, but last night we decided she is offically "walking." As, she went across the family room by herself with no prompting from us. I guess now the really exciting times begin!



We were eating dinner last night and Sam aske...

January 03, 2002 by Adam in Sam

We were eating dinner last night and Sam asked for some bread without any crust. "Here's the juicy insides," said Jamie as she handed it to him. "Mmmm, brains!" Sam exclaimed as he stuffed it into his mouth.



I did a small amount of project work over the...

January 03, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Projects

I did a small amount of project work over the holiday break. Almost all of it was spent watching Sam, which means that many tasks were left undone. I did drill holes in the living room floor to run the rear speaker wires through. It looks lots better.

I also moved the Lego computer up into the craft room, which Sam immediately thought was cool. He'd turn it on himself, then sit in his antique writing desk playing the Elmo game. The only thing that was lacking was speakers, so I bought some cheap ones that should be arriving soon. After we move all his games up too, Sam should be able to play on his computer while Jamie scrapbooks away!

I'm also waiting to get my hands on Seraph and Robbie's computer. I've promised them a computer upgrade for Christmas, and I have a new video card, motherboard, processor, and memory to stick in. Should be fun.



Over the Christmas break, I actually got a ch...

January 03, 2002 by Adam in Adam's Games

Over the Christmas break, I actually got a chance to play a few games. I found a super deal site and bought four pretty good games for fifty bucks. I finished The Longest Journey, one of the better adventure games I've played in quite some time. I also picked up Civilization 3, which is way too addictive. Finally, I got Rune and Wheel of Time, both fantasy action games. I've been pleased with them in general, though I've been comparing them to games that are coming out right around the corner.

Towards the end of this month, I should be getting Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, which is getting good previews in the gaming press. Then it's a long dry spell until some of the year's big hitters: Neverwinter Nights, Dungeon Seige, and Warcraft III are all at the top of my list. Should be a fun year.



I've been sick the last couple days

January 03, 2002 by Adam in Adam

I've been sick the last couple days. Last night, I came home from work and started in on the Advil. By the time I got Sam to bed at 8pm, I fell asleep on the couch. I think I slept nearly ten hours straight.

Work has been crazy busy the last couple weeks. I'm hoping today quiets down a bit. My head still hurts a little. I'm holding off on the coffee, as I partook far too much over the holidays. It feels good to get back to the normal exercise routine.



Yesterday, Sadie was over visiting

January 01, 2002 by Adam in Sam

Yesterday, Sadie was over visiting. Sam spontaneously moved his two fingers in front of him and said to her, "You will come upstairs and play with me." Sadie was initially confused, then I explained that he was using the Jedi mind trick on her. Needless to say, it worked like a charm after we stopped laughing.



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