Adam Miller and Family

Well, Sadie, my mom, and Dick made it back sa...

December 31, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, Sadie, my mom, and Dick made it back safe and sound from Africa. Sam and I headed over for an impromptu gift exchange, Sam returning happy with a couple new Lego sets. I think everyone liked the presents I passed out. A couple Lego gifts given myself, as well as assorted gift certificates, movie tickets, and a bizarre card game.

It's New Year's Eve tonight. I plan on celebrating by sleeping through the transition to 2002. Sam's sleep schedule is getting wacky again. He's been waking up later and going to bed later, fighting sleep all the way. Last night, I made the mistake of turning the channel to an old Godzilla movie. Based on the number of times he said "Don't turn it off!" I think he appreciated it. Unfortunately, that made bedtime close to ten o'clock.

Jamie's been really sleepy lately too. Morning sickness seems to be strongest the first thing in the morning, then exhaustion off and on all day. Pregnancy sure seems like hard work.

I'm hoping to spend some time with Sadie today. I suspect Sam will tag along for much of it. Tomorrow is a last Christmas party at my dad's house, then no more holidays until Valentine's Day. Happy New Year to eveyone!

I'm back at work after five days off

December 27, 2001 by Adam in Family

I'm back at work after five days off. We were all pretty beat after driving down from Portland on Tuesday. We stopped by Jamie's dad house for an impromptu Christmas, then back to our very cold house. It took several hours for the fireplace to heat everything to a normal temperature, so we huddled in the living room sipping cocoa. We had our family Christmas, with Sam having the most fun with his new Legos.

The next day we spent puttering around the house and buying groceries for our reduced stockpiles. Yayoe dropped off some more presents, adding yet more Star Wars Legos to Sam's arsenal. I probably spent two hours over both days putting together all the various toys. Great fun.

The one really odd thing we got this year was a talking Jar Jar Binks doll that Sam got from Angie. Unfortunately, it announces the time every hour, usually with an oddly phrased Gungan quip. Late last night, Jamie brought down the doll in her outstreched arms, unable to sleep through it. It now rests in my cubicle, as my coworkers plan its demise.

Well, it's Christmas Eve and I'm typing from ...

December 24, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, it's Christmas Eve and I'm typing from Judy and Jim's house in Portland. It's been a lazy last couple of days. We headed up Saturday and lazed about the house. I managed to play some computer games while we had our free babysitter. Yesterday was a bit more exciting. Jamie and I saw Ocean's Eleven, an enjoyable heist movie, before returning to a Sam-free house. Sam and Josh were taken out to see the Christmas lights and have dinner, a tradition two years running now.

Meanwhile, Dave, Brant, Tracie, and I played Kill Doctor Lucky. I picked it up at Cheapass Games, and it proved to be as weird and funny as promised. Sadly, I never did manage to kill Doctor Lucky, though I made several attempts with a chainsaw, a revolver, and a tight hat. Oh, and many attempts to kill him by merely poking him in the eye.

Today should be the really big family day for Jamie's side of the family. There's a huge number of stockings hanging from the fireplace if that's any indication for the festivities to come. I think we open presents tonight too, then it's to Jamie's dad's house for awhile tomorrow, and finally to home.

Best Christmas wishes to everyone. An extra special greeting to those overseas, especially my sister, stepdad, and mom. Hope all is well.

With all the talk of the new baby, Sam decide...

December 19, 2001 by Adam in Family

With all the talk of the new baby, Sam decided to crawl back into Jamie's shirt. Here's what Jamie would look like if she were three years pregnant.

Jamie saw the doctor yesterday for her first prenatal checkup. She is indeed pregnant, about eight weeks along. That puts the due date at August 4th. They also took five vials of blood - I'm convinced that the lab is really a front for a coven of vampires.

I'm also going to Lord of the Rings tonight, right after work until 9:30 pm. I felt guilty leaving Jamie alone with Sam all day, so I tried to convince a couple people to come over. I think she'll survive, it's just strange to not come home right after work. I can't remember the last time I went out for an evening.

We had quite the exciting weekend

December 17, 2001 by Adam in Family

We had quite the exciting weekend. Saturday night was the big cocktail party. We had quite the spread of food and drink, though Jamie was stuck with soda water. We had a big turnout and Jamie was trying to kick people out close to ten o'clock. Another successful party.

On Sunday morning, I built Dave's new computer. A few exciting moments, as I was afraid my overclocking hubris had gotten the best of me. All turned out well in the end, however.

That afternoon, Sam and I went on a hike through the forest. He was amazingly energetic, running down the path pretending we were being chased by Imperial Scouts (another Star Wars thing). We returned home tired and muddy, so we pulled our pants off and had cocoa by the fire.

Mmm. . . Pantsless cocoa.

We all continue to be a little sick, though I...

December 13, 2001 by Adam in Family

We all continue to be a little sick, though I think the end is near. Jamie was feeling better by the end of the day. I'm hoping that the ginger snaps and ginger brew I got worked their magic on her nausea. We went to Jamie's Diner for dinner and her appetite seemed fine.

Sam and I invented "laser ball" last night. Mostly it involves Sam holding a paper lightsaber while I throw bean bags at him and shout, "Run away! Run away!"

Jamie called me at work yesterday, feeling si...

December 12, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jamie called me at work yesterday, feeling sick and wanting to have someone watch Sam. I dutifully headed home and watched el boyo. I think the headaches were virus related, rather than due to the pregnancy. Later that day, I started to feel pretty cruddy too. My guess is that we got what Sam had earlier in the week.

We took it easy for most of the day. Sam and I watched Spy Kids. It was borderline scary for him, but also exciting and fun. We took a break in the middle, like we ususally do with movies, and had a bath. He had to reinact parts of the movie using Legos, especially after we assembled a Lego jet pack for one of the Lego people. Funny kid.

Jamie called to report that the nausea has in...

December 11, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jamie called to report that the nausea has indeed hit. She's sunk to eating dry toast. I'm trying to remember what worked best last time. Ginger tea and ginger snaps seemed to help some.

My mom and Dick are heading off on their trip to Africa. Hopefully they'll have a safe trip and have a good visit with Sadie.

Well, a slight miscalculation on my part

December 10, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, a slight miscalculation on my part. It looks like the new baby will come in August, not July. Fortunately, math isn't really required to bear children.

Busy Sunday. Sam and I went Christmas shopping and got some good loot. I also started in on the banister, drilling holes in the stairs and putting the final touch on things. I'm hoping I can get the posts in by our Saturday cocktail party, though I'm not sure if I'll have time to sand and paint them.

Back to work for me today. It promises to be another hectic week. I wrote all the things I needed to do in really small print so that I felt better about my workload. Sigh.

Big news

December 09, 2001 by Adam in Family

Big news. It appears that there will be a new addition to the Miller household next July. The telltale signs appeared, and the pregnancy test was positive. Now, we'll probably have to have it "offically" confirmed at some point, but I'm sure it's for real. Jamie's doing well - a little tired but no nausea like last time. I'm not sure Sam really gets it yet. We'll talk about it together, but I think Legos are far more interesting.

We also got a Christmas tree today, cutting it down from my mother's property. It's all decorated and really brings the spirit of the holidays together. Now all I have to do is finish up the banister and the image is complete.

Frantically trying to get all the Christmas presents ready. I'm making some this year again, and I want to get it done so I can mail some out way before Christmas. The way the postal service is dealing with the anthrax issues, I just hope they don't set it on fire with radiation.

Another Friday rolls around

December 07, 2001 by Adam in Family

Another Friday rolls around. After being Mr. Tea all week, I gave into temptation and slammed down a Mocha this morning. Now I'm bouncy and have a huge pile of work today. Oh well, at least the weekend approaches.

I think we're getting our Christmas tree tomorrow, completing the cozy living room feeling we've got going these days. The fire really makes a difference (along with the big t.v. with surround sound). On these cold rainy nights, we'll often pile on the couch and watch a show.

I'm looking forward to Christmas and being lazy with my family. Sam's been particularly funny these days, though his sleep schedule is still wacky. He's still obsessed with Star Wars, so any presents related to that brand will do well. "Dad, tell me a Star Wars story." is a phrase often repeated in our household.

I had to dig up this picture and show it to e...

December 06, 2001 by Adam in Family

I had to dig up this picture and show it to everyone. We were having lunch last weekend and Sam decided to eat his bagel in a special way. You can see a bigger version here.

I've been having fun doing the online shopping this year. I hit amazon.com, as well as a very off-the-wall site. Some of you may have some interesting stocking stuffers.

It's been a quiet week so far. Sam and I wrestled last night, which he thought was grand. I wore out before he did, so I think he won by default.

Judy and Jim came down for the weekend

December 03, 2001 by Adam in Family

Judy and Jim came down for the weekend. Jim to watch the game, Judy to visit with Sam. Nothing too exciting happened. Yesterday was mostly bumming around the house. We did a little shopping and I went to Robbie's birthday party today. I did manage to get the banister stained and installed. The hard part is the individual posts, which will involve much drilling, cutting, and careful measuring.

Now everyone's gone except Sam and I. Jamie's off at Angie's and the grandparents have gone home. Sam's playing beside me, talking about the eye color of all his toys and Legos.

Back to work tomorrow. We hired two new people on Friday, so hopefully things won't be quite as crazy. Of course, they don't start for a couple weeks and then there's training . . .

Life keeps chugging along

November 28, 2001 by Adam in Family

Life keeps chugging along. I still feel a bit cruddy - I'm currently blaming the flu shot I got yesterday. The caffeine and pain killers sure help a lot.

There's been more work at our house lately. The remote for the fireplace is working. I've got to get a new shower head, as my current one is completly plugged with goop that came out of the pipes when they were installing the new heating system. Also, Darren's working on a few projects too. Nothing major, but all things we've been wanting to do for awhile.

Sam woke up at 6:30 this morning. I had to explain to him why I needed to go to work, as he wanted to play Star Wars Legos with me. Sniff.

Well, we finally got the fireplace and hot wa...

November 26, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, we finally got the fireplace and hot water heater installed. The fireplace is great, even nicer than I was hoping it would be. This weekend, Jamie's family kept hanging out at our house, with the fireplace adding the extra "umph" to entice them away from their home. It heats fairly well, too. Last night, we came in from the rain and asked, "Sam, could you build a fire?" With a click it was on, much different than when I was a kid.

Well, Sam turns three today. Though it's official today, he had a bunch of birthday parties over the weekend. Jamie's uncle got him a gun with flashing lights, annoying noises, and built-in vibrations. Sam loved it, though I think we may accidentally hide it away for awhile.

I got Sam some cool toys too, which he finally got to open: a remote control truck and Star Wars Legos. The Legos have gotten quite the usage, having pieces lost and refound multiple times already. Now I've got to come up with something clever for Christmas coming. Oh well, even more Star Wars Legos can't go wrong . . .

I think everyone was pretty beat by the end of the weekend. Sam was exhausted and grumpy Sunday night. Jamie and I had some quiet alone time before bed, then slept like the dead all night. Today Jamie's teaching preschool and celebrating a little birthday party for Sam while she's there. Hopefully tonight can be quiet and ordinary.

Yesterday was a time of celebration - way to ...

November 23, 2001 by Adam in Family

Yesterday was a time of celebration - way to much food to eat and Sam's toys to play with. One of the extra bonus things with having Sam's birthday on Thanksgiving is that he'll never be bored while the adults sit around and talk. He and Destin played with the race track Jenny got him for the entire time. When we got home, all Sam wanted to do was play with the remote control car. I'm sure that will be the first thing he wants to do this morning when he wakes up.

Everyone seemed in good spirits. I got Seraph and Robbie's computer fully functional, for which I am thankful. My allergies didn't kick in either, for which I am very thankful.

I think Jamie's family may be arriving to watch football, though I'm never really sure what their plans are. Sam will be excited when Josh arrives. I'm still working on the banister, which is slow going. Also, we should have a functioning fireplace by the end of the day.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I stayed home fro...

November 22, 2001 by Adam in Family

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I stayed home from work yesterday, still sniffly from a cold. Sam got some Star Wars action figures from Angie, which he played with non-stop. I got some more banister sanding in, which will hopefully be ready for staining soon. We also went to John's birthday party, a friend of Sam's.

Today we're off to Seraph and Robbie's house for holiday cheer. Looking forward to lots of eating and socializing with adults. Most of my conversations these days begin with "Tell me a Star Wars story . . ." (coming from Sam)

Another quiet weekend has come and gone

November 19, 2001 by Adam in Family

Another quiet weekend has come and gone. I spent most of my time watching Sam while Jamie did things around the house. She got quite a bit done: painting the hallway, putting up shelves, and the constant house cleaning. I spent my time building Legos and listening to Star Wars music over and over again.

Sam and I are showing signs of a cold, mostly sniffles and sore throats. I no longer judge the Winter season by the length of the day, but rather how often our family gets sick.

Today is already my "Thursday", as I'm taking off Wednesday to Sunday. Looking forward to Thanksgiving with everyone, as well as Sam's birthday. Gotta wrap up all my secret presents.

Sam took a bath upstairs in the jet-equipped ...

November 17, 2001 by Adam in Family

Sam took a bath upstairs in the jet-equipped bathtub. A small amount of soap and a few minutes with the jets froths up a huge amount of bubbles. Sam was quickly buried in a white foam.

The gas isn't done yet. Evidently the inspector is coming out Monday, the gas is turned on Tuesday, and the final work is done Wednesday or Friday. Jamie's not super happy about the progress, but at least it wasn't 30 days as originally thought.

No exciting plans for the weekend. I'm looking forward to Jamie and Sam waking up so that I can make a big breakfast and drink a bunch of coffee. Not much beats breakfast on the weekend.

A couple days ago, Sadie sent me a bunch of p...

November 15, 2001 by Adam in Family

A couple days ago, Sadie sent me a bunch of pictures from Africa. I scanned them in and added them to the photo album as well putting little thumbnails on her news page.

I also spoke with Jamie this morning. It sounds like the workers are there, getting ready to install all the gas components. Hopefully I won't return home to a smoking crater.

My new computer is coming along. I fixed the annoying whine of my hard drive - it turns out it was a software problem strangely enough. Once I get the DSL modem drivers, my evil plan will be complete.

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is next week

November 14, 2001 by Adam in Family

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is next week. I'm taking off Wednesday onward, so I'll have lots of time to work on the banister. It's also Sam's three-year birthday party coming up next Sunday. Simply amazing that my little baby is now running around holding complex conversations.

Jamie's getting excited and nervous about the big gas conversion that begins tomorrow. I wonder if I'll be able to take a shower Friday morning. Hmm.

Jamie made a pair of mittens for Sam

November 11, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jamie made a pair of mittens for Sam. They went really quickly and were made out of the same material as the sweater she made for him. Very cute looking.

Jamie got a lot of work done around the house while Ray was over. They cleaned out the garage, made a dump run, and did some gardening. I think Ray is planning to fill our yard with assorted plants as he did in the old house. It's been great to have him be so helpful, as I've been neglecting yardwork to focus on things inside the house.

The city put gas to our house much sooner than we thought, so it looks like we're going to have the fireplace insert and hot water heater installed this Thursday. Very exciting, as the baseboard heat is starting to drive us all nuts.

I went over to Seraph's birthday party this m...

November 10, 2001 by Adam in Family

I went over to Seraph's birthday party this morning. Great food, but had to leave sooner than I wanted. Cat allergies. Isabell is getting big and smiley, and Jordan is almost as big as she is. Everyone seemed in good spirits and Seraph's old friend Raven was there as well.

I'm in the process of brining my new computer online. It's a bit of an undertaking, and I may end up having my Internet connection down for awhile while I beat it into submission. Wish me luck.

I think I can honestly say that virtually not...

November 07, 2001 by Adam in Family

I think I can honestly say that virtually nothing has happened the last few days. Basically, I got up, went to a very busy work, then returned home to watch Sam while Jamie went off to do something. Today and tomorrow appear more of the same, so I sense much playing with Star Wars Legos in my future.

Sam and I watched the musical Buffy episode last night. In the voice of the comic store owner in The Simpsons, "Best episode ever." I think it's the wackiness factor that keeps bringing me back to that show.

Josh and Jamie's dad arrive Friday morning. Promises to be a fun-filled family weekend.

On Saturday, Sam and I went hiking around Hen...

November 04, 2001 by Adam in Family

On Saturday, Sam and I went hiking around Hendrick's Park. I spent the entire time retelling Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. At the top, we pretended to throw a ring into Mount Doom. All great fun.

My great computer assembly gets to wait another week or so, as they shipped the wrong part. I spent an hour or so this morning sanding away at the banister. It's going to take a long time until it's ready for staining. Hopefully, I'll finish it by Christmas.

We had quite the exciting night last night

November 01, 2001 by Adam in Family

We had quite the exciting night last night. Sam dressed up in his dinosaur costume (which matched Destin's) and we did some brief trick-or-treating. We made it to my dad's house, the neighbor's house across the street, then collapsed at home. Sam was pretty wiped out, though excited about the prospect of candy. After Jamie snatched a bite, Sam decided that she'd turned bad and proceeded to hide his candy.

We had a ton of trick-or-treaters come to our door. I think we were a "good house", as Jamie's dad supplied a ton of vending machine candy for us to give out. We were passing out large sized Butterfingers and more. Seraph, Robbie, Jenny, and their crew all came over too. Jordan, Destin, and Sam all had dinosaur costumes on, while Isabell was a princess. Ah, the good ol' days when gender stereotypes seemed pure and innocent.

Happy Halloween to all! Today marks the odd ...

October 31, 2001 by Adam in Family

Happy Halloween to all! Today marks the odd ritual of dressing up and demanding candy from total strangers. I think we'll make a few trips with Sam in costume, then man the door to pass out candy. Supposedly our neighborhood gets hit hard, but fortunately Jamie's dad operates candy vending machines. I think we're pretty well prepared.

Sam's latest obsession is having us ask him Star Wars questions. He can now match most adults in Star Wars trivia, though perhaps not my old buddies Jason and Colin. I got bored yesterday, and switched to The Lord of the Rings. That went over well, so it's okay to ask things like "Who reforged Aragorn's sword?" (Answer: the elves)

It was quite the fun-filled weekend

October 29, 2001 by Adam in Family

It was quite the fun-filled weekend. On Saturday, I went over to my friend Chris' house for a pumpkin carving shindig. I'm starting to tell that I'm getting older - virtually everyone had come with their kids and I spent most of the party talking about parenthood.

Sunday morning we had my mom and Dick come over for a breakfast and watching Sam shindig. Afterwards, it was off to get paint for our new fireplace. I think we ended up going three times - once to pick the color, another to get the paint, and a third to make it darker. Still, it should turn out quite nice.

Last night, we had another pumpkin carving and cookie making party at Seraph and Robbie's house. The only missing family members were my dad and Yayoe - evidently Robbie forgot to call. Oops. There were tons of babies there, crawling and eating about. Isabell is looking like an actual girl these days. Jordan is a huge baby, off the charts in every way. I carved a tiny pumpkin for fun and make a cookie slug. Great fun.

We took Sam to his preschool Halloween party ...

October 26, 2001 by Adam in Family

We took Sam to his preschool Halloween party last night. Zillions of kids running around in strange costumes. A bit overwhelming, but quite fun.

Later that night, Sam started feeling bad and complained of a sore throat. I gave him some pain killers and finally got him to bed around 9 PM. A bit after 10, Sam woke up crying and kept crying for over an hour. He couldn't swallow and obviously felt miserable. Finally, we filled the bathroom up with hot steam for him to breathe, then got him into the bath.

That seemed to do the trick, and he settled down, splashing in the water. We got some more pain killers in him, fed him a bit, and gave him a cough drop. One of the first things he wanted to do after he felt better was to play with his Star Wars Legos. We played a bit, then I left to bed exhausted some time after midnight.

This morning, I'm hanging in there, but mostly due to the Grande Mocha I had this morning.

It's been a pretty quiet week so far

October 25, 2001 by Adam in Family

It's been a pretty quiet week so far. Jamie's busy on the gas fireplace and water heater project. I think we finally got clarity on what we really wanted. We're going for an "instant heat" deal, where the water is heated up when you need it. Unusual, but supposedly pretty good and energy efficient.

Sam amazed us all with his knowledge of Star Wars last night. We were playing Legos, and I became bored, so Darth Vader became a game show host and started pelting Sam with questions. Sam could answer all sorts of weird ones:
Dad: What's the name of the ship Han Solo flew?
Sam: The Millenium Falcon.
Dad: That's . . . ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!

Dad: And now, for the Lego boat, who rescued Luke Skywalker after his hand was cut off?
Sam: Princess Leia
Dad: Princess Leia . . . IS CORRECT!

It went on and on. He wanted me to ask him more questions even when we went swimming last night. My son, the Star Wars idiot savant.

Oops

October 24, 2001 by Adam in Family

Oops. It turns out the NIMDA fix that Yayoe sent off really was a NIMDA fix. Before running it, make sure you really have the virus first. It probably won't hurt to run it, but it's good to check first.

Just a quick warning

October 22, 2001 by Adam in Family

Just a quick warning. It seems that Yayoe accidentally sent out the NIMDA virus to everyone on her e-mailing list. If you opened up an e-mail attachment claiming to be a fix for NIMDA, I recommend you delete it instead of opening it. The tip-off is the subject line in all caps.

Also, here are some free anti-virus tools:
Symantec's NIMDA virus remover
Online virus scanner

Safe computing everyone!

I'm still spending my evenings coughing up a ...

October 21, 2001 by Adam in Family

I'm still spending my evenings coughing up a storm. At night, I take cough syrup and in the morning, I drink a bunch of coffee to shake that blurry feeling. I'm hoping this goes away pretty soon.

We hit Costco yesterday, filling up on supplies. Since the war started, I decided to get a couple weeks of food and water just in case. It's probably more likely that I'll be struck by lightning than I'll actually need it, but it's vaguely entertaining. So, I converted the sauna into a "bomb shelter" and have stocked up on a few megaboxes of cereal, granola bars, and powdered milk. I think I'm living a boys' dream, having my "bomb shelter" next to my "nerd cave". I even have a beautiful woman to serve dinner and raise my children. Er, I hope Jamie doesn't read this . . .

The great conversion to gas and fireplace insert saga continues. We had this decorative arch around the front of the fireplace which was limiting Jamie's insert options. So, muttering under my breath "Hulk just want to SMASH!", I took a hammer to it and bricks went flying. Also, the plaster flowers and cupids have been pried off, mostly intact. I did feel vaguely embarrassed as to where I was putting the screwdriver to pry them off. Oops.

We went to the park last night for a little p...

October 20, 2001 by Adam in Family

We went to the park last night for a little picinic. The skateboarders were in excellent form, and Sam enjoyed watching them. We then pretended we were Luke and Han Solo, running across the desert to the playground. All great fun.

I'm still stick, coughing it up last night. I've given into the dark side and taken cough medicine, which helps greatly, but makes me a bit spacy the next day.

Jamie's doing a great job organizing all the aspects of our conversion to gas heat. It's really complicated, involving a bunch of companies. Hopefully we'll get that in motion fairly soon.

I was out sick yesterday, sniffling and cough...

October 17, 2001 by Adam in Family

I was out sick yesterday, sniffling and coughing my way through the day. Jamie was really great at entertaining Sam, as he wanted to come downstairs to play with Legos with me. Today I'm at work, though I find my mind is somewhat fuzzy from the cough syrup. I drank way too much coffee, but I'm still halfway asleep.

My friend Chris returned from Hawaii, where he and his wife were celebrating their anniversary. Evidently they were delayed 20 hours due to an Anthrax scare. The news seems increasingly crazy these days. I'm happy Sadie's coming back to the states, even if she's on the other side of the country.

Good day yesterday

October 14, 2001 by Adam in Family

Good day yesterday. In the morning, Sam went off with Sue and Dick, while Jamie and I lazed about. I started work on refinishing our old banister in preparation for installation. We later headed out to Thistledown farms and picked up fresh produce. That evening, we had dinner with my dad, Yayoe, and Grandma Dorothy. Always fun to manage a lot of activities with a two-year-old, but we managed.

Unfortunately, the cold that's been going around hit me hard last night. Lots of sniffles this morning. Not quite through the entire box of tissues, but I'm working on it.

Another fine Friday

October 12, 2001 by Adam in Family

Another fine Friday. My body is filled the the brim with a Mocha and I'm looking forward to the weekend. Dorthy Miller's in town, and we'll have dinner with her Saturday night. I'm also hoping to see the Home and Garden show at the fairgrounds, as we're looking to get a gas fireplace insert to heat our house.

Sadie's got a new posting up on her page, asking everyone to vote on whether or not she should spend another term in Botswanana. Voting closes Monday morning, so e-mail her and give your opinion.

It's been crazy following the war news these days. Bombing in Afghanistan, Anthrax scares across the nation, and FBI warnings of another terrorist attack this weekend. Best wishes to all of you reading this.

We've tried hard to minimize projects this we...

October 07, 2001 by Adam in Family

We've tried hard to minimize projects this weekend. With a few exceptions, we've done pretty well. Yesterday we had Jamie's dad, brothers, and Josh come over for football and Chinese food. Mostly I stayed in the nerd cave playing computer games while Josh and Sam fiddled with Legos.

Today we had lunch at Brant and Dave's house and now we're back. I suspect we'll take it easy for the rest of the afternoon. We're all sniffling with the latest cold and Sam's a bit grumpy.

It's Friday morning, and thus a CafT Mocha da...

October 05, 2001 by Adam in Family

It's Friday morning, and thus a CafT Mocha day for me. This week has been fairly quiet, watching Sam in the evenings. Jamie's dad arrives in town tomorrow. I'm slowly getting my computer case done, though it's taking awhile. Work goes well, though busy without Frank.

It's been nice to hear from Sadie from far away Africa. Best wishes to her on her exciting adventures.

October already! The weekend was filled with...

October 01, 2001 by Adam in Family

October already! The weekend was filled with projects - mowing the lawn, putting up shelves, working on my new computer, and much more. Friday night mom and Dick watched Sam while Jamie and I went out for dinner. Very nice and relaxing. Saturday was mostly a work day. Sunday I went to my dad's for computer work, getting much of it done. Sunday night, we had Seraph and Robbie over for dinner. Whew!

This morning I switched over to a new ISP for...

September 27, 2001 by Adam in Family

This morning I switched over to a new ISP for DSL access. Believe it or not, I had about 5 minutes of downtime and am up and running now. Yeah!

The family is doing well. After work yesterday, I carried Sam around in a cardboard box, pretending he was "Captain Brainstorm" and the box was his rocket. I did that until dinner, then we went swimming while Jamie visited with Victoria. Afterwards, Sam and I watched the season premiere of Enterprise until he announced he wanted to go to sleep.

Also, note that Seraph & Robbie have a new e-mail address of isacortez@earthlink.net.

A very quiet weekend visit to the coast

September 24, 2001 by Adam in Family

A very quiet weekend visit to the coast. Jamie, Sam, and I headed up Friday and I took Sam to the aquarium. We had a good time going through the tubes, touching sea anemonies, and watching sea lions playing. Saturday was shopping, mostly getting things for Sam's upcoming birthday and Christmas, though I picked up a robe for Jamie's birthday too.

We puttered around on the beach most of Sunday, and I headed back with Brant, Wendy, and Steve in the afternoon. Jamie and Sam should be home by the time I return from work today.

Nothing too exciting these days

September 20, 2001 by Adam in Family

Nothing too exciting these days. Jamie's birthday was yesterday, but we're pretending that it's not until this weekend. She left soon after I got home, then returned close to 9 o'clock. I balanced a votive candle on a cupcake and sung her happy birthday.

Tomorrow we leave for the coast, and I'm starting to get excited. I'm also seeing an eye doctor today for my ongoing eye irritation problem. It's a lot better, but I've learned to see the doctor whenever anything's remotely wrong.

Sadie called this morning at 4 am

September 19, 2001 by Adam in Family

Sadie called this morning at 4 am. She basically said, "Hi, it's Sadie. Tell everyone I love them." She was so quick that I couldn't get to the phone in time. Sigh.

I'm also working hard to get a new ISP. Lots of hassle. It looks like The Pond closing is also affecting lots of others in the family. Please e-mail me if you have good suggestions as to an ISP. I'm trying to stay local, but haven't found a good one yet.

We had dinner for my mom on Sunday

September 18, 2001 by Adam in Family

We had dinner for my mom on Sunday. It was good to get everyone together and hear strange tales of her airplane ride over to England. Glad to have her back.

The week has gone well. I've been watching Sam at night, as Jamie has full evenings every night this week. She rescheduled her Tiny Tots orientations to this week, unfortunately leaving her busy on her birthday. We're going to pretend it didn't really happen and instead celebrate this weekend.

We're heading to the coast on Friday. I get to go the the Newport aquarium and see it the first time with the new fish tubes. Then it's to a place on the coast with all of Jamie's family. Should be quite the adventure.

Mom just called! She's in LA, as suspected

September 16, 2001 by Adam in Family

Mom just called! She's in LA, as suspected. She has a flight out tomorrow morning and should be in Portland at 10:27 am. We're crossing our fingers. Hopefully we'll see her soon.

Sam and I took the "Batmobile" (his big strol...

September 15, 2001 by Adam in Family

Sam and I took the "Batmobile" (his big stroller) down to the library. We met up with Seraph, Robbie, Honni, Isabell, Jenny, Destin, and Jordan and watched the parade. It was more subdued than last year. Lots of flags and patriotism, though some people marching for peace as well. Sam loved it, especially all the costumes.

The web site was down for a few hours this morning. I also found out that The Pond is cutting off my account at the end of the month. Evidently they're dropping DSL customers. Very frustrating and extremely bad timing. I wrote them a nasty letter and will no longer recommend them to people. The rumor is that they've been bought out by Earthlink.

Dick called this morning. My mom's flying into LA as we speak, but the airline to Portland has been cancelled. She may be stuck in LA for a couple of days - far worse than being stuck in London. I'll post more as I find things out from Dick.

It is days like this that I am thankful that ...

September 14, 2001 by Adam in Family

It is days like this that I am thankful that I put together this little web site. Reading the messages from Sadie and my mom, in places far away, brought tears to my eyes.

This week started out grim, burying Frank, and trying to work with an empty place on our team. The next day, waking up to disaster, strengthened the sense of unreality. I've been going through the motions at work, coding away in strange computer languages.

My family has been my strength. Coming home to Jamie and Sam is the highlight of my day. It seems a reaffirmation of life when little Sam and I play with tricky Legos together. Visiting and talking to my sisters, parents, and other hangers on, has been so helpful these last few days. Love you all.

At 4:00 am, I heard the phone ring

September 13, 2001 by Adam in Family

At 4:00 am, I heard the phone ring. It was Sadie, calling from the other side of the world. She wanted to let us know that she was fine and I told her that everyone was okay on our end. Evidently the people in her program and their families were okay too.

The only person she hadn't heard about was her friend Sara. She goes to school in New York, though I'm not sure how to reach her.

7:10 am Back at work

September 12, 2001 by Adam in Family

7:10 am
Back at work. Supposedly, my mom gets on a plane home today. Not sure if it will really happen, but we're hopeful. No word on Jamie's dad yet, other than he's still in Nebraska.

8:10 am
Got an e-mail from Dick. My mom's flight today was cancelled, so it will probably be a few more days before she can head back.

10:50 am
Dick called. My mom and grandfather are safe and staying with Mary Steane. My mom flies back Saturday, going to LA then Portland. Bill has to wait until Sunday when he'll fly into Philadelphia. Glad to know there's finally a plan.

4:50 pm
Just updating to let everyone know that there aren't any updates. Quiet day at work - hard to get anything done. I'll probably take Sam swimming and give Jamie a little quiet time.

8:00 pm
Went swimming with Sam. Jamie mentioned at dinner that her dad called and was flying back on Saturday. It looks like everyone is accounted for and soon to be home.

8:30 am We just got news of the terrorist at...

September 11, 2001 by Adam in Family

8:30 am
We just got news of the terrorist attacks to the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. My mom is in the air today, returning from London and heading towards Washington. They're redirecting all international airplane travel to Canada, so we're hoping she's headed there. I'll keep everyone updated.

9:00 am
Finished talking to Jenny, Seraph, Dick, and my dad. We're not sure about my mom's flight, but a web lookup seems to point to United Airlines flight #1. Our guess is that she's headed to Canada, though they're talking about closing those down as well. Hopefully it will be after incoming flights land.

We're also worrying about Sadie in Botswana and thinking about pulling her back to the United States as soon as we can. My dad's talking to the Pitzer college people to find out what's happening. Since she's in such a backwater, she may be hard to reach.

9:10 am
Finished talking to Dick. It looks like my mom is on the ground in England. The plane was either delayed, or they turned around and landed. They're going to make a decision within an hour about how to get them back. Jamie called, shaken about the news.

9:30 am
Just talked to my dad, who contacted the Pitzer folks. They're contacting all their student leaders, so Sadie should know what's going on fairly soon. They don't plan on pulling anyone out yet. I think they're waiting for the State Department to issue warnings.

9:40 am
Dick called. My mom is booked for a flight home tomorrow, though no one knows if they'll be allowing international flights by then.

10:25 am
Dick called. Meg is trying to reach my mom in England, with no success so far.

1:00 pm
Dick left a message. The people my mom was staying with have called, but have been unable to reach my mom. Phones and e-mail are proving unreliable, but we hope to hear from her soon.

3:05 pm
ABC news is showing pictures of bombing in Afghanistan. Not sure who's doing it or why. No word on my mom yet.

3:15 pm
Dick left a message. One of the Marys from England called after she got through to the airport. My mom's airplane was in the air when the attack hit, so they turned it around and landed it. Now they're working on getting hotels for everyone. The phone lines from the airport are jammed, so that's probably why we haven't heard anything.

4:00 pm
Heading home. I think our family is going to try to get together tonight. No word so far on where we'll meet. Jamie has a meeting tonight, though I'm not sure how many will attend.

4:40 pm
More updates. Judy's building was evacuated in Portland due to a bomb threat. Sam and I are meeting with family at Papa's Pizza at 6 pm. Jamie remembered that her dad was supposed to fly back from Omaha today. No word on him.

7:20 pm
Back from pizza. Dick stayed faithfully by the phone, but everyone else was there. It was nice to visit, if only for a bit.

8:00 pm
Cousin Mary called. My mom is sleeping in a hotel in London, and will try to fly out tomorrow. Jamie's dad is still in Nebraska, as today's flight was cancelled. Hopefully we'll know more tomorrow.

We had a good, productive weekend

September 10, 2001 by Adam in Family

We had a good, productive weekend. I put together a sandbox for Sam and did some miscellaneous home repairs. I worked on the computer case with my dad. Everyone seemed in good spirits.

I'm going to be heading off to a memorial service for Frank shortly. Sam should be in his first day of preschool already, while Jamie works out beneath my feet (in the basement gym).

All the various world travellers are in my thoughts. Yayoe returned from Hawaii. My mom and grandfather are in England. Sadie is in Botswana, still learning the language. I wish you all well.

Frank, my coworker, passed away a few hours ago

September 07, 2001 by Adam in Family

Frank, my coworker, passed away a few hours ago. It's been a long battle with cancer, and the last couple weeks went quickly. For our small team at work, it's been very emotional. He will be hard to replace, both work-wise and as a friend.

It's been a good Memorial Day weekend so far

September 03, 2001 by Adam in Family

It's been a good Memorial Day weekend so far. Yesterday Sam, Dave, Josh, and I went out to Amazon park to shoot off rockets. It was more scary for Sam than it was the last time, though plugging his ears and closing his eyes for the launch seemed to help. Watching Dave and Josh run after the rockets was the best part. Unfortunately, we melted the parachute on our new rocket - not enough wadding.

Today was pretty low key. Serena returned from her month in Australia, so our house was again cleaned. Jamie and I snuck out for dinner while the boys watched Sam (as well as the football game).

Sam and Jamie have been back for a couple day...

August 31, 2001 by Adam in Family

Sam and Jamie have been back for a couple days now. It's nice to get back into the old routines. Sam and I have been playing lots in the evenings. The first day was Legos, pretending to be pirates, and hiding around the house. Last night was the park and burying Sam in the sand. Lots of fun.

A three day weekend snuck right up on me. I guess I'm taking Monday off, an unexpected treat. No big weekend plans. I'll hopefully get a chance to do a little more work on my computer, and my friend Jim wants me to play some Everquest.

Jamie comes back today

August 29, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jamie comes back today. She called from Portland, pretty exhausted from her trip. I think she's mostly looking forward to having a little time to herself when she comes home. I'll have to draw her a bubble bath and take Sam downstairs to play with Legos.

The weekend was quite the whirlwind of activity

August 28, 2001 by Adam in Family

The weekend was quite the whirlwind of activity. Saturday was my big project day. I mowed the lawn, painted the ironwork, and picked up all the supplies I needed for my next computer case. That afternoon, my dad and I spent eight hours assembling the case and milling out all the tiny holes in the front. I went home pretty late and conked out.

Sunday I did some more projects: shopping, cleaning up, and replacing the too-short speaker wire. I actually watched a bit of t.v. then zipped off to my mom's for dinner. Everyone is in good spirits, especially Darren and the new baby Jordan. Darren kept wanting to play with him, but all Jordan wanted to do was sleep.

Jamie called from Nebraska

August 23, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jamie called from Nebraska. All is well. Evidently they've spent the last two days either flying or driving, almost non-stop. Sam has evidently been a trooper the whole time.

Even though it's been nice to have a lot of time to myself, I find that I miss those two when they go away. I find myself getting fidgety, wondering what I'm supposed to do next.

I was a dutiful husband last night, spending ...

August 21, 2001 by Adam in Family

I was a dutiful husband last night, spending my first night as a bachelor painting away. I got the upstairs railing and primer down on the bench. Not to say that I didn't do a little beer drinking while watching Akira, just that that's not all I did.

Haven't heard from Jamie or Sam since yesterday morning, but presumably they're flying across the country today. Perhaps tonight they'll be enjoying Nebraska, fresh corn, and the smell of cattle wafting over the horizon.

A good weekend has come to a close

August 20, 2001 by Adam in Family

A good weekend has come to a close. On Saturday, the family tromped out into the woods to watch Angie and Matthew's wedding. It was lots of fun, and I mostly supervised Sam as he went exploring with his Lego people. He also became quite enamored with a woman named Emmy, who had a great time playing with him. Sam wanted to pick flowers for her, and I didn't have the heart to tell him she was already married.

Sunday was more low-key. Jamie and I had a wonderful brunch at Sweetwaters while Sam was being watched by my mom and Dick. The afternoon was mostly packing and resting a bit. Today Jamie and Sam leave for far away Nebraska.

We went to the fair this afternoon, and to be...

August 18, 2001 by Adam in Family

We went to the fair this afternoon, and to be honest it was pretty lousy. Sam was tired and got instantly grumpy. It brought down the whole family and we returned dejected to our house. After a little rest and dinner, we perked back up again and all was well.

I hooked up the 5.1 stereo system to the new digital cable setup. Sounds great!

I snuck over to visit Jenny and Baby Banks

August 16, 2001 by Adam in Family

I snuck over to visit Jenny and Baby Banks. They got lots of sleep last night, only waking up once for feeding. Jenny also begun the fun of diaper changes, being both pooped and peed on in the process. I'm amazed at how perky Jenny is. Baby Banks also seems very mellow. I came in while they were drawing blood and he was quietly sucking on his pacifier.

It's a Sam-watching night tonight, with Jamie going off tutoring. Gotta think of something clever to do. Tomorrow night is the fair, Saturday is Angie's wedding, Sunday we rest, and Monday Jamie and Sam head to Nebraska. Whew. Busy days ahead.

Well, I went over to the hospital and tracked...

August 15, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, I went over to the hospital and tracked them down. I was worried that I'd wake them up, but fortunately my dad, Seraph, Isabell, and Destin were already there. Darren slept well, but Jenny said she slept off and on, checking on the new baby.

They still haven't picked a name yet. I like the name "Bobo" myself, but I don't think it will fly. The middle name is going to be Michael and the last name Banks, but that's about it for now.

Destin and Darren are heading home tonight and Jenny's going to stay another night. Hopefully she can get a little sleep, but she looks pretty good considering she just had a baby. So, another addition to the Miller (+ company) clan. Another chair at the table for Thanksgiving.

It's all good.

Just got the scoop from my mom

August 15, 2001 by Adam in Family

Just got the scoop from my mom. The baby was born at 11:00pm on the dot, after about 17 minutes of hard pushing. The baby was 8 lbs 8 oz, 20" long, with a head size of 13 1/2". No one has picked a name yet, though the grandmothers had compromised with Will last time I checked. I'll try to sneak over later today after they've had some rest to take some pictures.

Well, our entire family descended on the hosp...

August 15, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, our entire family descended on the hospital, filling up a waiting room and spilling out into the hallway. At around 7 pm, they started the process going along while we puttered around. Everyone seemed in good spirits, especially Jenny. She'd make a funny face for a few seconds whenever a contraction hit, but still seemed to be laughing afterwards. Darren looked nervous, but excited too.

Most of us with families headed home around 8pm, with my mom promising to call if there was news before 9pm. Sam crashed out almost instantly. Still no news yet, so I'll probably sneak over this morning to see how things are going.

On an unrelated note, we got digital cable hooked up yesterday. It's fairly cool, with the new channels and all. I'm excited about the Sci-Fi channel, while Jamie now has Women's Entertainment, BBC America, and two classic movie channels. I think she's secretly happy about the whole thing.

Got the call a few hours ago

August 14, 2001 by Adam in Family

Got the call a few hours ago. Jenny's going to be in the hospital Tuesday night where they'll start inducing. Time to get that baby out of there. There should be some exciting posts starting soon.

We all met at my dad's house to bid Sadie a f...

August 13, 2001 by Adam in Family

We all met at my dad's house to bid Sadie a fond farwell. She's off to Botswana tomorrow and we won't see her until after Christmas. We wish her many happy adventures, with only just enough excitement.

Jenny is still not having her baby yet, though it could be any moment now. She's having contractions, though that's been happening since last Thursday. I'm going to bring my video camera to work tomorrow just in case.

A very nice day yesterday

August 12, 2001 by Adam in Family

A very nice day yesterday. Sam and I woke up by ourselves, and we went food shopping then to Toys-R-Us to pick up rocket engines and a few more Legos. Jamie arrived a couple hours later, soon followed by Jim and Judy. We also met a couple more of our neighbors. It turns out one of them used to live in our house when he was a kid, as his parents built it in 1927! We're pretty excited to have a source of information about the place, and he's promised to show us some of the old pictures from back then.

Jim and Judy took Sam for the afternoon, leaving Jamie and I to spend a very nice afternoon together. We ended up putting up curtains and going out to dinner, which seemed almost blissful at the time.

Not sure what we're up to today. My dad's back in town, so I'll probably go visit at some point. Sadie leaves tomorrow. Who knows what's going to happen with Jenny and the baby. Could be any moment.

Jamie went off with Angie to their mini-retre...

August 11, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jamie went off with Angie to their mini-retreat before Angie gets married next weekend. I had Sam all day, and had a pretty good time. Sadie came over around lunch and spent most of the day with us. We went to the nearby park, where they evidently have a wading pool every day. That was great fun, getting both wet and covered in sand.

We tried to take in a movie, but ended up seeing Osmosis Jones instead of Shrek (which isn't playing any more). It was pretty bad, and even Sam had the sensibility to walk out after an hour or so. I actually took a twenty minute nap on the couch afterwards, while Sadie and Sam got artistic with washable pens. My mom came over, we visited for a bit, then it was off to swimming, dinner, and I finally got him to bed by nine.

I'm expecting a call or page about Jenny's new baby at any time. Could be exciting.

Sam was incredibly energetic today

August 09, 2001 by Adam in Family

Sam was incredibly energetic today. He and Jamie visited for lunch, which was short with lots of walking afterwards. Tonight we went swimming while Jamie had her Tiny Tots meeting. He swam like a maniac for an hour and a half, then collapsed when I brought him home.

I'm getting digital cable hooked up next week. I'm almost embarrased to say that it's mostly so that I can get the Sci-fi Channel. Jamie gave the okay, though I think it's mostly so she can watch BBC America.

The guest bedroom is almost finished in time for Jamie's mom to arrive this weekend. Darren finished plastering and sanding the ceiling. Jamie painted. I helped move furniture. It's all good.

A quiet day yesterday

August 07, 2001 by Adam in Family

A quiet day yesterday. I came home to Sam conked out and Jamie leaving for her preschool board meeting. Sam and I had a little dinner, played at the playground, took a bath, then watched a movie until Jamie came home.

Another fun-filled weekend has passed us by

August 06, 2001 by Adam in Family

Another fun-filled weekend has passed us by. Friday night, Sharon, Jeff, John, and Natalie came for dinner. John is Sam's age, so they had a great time playing for the couple hours they were here. It's fun to watch Sam interact with another kid, though Sam would periodically tell him, "What do you say?"

We partially painted the fence that Darren put up last week. It's grueling work without a sprayer. Jamie also turned into a gardening maniac, mowing and taking out unwanted plants. I did my first batch of fig picking and drying. Now I've got to dig up a good figgy pudding recipe.

Sunday was pretty lazy. We went over to the boy's house and Sam got to play with Josh for awhile.

Jamie got this cool kid carrier yesterday

August 03, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jamie got this cool kid carrier yesterday. It can be pushed like a stroller, or attached to a bike. We promptly named it the Batmobile.

We pushed Sam to Victoria's Bar-B-Q last night as well. It was lots of fun, with an amazing number of families with kids showing up. It's pretty rare for us to do big non-family social events, so it was a bit of a treat. Mostly I talked shop about raising kids and tried to keep Sam entertained.

I checked Jenny's latest posting, and it seems like the baby's due any day now. I've got my video camera, tapes, and tripod all ready to go.

Another pleasant day yesterday

August 01, 2001 by Adam in Family

Another pleasant day yesterday. It turns out the drain for the bathtub wasn't leaking, but just needed caulked around the seams. Darren's putting in an access panel in the ceiling this morning, so we're slowly making progress on the assorted home repairs.

Jamie, Sam, and I all went for a walk last night. Beautiful evening. Felt great.

A good weekend so far

July 29, 2001 by Adam in Family

A good weekend so far. We went to the coast yesterday and puttered around Florence. Sam has been a wonderful kid. It may be that we're nearing the end of the terrible twos. It's been nice not to have anything terribly important to do lately. Relaxing after weeks of moving madness. Yes, there still is that leak in the bedroom ceiling, but I've given up and I'm calling a plumber on Monday.

Jamie and I had a wonderful evening to oursel...

July 25, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jamie and I had a wonderful evening to ourselves last night. We shipped Sam off to grandma's, then sat on our patio sipping wine and enjoying the weather. Every time we manage to get time to spend together, we realize how much we like each other's company. It's rare these days, but certainly understandable.

We had a good birthday party for my mom on Sunday

July 24, 2001 by Adam in Family

We had a good birthday party for my mom on Sunday. The whole crew turned out to eat cake and reminisce. I spent the remainer of the day spray painting railings to the outside. Grueling work - about an hour per railing. I ended up really tired and my hands covered in paint.

Quiet day Monday. Went to work and played with Sam all evening. Lots of sword fighting with Tinker toys, a little kid computer games, some Legos, a bit of time watching the Disney Robin Hood movie, and generally acting like a two-year-old. Whew.

Yesterday was Jenny's baby shower

July 22, 2001 by Adam in Family

Yesterday was Jenny's baby shower. Everyone was there. We played all the usual baby games. Jamie and I are such a pro that we both won prizes! Woo hoo! Jenny's looking pretty ready to have this kid, so I think it will happen soon.

I also went to dinner with Sadie last night. It was wonderful spending time with just her, as it's pretty rare. I realized I hadn't spent tine alone with Sadie for nearly a year. I also realized that it's been a long time since I was twenty, though you'd think Sam would remind me often.

Well, my birthday was last night and my famil...

July 20, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, my birthday was last night and my family descended on my house. Lots of good loot, gift certificates galore, as well as rockets and garden goodies. Plus, it's always nice to see my family. This weekend promises to be family filled as well. Tomorrow is Jenny's baby shower and Sunday is my mom's birthday. Fun, fun, fun!

Happy Birthday to me! Yes, today is my birthday

July 19, 2001 by Adam in Family

Happy Birthday to me! Yes, today is my birthday. I'm pretty sure I'm 32 today, though I admit I'm starting to lose track. Not a big difference from 31, except I'm no longer odd.

We took Sam to the playground a couple days ago, where he proceeded to bury himself in the sand (or at least try). Last night was swimming night. We had a great time and he still remembers to swim around while holding onto the tube. We can start swimming lessons when he's three, so we'll have to sign him up.

Our family has been completely healthy over the last few days, and it's amazing what a difference it makes. Jamie's been smiling and has a wonderful demeanor. Sam's generally good natured. I've been drinking less coffee and Advil concoctions. It's all good.

Well, Jamie's decided to take Sam to Nebraska...

July 17, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, Jamie's decided to take Sam to Nebraska for a week in August. I'll be a bit lonely in our big new house, but I'm sure there are endless projects to keep me busy. I've still got to cut a hole in the ceiling of one bedroom to track down a leak. Lots of painting projects too. I'm hoping to start putting together my next computer case project, so that may be a good time.

It was a pretty typical day yesterday. Sam and I rented the Black Cauldron, which amazingly didn't scare him much. We puttered around until it was time to put him to bed, leaving Jamie and I to collapse.

Busy weekend so far

July 15, 2001 by Adam in Family

Busy weekend so far. We celebrated Josh's 11th birthday on Friday. He and Sam ran around the backyard at the boy's house, pretending to be all manner of creature. I think Sam only reluctantly came home with us.

Yesterday, my mom volunteered to take Sam away and give Jamie and I some time alone. Well, we took advantage of that alone time to . . . install a new faucet, put in a doorstop and towel hanger, repack a closet, and other miscellaneous repairs. Ah, the joys of moving into a new home.

A much better day today

July 13, 2001 by Adam in Family

A much better day today. Only minor coffee/Advil treatment was needed to get over my illness. I'm feeling much more chipper and I've had no headache or drugs this evening.

Sam and I were playing baseball in the back yard today. "Technically you don't throw balls at people," he said. I suspect the phrase "technically" comes from me. You never know how often you use a particular saying or gesture until a two-year-old parrots it back at you.

Jamie's feeling better. She picked up some new faucets to replace are aging leaky ones in the guest bathroom. Tonight she snuck out to visit a friend and browse at Barnes and Nobles.

After much pain and suffering, I think I fina...

July 11, 2001 by Adam in Family

After much pain and suffering, I think I finally have my Internet connection set up normally again. If you can get it, I'd recommend cable instead of DSL. While there are some nice things about DSL, cable seems to work better for most folks.

On the downside, I'm sick again. What Jamie and Sam had finally made it to me. It's mostly a bad headache, so I'm going to go with my coffee and Advil cure that seems to take care of most of these things. I may go to work today, as I'm afraid of letting my week-old pile build up further.

Well, we're at Judy's house in Portland

July 08, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, we're at Judy's house in Portland. My suspicions were correct and we hauled Sam and our luggage north up I-5. Tonight we're staying here, then tomorrow we're off to a mysterious location. I'm betting it's a downtown Portland hotel, but I may be wrong.

We went to a bunch of antique places today. Jamie made a few good buys, but I came up empty. Perhaps later. I actually took a nap today, as I was pretty exhausted. Sam's had a great time with grandma and grandpa, especially as they bought him a bunch of Star Wars toys.

Another day of watching Sam yesterday, though...

July 06, 2001 by Adam in Family

Another day of watching Sam yesterday, though I think Jamie's illness is finally improving. Sadie came over and visited, which made watching Sam a lot easier. We spent much of the time constructing Tinkertoy swords and reenacting Star Wars scenes.

We head out for our anniversary today or tomorrow sometime. I'm pretty sure we're going to Portland, as Jamie wrote in her day planner "To mom's." Since she keeps encouraging me to read it, I don't consider it "snooping." Plus, Angie asked me, "So, are you excited to go to Jamie's mom's this weekend?" Angie is, of course, usually oblivious to secrecy.

The Fourth of July was yesterday and I manage...

July 05, 2001 by Adam in Family

The Fourth of July was yesterday and I managed to visit virtually everyone. The day started a bit off, with Jamie still sick. Sam and I hiked over the hill to visit Granda Sue clean the the rugs at the rental. Yayoe came by with a tea kettle for us. I talked to my dad on the phone for a bit. Later on, Josh and Dave came by for a visit. We spent dinner time at my mom's house, chatting with my siblings.

The fireworks were incredible. We could see the ones at the Em's stadium from our balcony perfectly. Sam was pretty amazed as well, as they're the first real fireworks he's seen.

For those of you who want the latest pictures, I added some pictures to the photo album page.

I spent most of yesterday with Sam

July 03, 2001 by Adam in Family

I spent most of yesterday with Sam. Jamie wasn't feeling too good, so I took him hiking at Mount Pisgah. He had quite a bit of fun, but got tuckered out after a half hour of running madly over the paths. The rest of the day was a bit of a blur. I remember being exhausted and taking a nap (something I almost never do). Later, Sam and I watched the Iron Giant twice (acting out scenes in the tub with Legos in between).

Still lots of things to repair around the house. It's slowly coming together. I'm trying hard not to get too excited about gardening. It's easy to just start planting willy-nilly. As Jamie keeps advising me, I should be focusing on cleaning things up and planning out the garden carefully. Sigh. Those cute little flowers at Johnson Brothers Nursery keep calling to me.

It's the first of July and I finally have a D...

July 01, 2001 by Adam in Family

It's the first of July and I finally have a DSL connection from home. It's not final, as I'm going to switch back to the Pond (the demonspawn at Qwest switched me to their ISP). It's not perfect either - I can read but not send mail. Sigh.

My first two days of vacation have gone well. I did a bunch of yardwork and we continue to repair and unpack. Today we picked up some chairs for our kitchen table and some heavy curtains for the living room. The only bad thing that's really happened is that I somehow hurt my hip. I feel old.

We signed all the papers yesterday to sell ou...

June 29, 2001 by Adam in Family

We signed all the papers yesterday to sell our house. Today, both the buying and the selling of the houses should be complete. We still have a judgement against our property, but we're insured and the seller has put their money in escrow in case they don't settle soon. Sam was very good and played with some cool binoculars the whole time.

I also start my vacation tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it quite a bit, as I haven't had much time off since Christmas. Lots of yardwork and house repair awaits!

Well, the house closes tonight, so we're goin...

June 28, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, the house closes tonight, so we're going to pop open a bottle of champagne to celebrate. In a couple hours, we're also signing the papers finalizing the sale of our old home. We finally got our real number back last night. To everyone who's been trying to call, our standard phone number now works.

Now that the oven's in place, the plumbing's fixed, and the phone's transferred over, I'm starting to feel much better. Hopefully my Internet connection will be set up tonight or tomorrow, completing the critical utility move.

The allergies are pretty bad these days

June 26, 2001 by Adam in Family

The allergies are pretty bad these days. I've had a sinus headache basically non-stop for the last 24 hours. Well, supposedly allergy season ends in a couple weeks, which will be nice.

Our house closes Thursday. It turns out that it will automatically close if nobody does anything. Jamie's delivering a huge check to the escrow company today, so it appears all is on track. We'll probably close on our house on that day too.

I'll also be taking some time off soon, which I'm looking forward to. Next week is all relaxation and house repair time. I'm eager to start in on the garden, as it's a bit overgrown these days. Last night I was playing Star Wars with Sam (again) and tying him up with all the various vines that have taken over parts of the backyard. I managed to keep him amused and pull weeds at the same time.

We shipped Sam off to grandma Sue's Saturday ...

June 25, 2001 by Adam in Family

We shipped Sam off to grandma Sue's Saturday morning so Jamie and I could have a romantic interlude to . . . install the stove and dryer vent! The best thing was getting the stove finally in place, as our kitchen was a mess without it. We also did some more minor repairs and lots of cleaning and arranging. We still have some more things stored at a friends house, but we're getting settled.

Of course, we don't actually own the house yet. All that should be taken care of this Thursday when we sign the final papers.

Sam was a bit of a handful this weekend, in his own sweet way. He's gotten really into Star Wars and light sabres. We spent a lot of time pretending we were different Star Wars characters, reinacting scenes using MegaBlocks, Legos, or just paintbrushes for light sabres. I've lost count of the number of times I've said, "Luke, I am your father!"

We continue to slog along at our new house

June 21, 2001 by Adam in Family

We continue to slog along at our new house. Still no DSL, so I've been freaking out a bit without my Internet connection. Darren came over and put up the microwave, which was handy. Jim's driving down from Portland just to install the stove (to replace the one that didn't work). I guess I didn't realize that he was going to drive all the way to do that - we'll have to do something extra nice for him.

We had the sprinkler guy out to fix our sprinkler system. Amazingly, it only cost $35. The plumbing, however, is going to be very expensive. In order to fix the illegal, leaking basement plumbing they had to drill holes in the concrete, install pumps, and get an electrician to get power to the side of the garage.

So, we're going through a number of moving pains. Sure hope we really close on the house next week.

A fairly good day yesterday

June 19, 2001 by Adam in Family

A fairly good day yesterday. Judy and Scott (and their kids Johanna and Madeline) invited us over for dinner last night. That pretty much filled our evening, with Sam conking out soon after coming home.

I'm still figuring out all the details of the new house. I took a shower in the main floor bathroom today. I think I like it better than the one in the basement, as the shower head doesn't spray at neck level.

Well, we moved

June 18, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, we moved. I was amazed at how quickly it went. In about four hours, we had taken everything from our old house and put it in our new house. I was amazed at how hard my family worked and all the support we recieved. Thank you all!

We've had two nights in the new house now. It's a little weird trying to figure out where everything is and what does and doesn't work. I have the critical "nerd cave" in place - the basement bedroom with the computers and Legos. Sam seems to be doing well, enjoying exploring the various rooms. Jamie's tired, but excited. I think that this will be a wonderful house for our family for years to come.

My dad's surprise retirement party was last night

June 16, 2001 by Adam in Family

My dad's surprise retirement party was last night. It was at John Larson's house, just a couple blocks up from our new house. Great fun - lots of people and food (especially food).

Today is the big moving day. I'm going to become less connected, so I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update. DSL should be back on by next weekend. In just a few hours, we'll have a huge truck in our driveway and many big, strong people putting our belongings in it. Woo hoo!

We went back to sign papers

June 16, 2001 by Adam in Family

We went back to sign papers. The bottom line is that we move tomorrow and close on the 28th. There's a very small chance that the sellers back out, but that's highly unlikely at this point. Looking good so far - we expect you all at our house bright and early tomorrow morning.

Victoria, our realtor, was very nice. She helped watch Sam during the signing and even assisted in unpacking our refrigerator.

Well, after a vaguely Melrose Place style mee...

June 15, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, after a vaguely Melrose Place style meeting, it appears that we're definitely moving tomorrow. We won't own the house, and will close on the 28th. To guarantee that the owner will really close, he's promised $750 in moving expenses should he choose not to go through with the deal.

I'm a little nervous, but I think it will all work out.

The excitement continues

June 15, 2001 by Adam in Family

The excitement continues. We're meeting today at noon with a variety of people to go over a proposal to get us moved in before we sell the house. I'm nervous, and would greatly prefer to move when it's clear that we're the owner. Still, it sounds like the judgements should be cleared up soon. The seller wants to put the amount of money owed in escrow in hopes of cutting a better deal with the lawyer involved. Kind of lame, in my opinion, as it causes undue stress for us.

It would be a big hassle if we didn't move, so we may move anyway. I'll just need to feel confident that it's fairly well assured that we'll actually be the owners within a week or so. I'm very thankful that mom will be at this meeting. Always nice to have a lawyer in the family.

Well, bad news on the home front

June 15, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, bad news on the home front. We haven't closed on the new house and it's looking like we may not do it by this weekend. That doesn't mean we won't move, necessarily. There's a potential of taking preposession of the house and having the moving plans go ahead.

Still, I'm nervous about taking this approach, as there are assorted hassles and risks. We'll keep everyone posted. There's a meeting tomorrow at noon to try to figure all of this out.

Just a quick update on the Saturday move

June 12, 2001 by Adam in Family

Just a quick update on the Saturday move. We get the U-Haul at 9:00 am, so the plan is to be back at our house packing by 9:20 or so. Everyone who's coming to help can show up around that time to help pitch in. Many thanks to all!

Jamie and Sam arrived last night

June 12, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jamie and Sam arrived last night. I left for home a bit early as they'd locked themselves out. Jamie also gave me my Father's Day present a bit early - matching Hawaiian shirts for Sam and I. Little did she know that every Thursday at work is informally Hawaiian Shirt Day. Now I'll be well prepared.

Having Sam home has definitely broken the silence that surrounded this house. We played with Legos and watched Star Wars for several hours last night. Lots of fun.

Jamie's pulling some last minute fixes to make sure we can officially close this Friday. Since the previous owners have various judgements against them, we've asked them to put $30,000 in an account and work it out with the escrow company. Should be close, but we're going to move on Saturday come Hell or high water.

Sadie's birthday was yesterday, so we all des...

June 10, 2001 by Adam in Family

Sadie's birthday was yesterday, so we all descended on my mom's house for a birthday brunch. I had been up since 4:30 packing, so I was starving. Also, I had forgotten my present (but fortunately hadn't packed it away), so Sadie came by afterwards. It was nice visiting with her, which I rarely have a chance to these days.

I'm almost done with all the assorted packing. Amazingly, I think I'm going to run out of boxes. Many of the remaining items are things that we'll need for the next few days. I'll probably take off parts of next Friday for the last minute packing things.

Jenny gave us a bit of a scare yesterday

June 08, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jenny gave us a bit of a scare yesterday. She started having stomach pain, so she was rushed off to the hospital. Everyone thought it was appendicitis, and were getting ready to operate. Fortunately, the pain went away while she spent the night at the hospital and she's feeling much better now. The baby looks fine on the ultrasound and all the assorted blood work looks okay. Jenny may have a CT scan to be sure, but that's about it. So, we're all thinking good thoughts about her. It appears that everything's going to be okay.

A busy weekend is ahead for us. Jamie and Sam head off tonight. Sadie's having a birthday brunch tomorrow. I've got endless packing and preparation. Great fun!

We all went to University park last night for...

June 08, 2001 by Adam in Family

We all went to University park last night for a picinic with Sam's preschool folks. Sam was just exhausted when 7:30 rolled around and we barely made it to bed where he collapsed.

Today Jamie and Sam go to Portland, leaving a household of things to pack. Fortunately, Jamie's been doing a little bit every day, so I don't think it will be too bad.

We figured out why Sam was being so difficult...

June 06, 2001 by Adam in Family

We figured out why Sam was being so difficult the last few days. He was eating dinner when he stopped and spit out his food. His teeth were hurting, and sure enough, he had some new molars coming in.

Sam also had a bad dream last night. Sam was fighting a creature with a long tongue. According to him, it was the snake from Mulan. I suppose media really does affect children. Sigh.

Well, Sam finally turned into a two-year-old

June 05, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, Sam finally turned into a two-year-old. The last few days he's been over the top. His favorite game appears to be pretending that his Lego people are Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, fighting with light sabers. He's also seemed especially cranky and tired. About the only thing that calms him down are stories about his imaginary friends Tommy and Tess. Ah, the joys of parenthood.

The big move is chugging along. All our belongings are slowly being boxed up. I'm working on getting utilities moved over. The DSL situation was especially exciting, as it involved a temporary phone line being set up at the new place. It will be 485-7214 for our first few days at the new house.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered their time helping us move on Saturday. As Jamie pointed out, family is who's obligated to help you when you move.

Well, we locked our interest rate today - 6

June 02, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, we locked our interest rate today - 6.875%. Not incredibly low, but it started creeping up again. At least it's under the magic 7%, which was what I was hoping for.

We're also getting a moving day scheduled. It looks like next weekend, I'm packing everything in boxes while Sam and Jamie frolic in Portland. Saturday the 16th is the great moving day. A hearty thanks to everyone who wants to join us. Jim's going to bring his refrigerator and piano dolly, and everything in the house should be packed, so I think it should go pretty quick. Woo hoo!

Bob Whitman, our realtor, just got off the ph...

May 31, 2001 by Adam in Family

Bob Whitman, our realtor, just got off the phone with me. We'd been in a situation where there were a lot of repairs to be done on the new house, and we'd asked for the full amount to do all the repairs. We got a counter offer by the sellers that was very far off of what we were asking. We cut a third off of our request, and I just found out that they accepted.

So, it looks like the last big hurdle is over. Next steps are getting our loan finalized. The interest rates have gone up over the last few days, so we're crossing our fingers. We have another 15 days to lock it in, so we're hoping it goes down a bit. Great fun.

We all saw Sadie Monday night at my mom's house

May 30, 2001 by Adam in Family

We all saw Sadie Monday night at my mom's house. She's doing well, though her allergies are in full swing and she looked pretty tired. We're trying to arrange a play date between her and Sam, as Sam was wanting to build secret tunnels together (that's what they did the last time she was here).

House things are progressing along. We're still waiting to hear about the repair negotiation. Not sure what we'll do if we don't get the full amount. I suppose we can live out of all these cardboard boxes I'm getting from work.

The offers we got yesterday were very good, w...

May 28, 2001 by Adam in Family

The offers we got yesterday were very good, with most exceeding the asking price of the house. So, we accepted one and we're on our way to getting this move accomplished. We're still waiting on the repairs. There's quite a bit that needs to be done, so I'm hoping they accept without too much difficulty. Lots of stress.

Also, we heard that Dave, Josh, and some friends overturned in the rapids yesterday. Dave had to go to Urgent Care to get a big splinter removed. They also lost a bunch of their equipment. Don't know many details, but we're glad they're okay.

Sadie's coming in tonight. I'm hoping we can see her. Well, we're off to Dave's to check up on him. Time to get everything organized.

Very exciting day today

May 28, 2001 by Adam in Family

Very exciting day today. I helped Seraph and Robbie haul yard debris, we did some last minute cleaning here at home, then we left the house for four hours for the open house. Sam was extra cranky and I was practically falling asleep from working so hard today. The good news was then when we returned, we were told we had three offers on the house. We're going over them formally tomorrow, but it looks good so far.

We're also in the process of negotiating with the sellers of the house we made an offer on. Unfortunately, there's quite a few repairs that need to be made. We're hoping to get some of the closing fees paid by the seller in order to get ready cash for repairs.

Hopefully this will all be over in a month or so. Lots of change, lots of stress, but we'll make it through. Great fun.

Seraph and Isabell have been coming by in the...

May 26, 2001 by Adam in Family

Seraph and Isabell have been coming by in the afternoons to help watch Sam while we get the house ready. It's looking pretty good, with only a little bit of yardwork left. Today Ray is down to assist as well. Nice to get all this help. Hopefully things will go well on Sunday and we'll get this house sold!

Pretty soon, we're going to head off and get some flowers to pretty up the front entrance. I got the task of hauling yard debris, while Jamie gets the fun work. Well, that's the price of being so manly I suppose.

The house preparation madness continues

May 24, 2001 by Adam in Family

The house preparation madness continues. I'm taking the next five days off to get the house ready. Last night I was sweating in the hot weather, paiting the front hall and door. Today it's the rest of the living room and dining room. I've got to mow sometime today as well. Also, more to pack and move.

We're discovering more about the house we're moving in to. It's an historical home, owned by the Dot Dotsons at one point. The inspections are in. While the house does have a few problems, it's in surprisingly good shape for being almost a century old.

Jamie's grandmother isn't doing well, so Judy is off to Nebraska. Jamie and Sam changed their plans and are staying in Eugene as well. While it's nice to have their coompany, I wish the reasons were different.

Our family went to Amazon park last night for...

May 21, 2001 by Adam in Family

Our family went to Amazon park last night for a bit of R&R after a tiring day. I spent the day beginning the move preparations. Items were packed into boxes. Weird out of the way areas were cleaned. Walls were spackled. Paint was touched up. Gardens were weeded. All very exhausting.

Also, I took all the pictures from our Saturday house tour and posted them. Take a gander here.

Well, we all headed over to the new house

May 19, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, we all headed over to the new house. Our family all came over with us, checking out our home-to-be. It was the first time we'd seen it in several days, and it was even cooler than we remember. Jamie was sketching out the floorplan so we can figure out where to put everything. The cousins played with each other, finding all the good hiding places.

It's going to be a great house to raise our kids. We're getting very excited.

It was hard to sleep last night, we were so e...

May 17, 2001 by Adam in Family

It was hard to sleep last night, we were so excited. We kept going over all the various rooms, mentally picturing what will be in each place. Work was frantic, which was fortunate as it kept my mind off things.

This Saturday at 10 am, we're going through the house again with the whole family. Give us a call if you need directions.

Well, it's official

May 17, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, it's official. The offer was accepted and we will soon own our new house. We'll probably have the keys in about a month. Until then, we'll try to drive by and have some pictures. The place is great and I'm sure we'll have everyone over for a house warming party.

It's three stories, has four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms. It was built in 1923 and has been completely restored/updated. The first floor is spacious, with hardwood floors. There's a kitchen, dining room, large living room, bedroom, bathroom. Upstairs are two bedrooms, one of which is huge, and two baths. Downstairs is another bedroom, bathroom, and sauna.

Well, we made an offer on a house today

May 17, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, we made an offer on a house today. It's the perfect house, so we really hope we get it. It's at about 20th and Charnelton on the southwest edge of College Hill. Walking distance to parks, schools, and work. The house itself is large, beautiful, and is in a great neighborhood. We'll keep you posted as we find out more.

We had a jolly time for Mother's Day

May 14, 2001 by Adam in Family

We had a jolly time for Mother's Day. The whole crew showed up at Seraph's house to eat good food, exchange gifts, and socialize. Jenny's looking more and more pregant these days. Seraph and Robbie are planning extensive renovation to their house. Isabell is growing quite a bit and smiles at silly faces. Sadie sent lots of presents, as she's evidently homesick. Our family seems to be doing quite well these days.

Sam took one of his rare naps yesterday

May 09, 2001 by Adam in Family

Sam took one of his rare naps yesterday. The boy is like a light switch - either off or on. When he woke up, he ran around frantically, periodically falling and bumping himself. "Why do I keep falling down?" he'd ask.

Jamie's looking at houses again today. Slow going. The week is moving along slowly. I may end up going to Portland with Jamie and Sam for Memorial day. There's tons of house projects to do, but I'd rather spend time with my family.

I took Sam down to Cinco de Mayo yesterday an...

May 06, 2001 by Adam in Family

I took Sam down to Cinco de Mayo yesterday and met up with Jenny, Dez, Seraph, Robbie, and Isabell. It was quite exciting, with lots of music, food, petting animals, and a huge playground. We even ran into Sam's friends Johanna and Mattie.

Jamie was off with her friend, so I took Sam home, fed him, played a bit of his new Pajama Sam game, gave him a bath, and put him to bed. All by myself - what a dad I am.

It's a beautiful Cinco de Mayo here in Eugene

May 05, 2001 by Adam in Family

It's a beautiful Cinco de Mayo here in Eugene. Jamie's cooking up some yummy breakfast and Sam's helping her out. We're still slowly looking at houses. It's difficult, as many of the houses we're seeing aren't really better than our own. Still, I'm sure the perfect house is out there somewhere.

Sam and I are going to spend a bunch of time together today, as Jamie's off with a friend this afternoon. Fortunately, there's a new Pajama Sam game that we've been hiding for emergencies. I may just have to break it out.

Well, a member of our family left us today

April 30, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, a member of our family left us today. We handed our dog Guy over to a new owner. Gene's as close to perfect as you can get, and I'm sure Guy will be very happy. Sam fills the quiet in the house quite well.

We had seven members of Jamie's family for breakfast this morning. I felt like I was cooking for an army, though it seemed to go over well. Tomorrow Jamie is teaching at Sam's preschool, as well as Wednesday. Wish her luck.

Jamie's family descended on Eugene yesterday,...

April 29, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jamie's family descended on Eugene yesterday, with Ray, Darrel, and Josh coming staying at the boy's house. We headed over to visit them. Also, Wendy is back permanently from her Washington school, so we visited with her too.

Jamie and I spent some more time looking at houses. We haven't found the perfect house yet, though we found a great one, except for the location. Beautiful older house, just a bit too close to the freeway.

We also have someone interested in taking Guy away. Although it will make our house much simpler, we will miss him. The new owner lives on four acres of land, is newly divorced, and misses his two shelties that went to his wife. Sounds like it will be a good place for our puppy.

Fairly uneventful week so far

April 27, 2001 by Adam in Family

Fairly uneventful week so far. Jamie and I went out for dinner last night, while my mom and Dick watched Sam. We also are starting looking for a new house. Jamie went out house hunting with Victoria, one of our realtors. No luck so far, but we're not in a rush. Sam's getting more and more imaginative these days. Playing pretend is one of his favorite games these days.

The nerd gene is strong in Sam

April 22, 2001 by Adam in Family

The nerd gene is strong in Sam. We got several adventure games for kids, and we've been playing them into the ground. He just finished up Pajama Sam's "No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside", which was a big hit. He held on to the mouse for all but the hardest parts, though I helped him with some of the trickier puzzles.

Yesterday was beautiful, and we spent a lot of time outside. We broke out the hammock, which Sam's been playing on a bunch. Tonight is wine night, so we'll have Dave, Seraph, Robbie, Angie, and Matthew over for a yummy dinner. Great fun.

We had a good time on Easter

April 16, 2001 by Adam in Family

We had a good time on Easter. Sam had a wonderful morning, finding Easter eggs, eating chocolate, and visiting family. We had a blow-up Easter bunny, which he personally thanked for the various gifts.

We visited Ray, Brant, Dave, and Josh in the morning. Seraph and Robbie put on a wonderful tea around noon time. My dad stopped by and played with Sam in the afternoon, performing surgery together on playdough teletubbies. It's all good.

"This forest sure is creepy

April 14, 2001 by Adam in Family

"This forest sure is creepy."

This is what Sam said when we took a hike in the forest today. I think it's a line from Scooby Doo, which he watches far too often. Sam had a great time tromping about. At the end of the trail, he was ready to head off on another adventure. We decided instead to head back home for lunch.

We've also been getting ready for Easter. We're boiling eggs for decoration and Dave and Josh are visiting later to decorate them. Great fun.

Sam's getting in the Easter spirit these days

April 12, 2001 by Adam in Family

Sam's getting in the Easter spirit these days. Today at preschool he went "egg huntin'" and found some eggs with stickers inside. I'm looking forward to this weekend, especially the egg decorating part. For some reason, that part is even more appealing than stealing the marshmellow chickens from Sam's Easter basket. Mmm . . . sugar coated marshmellows.

Sam and I went on an adventure to the park in...

April 09, 2001 by Adam in Family

Sam and I went on an adventure to the park in the middle of the hail storm yesterday. It was great fun. Finally, with zillions of frozen balls pelting us, we decided to head to the car, laughing all the way. We picked up some bagels and headed home. Sam and I had to play quietly, as Jamie's book club was discussing various women's novels. Sam, on the other hand, spent his evening being pulled in his wagon, throwing paper airplanes, and playing tag in the backyard.

Sam and I met Jenny, Robbie, and Dez at the l...

April 08, 2001 by Adam in Family

Sam and I met Jenny, Robbie, and Dez at the library yesterday. We played with puppets and got a book about bugs that Sam laughed all the way through. Yesterday was pretty low key. Josh and Dave came to visit, though mostly Josh played on the computer and Dave enjoyed the many channels on our tv.

Sam and I went to Toys-R-Us today and picked ...

April 06, 2001 by Adam in Family

Sam and I went to Toys-R-Us today and picked up a little Lego racer. He's pretty excited with it, though he'll occasionally let his mom do it too. It involves smashing something down with his fist and propelling a tiny Lego car across the playroom floor. Even better, the strange Lego driver is carefully designed to shoot out of his seat when it hits the wall. Ah, the joys of being two.

Lots of news today! Seraph and Isabell came ...

April 04, 2001 by Adam in Family

Lots of news today! Seraph and Isabell came over for dinner last night (Robbie was sick). They're doing well after their exciting trip to Arizona. We have a bunch of baby racoons living under our woodshed. Guybrush continues to bark at them constantly, which is driving us nuts. Jenny found out she is having a baby boy. Evidently Destin was in tears, he wanted a baby girl so badly. Fortunately, his guinea pig had babies, one of which was a girl.

Happy April Fool's day

April 01, 2001 by Adam in Family

Happy April Fool's day. I woke up to have my computer tell me that I was supposed to set my clock an hour forward. Unfortunately, it was for real and an extra hour of sleep magically disappeared.

It's been a quiet weekend. Lots of play time with Sam. We had fun taking his alphabet mat and turning it into tunnels. "Can I play with the letters again?" he asks as I type this. Time to get back to the boy . . .

Jamie and Sam returned a bit early yesterday

March 27, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jamie and Sam returned a bit early yesterday. Jamie was exhausted and sick. Sam was giddy and spastic. Sam and I played non-stop for the entire evening until he collapsed at around 8 pm with the rest of us. At one point, he pretended to bonk his nose, so we had to replace it with an artificial MegaBlok nose. He's the .0000002 million dollar boy.

I'm feeling a bit under the weather, but I still think I'll try to go to work. It's sometimes a more restful place than home with Sam (sorry Jamie). Plus, I get all the Advil I want. Woo hoo!

Today I celebrated an obscure holiday - The D...

March 26, 2001 by Adam in Family

Today I celebrated an obscure holiday - The Day of Painting. A holy day indeed, requiring much prostrating with rollers, brushes, and tape. Like stigmata, my hands and feet are covered with splotches of white latex paint.

I had breakfast with my mom, Dick, Seraph, Robbie, and Isabell yesterday. Today was painting, doing taxes, and a brief break to watch Ghost in the Shell, an excellent Japanese animation movie. I talked to Sam briefly on the phone. It was like I was talking to a real person, especially how he kept leaving in the middle of the conversation - adults do that to me all the time. Hopefully he and Jamie will be back Tuesday. I do miss them.

I met my mom for breakfast this morning

March 24, 2001 by Adam in Family

I met my mom for breakfast this morning. She handed over some pictures of Sam when he visited the farm a couple weeks ago. She also gave me a rusty horse shoe as something to remember the experience by.

I felt little sick today, though I went to today. I mowed the front yard and put some fungicide on some plants out back. Pretty soon I'm off to dinner at my dad's house. It's a good thing I'm busy - keeps me from missing Jamie and Sam too much.

Well, it's the first day of Spring and we'll ...

March 21, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, it's the first day of Spring and we'll all getting even more sick. Jamie announced she had a fever when I came home. Now I'm feeling a bit under the weather. I think Sam's feeling a tad better, though it's hard to tell with his continuing cough.

Jamie and Sam are still planning to head to Portland tomorrow. I have lots of projects on my list. I fully expect to have them return to find me encrusted with a thick layer of paint and concrete.

We went over to Jason's birthday brunch yesterday

March 18, 2001 by Adam in Family

We went over to Jason's birthday brunch yesterday. Sam had a good time playing with the assorted toys stashed about. It's a little strange thinking of Jason being 28. We're all getting older.

Sam was a bit difficult yesterday afternoon and evening. I think it's a combination of being sick, not having a nap, and sleeping in until ten in the morning. I told him story after story until my throat was sore before he finally fell asleep.

Well, it looks like another round of sniffles...

March 16, 2001 by Adam in Family

Well, it looks like another round of sniffles are in store for me. Sam and Jamie both have a cold, which usually gets passed to me in a few days. I'm guessing it will hit this weekend. So, no time off at work, but no weekend either. Sigh.

Jamie went off with her friend Monica tonight...

March 14, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jamie went off with her friend Monica tonight, leaving Sam and I to fend for ourselves. He's been in a no-nap frenzy today. Fortunately, we found enough batteries to make the Technic Lego engine go. I whipped up a little car and he's been playing with it ever since. Now if only he'll keep it up for another hour and a half, Jamie might actually be back by then.

I watched Sam today while Jamie helped out at...

March 11, 2001 by Adam in Family

I watched Sam today while Jamie helped out at the preschool play. We caught the first show and Sam really enjoyed both of them. His interest in watching plays, shows, and other "pretend" stories has grown. He's especially fascinated by the motivations of the various people.

Yesterday, I took Sam to the mall where we read books. After awhile, a woman came up to us and asked how old Sam was. She was a child psychologist and was amazed the conversations Sam and I were having. Nice to know that we an "official" stamp of approval.

We had a really good day yesterday

March 09, 2001 by Adam in Family

We had a really good day yesterday. Nothing particular, just a general sense of happiness. Sam's been on a building kick lately. Anything vaguely block-like gets turned into structures, houses, or paths.

We also have a musical treat for you today - my cousin Ben sent an mp3 of his that he created. Evidently, his site doesn't allow mp3's to be posted, so you can listen to it in all its musical genius here

Another good day in the Miller household

March 08, 2001 by Adam in Family

Another good day in the Miller household. I took Sam swimming today and he had a great time. He was reaching under the water to grab toys we put on the bottom. Juming in to the pool was also quite exciting. Afterwards, Dave came over and they played in the backyard for an hour or two.

Slowly getting the house ready to sell. We spent some time on Sunday stripping wallpaper. We'll probably do some painting soon too. Lots of work, but hopefully it will make the selling process easier and more lucrative.

My dad's birthday was yesterday

March 05, 2001 by Adam in Family

My dad's birthday was yesterday. There was quite the turnout, including little Isabell. Seraph and Robbie still look a little dazed, but Isabell seems to be quite a healthy kid.

I took my dad to see Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which was quite good. Now only if I could perfect my mystical martial art technique of flying through the air. Maybe I should first work on getting out of my pants without falling over.

Today has been a father-son bonding day

March 03, 2001 by Adam in Family

Today has been a father-son bonding day. Jamie left early this morning to help out with the preschool play. I'm on Sam duty.

We went to the library, where Sam's favorite activity is playing with the puppets. He was especially curious about the one missing an eye. As expected, Sam has hit the "Why" stage, trying to figure out how everything works. It's pretty hard to explain things to a two-year-old in their own terms. Fortunately, Jamie and I are both trained science teachers.

Sam saw two performances yesterday - the Beau...

March 02, 2001 by Adam in Family

Sam saw two performances yesterday - the Beauty and the Beast ballet at the Hult Center and the Wizard of Oz as put on by his preschool. Both of them were fascinating to him, if a bit scary. Both times he'd say "I want to go somewhere quiet." At the ballet, a performer in a ghost costume waved to him as he left, which he talked about constantly afterwards. For the rest of the day, he had me tell the story over and over. He was especially curious as to the motivations of the Beast. "Why did the Beast catch her?" I explained that the Beast was lonely and wanted a friend, which he seemed to accept.

There was a small earthquake here at work today

February 28, 2001 by Adam in Family

There was a small earthquake here at work today. The epicenter was in Seattle, and we barely felt it down here. We have our corporate office in Bellingham and they evacuated the building. So far, no one was hurt and the damage seems minimal. A bit exciting, though.

Jamie and I took Sam to the Easter Seal pool ...

February 27, 2001 by Adam in Family

Jamie and I took Sam to the Easter Seal pool to swim today. One of Jamie's Tiny Tot's cohort was going with her one-year-old, and asked if we wanted to come. Sam remembered the last time we were there, and had a great time. When we left, he told us that he was sad to leave. We assured them that we'd come again, which we'll be doing twice a week for awhile.

Colin e-mailed me a picture he'd taken over t...

February 26, 2001 by Adam in Family

Colin e-mailed me a picture he'd taken over the holidays, which you see here. Ah, a little father-son bonding moment.

At Dave's birthday, I wandered into the kitchen to find a woman sticking her finger down her throat in front of Sam. It turns out she was trying to teach Sam the word "uvula". She was a speech pathologist who works with Dave, and was amazed at Sam's verbal skills. She tried to get Sam to say the various parts of his eye (iris, pupil, scalera), but he responded, "I'm shy, though."

"I will not be scared

February 25, 2001 by Adam in Family

"I will not be scared."

That's what Sam said whenever we started launching a rocket. He liked it, though it was a bit on the exciting side for a two-year-old. For us twenty-nine and thirty-one year olds, however, we had a blast (pun intended). Josh had never launched rockets either, so he had a good time.

The one moment of excitement was shooting off one that went far away. Dave took off running, ending up with one foot in the road. He caught the errant rocket as it came down, a truck driver giving him a funny look as he passed.

We went over to Dave's birthday party last night

February 25, 2001 by Adam in Family

We went over to Dave's birthday party last night. A good time was had by all. Josh and Sam played a lot, as evidence by this picture of Josh performing some sort of yogi transformation. Sam gave Dave the ice cream scoop he picked out, which was a big hit.