Adam Miller and Family

It's Mocha Wednesday for me

December 29, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's Mocha Wednesday for me. Well, actually the entire week has been filled with Mochas due to a Starbuck's gift certificate, but today is my last day at work this week.

Emma had a hard time sleeping last night. I woke up around one o'clock to hear her say "Mom. Milky. Tissue." It's funny how she just spouts off words when she's half-asleep. They were up when I left this morning. I peeked in through the window at Jamie and Emma in front of the t.v., still waking up.

I have lots of plans for my four day weekend. I'd love to go to the library, take a hike, see Sadie, and of course hang out with my family.

Well, Christmas has come and gone

December 26, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, Christmas has come and gone. It was a little more exciting than normal, with everyone sick and Jamie visiting the ER in the morning. I think Emma's not feeling well now as she had a hard time going to sleep last night.

The trip back from Portland went smoothly and we unpacked all our goodies in short order. Within thirty minutes of arriving, two of our neighbors had given us Christmas cookies. I think we picked a good neighborhood.

Christmas at my mom's was the usual gathering of kids running about and adults trying to chat above the din. Jamie and Emma stayed home to rest while Sam and I jumped right in. The food was good and Sam ate a vast quantity of ham, something of a rarity in our household. Everyone loved the presents. I was particularly fond of my naked mole rat, which Sam insisted on sleeping with last night. We left a little early due to my upset stomach. I'm hoping some tea will settle it this morning.

I think today we're going to hang about the house and try to unwind. There's endless movies to watch and presents to play with. I need a short vacation to recover from my Christmas vacation. Tomorrow it's back to work for a few days at least.

It's Christmas Eve and we just finished up th...

December 25, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's Christmas Eve and we just finished up the holiday festivities at Jamie's parents' house. The kids got lots of books, clothes, and assorted toys. I ended up with coffee and a gift certificate to a computer store. It seems they know me well.

Sam had a good time with his cousin Jackson, who's about Emma's age. He alternatively followed and was chased by Sam, which they both seemed to enjoy quite a bit.

I've had a touch of an upset stomach the last couple days, a fitting end to the colds that I've been having. Hopefully this is the absolute last illness of the season. At least it's helping me avoid stuffing myself with all the cookies and other goodies that are laying around everywhere.

We made it to Portland safe and sound

December 23, 2004 by Adam in Family

We made it to Portland safe and sound. We opened presents in the morning, a mini-Christmas of just my family. Sam got tons of Legos and the new Spiderman movie. Emma got some Pooh toys and a magnetic building thingie. Jamie ended up with a pencil sharpener, a new Trivial Pursuit, and three cashmere sweaters. I got a piece of paper with the promise that Jamie would redo my office, especially the computer desk that's wobbly and improving the storage overall.

Sam watched his new movie on the way up and put together his Star Wars Lego set when we arrived. We played non-stop with the thing while Emma hung out with Judy. Today is another quiet day. We'll try to get out of the house a little more and perhaps Sam and I can watch the extended version of Return of the King. It's over four hours long so it may be something we finish later.

Tomorrow is the big family gathering, then it's back to town. Busy, busy.

Well, it's Mocha Tuesday for me today

December 21, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, it's Mocha Tuesday for me today. I was woken up at five in the morning and handed an extremely awake toddler. Emma was still up three hours later when I finally managed to leave the house and stagger in to work. Now I'm waiting for the hours to tick by so that I can join my family for a little holiday rest.

Sam and I had a good time last night reinacting various battles from Lord of the Rings. I think we're going to have to get nerf swords or something as we keep managing to whack each other by accident. Fortunately no one's put an eye out yet, though not for lack of trying.

The weekend is coming to a close

December 20, 2004 by Adam in Family

The weekend is coming to a close. Jamie had a good time hob nobbing with the elite of Eugene last night, telling all about the three fountains, swimming pool, huge kitchen, and big screen televisions. I only hope she's happy living in our home now that she's seen what she's missing.

It was another day playing with kids and managing my cold. I ran out to do some Christmas shopping early in the morning, only to find the store completely empty. I've been wanting to get Jamie something special and it was nice to actually think up a gift that I'm happy about.

Jamie spent some time with Angie, going for a long walk and enjoying the brief blue sky. Angie also charmed Emma and brought excellently wrapped presents for all. Emma wanted to just keep on opening presents after this first Christmas present she opened herself.

It looks like we have a couple more days of work before I have my little vacation. I'm very much looking forward to it.

The cold has hit in full force

December 19, 2004 by Adam in Family

The cold has hit in full force. I've been sniffling and snorfeling all day, along with the kids who seem equally goopy. Mostly I played with kids doing art projects, running around in the basement, or watching shows. Emma slept forever around noon and Sam and I watched part of the second Lord of the Rings movie.

Jamie's been getting ready for a Christmas party with her friend Sharon. She went over to Victoria's house this morning to try on clothes and ended up buying some knee-high boots with high heels to finish the outfit. It's pretty rare that she gets all gussied up, so it was fairly amusing to see her put it all together. I made her pose in front of the Christmas tree before she headed out.

Fortunately Dave and Kirsten are helping me watch the kids tonight. Fresh bodies are great for both the kids and I.

I spent a fair amount of time at 5:30 this mo...

December 17, 2004 by Adam in Family

I spent a fair amount of time at 5:30 this morning trying to track down where a mysterious beep was coming from. It turns out that the fire alarm in the basement that's hooked into the main power also has a backup battery. It was thoughtfully letting me know that it was out of power. I think there's some law of physics stating that fire alarm batteries only die in the middle of the night.

It's mocha Friday, that blissful brew sitting next to my on my desk. My cold is still sniffling away, more annoying than painful. Christmas is sneaking right up on me and I still have a few things to take care of.

I'm home from work today

December 15, 2004 by Adam in Family

I'm home from work today. Jamie wanted me to watch Emma while she went to school and taught a lesson on dreidels at Sam's kindergarden. Ironically, I've also come down with a bit of a cold, though it seems pretty mild in comparison to what I had before.

Emma was up for four hours last night. Jamie had the first couple hours and I had the next. Emma was wide awake so we played with toys and read books while I struggled not to fall asleep.

I also picked up a new pair of glasses, my first in a decade. They're pretty tiny and make me look far too intellectual. I suppose they'll do if something goes wrong with my contacts.

Sunday is winding down

December 13, 2004 by Adam in Family

Sunday is winding down. It was a bit too exciting in some ways - Sam got another bad nose bleed and everyone was feeling sick. We're getting more serious about Sam, setting up a humidifier and applying petroleum jelly. Hopefully his dry nose will improve soon.

Jamie's dad arrived early and we quickly put up the decorations. He also brought down a few early Christmas presents, mostly decorations for the season. Dave, Kirsten, and Josh also came over and hung out for most of the day. If we weren't feeling generally cruddy it would have been one of the better days of late. Still, I suppose we make due with what we've got.

Saturday has come and gone

December 12, 2004 by Adam in Family

Saturday has come and gone. Sam got a particularly messy nosebleed, which took some cleaning up. We had planned to all go out to get a Christmas tree with my mom, Robbie, Hanni, and Isabell, but it ended up just being me. After carefully selecting a couple trees that would fit on top of the car, I cut them down and strapped them on. It was fun to just go out to the farm for awhile. It's quite beautiful in a soggy forest sort of way.

The afternoon was mostly spent watching kids in the basement. I worked on putting together my mom's new laptop - installing patches and such. Jamie went to pick up Thai food, which everyone really enjoyed. Everyone finally got to bed and seems to be sleeping fairly well. It's nearly eight o'clock this morning and they're still not up.

Jamie's dad is coming over this morning to help trim the tree. Hopefully we can take it easy for the rest of the day. Everyone still seems to be a bit sick, so some rest could do us good.

I started getting pretty sick towards the end...

December 11, 2004 by Adam in Family

I started getting pretty sick towards the end of work yesterday, feverish and upset stomach. I rode home and entertained kids while Jamie picked up John for the sleepover. Fortunately I never seemed to get too bad and was able to help at least a little with watching the kids.

The two boys had a great time, spending virtually all the time hanging out in the basement and playing. Later on they watched Mulan and ate Sam's dessert of choice, doughnuts.

We have a tentative plan to get a Christmas tree with my mom, Seraph, Robbie, and Hanni this afternoon. It will likely prove an adventure.

Mocha Friday once again rolls around

December 10, 2004 by Adam in Family

Mocha Friday once again rolls around. I've been a little out of sorts lately. I was really tired last night, slept in pretty late, and was a little snappy this morning. Hopefully I'm not getting what Sam had. He threw up a couple days ago, but has since made a full recovery and even went to school yesterday.

We all went over to see Dave's place, the first time for me since Brant moved out. It looks quite different without the dogs shedding hair everywhere. The kids had a great time playing with Dave and Kirsten, as well as Josh's old toys. The fireplace was cranking out so much heat that I almost fell asleep.

Jamie's tasked me with the job of organizing a Christmas tree cutting expedition, something I've so far been failing miserably at. Hopefully I can get in touch with my mom today and go out tomorrow to bring us back a tree. We also have John coming over for a sleepover with Sam and Jamie's Dad coming over to decorate the theoretical tree on Sunday morning. I can feel the holiday madness already creeping up on me.

Well, the windows were installed yesterday

December 08, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, the windows were installed yesterday. It turns out that every single one had a manufacturing problem, so we'll be waiting for replacement windows. Still, Jamie reported that it was exceptionally quiet last night as the windows seem to block out much more noise. I suppose that's one measure of success.

Poor Sam was quite sick yesterday. He spent a lot of time watching television and sitting quietly. I did get him into a long hot bath, chatting about pirates and how I got each of the scars on my body. Hoepfully he's feeling better today after a good night's sleep.

It's hard to believe it's Wednesday already. I think we're going to go cut a Christmas tree this weekend and perhaps organize the last of the presents.

It sounds like both Jamie and Sam are sick today

December 07, 2004 by Adam in Family

It sounds like both Jamie and Sam are sick today. Sam is proud of himself for being able to accurately diagnose his "feeling bad" as having a headache. It's nice when you can get that level of detail from a kid. With Emma, she just cries and we go through our list of things that might be wrong.

I ended up getting to work late this morning as Jamie handed me Emma, who was up far earlier than she should be. We're also getting new windows put in today. I'm somewhat nostalgic for the old upstairs windows, so Jamie's promised we can use them to make cabinets or some such thing.

Jamie had a funny thing happen to her today

December 05, 2004 by Adam in Family

Jamie had a funny thing happen to her today. She and Angie were going for a walk, talking about all the bad people in the world. Ironically, she looked down and found a wallet stuffed with cash. Soon enough they found a driver's license, discovered the address was a block away, and returned the wallet. When Jamie was explaining the story, she said that it was a good thing she was a good person. "Besides, " she added smirkingly, "Angie was with me."

We've had a pretty good day so far. I took Sam and Emma to the park where Sam drove his remote control car around. Emma had fun swinging, then discovered a puddle to get extra muddy in. Soon enough she was too cold and we returned home to throw her in the bath.

I think we'll be letting the rest of the day wind down with kid entertaining and some sweet and sour meatballs that Jamie plans on cooking up. Tomorrow, alas, it's back to work.

It was a good, uneventful day, filled with od...

December 05, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a good, uneventful day, filled with odd little moments. Emma dumped a huge amount of water on me when she was taking a bath. Sam didn't get enough exercise today, so we danced around the basement before bedtime. We did a family run to the store, returning with far too many Christmas presents. All-in-all, it was a good day with lots of laughter.

December already

December 01, 2004 by Adam in Family

December already. I watched Emma for a bit this morning as Jamie took a shower. As I put on my coat and bike gear, Emma frowned and said "Work" in a sad little voice. It's nice to be loved.

I had the kids for a little bit during the day yesterday as Jamie had a short break and took a walk. They were lots of fun. Sam had on his new sweatshirt, the hood pulled down over his head to make him look vaguely like a Jawa or the Grim Reaper. Emma was chatting it up with everyone, dancing to the music in the business school's coffee place.

Work seems quiet for a change. I'm working on "nice to do" things at work, enjoying the peace before everyone arrives at 8 o'clock.

After four days of whirlwind family activitie...

November 29, 2004 by Adam in Family

After four days of whirlwind family activities, I'm heading back to work. Yesterday we all pulled ourselves out of bed, nearly everyone coughing but me. Sam played with his remote control car for awhile, then both kids ran around the basement as I played the music from Pirates of the Carribean. Evidently Sam couldn't help but run during the exciting parts.

We headed over to my mom's around noon for Robbie's birthday. Seraph was a trooper, making lunch and keeping everyone organized. Sam played with Isabell for a long stretch, then Destin once he arrived. Eventually we headed home with a Costco sized package of paper towels balanced on my head.

The rest of the day we tried hard to be fairly quiet. Sam played his new chess computer game a bit, though it was fairly hard. Emma and I took a short walk and admired all the people and animals wandering by. Before bedtime, I helped Sam read his second easy reader book. We'll have to hit the library and pick up some new ones for him to practice on. Fun stuff.

Saturday Thanksgiving with the Mellors has co...

November 28, 2004 by Adam in Family

Saturday Thanksgiving with the Mellors has come and gone. Sam got his last wave of birthday presents including a remote controlled car that Emma's afraid of. Everyone had a great time, with Brant and Wendy driving over from Bend, Darrel coming in from Washington, Ray from Portland, and the assorted Eugene folks making an appearance as well. The food was good and everyone liked playing with the kids. Emma in particular loved all the attention. Jamie was still sick, remaining quiet to avoid hurting her sore throat.

It looks like today we're going over for a brief leftover lunch and birthday combo for Robbie at my mom's house, then we'll try to recover for the rest of the day.

It was a fairly exciting Friday

November 27, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a fairly exciting Friday. Sam turned six and a stream of well-wishers came by for cake and presents. In between guests, he played with his Robotix toy, his new boots, and the game Jenny and Destin got for him. Good fun.

Josh was over for much of the day, something that Emma and Sam enjoyed immensely. Emma in particular seemed enchanted with him, wanting to come up and hug him all the time.

Sam also got a couple first reader books from Judy. Last night we tried one of them. He sounded out the words as best he could, quickly starting to recognizing some by sight. Though it took awhile, he read the entire book. When I left him, he was trying to read his second book by himself. Sniff. Our boy is growing up.

Thanksgiving with the Mellors is today. I think we'll have eleven people coming over. Poor Jamie is still sick, though hopefully she'll get well soon.

Thanksgiving Day is coming to a close

November 26, 2004 by Adam in Family

Thanksgiving Day is coming to a close. It's been a pretty packed day, with lots of kid watching and a big dinner at my mom's tonight. Fortunately Robbie and Isabell took Sam away to feed the ducks, giving Jamie and I a short break in the middle of the day. Then it was some wind down time before the big dinner. We all hiked over the hill to my mom's, though Jamie didn't stay too long. Her cough continues to make her feel lousy and she hasn't been able to talk much. Poor girl.

Tomorrow is Sam's birthday with Jim and Judy coming down from Portland to help out with everything. Plus we've got to do our cooking for Thanksgiving dinner with Jamie's family. Whew.

Ah, mocha Friday

November 24, 2004 by Adam in Family

Ah, mocha Friday. Well, okay, it's really Wednesday but it's the end of the work week. I think I'll be heading home early anyway as Jamie's feeling lousy and suggested I not dally at work.

I managed to efficiently get both kids crying last night as I accidentally dropped Emma on Sam, bonking their heads together. They recovered in a minute or two but I felt miserable. I think my "safety dad" license has been temporarily revoked.

Not much news on the home front. I learned through the grapevine that my old friends Jason Kronholm and Bridget are expecting a baby. Funny how parenthood is sneaking up on the old crowd.

It was a packed Sunday, with kid playing in t...

November 22, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a packed Sunday, with kid playing in the morning then off to see The Incredibles with Sam around lunchtime. When I returned, Sam played with the neighbor boy Grahm for most of the afternoon while Emma and I went for a walk, watched Bug's Life (again), and generally played around.

Jamie unfortunately caught the horrible cough that we've all had for the last month. Hopefully she won't be quite as miserable as I've been.

It looks like Thanksgiving is slowly shaping up. It's going to be a busy one, with Thanksgiving at mom's Thursday, Sam's birthday party Friday, Thanksgiving at our house with Jamie's family on Saturday, and perhaps Robbie's birthday party in there somewhere. Hopefully I can find some time to relax too.

It was a good Saturday as Saturdays go

November 21, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a good Saturday as Saturdays go. We played with the kids all morning, then headed to Sam's friend John's birthday party. Jamie and Emma went to shopping for Thanksgiving while Sam bowled and ate cake. It turns out that the rest of the free world had the same idea so it was a bit of a madhouse. Sam had fun bowling for the first time, even getting a strike.

Strangely enough, it turns out that Sharon's sister is someone we went to the teaching program with twelve years ago (Sharon is Jamie's friend and John's mother). It's a small world indeed.

Yet another mocha Friday

November 19, 2004 by Adam in Family

Yet another mocha Friday. My cough is finally subsiding, which makes life seem so much better.

Jamie had a surprise for me yesterday, though she spilled the beans a bit early. Sam kept the secret too, which was also impressive. Our old refrigerator that came with the house was replaced by a shiny new one, something that Jamie's been wanting for awhile. Emma and Sam had a great time taking all the packing tape off and we're slowly adjusting to the new food locations.

I'm hoping for another quiet weekend before the madness of Thanksgiving begins. Hopefully Sam and I can make it to The Incredibles, which sounds like our kind of movie. It would be nice to get outdoors before real winter hits. We'll see how ambitious I really get.

I was up at 4:30 this morning, given a charmi...

November 18, 2004 by Adam in Family

I was up at 4:30 this morning, given a charming little baby as a wake up present. We've been playing for the last couple hours, waiting for Jamie to wake up and relieve me of my burden. Then it's off to work where I'll probably treat myself to a mocha . . . for medicinal reasons, of course.

I think my cough is a little better, though it's hard to tell. The inhaler isn't supposed to do much for a couple more days. It may just be that it'll improve on its own anyway.

I suspect I'll be continuing to rebuild my work computer. The new hardware should be faster and better but I find myself having to reinstall all the goodies I rely on.

Wednesday is wrapping up and life seems to be...

November 17, 2004 by Adam in Family

Wednesday is wrapping up and life seems to be looking up. My cough has been persisting for the last few weeks. The doctor visit went well and I picked up an anti-inflammatory inhaler to help a bit. My work computer died but I now have a very capable spare that should get me through the two months before my replacement.

Sam turns six in nine days. He seems so grown up these days that I forget he's only five. Reading is the next big skill we're working on. He does reasonable well if given the time and motivation. At this point he needs to build up his vocabulary and start recognizing more words at a glance.

Emma is quite the imp. She bit Jamie's leg the other day, then made puppy dog eyes and gave it a kiss. It seems to be a time for her to test the limits of what we'll do.

Saturday went fairly well

November 14, 2004 by Adam in Family

Saturday went fairly well. We didn't try for anything too exciting, mostly just played with kids for most of the day. Sam and I managed to get a short hike in, climbing halfway up Spencer's Butte. The fog was thick all around us, giving it a magical quality. We also wandered off the path and came across a little altar made out of sticks, moss, mushrooms, and bark that someone had made.

When we got back, Emma and I wandered around outside for a bit while Jamie and Sam played a board game. I think the denziens of the garden call Emma "Snailbane" as she loves seeking them out and crushing them with her love.

The evening was a low-key continuation of the day. We watched Mission Impossible, gave Emma a bath, let Jamie have a little mud mask bath of her own, and quietly went to bed.

I managed to get a zipper related injury on m...

November 12, 2004 by Adam in Family

I managed to get a zipper related injury on my lip this morning. Unfortunately it's not as risqué as it sounds. I was unzipping my rain jacket when I got to work and zipped over my lip. Oops.

It's fortunately sweet mocha Friday, which I'm happily enjoying at the moment. I don't think we have any particularly exciting weekend plans, other than me feeling like I need to get cracking on shopping for Sam's birthday and Christmas in general. It would be nice to have a quiet, restful weekend as this week has seemed so very busy.

Jamie and Emma were woken up in the middle of...

November 11, 2004 by Adam in Family

Jamie and Emma were woken up in the middle of the night by a car alarm going off. I soon joined them in the kitchen for an impromptu midnight snack. It's been a bit of a bumpy week overall, with the kids and I coughing away and Jamie looking exhausted. Hopefully everyone will perk up by the weekend.

No exciting news. Sam and I have been incorporating the cushions from the basement couch into a variety of games these days. I can't say how many rafts, forts, and lava platforms we've constructed as of late. Emma's been taking lots of baths and likes to play on the computer (though I usually have to use the mouse for her). Jamie does Xtreme unwinding when I get home, trying to escape from the children for a few moments. Ah, the joys of life with children.

The weekend has come and gone

November 08, 2004 by Adam in Family

The weekend has come and gone. Sam's finishing up watching his Justice League episode, Emma's hanging out with Jamie, and I'm taking a short respite to relax.

Saturday was filled with playing with kids. Sam went over to his friend John's house, returning this morning after having lots of fun. It was pretty quiet without him. Jamie and I watched Pillow Talk, the classic romantic comedy from the 50's. It was a rare treat.

This morning we went to my mom's for Seraph's birthday. Everyone was in a good mood and Sam and Isabell played for nearly the entire time. As usual, there was plenty of good food and lots of conversation.

Mocha Friday

November 05, 2004 by Adam in Family

Mocha Friday. I slept like a rock last night. Jamie said I coughed, but I must have been so tired that I didn't wake up. Jamie's been a real trooper lately. Both of the kids have been feeling poorly, plus her husband hasn't been good for much over the last few days.

Sam's going to stay overnight at a friend's house this Saturday. Evidently he's pretty excited about it and it's nice having the house quiet for at least a little bit. Sam and I don't get enough time to play together as it is, so hopefully we can get some alone time together.

Other than that, I'm feeling generally disorganized. There's a variety of obligations that I suspect I'm going to meet only partly or not at all. These days it seems that I have everything I want except for time.

Well, after all my family members used a vari...

November 03, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, after all my family members used a variety of colorful phrases to describe their election feelings, I'll probably have my site put on various blocking lists. You've all earned a mouth washing with extra soap!

I'm completely exhausted, having gotten very little sleep for two nights in a row. My mild cold has turned into an annoying cough that keeps me up. Cough medicine makes me spacey, which I counteract with coffee, and it's pretty much gone downhill from there. I hide at work to get some rest, knowing that I'll be swarmed by children when I arrive home tonight. I'd kill for a hot bath and a good book.

The family is well, with Emma being increasingly cute. She's getting really good at communicating using her hundred or so words. She's got the non-verbal communication down pat as well, with some really funny facial expressions. It's good these days to focus on the things that are going well.

Halloween night is winding down

November 01, 2004 by Adam in Family

Halloween night is winding down. We're trying to get rid of the last of our candy as the kids are exhausted from daylight savings time. They both had a great time going around the neighborhood, Sam as a vampire, Emma as a bat, and Jamie and I as Sam's victims. Good times.

The trip back from Portland went fairly well. We stopped by the outlet mall and did a little shopping. Upon arrival, we unpacked, entertained kids, went shopping, made dinner, and prepared for Halloween. Now I'm looking forward to my quiet time when the kids are in bed and I get to have my bowl of cereal and watch a show. Hopefully not much longer now.

It was a great day yesterday

October 31, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a great day yesterday. We puttered around in the morning then headed to the zoo to meet up with Seraph, Robbie, and Isabell. It was occasionally a little drizzly, and it poured down rain just as we left, but it really kept the crowds down. What people were there were mostly kids dressed up in costume for the Halloween Zoo event. Sam was happy that he returned with a bag of candy and toys, keeping him entertained for the drive back.

The kids liked the various exhibits quite a bit. Emma alternated between amazed and frightened for a couple animals. When we went to feed the birds, they swarmed us and climbed on Emma's stroller. She didn't like that too much and had to be held. I took a great picture of Robbie the Bird Man, covered in colorful tropical birds.

The other animal Emma had mixed feelings about was the elephants. There was one where we could get close to and we watched it eat some hay. At first she wanted to climb into my jacket, saying "Scary." I wasn't sure I heard her right, so I asked "Scary?" She replied. "Scary. Uh-huh. Bye-bye." After a little, though, she calmed down and had fun watching the elephant pick up hay with its trunk and feed itself. When I asked Sam which part he liked, he picked the alligator, which mostly sat still in the water waiting to be fed.

The rest of the evening was fairly quiet. I drove over to Fry's and picked up a printer. Our current one is lousy at photgraphs, so hopefully this new one works a bit better. It was crazy busy, though. Ordering online and spending a few bucks for shipping makes more and more sense. The kids watched a little Shrek and went to bed later than normal. Hopefully Sam's recent bout of sleeping in will balance nicely with daylight saving's time today. In theory I woke up at 5 am, though my brain was telling me I had slept in a little.

I think we'll do a little shopping this morning, then head home. It's been a good trip, though I do miss our little abode.

Well, we're up in Portland

October 29, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, we're up in Portland. It was a fairly uneventful morning, except that I think I'm coming down with a cold. Lots of Advil, caffiene, and food seemed to help. Judy's entertaining the kids, Jamie's off at the store, and I'm puttering around with the computer.

I think we'll try to do OMSI or the zoo tomorrow, depending on how people are feeling. It would be nice to do a little Christmas shopping too, though I'm not sure if I'll really get the time to do that too.

It's been a somewhat weird work week for me, ...

October 28, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's been a somewhat weird work week for me, with all day meetings yesterday and today. Dave and Kirsten stopped by after work yesterday as well, entertaining children and having dinner with us. Emma in particular really loves those two, doing a funny little floor wiggle dance when she first saw Dave. There was also a full eclipse of the moon last night, so Sam and I stood on the balcony and discussed astronomy. Plus it was pretty cool looking.

I'll be heading off-site for all day meetings today, possibly coming home late. To be honest I'd rather hang out with my family than spend yet more time with work folks. We should be off to Portland tomorrow, which excites me greatly. Should be lots of fun.

We all had a pleasant Sunday, somewhat uneventful

October 25, 2004 by Adam in Family

We all had a pleasant Sunday, somewhat uneventful. I took the kids to the library and movie store in the morning, returning with various Dinotopia books and movies. We also found a paper airplane book, which resulted in a long playtime of airplane building and testing. Emma also demanded that I read her library books immediately, several times for each of them.

Jamie managed to get out of the house a couple times, once to visit my mom and another to go for a walk with her friend Victoria. Sam became a gardening maniac and we weeded, dug, and pruned for well over an hour. Hopefully I can keep up this level of enthusiasm and get a new flower bed put in for next year.

Sam spent the night at my dad and Yayoe's hou...

October 24, 2004 by Adam in Family

Sam spent the night at my dad and Yayoe's house, something he decided to do mostly on his own and has been strangely excited about all week. They mostly hung out at their house, playing Battleship, doing some art projects, and reading a bit. Jamie and I had an unusually quiet evening and morning. We ended up doing a fair amount of outside work. I took in all the patio furniture, cut down an offending plant, and cleaned up the tomatoes.

We're tentatively planning a Portland trip next weekend, though we'll see how it goes. It would be fun to see Seraph and Robbie's place and generally take it easy for a couple days.

Sweet, sweet mocha Friday

October 22, 2004 by Adam in Family

Sweet, sweet mocha Friday. I'm feeling energized and ready for work, of which there seems a lot these days. Jamie and I went out to dinner last night, a rare treat. Dinner was late, but really tasty. I was worrying that the kids might be missing us, but they barely noticed our arrival. Dave and Kirsten did a great job entertaining them, one of the few people that Emma will actually let watch her without endless crying.

We're trying hard to plan for a Portland trip next weekend. Seraph and Robbie - drop me an e-mail if you're around to be visited with. This weekend is likely to be quiet. I think we'll be putting away our patio furniture for the weekend and that's about it.

The week is slowly moving along

October 20, 2004 by Adam in Family

The week is slowly moving along. I've been braving the dreary weather on my bicycle and entertaining the kids indoors due to the rain. Last night we had "dancing in our underwear" hour in the basement, along with a vicious pillow fight between Sam and I. Emma learned how to do sommersaults last night, much to everyone's entertainment.

I've been getting into the Fall's t.v. shows. Lost is on tonight, my favorite new series. I watched the Farscape finale Sunday and Monday night, which was a great ending. Tonight I'll watch the new Battlestar Galactica series which is also looking really good. Though Buffy and Firefly may be gone, there's a host of new shows that have popped up.

Jamie and I also voted, so we're feeling good about our civic duty. Now it's just nailbiting until November 2nd. I've become a politics junkie, visiting political blogs like Daily Kos every few hours. electoral-vote.com is another one, seeming to determine my mood as the graphs go up and down. What odd times we live in.

It's been a very wet weekend, one of those wh...

October 17, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's been a very wet weekend, one of those where we barely left the house as we'd probably get soaked to the bone just stepping out the door. We did manage a few useful things over the course of the weekend. Saturday night we went over to my dad and Yayoe's house for some good dinner. Sam and I raked the front yard in the rain. There were a few grocery trips hidden in there as well.

It's the end of a Friday and I'm very much lo...

October 15, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's the end of a Friday and I'm very much looking forward to the weekend.

Sam ran his Jog-A-Thon this morning, running an amazing 11 laps (nearly 3 miles). This was after he'd hurt himself this morning when he wacked his face against the foot of our bed. I haven't seen it yet, but Jamie describes it as "cool". I expect we'll have to give him an eyepatch and have him say "Aarg!" a few times to complete the image.

We're going over to my dad's for dinner tomorrow and generally puttering around the house. I'd very much like to have some quiet time to myself.

The colds that gripped our household are slow...

October 12, 2004 by Adam in Family

The colds that gripped our household are slowly fading. Sam's cough still lingers a bit, but hopefully we'll be healthy soon enough. Jamie dropped off the kids this morning while she worked out. Emma pretty much ran the show, deciding where we were going around campus. I also showed off my new cubicle, which Sam decided was fairly cool.

The kids and I managed to get out to Amazon p...

October 11, 2004 by Adam in Family

The kids and I managed to get out to Amazon park this morning, gearing up for the cold and having a pretty good time. Emma had a hard time taking turns with Sam riding his tricycle. After an hour or so, they started getting cranky and we headed home. Jamie and Angie went out on a walk and traded recipes, having a good time together.

The rest of the day was mostly spent in the basement playing. Sam watched Star Wars on DVD while Emma napped. We had Kirsten and Dave over for a couple hours. They did a great job watching the kids while I rested and Jamie made dinner. Dinner was an incredibly yummy tamale pie, time consuming to make but well worth it. Then it was the usual bath, bednight snack, making my lunch, and reading to Sam. Ah, what a weekend.

It was a pretty good day yesterday, though we...

October 10, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a pretty good day yesterday, though we didn't do anything exciting at all. The morning was a little overwhelming, as I entertained kids nonstop until noon or so. We did have a bit of fun at snack time with them making funny faces at the camera. Even Emma was pretty good at it.

After lunch, I slowly started getting into the swing of things. We played a made-up like Pictionary game that everyone could play. Emma was really good at recognizing pictures that Jamie would draw, even getting things like car, star, and ball without any problems. Sam got everything right except "electricity", though he came up with "electrocution" by himself. It's one of the fun games we can play as an entire family.

Jamie went off to a "Sweet 16 celebration" for the daughter of the woman who helps clean our house. She said it was really interesting, more like a wedding in the feel of things. I had the kids for the duration and managed to feed and distract them for the most part, though Emma cried for a half hour or so.

Hopefully today we can get the kids out of the house for awhile, though I'm not sure what we'll do exactly. It would be neat if I could get Sam on a hiking adventure, even with all the rain. We'll see how it goes.

Mocha Friday, posting from my new cubicle

October 08, 2004 by Adam in Family

Mocha Friday, posting from my new cubicle. I'm still getting used to the new setup, though my family pictures and plants help ease the transition. It was a beautiful bike ride into work, the crisp air of Fall and the sun rising over the valley. I'm looking forward to this weekend, even though I don't think we have anything particularly exciting planned.

The kids and I have entered into a weird ritual after work this week. They both really want to play on the computer (Emma with her Pooh and Sam with Far Cry or Sims 2). I find myself sandwiched between them, helping one or another. What's strange is that Sam has been ignoring the computer for months and Emma never really got into it until now. I suppose they really are my children.

Sadie's been e-mailing me questions about database development for her new job. It's nice to hear that she's getting herself a "real" job. Even more importantly, she seems to really like it.

Last night Jamie made some tasty pizza for dinner. When we all sat down, she started pleading to eat in the living room and watch the Surreal Life. If you haven't seen it, it's basically about all these washed-up celebrities from ten or years ago that live together. MC Hammer and the guy from Webster, for example. In any case, we all piled into our chairs watching the train-wreck-like qualities of Cory Feldman trying to find a date for a Playboy bunny (one of the other members of the cast). Bizarre.

Emma's still sniffly and I've been battling h...

October 05, 2004 by Adam in Family

Emma's still sniffly and I've been battling headaches myself. I did the mocha and Advil cure this morning, which seemed fairly effective.

I'm also getting ready for a cubicle move here at work. I managed to get a view of the window, though it's about twenty feet away and I'll be looking through a couple people's cubicles. Hopefully my plants will survive the transition.

I think Emma's getting better, though it's ha...

October 04, 2004 by Adam in Family

I think Emma's getting better, though it's hard to tell. Sleep time is pretty rough, and she's still up tonight even as it approaches ten o'clock. Hopefully they'll manage to get a full night's sleep tonight.

The day itself was fairly uneventful. I played with kids nonstop it seems. Sam spent a lot of time with the neighbor boys while Emma and I chatted with the grownups. My dad came by and I unfortunately didn't have as much time to spend with him as I would have liked.

We did accomplish a number of small house projects, not to mention throwing a dinner party for everyone last night. It just sometimes feels like I need a weekend to relax from my weekend.

It was an exciting day yesterday, and an exci...

October 03, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was an exciting day yesterday, and an exciting night as well. It started normally enough, a delicious breakfast served by my lovely wife. There was lots of playing with kids and an outing to get food for dinner. A bit after noon, Josh arrived to hang out with us while Dave went to the football game. He and Sam had a great time playing together. They started by building a huge pit in the sandbox, then filling it with water until the walls collapsed. This was repeated several times. Afterwards, Sam got a shower and they went into the basement to play a wacky game called Clone Bandits. After that, they started inventing their own games, most of which apparently involved throwing stuffed animals at each other.

Around five, Seraph, Robbie, Isabell, and my mom came over for dinner. It was really nice to see them all. I had forgotten how much I missed talking to Seraph and was excited to hear about how well school was going for her. Isabell charmed Emma, though it took some doing as she's been in a pretty cranky mood. After a yummy dinner and ice cream, everyone faded away and we cleaned up and got the kids to bed as best we could.

Emma had a tough night. She was up for a long time with Jamie, then I took her for a couple hours in the middle of the night. She let me know that she wanted to play Sims 2 by saying "Kirsten", who is one of the Sims in the game. After that, it was a lot of Pooh games, looking at the moon, then finally to sleep. A few hours later she threw up and I was on assistant clean up duty with Jamie. It's now sneaking up on 8 am and everyone's still asleep.

Hopefully today will be calmer. I don't think we have anything planned other than taking it easy.

Well, it looks like Mount St

October 01, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, it looks like Mount St. Helens just erupted. It looks like it's not going to be quite as bad as the one from the 80's. Fortunately Seraph and Robbie will be down in Eugene for the weekend, so hopefully they'll miss most of the excitement.

I don't remember seeing any ash in Eugene after the first eruption, but Jamie was further north at the time. There was quite a bit of ash all over everything.

Hopefully Jamie's parents aren't stuck cleaning their cars and houses over the next week or so. Could get messy.

I somehow managed to get close to nine blissf...

October 01, 2004 by Adam in Family

I somehow managed to get close to nine blissful hours of sleep last night. Jamie kicked me out of bed, probably due to snoring, so I spent my morning hours in the quiet guest bed. After the last few days, getting so much sleep is quite nice. I could almost skip my Friday mocha . . . not!

My bike is in better shape, with the back brakes working again. It felt nice to get that taken care of. I played with the kids quite a bit after work, with lots of sandbox time for Emma and pretending to be a stormtrooper for Sam. I'm very much looking forward to the weekend ahead of us.

Unfortunately this morning was a bit more exc...

September 30, 2004 by Adam in Family

Unfortunately this morning was a bit more exciting than I would have liked. Jamie woke me up around 4 am as she'd been up with Emma since an hour before. For whatever weird reason, Emma simply wasn't tired. We spent a long while reading, playing her Pooh computer game, and generally hanging out in the basement. A little before 6 am I wandered up and handed over Emma, sleeping for a half hour before zipping off to work.

The day before, my bike tire got a flat and I replaced the rear brakes. The tire was fine this morning, but the brakes didn't work well. I rode in very carefully on just the front brakes.

Hopefully this weekend will be relaxing and pleasant. Josh is coming to visit Saturday and I think we're having Seraph and Robbie over for dinner some night.

It was a pretty low-key Sunday, now slowly co...

September 27, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a pretty low-key Sunday, now slowly coming to a close. We puttered around the house for most of the day, though I got paged a few times due to work-related issues. The garage got organized and cleaned. Jamie and Sam made some incredible pesto, which later got incorporated into a Mediterranian pizza. Kirsten and Dave stopped by after work and we ended up feeding them. Jamie discovered the "On Demand" features of our cable system, deciding it was incredibly cool, then later discovering it wasn't quite so cool. The kids and I played a lot, indoors and out.

In general, it was nice to have a weekend where we didn't have to rush around and do anything terribly important. I need more of those from time to time.

It was a good Saturday, as Saturdays go

September 26, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a good Saturday, as Saturdays go. I was a little groggy as I stayed up late the night before playing on my computer. Nothing a lot of coffee couldn't fix. I had a little work to do as we had a big downtime at work. I earned my keep with five minutes of troubleshooting after something broke.

Later in the afternoon, Sam and I went to see Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. It's not Best Picture material, but it's lots of fun. It's almost as if they deliberately included all the great pulp science fiction elements from 30's comic books. Great stuff.

Mmm

September 24, 2004 by Adam in Family

Mmm . . . sweet, sweet mocha Friday. Nothing too exciting going on this misty day here in Eugene. Dave and Kirsten wandered by last night so we fed them in exchange for entertaining our children. Emma in particular is taken with Kirsten and is even able to say her name. We were happy to have a couple fresh bodies to ease the parenting madness for an hour or two.

Emma slept better last night, which I'm sure Jamie appreciates greatly. Sam's been rewatching the Lord of the Rings movies, so he's very much into roleplaying grand battles with orcs and elves.

I think we're going to take it easy this weekend. I'm hoping to go see Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow with Sam. There's also a Finding Nemo movie at his school tonight, though it's a bit late. I'd also like to watch both kids as much as I can as Jamie's had a hard week with them. I'm sure a few hot baths would be greatly appreciated by her.

It was a little more exciting yesterday than ...

September 23, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a little more exciting yesterday than I wanted it to be. Sam got out of preschool early yesterday and Jamie forgot. The teacher ended up calling me at work to okay another parent taking Sam home. I cycled home in hopes of straightening things out, but by then Jamie had already picked him up. Oops.

Jamie also went out with a friend last night, leaving me to entertain the children for a couple hours. Emma gets distraught every time Jamie goes away, so Sam and I put all our effort into distracting her. We found some old foam squares with letters on them that link together, one of Sam's old toys. They make great forts and such, so we spent a lot of time putting them together in various combinations. For a brief, quiet moment I had boxed up both children. I think that lasted two seconds before they burst out of it as the foam connections aren't that strong.

Fortunately Emma seems to be sleeping better. Perhaps her molars have come in enough so that it doesn't hurt quite so much.

We're back from the coast

September 21, 2004 by Adam in Family

We're back from the coast. Saturday went well, with a good drive over. Emma slept for a big chunk of it, even though we took the long way around to avoid some work they were doing on a tunnel. Once we got there, we lounged about waiting for everyone to get out of the Beaver game and drive over from Corvallis. Dave, Kirsten, and Josh even managed to come along which made it even cheerier.

Sunday was Talk Like a Pirate Day, not to mention Jamie's birthday. There were lots of beach trips, sand castles, and eating crab. Everyone seemed bemused by Sims 2 and all their Sims counterparts that I'd made for them.

Most people headed home Sunday evening, leaving our family and Jamie's aunt and uncle. It took awhile to get the kids to bed. Emma in particular has been quite fussy and wanting Jamie all the time. The next day we did a final beach trip, then slowly got ready for the trip back. As always, coming home is harder than going, and Jamie was a bit on edge the last ten minutes. Still, we arrived safe and sound and Angie surprised us by bringing us dinner.

Now I'm hoping for a long night of sleep before work begins tomorrow.

Mocha Friday

September 17, 2004 by Adam in Family

Mocha Friday. It was a wet morning and it promises to be a wet weekend. When we go off to the coast, I'll be sure to bring along plenty of indoor things to do. The kids have been spoiled by warm and sunny coast trips, so it'll probably do them good to see what Oregon weather is really like.

It's another crazy busy day here at work, though they did announce a fairly sizeable "winshare" bonus this year. Maybe Emma will get to go to college after all!

My Sims 2 game also arrives today. Maybe Sam and I will make up a version of all our family members and stick them in a neighborhood together. Hopefully Robbie won't set himself on fire like he did in the first Sims game. Seraph moped around their apartment for days, a little urn on the floor a sad reminder of his inability to safely use a stove.

It was a funny morning today

September 15, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a funny morning today. Right as I was about to walk out the door, Jamie came down with Emma, dropping hints about how tired she was and how Emma kept waking up all night. I dutifully tucked Jamie into bed and took Emma outside to look at the slugs and snails crawling on our patio. After twenty minutes or so, Jamie came out and kept me at home with the promise of coffee. I ended up showing up to work a fair bit later than normal.

Both the kids have been fascinated by snails lately. Sam had a few trapped in a plastic container to look at, giving them fresh leaves from time to time. A little baby snail was born, its shell still soft. The next day the wind blew it over and it was crushed. Sam wailed his anguish and freed the snails, becoming protectors of the local mollusks.

Emma has picked up this fascination and enjoys looking and poking at them. Fortunately they're pretty slow so she can keep up.

It's Sunday night at 8:30 and I'm seriously t...

September 13, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's Sunday night at 8:30 and I'm seriously thinking about going to bed in a few minutes. It's been a long day and I didn't get enough sleep last night. I watched Firefly on DVD late last night then was given Emma at six in the morning. I spent the first few hours pretty groggy.

Yesterday seemed a blur. I took the kids shopping for birthday presents for Jamie. We're still on target for going to the coast next weekend, something I'm very much looking forward to. We also watched Shaolin Soccer, which was hysterically funny. I'll have to start applying Kung Fu to computer programming.

Today I also seemed to have the kids a fair bit as well. Sam and I went on a long hike this morning to the top of Spencer's Butte. After lunch, Jamie went for a long walk with her friend while I entertained with drawing, playdough, and sand boxes. Jamie returned to spell me and I took a luxurious bath.

So, time to get ready for bed and sweet, blissful sleep.

I just wanted to uncharacteristically add my ...

September 11, 2004 by Jamie in Family

I just wanted to uncharacteristically add my two cents of encouragement to Sue, who has the guts to dream about what she really wants, and the freedom and means to make it happen. You go girl! But please reconsider the glass sink; not only is it breakable, but also a fingerprint magnet. Solid surface is the way to go ;=)

I'll be riding off to work shortly, eagerly a...

September 10, 2004 by Adam in Family

I'll be riding off to work shortly, eagerly awaiting my Friday mocha. Then it's an hour of frantic work, followed by another day of all-day meetings.

Sam enjoyed his second day of school. He returned with a gingerbread boy made from paper, marshmallows, and raisins. He cut the paper himself, so it seems they're starting on the critical kindergarten skills already. He also made a friend on the playground, though he didn't know his name yet.

Emma slept better last night, though only relatively so. Several times I'd hear a plantive voice from her bed on the floor calling "Mama? Mama?"

Sam's first day of school was today, somethin...

September 09, 2004 by Adam in Family

Sam's first day of school was today, something he's been increasingly excited for. He dressed up in his school clothes, donned the backpack he picked out, and was ready to go. Evidently everything went pretty well as he seemed excited to go again. Emma didn't quite get the nap at the proper time, so Jamie's time with Sam in school wasn't particularly relaxing.

After work, Jamie went off to my mom's to conduct business. I think they finished in a few minutes and sat around shooting the breeze while I tried to distract grumpy children. Fortunately we discovered the neighbor kids playing outside so we joined them for a solid hour of play time.

Tomorrow could be a slightly odd work day for me. We have a new employee coming down that I'll be cross-training. As a bonus, we're eating out at the Glenwood. I'll probably end up drinking too much coffee and peeing all day, but such is the risks of my job.

After work yesterday, we all piled in the car...

September 08, 2004 by Adam in Family

After work yesterday, we all piled in the car and headed out for Sam's ice cream social at his new school. It was a bit of a mad house, with many parents and kids running around. We peeked in to his class that he'll be going to today, checking out the toys and setup. Then it was outside to play on the playground, which seemed well stocked.

Hopefully today will go well for him. After we got home yesterday, he kept saying "I wish it were tomorrow", so I think he's pretty excited.

Well, we're slowly adjusting to city life again

September 07, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, we're slowly adjusting to city life again. It seems like I spent almost all of yesterday playing with Sam or Emma in some combination. Jamie was very appreciative of me being home and she tried to get some time to herself before the week began.

In the morning with picked up Dave and Kirsten and went out to Lonepine Farms to get fresh produce and visit with the goats. Emma in particular had a great time exploring. The afternoon was mostly spent unwinding and hanging out at the house.

Tonight we have an ice cream social at Sam's kindergarten and tomorrow is his first day.

Oh, and click on the picture to see a bigger version.

We've arrived safely home after Sam and I's e...

September 06, 2004 by Adam in Family

We've arrived safely home after Sam and I's exciting trip. Sam had a pretty good time, as did I, though it was a typical Miller family gathering in many ways. There were delays and miscommunication, but we all managed to make it to the lake and enjoy each other's company.

The first day Sam and I mostly explored the area, wandering around the eastern Oregon dry forests. There were plenty of chipmunks and birds about. Supposedly most of the mosquitos were eaten by bats just days before. We spotted a bald eagle and a blue heron.

It was also a day of firsts for Sam. He went out on a boat for the first time, went fishing for the first time, camped for the first time, and roasted marshmellos for the first time. He got a little bored of fishing after a lot of time passed without any excitement, despite the fact that he claimed to have much patience.

Later that night, he found a dead fish floating in the water, an inch long at most. He grabbed it and ran all the way back to the cabins, naming it the "Little One that Didn't Get Away." He had lots of fun catching fish later on, including a half-pecked one that he stuck into alcohol for later study. A few other insects got dropped into specimin containers to be added to the collection.

Today was more of the same, with a boat ride across the lake and lots of walks. Sam seemed mesmerized by such a large body of water, tossing in rocks and looking at the creatures that swam around in it. The drive home seemed long, but we made it here by dinner time.

Jamie had had a hard night with Emma the night before, so she was pretty beat. Hopefully tomorrow we can all rest up for a week that includes Sam starting kindergarten.

Well, my bags are almost packed

September 04, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, my bags are almost packed. I've managed to include a variety of electronic goods, such as a laptop, a portable DVD player, a camcorder, and a digital camera (not shown). Since they don't have broadband up at the lake, I suppose it's not worth taking the computer.

I've got to finish packing clothes and then wait for the rest of the crew to wake up. I might try slipping out to Metropol to get some goodies for the day, as well as making sure the car has gas. The weather looks pretty dreary at the moment, but supposedly it'll be sunny and warm where we're going.

Mocha Friday with only a few minutes left at work

September 03, 2004 by Adam in Family

Mocha Friday with only a few minutes left at work. The sun is shining and tomorrow's camping expedition looks promising. Sam's getting excited and he and Jamie spent today packing in preparation.

It's been a good week in the Miller-Mellor household. We all went swimming Wednesday night, laughing and splashing our way to bedtime. Jamie went to the Farmer's Market yesterday and made a wonderful dinner with fresh vegitables. Ah, the joys of having a spouse at home.

I'm hopeful it stays sunny for our trip. Jamie and Emma will be spending tomorrow night in a quiet home, something that almost never happens. Sam and I are "roughing it", though that really means we'll be in a well-furnished cabin without a television.

The week moves along

August 31, 2004 by Adam in Family

The week moves along. Yesterday the sewer pump was fixed, so all the downstairs plumbing worked again. Jamie cleaned my dirt-encrusted shower without any prompting, which I am very grateful for. Unfortunately all is not perfect yet again. One of the washing machine hoses seems to be leaking, so that's on our list to fix next.

Every night before dinner, I've got to come up with a clever way to distract the kids as Jamie wants them nowhere near the kitchen. Anything involving mud, sand, or water is a surefire hit, so we broke out the chalk and watering can. Within a minute, Emma was laying in a puddle of chalky water, splashing and laughing. Sam had decided that brown chalk makes great looking blood when mixed in the water. Needless to say it took awhile to hose everyone down and both kids ate dinner in the buff.

Jamie did her normal gym workout today, so I had both kids for awhile. Emma wanted to run around a lot and Sam got pretty tired of walking around towards the end. I can't wait for the museum of Art to open on campus, as that's sure to be a favorite destiation for our explorations.

The day seemed long, with many events going on

August 30, 2004 by Adam in Family

The day seemed long, with many events going on. We had a good breakfast and I had a chance to try out the jam I made yesterday. Quite tasty. Afterwards we helped tidy up the garage area, hanging pegboard and other organizational goodies. After that, the kids and I went to Fred Meyer while dropping Jamie off to help Victoria paint her new house. We had a quick pirate-themed lunch, then Sam and I went off to Parker's birthday party.

Upon our return, we found Jamie had done a good job rearranging the basement. I discovered I had all sorts of tools that I hadn't seen in years. The rest of the evening is a blur of kid watching. There were some memorable moments involving a treasure hunt, as well as the nude sandbox hour. We finally got them to bed and I had a brief break before I spent some frustrating moments trying to fix my mom's laptop.

At the moment, I'm exhausted and looking forward to sweet, sweet sleep.

It was a really nice day, though I'm not quit...

August 28, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a really nice day, though I'm not quite sure why. We had a whirlwind canning session, making two batches of Ginger Pear Marmalade. I tried a little and it tastes really good. Everyone else can expect to get some for Christmas, I'm sure.

The kids and I played a bunch, with Jamie going to help Victoria move for awhile. I picked up a bunch of good books at the library as well as some tasty Metropol bread.

My mom should be over for dinner shortly. Time for me to run off and watch the kids. Sam's been playing with Emma a bit too long, though they've actually had a really good time together.

I was welcomed home Friday afternoon by a flo...

August 28, 2004 by Adam in Family

I was welcomed home Friday afternoon by a flooded basement. Now, it's rarely boring in our little household, but periodically events seem to come about that makes things even more exciting. Sam in particular was thrilled, hoping he could don scuba gear and swim about in our basement.

It wasn't as bad as some of our previous floods. It turns out the supposedly lifetime pump died on us and won't be fixed until Monday. Fortunately the upstairs drains work just fine, so the only real hardship we have is not being able to do laundry this weekend. Shucks.

Mocha Friday

August 27, 2004 by Adam in Family

Mocha Friday. Mmm.

I had a pleasant surprise this morning with my DSL connection finally got upgraded to something much zippier. It also seems that mushrooms popped up in our garden overnight, probably due to all the recent rain. I don't think the two are connected, but you never can tell.

I think Sam and I are going to try to join my family for the Labor Day weekend camping trip, at least for one night. Hopefully he won't get too wonky and instead it will be a grand adventure.

Nothing too exciting is planned for this weekend. We've got a birthday party for Sam on Sunday and Jamie wants to help Victoria move. I think a library trip will happen somewhere in there too.

I just got permission to post the picture fro...

August 25, 2004 by Adam in Family

I just got permission to post the picture from Saturday's photo shoot. Give it a click to see it in its full glory.

I broke out my rain gear for the first time in months, though the morning drizzle wasn't too bad. It's nice not to have to water the tomatoes quite so diligently.

For all the people who like gossip, I heard that Kai is expecting a child. Kai is a childhood friend of Seraph's and now lives in Portland with her husband. I remember when she was knee high to a grasshopper. Man do I feel old.

It was a fairly quiet day

August 25, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a fairly quiet day. I felt a little sick off and on, mostly in the evening. The kids are a little fussy and Jamie reported headaches, so I guess we're not completely better yet.

I had the kids for an hour or so during work. We hiked over to the graveyard on campus, which is one of Sam's favorite spots to visit. He really wanted to find a secret entrance, to where he didn't say. Emma practiced her words, such as "statue". We also popped in to the library for a brief visit, though the kids thought the accoustics were so great that they kept shrieking. We didn't stay long.

Work was a bit tedious. I spent several hours staring at a couple pages of code, trying to figure out why it wasn't working. Come tomorrow, I'll start in on it again.

I find that more and more people are coming t...

August 23, 2004 by Adam in Family

I find that more and more people are coming to this site, though I'm not quite sure why. My little family isn't all that interesting. Perhaps it was a link on my work's intranet along with that article in PC Gamer. Ah, the life of a web celebrity. Yet another reason for Jamie to roll her eyes at me.

The rest of the weekend was pretty good, other than Jamie and I getting sick. It wasn't horrible, just some stomach bug and headache that kept us slower than normal. Jamie's family descended on our house for a couple hours of entertainment. Sam played a ton with one of the neighbor kids while Jamie and I actually had a few moments to ourselves.

It was a bit of a whirlwind day yesterday

August 22, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a bit of a whirlwind day yesterday. Dave, Kirsten, and Josh came over for lunch and Sam and Josh got lots of play time in. Josh is going to be living with his mom, so we'll be missing him. For the last couple years, he's been stopping by our house after school, so Sam's grown awfully fond of him. He'll be at Lincoln City starting in a few weeks, so we'll probably visit when we go to the beach house.

The afternoon was spent at Jenny's house, getting our picture taken for an article talking about diverse families. I suspect we had the most interesting collection of mental conditions, though I'm not sure how that's going to come across in a photo. The kids got a little wild towards the end, with making them smile a Herculian task. It turns out I knew the photographer too, as she graduated from South back in '87 like I did.

The evening was spent winding the kids down and getting them ready for bed. Emma was up a little late, running around on the patio playing with the watering can.

As I type this, the rain has stopped and the sun is peeking out. I think we'll have Jamie's family over today as Brant and her brother are in town. We might do a little more work on the garage as well, getting stuff put away.

After a hearty breakfast, we got ready for th...

August 21, 2004 by Adam in Family

After a hearty breakfast, we got ready for the fairgrounds. We met up with Isabell, Sadie, and my mom then proceeded to see all the sights. The kids liked the rides, though I was partial to the OMSI exhibit and the various art shows. Looking at all the award-winning cookies and breads made me quite hungry.

The afternoon was pretty quiet. We power washed the basement, Jamie helped Victoria move for awhile, and Sam watched The Sword in the Stone.

My mom pulled a sneaky one yesterday

August 20, 2004 by Adam in Family

My mom pulled a sneaky one yesterday. She invited us over to dinner, only to find that Sadie was there to greet us. Evidently she'd flown over for a few days to hang out with everyone and get her picture taken with the rest of the family on Saturday. It was wonderful seeing her and we'll be going to the fair with her tomorrow.

Today was pretty quiet at work. Three deer stared at me noiselessly from our front yard as I bicycled away. Very surreal.

The kids were pretty funny tonight, especially Sam. He set up an elaborate experiment involving toilet paper, cups, water, and a penny. After getting very wet and lots of toilet paper strewn about, we asked him what he learned. "Not to pour water really fast."

The county fair starts today

August 17, 2004 by Adam in Family

The county fair starts today. That means we'll be listening to 80's heavy metal bands for the next few nights as our house somehow catches the music from the fairgrounds with perfect fidelity. I'm hoping to take Friday off to visit with the kids. I suspect Sam will want to go on some rides, though I prefer the art and animal exhibits.

Our little family is doing well. Emma got a few bumps and scrapes just going around in the world, though she seemed fine this morning. When I left the house she was taking a bottle to feed her baby doll. Her verbal skills are improving quite a bit, with words like "water" and "baby" complete understandable.

This morning I had the kids for an hour at work. We went to visit the ducks at the mill race and feed them some old bread. Everyone had a good time and the walk around campus did us good.

We all had a great time at Jordan's birthday ...

August 15, 2004 by Adam in Family

We all had a great time at Jordan's birthday party. Sam spent the entire time trying to catch a fish that was in a nearby pond, while Emma enjoyed visiting with all the people.

After we got home, we "ate and drank" according to Sam who's helping me type this. We also got both kids naked in the backyard on the slip-and-slide. They then moved to the sand box, getting very sandy, and it was baths all around after that.

This Sunday has been pretty quiet. Jamie and I had a breakfast with just Emma as Sam slept in quite a long time. The big project for the day was to clean out the garage, which went pretty well. We're about halfway there, as most of the contents of the garage are still in boxes. This afternoon I went to the library and played a lot with Sam.

It was a great morning

August 14, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a great morning. Jamie made up a tasty breakfast, though I forget the name of it. It involves mixing flour, eggs, and butter, then baking it for awhile. Very yummy. Sam slept in, so it was mostly a quiet breakfast.

We did some house projects so far, painting trim that we've left since Winter. We also ran out to Borders to pick up some presents. In an hour or two we'll be running over to Jordan's birthday party out at Island Park. Should be fun.

Friday the 13th and mocha Friday, both on the...

August 13, 2004 by Adam in Family

Friday the 13th and mocha Friday, both on the same day. I wonder if they cancel each other out?

I don't think there's any big plans for this weekend. I got some cardboard boxes from work in preparation for a big garage clean-up. Hopefully we can get something useful done.

The fig tree is gone, leaving a big part of t...

August 12, 2004 by Adam in Family

The fig tree is gone, leaving a big part of the back yard now walkable. It's quite strange, making the yard look quite a bit bigger. Already Jamie and I are having discussions about fruit trees. We'll see how it comes along.

I had the kids this morning again while Jamie worked out. They were cute and funny as always, eating their bagles then exploring campus with me. I can't wait for the Natural History and Art museums to open, as we're sure to have a lot of fun in them.

I'm also hoping to upgrade my DSL connection, which should hopefully make this web site more snappy. Unfortunately it may also mean that I'm down for awhile, depending on what QWest does exactly.

We all said our farewells to the fig tree in ...

August 11, 2004 by Adam in Family

We all said our farewells to the fig tree in our back yard. It's coming out today, along with pruning a couple of the other trees around our house. While figs are occasionally tasty, it's not something we regularly snack on. The tree also seems to take over most of the back yard, creating a big circle of branches and fig droppings where none dare to tread. The hope is that we put in an apple and pear tree, hopefully a hammock distance apart.

Everyone enjoyed the lake yesterday, with Sam having a good time swimming around. Other than that, life's pretty much the same as always. We pretended Sam was in superhero school, where he practiced bending steel with his bare hands, reading people's minds, and running faster than a bullet. So far, I think we're stuck with the Batman style hero, as he doesn't show any sign of superpowers. While that was going on, Emma played in the sandbox, fascinated at moving tiny grains of sand from point A to point B.

The week chugs along

August 10, 2004 by Adam in Family

The week chugs along. I somehow managed to hurt my arm yesterday, probably due to lifting weights. It's completely fine until I move it into some odd position that I can't replicate. I woke myself up last night as I was dreaming that my arm was somehow hurt.

The family's doing fine. Jamie and the kids went out to Fern Ridge with a friend of hers to hang out at the lake. Emma was up a lot last night, so I had a quality 5 am visit with her. Sam had a brief tantrum involving a chocolate chip cookie and not eating his dinner. Jamie forced me to watch the redneck comedians on Comedy Central and rub her feet.

The weekend is almost to a close

August 09, 2004 by Adam in Family

The weekend is almost to a close. It's been a pretty lazy one, with lots of playing with the kids and enjoying the sun. Sam in particular managed to wrangle quite a bit of dad play time with me, though Emma got her share as well. Both the kids were really funny this weekend, with witty comments from Sam and silly faces from Emma.

Jamie and I had a few moments to ourselves when my mom came over Saturday. We had lunch on the patio and then picked up figs from our yard that the birds had eaten. Ah, l'amour!

It was nice to have the rain make itself know...

August 06, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was nice to have the rain make itself known again in our little valley. The scent of wetness was all about when I rode in this morning. Mixed with a coffee and a visit from Emma and Jamie, it was a nearly perfect work day.

I'm hoping this weekend is quiet. We've arranged for some babysitting tomorrow morning, but it's otherwise looking fairly calm. Hopefully we can work in a movie rental and a library trip, which sounds like just the thing on a rainy weekend.

The week has been chugging along

August 05, 2004 by Adam in Family

The week has been chugging along. Since the release of my Neverwinter Nights game, I've been a bit on edge with the criticisms and bug reports. Jamie informed be that I was grumpy, so I'm making a conscious effort to be more mellow about things.

I had the kids this morning while Jamie worked out in the gym. We went over to the new business education building at the U of O. Emma went up and down the long spiral stairs, laughing as she went. They're both great kids and I appreciate them endlessly.

The weekend has come and gone, and an interes...

August 02, 2004 by Adam in Family

The weekend has come and gone, and an interesting one at that. Having Jim and Judy around was very nice and relaxing. They'd play with one kid or the other, leaving Jamie to leisurely go about our day. We went out to dinner with some of Jamie's clan, along with getting ready for the great party Sunday night.

The party was a pretty big get together, with an assortment of neighbors showing up. Virtually all our neighbors are professionals of one sort or another - doctors, engineers, or scientists. A bunch of them have kids as well - some very close in age to our kids. Plus they all seem like really nice folks, if a bit busy with work and children.

Another mocha Friday, and a beautiful one at ...

July 30, 2004 by Adam in Family

Another mocha Friday, and a beautiful one at that too. There's a certain anticipation one gets at the end of the work day on Friday with the sky a lovely shade of blue.

Emma actually cried when I left for work this morning. Jamie was even holding her, so it was quite unusual. It's probably wrong to feel a sense of joy in my child's suffering, though it's good to know I'm loved.

No big weekend plans other than our block party. Even though we've lived here a couple years, we don't know our neighbors all that well. Jim and Judy are coming down to help organize things and hopefully everything will go nicely Sunday night for the big event.

Well, the exploding popcicles weren't nearly ...

July 28, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, the exploding popcicles weren't nearly as exciting as Jamie led on. They merely bubbled over a bit but it was cleaned up in fifteen seconds while holding Emma. No biggie.

Jamie went off last night to hang out with a fellow mom. The kids were in pretty good form and I had Dave and Kirsten for the dinner portion. Sam got the idea to make an ice cream sundae. Even though he wasn't allowed further sweets that day, he compromised and it's now waiting for dessert tonight.

We all wandered over to campus this morning to watch the U of O students put on Alice in Wonderland. Even Emma seemed to enjoy watching it, mesmerized by all those adults acting silly.

I discovered a handy tidbit the other day

July 27, 2004 by Adam in Family

I discovered a handy tidbit the other day. When making popsicles out of carbonated pop, it explodes all over the freezer. Though Jamie had told Sam earler that they couldn't do it, there was never any explaination as to why. Never daunted by Jamie's protocols, I decided to take matters into my own hands. This morning I received a call from her, explaining the rather messy results. Oops.

I had the kids for awhile this morning while Jamie worked out in the basement gym. We wandered about campus, exploring the geology building and visiting the fish in the EMU. Both kids were cheerful and happy, which makes the adventure even more fun.

It was another exciting day Sunday

July 26, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was another exciting day Sunday. Everyone got together for a combined birthday for mom and I. Sam came along to and the two of us spent a bunch of time in Jenny's swimming pool. In between was snacking, chatting, and playing with the massive amounts of toys at Jenny's house.

Jamie went off and had dinner with Angie. Sam unwound by watching television. Emma and I wandered around the house playing, getting sandy, and taking baths.

Hopefully I can get some rest at work today.

It was quite the exciting day yesterday

July 25, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was quite the exciting day yesterday. It began with our traditional hearty breakfast, a trip to the store to get an umbrella for the patio table, and watching Starsky and Hutch in the afternoon. After that, Sam wrote and Jamie filmed a movie that we all worked on. You can find Return of the Sith on the movies page.

Later on, we went to my mom's for dinner, which was great except for the intense heat. Sam had a great time playing with Isabell. I had a good time catching up with Seraph and Robbie, who both seem to be doing quite well.

Today has been fairly low-key. The whole wheat waffles I made for breakfast were a bit too "healthy" tasting. I finished editing Sam's movie, put it on a DVD, and Sam made a case for it. Jamie's given me a whole hour to myself this morning. I managed to finish my computer game, clean the basement, and do all this Internet posting stuff.

It's Friday and there's only a few more minut...

July 23, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's Friday and there's only a few more minutes left in the day. It sounds like I'm going to get the kids for a few hours to myself tonight. I'll have to come up with some interesting plan so I don't go mad.

The week has gone reasonably well, mostly just chugging along day after day. Emma managed to use her little potty, though I think it was a bit of a fluke. Sam's mouth is slowly healing up, though I think it's still uncomfortable.

I'm looking forward to the weekend, especially Sunday afternoon for a little birthday get-together. It's always nice seeing my extended family members.

It's Wednesday already, with not too much exc...

July 21, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's Wednesday already, with not too much excitement happening this week. Emma's been staying up late, so I'm usually watching her before bedtime. So much for my quiet time in the evenings.

Sam's mouth injury is slowly healing, though it still bugs him. His appetite was pretty low the first couple days as eating hurt. Brushing his teeth isn't much fun either. Hopefully it'll be a lesson against the "cool moves" he feels compelled to perform at every chance.

Jamie's shopping for chairs for the kitchen table, in hopes that we don't feel quite so packed each night during dinner.

We're just back from the coast, happy to be home

July 18, 2004 by Adam in Family

We're just back from the coast, happy to be home. It was beautiful weather and we all enjoyed the surf and sand to the utmost. Sam in particular had a great time jumping over waves and generally getting both wet and encrusted in sand. Emma ran around on the beach, walking a surprising amount of time. She thought the waves were both cool and scary, making a surprised face every time the water came in.

It was nice having my mom around to watch the kids a little. Jamie and I had a few moments to ourselves, though it's never as much as I'd like. We lazed about the house a fair bit as well, watching movies and playing games. Good times.

Sam managed to bonk himself pretty good on his lip while doing "cool moves" on the couch. The kids also had a minor breakdown on the way home (I wasn't the model of calm either). Still, we're back safe and sound, slowly getting back into the swing of things.

Well, we're off on our great coast trip today

July 16, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, we're off on our great coast trip today. We've got last minute packing to do and then we pick up my mom before heading west. Everyone's pretty excited to do something a little different this weekend. Hopefully Emma can enjoy the beach a bit more than she has in the past. I suspect there will be many baths this weekend.

Well, I'm cheating a little and having a Moch...

July 15, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, I'm cheating a little and having a Mocha Thursday. The justification is that I'm off tomorrow so today is effectively my Friday. I'm very much looking forward to the trip to the coast tomorrow. It seems like most of our weekends as of late have been at home, which can get a little old.

I bought a cheap portable DVD player that I'm wanting to try out. Hopefully it'll make the trip go quicker for Sam. With luck Emma will sleep through the whole thing too. Quietly sitting in the car for a couple hours actually seems somewhat restful.

Tuesday already

July 13, 2004 by Adam in Family

Tuesday already. I cheated and picked up a cafe mocha this morning, for medicinal purposes of course. I woke up last night with a nasty headache. I think it was because of allergies, though I'm not quite sure. The coffee and Advil haven't completely stomped it out, but I feel much better.

Dave and Kirsten came over Sunday and took the kids to the park. Jamie and I spent a romantic hour and a half . . . rearranging furniture. The latest bed arrangement involves Jamie and I in our bed with a mattress on the floor for Emma. It seems to be working pretty good so far, yet another tiny step to getting Emma in her own bed at night.

Yesterday was somewhat frantic managing the kids, though it was offset by the birthday goodies starting to arrive. I got a nice birthday card from Dorothy. Jamie bought me a "fruit of the month" subscription from Harry and David. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm turning 35 in a week or so. Time seems to go by more quickly every year.

Well, it was another exciting day in the Mill...

July 11, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, it was another exciting day in the Miller-Mellor household. Emma woke up a bit on the early side, so it was shuffling kids, showers, and cooking breakfast until mid morning. The big project of the day was to get the patio furnature out of the garage under our newly finished pergola. With Emma in one hand and the cast iron chairs in the other, I proceeded to carry up most of it. After Jamie took Emma, I carried the really heavy table up.

Later in the day, Sam got to pretend he was Spiderman while I lifted him and swung him about. Now my arms and back are really sore. Ah, the weekend workouts.

Dave and Kirsten came over for dinner, which was nice. I think I had a whole 30 minutes to myself to relax. By bedtime, I was pretty much wiped out. Sam really wanted to play with Legos in the bath, but I needed a time out. He sat quietly in the tub and I read a little Harry Potter. After a few minutes, it was back to Peter Parker and MJ, star crossed lovers.

Another fine Mocha Friday

July 09, 2004 by Adam in Family

Another fine Mocha Friday. It's been pretty busy at work with lots of things to do from my day off yesterday. Fortunately the sun is shining and we don't have any too exciting plans for the weekend.

My morning anniversary was very nice. Jamie was quite surprised that I was staying home and we had a very pleasant breakfast together. The kids were with us most of the day. We took a fussy Emma to dinner and took shifts eating and walking her around.

It's Jamie's and my anniversary

July 08, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's Jamie's and my anniversary. I surprised her by not going to work today. Instead, I'm staying home, helping entertain children, and go out to dinner tonight. I might sneak off with Sam to see Spiderman 2, but we'll just have to see if that works out.

Emma continues to be as cute as a button. She loves to floss and brush her teeth, perhaps as a result of all those new teeth popping in. She's also a big walker now and you'll find her toddling from place to place more often than not.

I have a few more anniversary surprises, mostly just trying to arrange an hour or two for Jamie and I to hang out. In some ways, I'm looking forward even more to my birthday as it looks like my mom, Jamie, the kids, and I are all going to the coast for a few days.

Emma's sleep schedules have been out of kilte...

July 07, 2004 by Adam in Family

Emma's sleep schedules have been out of kilter for awhile. This morning I was woken up by Emma crawling over my sleeping body. Evidently she was up at 4:30 am and by 6:00 am she's still going strong. She did go down pretty well last night, so maybe it's some sort of weird compensation on the other end.

The kids were pretty good last night. I took them to the park where they laughed, ran around, and got far too sandy. Emma somehow got a bunch of sand in her ear, but a patient Jamie plucked it out (I was busy doing Google searches looking for Internet advice).

I went home a little early yesterday, as it w...

July 06, 2004 by Adam in Family

I went home a little early yesterday, as it was the Monday after the 4th and pretty dead at work. Jamie was exhausted as usual and the kids were pretty wild. I managed to get Sam working on river construction project in the front yard that incidentally watered the plants. Emma had great fun splashing in puddles. Both kids got very muddy and wet.

I had a funny moment with Sam when I explained that I didn't want to be outside much longer and that I needed to clean up before we were done. He looked at me seriously and said, "That's understandable."

Emma was up really late again. We're giving her chewing tablets with coffee in them for her new teeth, so perhaps there's a link. Toddlers wired on caffiene are a sight to see, buzzing around the playroom and getting into everything.

It's Monday morning and I've got to get going...

July 05, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's Monday morning and I've got to get going to work in a few minutes. My head's plugged up, hopefully a result of allergies and not some new cold that's passing through our family. I felt a little marginal on occasion this weekend, so it's a possibility.

We didn't do all that much this weekend. I took the kids out for a Sunday morning walk. Unfortunately it turned out with Sam tired and Emma crying all the way back. Plus I burned my finger setting off fireworks for Sam. Sniff.

It wasn't all bad. I had a couple great breakfasts tucked in there. The kids were really funny much of the weekend. I'm looking forward to our anniversary plans this week, though they're a bit loose.

Mocha Friday

July 02, 2004 by Adam in Family

Mocha Friday. Mmm.

Everyone was up late last night. There was a family down the block setting off fireworks, which attracted all the kids in earshot. Pretty soon we had an impromptu fireworks display while all the adults were introducing themselves. There's a ton of new young couples in the neighborhood, typically professionals with kids. There seems to be a big change as of late. Residents like the 105 year-old woman up the street are becoming a rarity.

The pergola (a.k.a. patio cover) should be finished today. All the boards are stained in our back yard, waiting to be put up. The guys we have working on this latest project are really fast, which makes Jamie really happy. She's planning a block party next month, so I think she wants to pretty things up a bit.

It took a long while to get the kids to sleep. It's been really hot and the sun sets late. They were still up after 9 o'clock. I went down and watched Bubba Ho-Tep, a quirky, funny horror movie. Can't wait until the weekend begins.

The kids came over for lunch while Jamie work...

July 01, 2004 by Adam in Family

The kids came over for lunch while Jamie worked out. We've gotten in the habit of exploring campus, poking around in old buildings and seeing the sights. Today we visited the library, wandering the mostly empty halls and looking at a collection of children's illustrations they had out in the hallway. I can't wait for the Natural History Museum and Art Museum to reopen. Those should keep us occupied for days.

Work continues at our house. Brant painted the front steps, which are now so clean that the rest of the house looks dirty. I'm not sure when the porch cover goes up, but that's the next thing on the list.

A bunch of work got done around the house yes...

June 30, 2004 by Adam in Family

A bunch of work got done around the house yesterday. Fortunately none of it was done by me.

The fence went up, making our back yard fully enclosed. I'm looking forward to playing soccer with Sam and not worrying about fetching balls from the neighbor's yard. They still need to stain it, though that should happen soon. The next project is to put up a pergola (also known as a patio cover).

Jamie's brother Brant was here as well, power washing the front porch in preparation for painting. That, unfortunately, I might get suckered into.

Sunday came and went like a blur

June 28, 2004 by Adam in Family

Sunday came and went like a blur. Weekend mornings are my favorite, with some time to myself before the kids get up, followed by a hearty breakfast and a day full of promise. Sam and I went on a crazy path hike in the woods at Hendrick's Park, going to places I'd never been. We returned scratched, smelly, and tired, but had a great time.

There was much playing with kids for the rest of the day. Jamie invited all our neighbors to a block party in a month or so. We're also hoping to get our fence finished up this week, along with a patio cover soon after that.

Now I'm back at work slaving away. Hopefully it'll be a quiet work week.

It was an amazing day - one of those where ev...

June 27, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was an amazing day - one of those where everyone in the family seems to be healthy, happy, and enjoying each other's company. It began with a hearty breakfast, amazing blueberry pancakes that Jamie whipped up. We puttered around, just us and the kids playing together. It was nice not to have anything we had to do for a change.

I watched The Last Samurai and enjoyed it. Sam watched Secondhand Lions and thought it was pretty good too. Emma had a great time playing in the water, the sand, and the bath. Somewhere in the middle the kids and I went to the mall and Toys R Us, buying some presents and goodies for ourselves.

As the day wound down, we ate some amazing spaghetti that Jamie cooked up and hung out in the back yard on the freshly mowed grass eating popsicles (Jamie's work again). Hopefully tomorrow will be as equally relaxing.

Emma was fully wacky last night

June 25, 2004 by Adam in Family

Emma was fully wacky last night. She's been skipping her second nap lately, which causes her to get overly tired and cranky as the evening progresses. I ended up putting her to sleep with AC/DC and Winamp visualizations, something I haven't had to do in awhile.

Our whole family tromped over the hill to my mom's house, trying to solve the mystery of the missing pickup truck. We haven't found any messages on the answering machine, the truck wasn't there, and calling Caesar's house has been fruitless. So, make of it what you will.

It's Friday, mocha day, and I'm enjoying the morning so far. I've got a fairly big work project that I've decided to do. It's one of those things that could be really useful but no one's quite sure how to get started. Ah, the joys of web development.

I got to go out to dinner with Jamie last nig...

June 23, 2004 by Adam in Family

I got to go out to dinner with Jamie last night, with Yayoe keeping an eye on the kids. Unfortunately the restaraunt we were planning to go to was closed and I was sporting a headache that never seemed to go away. Fortunately the Lucky Noodle was down the block, which had some damn fine good food. Upon returning, the kids were neither cooked nor eaten and Emma was fast asleep.

I did perform a bird rescue last night. I kept hearing a weird thumping noise from outside the basement window. It turned out a bird had gotten stuck in one of the window wells. I donned a long sleeve shirt and gloves then bravely picked up the little bird, who just sat there after I set him on the ground. Hopefully he made it out into the wide world today.

Update: When I checked this morning, the bird had jumped back into the window well, stuck again. I threw on some gloves and this time took him further away into the bushes. We'll see if his tiny bird-brain can figure it out from there.

It's been hot

June 22, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's been hot. Way too hot.

All Sam wanted to do when I got home last night was to play Harry Potter. We played with Legos. We re-enacted parts of the movie. It never seemed to stop. I finally couldn't do it any more, and Sam looked wistfully sad until I tucked him into bed and read him the latest comic book.

Emma missed an afternoon nap and was wacky most of the night. She alternated between being cute as a button and crying hysterically for most of the night. By bedtime, Jamie and I were pretty exhausted.

Jamie and Emma made it back safe and sound fr...

June 21, 2004 by Adam in Family

Jamie and Emma made it back safe and sound from Portland. They left a little early, coming back around two in the afternoon. Sam and I had a library visit, some miniature golf, and lots of Lego playing by then. I think Sam wishes he could have spent even more time with me, which was a nice Father's Day present in its own way.

I went to my dad's to wish him a happy Father's day as well, along with Seraph, Robbie, Isabell, Hanni, and Jenny. It sounds like everyone's doing well. Robbie was busy preparing for his new teaching job. Seraph was bemoaning the fact that she looked far too normal to fit in at an art school. Jenny was enjoying a few moments of calm as her kids were with their dad.

After that, Jamie's family descended on our house for an improptu dinner. The kids were pretty wacky by the end of the day so we shuffled them to bed as soon as humanly possible. It's pretty warm tonight, so I've been hiding out in the cool basement. Back to work tomorrow . . .

Guy's weekend has begun

June 20, 2004 by Adam in Family

Guy's weekend has begun.

I came home early from work yesterday and got Jamie off to Portland. We proceeded to charge up my dead battery, try out the slip-and-slide in the backyard, and play lots of Legos.

Today was even more filled than the day before. It started with a hearty breakfast, food shopping, washing the car, and seeing the new Harry Potter movie. Sam loved it and couldn't stop talking about it for the rest of the day. As soon as we arrived home, he had to have it be our latest "play pretend" game.

We puttered around for the rest of the day, exploring the hidden parts of the attic, shoveling bark-o-mulch, and breaking out the slip-and-slide once again. I managed to break it but it didn't matter much. Pouring water directly on it worked fine when I'd set it up on our little hill.

We had corn-on-the cob for dinner, chatting at the table as I wondered in amazement at how grown up he seems. During the nightly bath, we waved to grandma Sue in the general direction of Russia. It's a good life.

It's mocha Friday, though I haven't gotten my...

June 18, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's mocha Friday, though I haven't gotten my mocha quite yet. It was really hot yesterday. Jamie handed me the kids at lunch yesterday while she went to the gym. We ate our typical bagel then entertained ourselves with the architecture of the new business building at the U of O.

Brant was over for dinner last night. Jamie wanted to pry information from him concerning his upcoming move to Bend, but I think she mostly got a few grunts in typical Brant fashion.

Sam and I's guy weekend starts this evening. I borrowed the neighbor's battery recharger so that we'd be properly mobile. The tickets to Camp Putt are in my bag. I've reviewed Harry Potter showtimes. We should be good to go.

I will miss Jamie and Emma, however. Emma's been staying up later these days, giving us 20-30 minutes each night to putter around with just her. I read books to her and played with blocks last night. She's such a sweet kid.

It's been a fairly quiet week so far

June 16, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's been a fairly quiet week so far. Jamie spent some time with Angie last night and I took the kids to the park. The weather has been beautiful the last couple of days after our week of rain. I'm looking forward to Sam's and my "guy weekend", though Jamie worries that I'm making too big a deal of it. Already Sam has a list of all the exciting things we'll be doing once the girls are out of the house. Good times.

It was another quiet day yesterday

June 14, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was another quiet day yesterday. The kids woke up really early, which left Jamie and I in a tired daze later in the day. I actually took an unheard of nap on the couch while Sam played with paper castle models.

We did a store run and later took a walk around the neighborhood looking for items on our treasure hunt. Jamie got extra points for finding a "severed head" (one a restroom sign - the round heads were disconnected from the body). The other things on the list were much easier.

Emma's still a little sick, but seemingly on the mend. She mostly had a hard time with sleep, but seemed quite cheery whenever she was awake and playing. She's gotten quite interested in books, reading to herself in the car on occasion.

The day began with a hearty breakfast, then l...

June 13, 2004 by Adam in Family

The day began with a hearty breakfast, then later took a turn for the worst when I got stung on my foot by a bee then poked in the eye by Emma. Emma's also been sick today, so she's a little grumpy. Later on I did some prep work for the patio cover, sanding and painting as needed.

Still, I wasn't injured for long, other than sore biceps from a gym workout combined with carrying heavy things off the porch. Sam was calling me "jelly arms" by the end of the day.

We all sat on our front lawn playing with bubbles, then ate tacos and enjoyed the weekend evening.

It's mocha Friday and I'm busy buzzing my way...

June 11, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's mocha Friday and I'm busy buzzing my way through the morning. The week has gone reasonably well. My cough has finally faded, which I'm thankful for. Jamie and the kids seem to be doing reasonably well, trying to adjust to a no-school Summer. Jamie's trying to line up babysitters and play dates so that she doesn't go mad watching two kids all day long. Emma's getting braver with her walking, taking steps like she's practicing some sort of rare martial art. Crawling is still faster and more reliable.

We're getting yet more work done on our house. This time we're putting up a cover over the patio and finishing fencing in the back yard. It looks like we get to do some prep work - sanding, priming, and paining the board that it'll attach to. With luck, it'll start tomorrow.

I'm also trying to arrange some time to spend with Jamie. I have a gift certificate to the Locomotive that I'd love to take her to. If there are any volunteer babysitters out there, let me know.

It was pouring down rain this morning, leavin...

June 08, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was pouring down rain this morning, leaving me soggy after my bike ride into work. For some odd reason I'm more cheerful than I've been for the last couple days.

Jamie and the kids got me an early father's day present by going to get their portraits taken. It was great, especially as I'd been lamenting not having a good portrait of Emma. It also sounds like the weekend after next will be an "all boys" weekend, with Jamie and Emma going to Portland to visit her mom. I'm sure we'll do some hiking, go out to a movie, and play lots and lots of Legos.

Today seemed a bit bumpier than yesterday

June 07, 2004 by Adam in Family

Today seemed a bit bumpier than yesterday. I made the mistake of drinking too much coffee and not eating enough, which put me in a grumpy mood. I was also watching Sam and Josh for much of the day, trying to find things that would entertain the three of us. I did reasonably well, though I think Jamie was upset with the amount of computer playing that went on.

We did manage to make it to Hendrick's Park and introduced Josh to the concept of "crazy paths". We ended up getting pretty muddy and wet, but had a great time doing it.

It's the end of a pleasant Saturday, everyone...

June 06, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's the end of a pleasant Saturday, everyone asleep except for me. Everyone seemed in a pretty good mood and we tried hard not to accomplish to much of anything important. Sure, there was some laundry done and we managed to walk down to the library, but it seemed incidental to the playing and relaxing that we tried to do.

Emma has become quite fond of bubbles, making a blowing face and saying "baba" when she thinks of them. Then she'll stand there and giggle while trying to pop the bubbles. All my kids are characters. Sam is fond of puns and silly situations and loves to try to get Emma to laugh.

I think tomorrow we're having Jamie's dad over for breakfast, and possibly the boys as well (as Jamie refers to Brant and Dave). Hopefully I can continue to do a whole lotta nothing.

It was a fairly chaotic day today

June 03, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a fairly chaotic day today. My cough continues to annoy me, and I was unfortunately a bit testy with Jamie. I also had a flat tire this morning and since my car battery was dead as well, I ended up walking to work. Emma had her check-up at the doctor, getting three shots in the process. Sam just wanted to play, play, play by the time I got home. Four hours later when I tucked everyone to bed I was completely wiped out.

I've spent the last hour eating cereal and surfing the web. Soon I'll close my bleary eyes and fall into sweet oblivion.

Having that extra day off on Monday was beyon...

June 01, 2004 by Adam in Family

Having that extra day off on Monday was beyond pleasant. The morning seemed almost decadent with Sam away. I had several hours to myself in the morning, then I took Emma to Metropol for goodies and watching people make pizza. Jamie and I had the longest breakfast together in recent memory, chit chatting away over scones and coffee.

My friend Chris came over while Emma was napping, allowing the three of us to talk like adults for an entire hour. While this seems mundane, it's such a rarity that it was remarkable.

A bit after noon I picked up Sam and the bundle of energy that he is. The entire drive back, he talked about "Dragonslayer", a game he made up on the spot. It did make the drive back pretty quick, though upon his return he had to reinact all the parts from the game. Emma was my faithful puppy and every time I said the word "puppy", she'd say "woof woof!".

Towards the end of the day, it was pretty clear that Sam was overly excited by the weekend's events. We tucked him into bed, read him his Star Wars comic, and got him to bed. It's hard to imagine that he graduates from preschool this Friday.

I decided to be productive this morning and s...

May 30, 2004 by Adam in Family

I decided to be productive this morning and spread a bunch of bark-o-mulch. Unfortunately Jamie's hearing must be improving after a week of plugged ears. I woke her up and the kids came with her.

I played a ton with Sam, getting my weekend's worth of playing in a couple hours. Then it was Emma's birthday party with the grandparents and a few other odds and ends. Sam departed with Jim and Judy for Portland, making it safe and sound. The house is pretty quiet without him.

Jamie, Emma, and I went shopping where I picked up some pyjamas, jeans, and tank tops. Then it was back home for a low-key evening. I'm hoping tomorrow is quiet as well, though I'll be heading to Jamie's birthday party for a little family entertainment.

It was busy at work, trying to catch up after...

May 28, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was busy at work, trying to catch up after two days of meetings. I walked home for lunch, watching the kids while Jamie shopped, then trudged back to work again. It was my substitute work-out as I'd forgotten all of my gym clothes.

My mom came over for dinner, after which she and Jamie went over business while I entertained children. Emma got to have some ice cream after dinner as a birthday treat. She seemed to like it quite a bit.

I think we're doing a small birthday for Emma this Saturday, mostly just the grandparents to try to keep the chaos in our house to a minimum. Then Sam is whisked away by Jim and Judy until next Monday.

BEWARE

May 27, 2004 by Jamie in Family

BEWARE...it may not be just the heat. Stomach flu is making its rounds at the preschool...as we learned yesterday when I was working ;-) Get well soon, Isa!

Oops

May 26, 2004 by Adam in Family

Oops. Indiscreet. I knew it was one of those one-word things. Anyway, it was a great movie.

I had a weird work day today which has me a bit befuddled. It started off with frantically reading e-mail, then spending the morning coming up with a team mission statement. In the afternoon, we drove an hour to the coast to take a one-hour "team building" ride on the dunes. Then it was another drive back to eat a quick dinner and get the kids ready for bed.

Sam was bouncing around and drinking so much water from the bath that he threw up. Emma hardly napped at all, though she's started taking more little steps.

I'm beat, driving out to the coast again for more meetings, and looking forward to the weekend ahead.

Well, that shows how much Adam paid attention

May 25, 2004 by Jamie in Family

Well, that shows how much Adam paid attention...the movie was INDISCREET... he rented it ;-)

The weekend has come and gone in a blur, as i...

May 24, 2004 by Adam in Family

The weekend has come and gone in a blur, as is typical these days. The most notable thing I can remember is that Jamie and I managed to sit down and watch an old movie - Notorius with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. We had to get two babysitters and watch it in two parts, but it was a nice reminder of the way we used to spend time together. Sam did get pretty sandy playing in the back yard with Graham, the afternoon babysitter, though I think they had a great time getting that way.

Emma's creeping up on her first birthday later this week. I think we're going to be pretty low-key about it. The cold that we all have is still lingering. I've got some work-related travel in the middle of this week. Next weekend Sam's heading to Portland for a few days. Lots of excitement coming up.

This morning I helped out at Sam's preschool. The kids made paper and ran all over the place. Sam's graduating next week. It's hard to imagine that in a few more months he'll be going to kindergarden. Time goes fast.

The workday is winding up, the caffiene still...

May 21, 2004 by Adam in Family

The workday is winding up, the caffiene still coursing through my veins this cloudy afternoon. Jamie whisked me away this morning while Sam was at school, taking me to tea. It was quite lovely and Emma had a good time dipping her Cheerios in jelly and clotted cream. I think Jamie's misses the days when we could hang out in coffee shops reading, watch old movies, and go for long walks. I miss them too.

I have no idea what I'm doing this weekend. There's a big pile of bark-o-mulch that's waiting to be spread about. Jamie's hoping for some recovery time to get over her ear infection and cold. I may end up renting some movies for Jamie and Sam, then see if I can get some things done during Emma's naps.

We had an interesting night last night, headi...

May 20, 2004 by Adam in Family

We had an interesting night last night, heading out to Urgent Care for most of the evening. Jamie was feeling the beginnings of an ear infection and she needed some antibiotics. That was the beginning of a little adventure that took seemingly forever, though the kids had a good time looking at all the fish in the fish tanks. We finally got the antibiotics way past the kids' bedtime, so we headed home and quickly got them to bed.

We've all been feeling this cold, with Emma seeming the most miserable. When I came home, she had been crying nonstop for awhile. A warm bath calmed her down, but it took a number of tricks to keep her happy for the rest of the evening. Hopefully it'll pass soon.

Our great accomplishment of Sunday was to fin...

May 17, 2004 by Adam in Family

Our great accomplishment of Sunday was to finish up Sam's bathroom. All the wainscotting and painting was finished by Seraph on Friday, but it took us awhile to put in the new outlet and switches, hang the medicine cabinet and shelf, and generally clean up. It looks very nice and hopefully Sam will keep it relatively intact over the next few years.

We also took care of more mundane things, such as going shopping. The kids and I played in the sandbox while Jamie visited with Angie. We made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for dessert. It was all good.

What a day! It started with me taking Emma t...

May 16, 2004 by Adam in Family

What a day! It started with me taking Emma to Metropol, just like I used to take Sam when he was a baby. When I returned, I discovered we were out of coffee so I rushed off to pick up that and other critical items at the store. It was a wonderful breakfast full of scrumptious treats.

From ten to noon I helped Seraph and Robbie pack. It was a little sad, though I got their assurance that they'd be returning to Eugene once they were done with school. I got pretty exhausted towards noon and returned home hungry yet again.

After lunch I worked on replacing outlets in Sam's new bathroom, which took far longer than anyone thought. It wasn't until after dinner that I actually finished the job. Somewhere in the middle Emma got tired and Sam and I went to Hendrick's park to get out of the house.

We took a path that I'd never taken before and ended up in a part of the park that was far off the beaten path. After ten or so minutes, all we could see were trees and ferns all around us. After awhile, the trail vanished and we ended up trying to circle through the underbrush to make it back. It took far longer than we thought, Sam thinking it was a grand adventure the whole time. We finally made it home, exhausted and hungry yet again.

It's Mocha Friday, though I'm not quite yet t...

May 14, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's Mocha Friday, though I'm not quite yet to work. Still waking up.

I had the kids again during lunch yesterday and we ran down to the duck pond to see the baby ducks and the nutria. Sam and Emma both seemed mesmerized by the rat-like creatures. It was a beautiful day and getting outside was quite nice.

Seraph has been slaving away upstairs this week, working on painting and wainscotting Sam's bathroom. A couple days ago they had terrible luck with a nailgun, as the air compressor kept tripping the breaker. She spent the day yesterday doing it the old fashion way which worked well enough. It'll be very nice when it's finished, which should be today.

I'm not sure what the weekend will bring. I'm helping Seraph and Robbie move on Saturday. There's lots of house chores I could do. Personally I'd like to have a little quiet time with my family, if such a thing is possible.

I had a really good afternoon yesterday, thou...

May 13, 2004 by Adam in Family

I had a really good afternoon yesterday, though I'm not sure why. When I arrived, I grabbed the kids and headed outside. We ended up in the sand box, burying each kid in turn to their waist. Even Emma thought it was great fun, giggling as she patted the sand on her toes. Afterwards, Sam wanted to be hosed off, but it was far too cold.

We piled in the bath, got relatively clean, then watched X-Men 2 and ate pizza that Jamie had ordered. Later, we got the kids ready for bed and I read Sam his Start Wars comic book until it was time for me to go.

It was quite the contrast to spending the day in a meeting with Microsoft reps, mostly folding my cough-drop papers into tiny airplanes.

I had the kids yesterday during lunch while J...

May 12, 2004 by Adam in Family

I had the kids yesterday during lunch while Jamie worked out. We hiked over to the EMU on campus and watched the fish in the indoor pond. Sam and Emma both thought it was pretty cool. I had to distract Emma with an orange in order to keep her from climbing in and swimming with the fishes herself.

My cold is getting a bit worse, I think, but not as bad as the ones over the winter. I'm sure I'll manage.

Well, it looks like we're all sick

May 11, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, it looks like we're all sick. I feel pretty good other than a nagging cough. Sam's sniffly and was up quite a bit last night. Emma's a little grumpy and so far Jamie seems the only one untouched.

It was a fairly quiet night last night. Emma was very wiggly and kept wanting to crawl upstairs to Jamie. Sam mostly played on the computer while I was here. It's sometimes hard to get the energy up to entertain two children at once, especially when I'm not feeling so great. Hopefully this one will pass quickly.

The cousins all had a great time running arou...

May 10, 2004 by Adam in Family

The cousins all had a great time running around together last night. It was a bit daunting trying to keep everyone safe as they tore around in my mom's back yard, but I think the broken bones were kept to a minimum. They all seemed to have a great time and Sam didn't particularly want to leave.

Seraph starts slaving away at our house for the week, doing some work in Sam's bathroom that Jamie's been wanting to do. Jamie's also "snack mom" at the preschool today and I might try biking over to help during her time of need.

It's the typical Monday morning, lots of things to fix and take care of here at work. Better start slaving away soon.

The weekend seems a blur and it's not even ov...

May 09, 2004 by Adam in Family

The weekend seems a blur and it's not even over yet. Friday night, my dad and Yayoe came over for a nice dinner. Saturday I watched the kids in the morning while Jamie did gardening, then we switched and I ran errands. One of the things I managed to do was get Jamie's computer hooked up to the Internet again. She sat down to check e-mail and was rewarded by endless spam for viagra and enlarging body parts.

Saturday night had Jamie's family over, enchiladas for everyone. Sunday morning we had my mom over for breakfast. After lunch we walked down by the river and enjoyed the cool weather. A lovely mother's day for all.

It's Mocha Friday at work today, so I'm feeli...

May 07, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's Mocha Friday at work today, so I'm feeling fairly perky. We shuffled the kids off to bed early last night then watched the Friends finale like millions of other Americans. It was a bit nostalgic, mostly because Jamie and I started dating when it first began.

I spread bark-o-mulch last night while Emma played in the sandbox and Sam pretended I was a slave. The game was that we were trying to escape from some evil overlord. Basically he ran around finding hidden escape routes while I kept shoveling bark. The vegitable garden and area under the fence is covered, though there's plenty more to do. The fence is almost completely finished now, with only a small part needing to be stained. It's quite different from the giant laurels, but it's pretty in its own way.

We have lots of family visits this weekend, with my dad and Yayoe coming over tonight, then a bit mother's day event at my mom's on Sunday. Hopefully I can get Jamie's computer hooked up to the network and spread the rest of the bark. No rest for the weary!

The kids woke up earlier than usual, so I had...

May 06, 2004 by Adam in Family

The kids woke up earlier than usual, so I had to sneak up and say hello while I was getting ready for work. Emma glommed on to me immediately, wanting me to carry her about everywhere. Sam came down shortly after that and it quickly became very hard to go to work.

I finally pried myself away with promises that I'd see them soon. We have a plan where Jamie will leave the kids with me for lunch while she uses the gym. If it goes well, it may be a regular Tuesday/Thursday thing. Unfortunately it means giving up a couple workouts on my part, but there's simply not enough time to go around these days.

The weekend is coming to an end

May 03, 2004 by Adam in Family

The weekend is coming to an end. My skin is burned and scratched, but I'm strangely happy. It began with all of us piling into bed and giggling as the kids slowly woke up, then a trip to Metropol for sweets and bread. While the kids and I played with Legos, Jamie had her quiet breakfast-making time, then we scarfed down a hearty breakfast.

Sam and I played a fair bit, getting our Star Wars Lego activities in for the day, then we began getting ready to clear out the bushes Dave yanked out a couple weeks ago.

Yesterday, my task was to help the neighbors' oil the new fence that's going in. It's nearly finished and looks quite nice. I miss the huge laurels a little, but they were a huge amount of work to maintain and clean up the leaves.

Today, I hauled off lots of yard debris, returning with a pickup load of bark-o-mulch. It took well over two hours to get it all moved over and at the end of the day I was hot and sweaty. The solution, of course, was an impromptu water fight with Sam. We ended up getting drenched and laughing endlessly.

I relieved Jamie and played with both kids outside. Emma was doing her usual "What's that?" and waving at everyone who walked by. She's also standing much more and much longer. Walking is just around the corner.

As another beautiful day wound down, my mom took Sam out to ice cream. I played "drop the baby" on the bed, which Emma loves, and Jamie enjoyed the quiet for a little.

It's Friday, the work day slowly winding down

April 30, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's Friday, the work day slowly winding down. I had a visit this morning from Jamie and Emma. We got some coffee and walked about campus. Emma was quite friendly and curious, pointing and saying "What's that?" at every person and thing that caught her interest. One of these days I'll have to arrange some time just hanging out with Jamie. She's pretty cool, after all.

I'm not sure how the weekend will shape up. I've got a bunch of projects I'd like to get done. I could enjoy a little goofing off as well, though that's a rare and special thing these days. I can't remember the last time I was bored.

With our basement remodel a distant memory, J...

April 29, 2004 by Adam in Family

With our basement remodel a distant memory, Jamie is starting to rev up her home improvement engines. The current thought is to get some sort of shade-providing structure to go over our patio where the roof once stood (and was torn down as it was rotting away). With the neighbor putting up a new fence, the thought is now to enclose our entire back yard. We had one person come by last night to throw out some bids, and someone else arriving today. Hopefully it's much less disruptive than the last big remodel.

The weekend is sneaking up on us faster than I thought it might. I think I have some dump runs and bark-o-mulch spreading to do. Hopefully we can do some fun stuff in between the usual home upkeep tasks.

Well, the beach is behind us and we're slowly...

April 28, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, the beach is behind us and we're slowly adjusting to civilian life. Work wasn't as bad as I thought it would be after being gone for essentially four days. Sure, I had 200 e-mails, but the vast majority of it was spam. By the end of the day I had cleaned up most of the issues with the exception of a semi-large project that I should finish this morning.

The beautiful weather had everyone in good spirits. Jamie and I alternated watching kids while we did outdoor things. The fence was mended, a crack in the masonry repaired, and the new vegitables got in the ground. We took one small step back with Josh breaking a branch off the tree the hammock was tied to, though we managed to repair it for the time being.

Back from the beach, a beautiful laid-back we...

April 27, 2004 by Adam in Family

Back from the beach, a beautiful laid-back weekend that I'll sorely miss. Sam especially had a wonderful time playing with relatives and trips to the beach. He could not get enough of the sand and waves. Virtually every trip to the water ended up with Sam stripping naked and taking a shower to get out the sand. With Jim, Judy, Dave, Kirsten, and Josh, there were enough bodies to go around to give Jamie and I some actual breaks. I managed to see Master and Commander, read a bit, and even have a few moments of puttering around.

The trip back was a bit lengthy, with Emma having a minor melt down for the last twenty minutes. It took forever to unpack and we had just enough time to mow the lawn before heading into our usual evening routine. Tomorrow it's back to work for me, sifting through e-mail and trying to take care of the assorted crises.

Ah, how I'll miss the sound of surf.

It's beach day

April 24, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's beach day. Jamie, Emma, and I didn't get much sleep last night. Emma cried and cried until I entertained her for about an hour in the middle of the night. I also had a really dry throat that kept waking me up. Sam, fortunately, can sleep through anything and seems quite energized this morning.

Time to make a Metropol run, eat a hearty breakfast, and pack up the car. Yippie!

Today was a day of mucus and kids, blended to...

April 24, 2004 by Adam in Family

Today was a day of mucus and kids, blended together in a rather unsavory mess. It started early, around 1 am to be honest. I went in to work to help with some network stuff. Fortunately it worked this time, as it didn't work the last 1 am downtime we did. I crawled back into bed and slept as best I could.

Mostly I watched kids and tried to do a little work. I went shopping with Jamie and Emma while Sam was at school, as well as picking up movies for the weekend. After lunch, I played with Sam quite a bit. While he was having his quiet time, I went and picked up a ton of books from the library. The evening slowly wound down, with a brief appearance from Angie and my mom.

Tomorrow we're getting ready for the beach trip. Should be fun.

It was a day away from my official work

April 21, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a day away from my official work. Instead, I helped out at Sam's preschool and watched kids for most of the afternoon. Preschool was pretty fun, as we had a field trip to a music store. The guy who was showing off the instruments was a born performer and was both funny and interesting. The kids had a great time. Sam especially liked the drums and the electric guitar, suggesting noisy teenage years ahead.

Jamie went to Costco while I watched the kids. We made impromptu musical instruments, created a marble rolling track, fiddled with Legos, and watched a bit of the Two Towers.

My new sound system arrived yesterday and I got it all hooked up. I'm still going through my long list of broken things and getting it fixed. The last remaining part is getting Jamie's computer hooked up to the Internet again. Unfortunately it's turning out to be trickier than I had hoped.

Sadly, the lovely two days of the weekend hav...

April 19, 2004 by Adam in Family

Sadly, the lovely two days of the weekend have come to a close. My mom came over to watch the kids for a bit, giving Jamie and I a few moments of leisure. Mostly we stayed inside as the weather was lousy, entertaining kids as best we can.

Sam and I made pizza last night. When he got to eat it, he started exclaimining "this is the best pizza ever!" By the time he was down to a few scraps, he was convinced it was horrible. Oh fickle boy.

It's looking to be an odd week for me. This Friday I'm working at 1 am again, then heading out to the coast for a three day weekend.

It was a pretty full day yesterday

April 18, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a pretty full day yesterday. I ran off in the morning to pick a bunch of home improvement supplies. Hopefully the raw material will translate into a working network for Jamie's computer and wainscoting for Sam's bathroom. Dave came over later in the morning and took out the lilac bushes to make way for a fence. Hopefully we'll have a fenced backyard to pen the kids in one of these days.

Brant's birthday was yesterday, so Jamie's brothers and respective girlfriends came over for a birthday dinner. Jamie cooked up a tasty treat and everyone was in good spirits. Emma was a bit cranky around bedtime, but I kept her company until she was ready to go to sleep.

Friday is always such a cheerful day here at ...

April 16, 2004 by Adam in Family

Friday is always such a cheerful day here at work, and today is no exception. A mocha warms my belly and the sun is shining through the window. The promise of a weekend is held out as a reward for just sitting in front of my computer all day. Ah, joy.

Jamie came down to the guest bedroom and woke me up, hearing strange noises about the house. I threw on my glasses and came out in full sweatshirt and boxer regalia, prepared to face any foe. It was fairly anticlimactic as the noises had faded by the time I came upstairs. I fell asleep next to a wiggly Emma and woke up to an odd scurrying sound. I'm now convinced that it was either squirrels or raccoons running around on our roof, but it's hard to say. There was a squirrel looking at me funny as I went to coffee this morning, so perhaps it's a vast squirrel conspiracy.

I started having a nasty headache last night,...

April 13, 2004 by Adam in Family

I started having a nasty headache last night, after playing with Sam outside before dinner. I suspect it's allergy-related, but that didn't help much. This morning I woke up with the aforementioned headache, which only subsided after the 4th Advil and a healthy dose of medicinal cafe mocha. Now, painless and perky, things seem much better.

Some of the things that were broken over the weekend are started to get taken care of. The washing machine is functional again, due to Jamie's quick scheduling of a repair guy. I'm about to buy a new set of speakers for the living room television.

Sam and Emma were so cute last night. We were getting ready to get them to bed, bleary-eyed ourselves. Sam started singing a little song for Emma and she joined in, clapping and wiggling about. Those are the moments that make it all worthwhile.

We all decided to get out of our funk and hea...

April 12, 2004 by Adam in Family

We all decided to get out of our funk and head out to 5th Street market. It was a beautiful day and we ended up sitting and listening to a Jazz band on the patio for quite awhile. Emma had a great time seeing the sights, pointing and making curious noises. Sam helped me chomp down on a Metropol scone and we had a jolly good time.

We discovered that Emma is getting her second tooth, which explains her somewhat grumpy demenor, drooling, and desire to eat everything. She's also a huge fan of people food, so we give her nearly everything that we're eating at the dinner table.

Happy Easter to all

April 11, 2004 by Adam in Family

Happy Easter to all. Sam got pretty suspicious after the egg hunt, asking poingnant questions. I think he figured out the truth by the afternoon.

Everything I touched broke this weekend. I know everyone will say that I'm just imagining things, but the following items seemed to break this weekend: the t.v.'s speaker system, the washing machine, the plants (which were trampled during the bush removal), the wireless network on Jamie's computer, and the floppy drive on Jamie's computer. I've unfortunately been stressing about them all.

Jamie's been pressing me into painting the bathroom, which we haven't gotten around to after the holiday plumbling issues. It's the same pinkish hue. Hopefully it'll look okay.

The work day is winding down on a beautiful F...

April 09, 2004 by Adam in Family

The work day is winding down on a beautiful Friday afternoon. The sun is shining and the trees are swaying in the breeze. Can't wait to get home.

We don't have any particular weekend plans. Rumor has it that the fence between us and our neighbor is coming down today, so I suspect we may be doing some cleanup related to that. We'll be dying Easter eggs tomorrow and doing our traditional in-house hunt for eggs and goodies Sunday morning. Other than that, it would be nice to take it easy.

The week's been good, if a bit ordinary. Most days after work I play with the kids outside, breaking for dinner, then getting them to bed. If I'm lucky, I'll have an hour or so to myself at the end of the day.

Sunday went fast, perhaps in part due to Dayl...

April 05, 2004 by Adam in Family

Sunday went fast, perhaps in part due to Daylight Saving's Time. The kids have not adjusted even a little, so everyone woke up late and went to bed late. Dave and Kirsten watched the kids for a couple hours during the day, which gave Jamie and I some time to ourselves. We also accomplished our lengthy list of things to do, including shopping, a library trip, washing vehicles, and cutting down shrubbery.

Our neighbor is planning on putting in a new fence, so he's clearing out bushes this weekend. Jamie's getting excited about putting in a matching fence on the other side, especially after seeing that we're getting a fair bit back from taxes. I'm advocating for Emma's college education, but Jamie thinks that having her marry a doctor is a better solution.

Hope everyone sprung forward an hour successf...

April 04, 2004 by Adam in Family

Hope everyone sprung forward an hour successfully this morning. I'm still trying to adjust to the fact that it's now considered close to 6:30, when it feels like I just got up. Tomorrow I'll be breaking out my bike lights and heading to work in the cold.

I had the kids most of the day yesterday, which began with a hearty breakfast of crepes and vegetarian bacon. Plus coffee. Mmmm . . . coffee. Then it was outside to play until Emma's nap. Sam and I played a bit on the computer, Jamie went off to play croquet at Angie's house. The kids and I did a park run then fiddled around until Jamie's return.

The evening was spent at the Jello Art exhibit at the Maude Kern's gallery, which was great fun. Sam discovered he liked Jello, though thankfully not by eating someone's piece of art. We headed off to Metropol for bread, sandwiches, and chocolate mousse. Great stuff.

It's Friday, in the last few minutes before I...

April 02, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's Friday, in the last few minutes before I leave work for home. The sun is shining and it promises to be a beautiful weekend. It's a good feeling.

I spent this morning at Sam's preschool, helping Jamie out with her duties for the day. I hauled around kids in a wagon, extracted a thorn, helped put on countless helmets, and whipped a group of five-year-olds into an improptu chain gang dedicated to putting away blocks. I couldn't wait to get back to work so I could rest.

I'm going to try hard to fiddle around and kick back this weekend, something I rarely get a chance to do. True, I might have to sweat a bit and strain some muscles to accomplish that degree of lethargy, but I'll do my best.

In honor of April Fool's Day, I will simply d...

April 01, 2004 by Adam in Family

In honor of April Fool's Day, I will simply direct you to this article. I won't even attempt to top these classics.

It was a beautiful, sunny day when I headed out this morning. I quickly realized it was still quite chilly and froze my fingers off on the way into work. The last of Seraph's cake is gone, nibbled away durning lunch today. I will miss it greatly.

I've set aside some "quality time" to spend w...

March 31, 2004 by Adam in Family

I've set aside some "quality time" to spend with Seraph's cake. I've been eating it for lunch and after dinner for the last couple days, an experience that lifts me blissfully from the rest of life's cares. Sadly, it probably won't last the day.

The week seems to move along. My huge piles of things to do at work are slowly fading. Sadie and my mom came over to visit before she left, which was very nice. The next day Sam made up a little letter to send to her.

I'm hoping for a quiet weekend, possibly even spending time with Jamie. The weather's supposed to be nice as well, so some outside time with the kids would be welcome.

Well, the weekend is over and I'm back to the...

March 29, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, the weekend is over and I'm back to the daily grind. The weekend seemed a string of events amidst a backdrop of playing with kids. Saturday Sam and I went to see my friend Chris where we exchanged some computer games. Sunday I took both kids hiking, which ended in everyone crying and me carrying them both out. They perked back up when we rented movies and Sam watched Swiss Family Robinson for most of the weekend. Jamie did a bunch of scrap booking, something she's been wanting to do for a long while. I avoided doing taxes for yet another weekend.

Last night was a big Easter gathering. Sadie looked tired, cooking far too much. An armada of children were running about swinging sticks at each other. Fortunately no one's eyes were poked out. Seraph made my absolutely favorite cake ever, which is still in my refrigerator as I haven't found time to eat it. Such is life.

Well, the new web server is in place

March 27, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, the new web server is in place. I must be getting pretty good with this sort of thing as it took me less than an hour to fiddle with everything.

Dave and Kirsten watched the kids tonight while Jamie and I went out to Ambrosia. It was nice to have a conversation with her without being interrupted by anyone. Quiet moments together are a rarity.

My mom and Sadie came over last night for dinner

March 26, 2004 by Adam in Family

My mom and Sadie came over last night for dinner. It was great seeeing Sadie again, who seems her usual young and witty self. She had a great time playing with Sam, encouraging him to make a sign that said "Sadie and Sam are Super Bad". It's probably a good thing she lives on the East coast, otherwise she'd be busy getting Sam into all sorts of trouble.

It's Mocha Friday, which I'm thankful for. I'm very much looking forward to the weekend in hopes that I get a few moments to rest. The reality is that it seems to already be filling up with plans, most of them fun things.

As I type away, I have four big bandages on m...

March 25, 2004 by Adam in Family

As I type away, I have four big bandages on my chest. I had a couple moles that I wanted to remove, so I did the deed today. I'm a little hesitant moving around, but otherwise okay. It didn't hurt much at all, except for the shots of anesthetic. Sam sat with me the whole time, making sure I was okay. He had been proudly announcing to everyone that I'd be getting "surgery" today.

Sadie is back in town, though I have to take Jamie's word for it. I've yet to see her and probably won't until tomorrow. Sniff.

Other tidbits: work's very busy, though I managed to unload some projects to my teammate. The computer I ordered for a web server replacement has arrived. I'll be getting things ready and plugging it in later this weekend.

Well, the weekend's over

March 22, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, the weekend's over. It was a pretty good one, as weekends go, seeming to last for three days because I ended up working at one o'clock in the morning Friday. Mostly we hung out as a family, ferrying the kids about.

Emma discovered the power of a zerbert, making funny noises on Jamie's stomach by blowing. She'd try it out, look up at Jamie and laugh, then do it again. Pretty soon Sam wandered in to join the festivities. I was downstairs hearing it all on the baby monitor, deciding that my family had gone crazy.

Sam and I watched a bunch of old movies, including 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the Magnificent Seven. It's a breath of fresh air after the typical new Disney releases. I'm looking forward to Master and Commander with him, which comes out on DVD in April.

We did a park trip yesterday as well as a visit to the library. Sam and I played library as well, pretending he was the librarian and I would ask for a particular book. The hammock got strung up for the first time this year, becoming a pirate ship for Sam the moment it left the ground.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all! It's been ...

March 17, 2004 by Adam in Family

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all! It's been a fairly uneventful week, as life with two kids often is. Sam went to the dentist yesterday and got a clean bill of health. Unfortunately both he and Jamie forgot to mention that one of his teeth has been hurting where Josh wacked it with a plastic golf club (accidentally, they assure me). I guess he'll be getting a new one anyway when his baby teeth come out.

Emma's cold is a bit better, though she's still being a bit clingy towards Jamie. I gave her and Sam a bath last night and it was all we could do to keep her from crying. Warm water and toys to splash with work miracles.

It was a funny little day though I seemed alm...

March 14, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a funny little day though I seemed almost unnaturally exuberant through most of it. It started out with Jamie and the kids summoning me upstairs by calling "Dado McBado" over the monitor. I ran upstairs to hear Sam's dreams and play with giggly Emma.

Breakfast was a bit rushed as Jamie had to leave early to set things up for the play. The coffee maker also decided it had had enough and set fire to itself. It managed to get as far as seeping out some thick black smelling smoke when I tossed it outside and salvaged the one cup of coffee it had managed. You'd think that a machine's last few drops of coffee would taste either blissfully sweet or most foul, but it seemed about the same to me.

After Jamie set up for the play, I spent late morning and early afternoon selling raffle tickets and fending away kids from the castle that was one of the prizes. It was pretty funny, with long quiet stretches mixed with fifteen minute bursts of people when the play got out.

Now I'm hoping for a fairly quiet evening. Jamie's parents are here, entertaining the kids. Pizza's on its way. Life's pretty good.

The week is almost over, strangely enough

March 11, 2004 by Adam in Family

The week is almost over, strangely enough. I've loved the sunny days, springtime creeping up on us again. We've been hanging out in the yard most evenings, watching the world go by.

Last night Sam and I went swimming for the first time in a long while. He had a great time, semi-swimming for short stretches and playing lots of games. We've been going for such a long time that I recognized a lot of the regulars, kids that have grown up in the last few years.

I'm working at the Vet's Club tomorrow, strangely enough. We have a work meeting in one of the dance halls. Over the weekend Jamie's mom is coming over and Saturday is the second round of the play.

I'm tired, ready to go home.

It was a much more restful night last night

March 08, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a much more restful night last night. Emma was only up once or twice. I barely noticed she was there in the huge new bed.

Yesterday was pretty fun. The weather was gorgeous and most people were in t-shirts and shorts. We did a little shopping in the morning, buying some food, books, and house supplies. After that, we opened our doors and let the fresh air in, playing with the kids inside and out. Only later did I realize that the early spring meant early allergies. Gotta get the Claritin prescription filled.

Dave, Kirsten, and Josh came over to watch the kids for a bit, leaving Jamie and I with a rare hour to ourselves. Much of it was spent on the bench in our front porch, watching the world go by. Very relaxing.

Friday was great fun with everyone descending...

March 07, 2004 by Adam in Family

Friday was great fun with everyone descending on my dad and Yayoe's house for his birthday. Seraph's hair was brilliant red and Jenny's kids seem to have grown like puppies since I saw them last. The only one missing was Sadie, so I had to be content sending her happy thoughts across the continent.

I survived my day of kid watching yesterday while Jamie was off at the play. It was surprisingly fun, with both Emma and Sam being in pretty good moods. Jamie fixed us up a hearty breakfast then the kids and I retired to the basement for a couple hours of play. Emma got cranky so I put her to sleep without much problem. Once she was up, I packed her and the library books up, then went to the play.

Jamie evidently decided to come home, so we missed her for awhile, but she returned before we left. Sam and I went to the library to stock up on assorted kid, adult, and comic books. We also paid a fine on a book that was on Jamie's card, so they couldn't tell me what the book was. Oh, and we had to pretend we were chased by orcs the entire time.

Jamie eventually returned home, and we puttered around for the rest of the day. One monumentous thing was a bed shuffle. For most of the last year, I've been relegated to the guest bedroom, first for Jamie's late pregnancy and later because of Emma. We hooked Sam's two single beds together to make a king sized bed for our room, then moved the Queen sized bed to Sam's room. I finally get to sleep in the same bed as my wife again, albeit with a grumpy baby between us.

As for our first night together, it was a bit less than marital bliss. Emma was up every 45 minutes crying, driving Jamie a bit mad. I faded in and out of sleep, dreaming that our valley was filled with smokestacks. Around 4:30 I got up and wandered down to work on my computer. Since then, it's been very quiet.

The week has puttered along, with tonight pro...

March 03, 2004 by Adam in Family

The week has puttered along, with tonight promising to be somewhat busy. We've been doing a better job getting the kids wound down for the night, with baths and quiet time before bed each night. It seems to help get them to sleep more easily.

Yesterday Jamie and the kids fed the ducks at the duck pond, but otherwise had a quiet day. Sam and I played a bit on the computer, then took Emma and played outside until bedtime. Lots of running up and down the front hill and playing pretend (why do I always have to be the evil robot?).

It was a fairly low-key and cheerful weekend

March 01, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a fairly low-key and cheerful weekend. I watched the kids Saturday morning while Jamie got some preschool work done. We all went to the planetarium which Sam greatly enjoyed, then ran around the nearby park afterwards. Sam and I filled in the holes in the craft room floor where Jamie got a spliter in her toe the week before. Yesterday Sam went over to grandma Sue's house while Jamie and I finished watch an old Cary Grant movie.

The weeks ahead look busy. Wednesday night is preschool play rehersal night, with Saturday the play itself. It runs for two Saturdays, so I'll have to manage the kids for most of the day. I'm not too worried about Sam, but I don't always have the proper equipment to take care of Emma. Hopefully we can muddle through.

It's been a wacky week so far

February 26, 2004 by Adam in Family

It's been a wacky week so far. Yesterday I headed home around noon, a splitting headache keeping me from concentrating on anything. I felt somewhat better in a couple hours, though the bike ride home through the hail was not fun. The headache continued this morning, though coffee and Advil cleared it up in time for me to help out at the preschool co-op. Like I told Jamie after I returned, I no longer need to read the Lord of the Flies.

I'm hoping for some quiet time tonight, but I suspect I'll have to wait until 8 pm or so. Everyone's in bed by then and it's my quiet cereal time.

Much of Jamie's family was over last night to...

February 23, 2004 by Adam in Family

Much of Jamie's family was over last night to celebrate Dave's birthday. Everyone seemed in a good mood and Dave was suitably goofy to keep up the festive mood. Even Emma seemed to enjoy the large number of new people about once she got used to it.

As for the rest of the day, it mostly involved me hanging out with a sniffly Sam. I managed to get him outside once, for a lengthy play time involving hitting balloons, aliens, and picking up thorny clippings. We also made a bunch of paper knights and ogres who did battle upon our kitchen table.

We managed to rally the troops and get to the...

February 22, 2004 by Adam in Family

We managed to rally the troops and get to the library in the morning, but otherwise hung out at home yesterday. Sam and I finished watching the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which while not Shakespeare was still somewhat fun. There's something special about combining Captain Nemo, the invisible man, Dr. Jeckle, and a number of Victorian characters whose copyrights have run out.

We had my dad and Yayoe over for dinner as well. As usual, my dad and I jabbered on and he promised sailing expertise for my next Neverwinter Nights game.

As for today, we'll probably take it easy as well. Sam's got a full-blown cold (no pun intended), and my throat's a bit sore. Dave's birthday party is tonight, so we're gearing up for that as well.

The week chugs along

February 19, 2004 by Adam in Family

The week chugs along. Sam, Jamie, and Emma went to McKenzie-Willamette hospital yesterday as Sam's preschool went on a tour. He said it was boring, so I think it was a bit of a bust.

The kids have been doing kid-things this week. Lots of playing in the basement. Jamie got to get out of the house last night for a wee bit, but that's about it.

The weekend looks to be busy, with things happening every day. Birthdays and parents visiting and Jamie going out for a night. Hopefully I can go back to work afterwards and rest up.

The weekend is over and I'm slowly gearing up...

February 16, 2004 by Adam in Family

The weekend is over and I'm slowly gearing up for the day ahead. We didn't do anything particularly exciting over the two days, mostly just playing with kids and doing housework. It was beautiful Sunday and I managed to get Sam outside after convincing him he wouldn't be cold. I fiddled about in the garden while he played with Legos.

Sunday night we had Jamie's brothers and my mom over for dinner. Sam mostly wanted to hang out in the basement, so I followed him around pretending our guests were orcs who had captured a tiny baby. We captured Emma back, then couldn't decide what to do with her, so we eventually returned her.

I got Jamie a funny little Valentine's Day card that seemed different than the rest. All it had was this Cleopatra quote:
Fool! Don't you see now that I could have poisoned you a hundred times, had I been able to live without you!

Happy Valentine's Day to all

February 14, 2004 by Adam in Family

Happy Valentine's Day to all. I think we're shooting for a quiet day today, resting up from our week of sickness. There's a bunch of house keeping and shopping we should do, but I think we'll try to take it easy as best we can.

Emma has become a voracious eater. She muches on just about anything we have at the table. The other night, she ate most of a bannanna. I think it's her favorite food, as Jamie claims she said the word last night (she's quite good with "ba" and "na" sounds).

Sam and I finished reading a comic book together, this one mostly focused on Wonder Woman. Last night, Jamie had to take it out of his hands after he fell asleep reading it. That's my boy.

It was a beautiful morning riding in to work,...

February 13, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a beautiful morning riding in to work, the sky on fire with a stunning sunrise. Then I got to down a warm cafe mocha, making it a lovely morning. Work is super busy, but I'm slowly getting the most critical things dealt with. At least I get to go away from it all for a couple days this weekend.

Jamie's slowly getting better, but this cold has seriously dampened her spirits. Her usual bleary-eyed look when I come home had somehow become even blearier.

The kids are great. Sam's his usual bundle of energy and Emma spends her evenings cruising around the house making funny noises. It helps that she's usually so smiley.

I feel like I'm winning the pre-Valentine's D...

February 12, 2004 by Adam in Family

I feel like I'm winning the pre-Valentine's Day challenge. With two little critters in the house, I'm certainly feeling the love. Not to mention the drool, grumpy faces, and maniacal kids running about. I think the colds that passed over our family this weekend have mostly settled down. Jamie's not quite as zombie-like as she's been the last couple days. I took Tuesday off to watch the kids while she recovered, though I think she secretly spent most of the day cleaning.

I was up late a third or fourth day in the row, this time watching t.v. after days of computer game playing. My body finally rebelled and I slept in late, scurrying through my morning routine to get to work at a reasonable time. I'm feeling very busy these days, trying to find that balance between work, family, and play.

It was a pretty quiet day yesterday

February 08, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a pretty quiet day yesterday. Emma's doing much better to the point where she seems pretty normal. We made a trip to Amazon park and mostly puttered about as a family. Sam and I played some of his new computer games, including another Putt Putt game that he liked quite a bit.

I think we're going to try to make it to Fred Meyers for some shopping fun. Jamie assures me that we're no longer completely broke after the Christmas remodel so I guess I can buy myself some pants.

Emma was really sick yesterday, so much so th...

February 06, 2004 by Adam in Family

Emma was really sick yesterday, so much so that Jamie called me home early from work. Her little eyes seemed red and teary all day and the mucous flowed like water. By the end of the day, she seemed a little better, though she was still running a temperature. Jamie reported that she tried to give Emma Tylenol, but she threw it up. Of course, I wanted to be a hero, so I tried again with the same result.

We'll probably take it easy this weekend, keeping the excitement to a minimum. Hopefully Emma will start feeling better soon.

Well, Jamie and I tried to have a date last n...

February 05, 2004 by Adam in Family

Well, Jamie and I tried to have a date last night, watching the Thin Man while Emma and Sam were entertained by Dave, Kirsten, and Josh in the basement. I think we lasted about 30 minutes before Emma was crying and it was time to wrap things up for the evening. Still, it was nice to get a moment to ourselves.

Emma's a bit sick, and getting her first tooth too. Poor girl.

It looks like the weekend has come and gone

February 02, 2004 by Adam in Family

It looks like the weekend has come and gone. We didn't accomplish all that much, it seems, though we managed to feed, clothe, and entertain two children which I suppose should be enough. I did a Costco run early Sunday, stocking up on cereal for the year. Jamie finished staining the banister and railing to the basement.

We did a couple walks about our neighborhood, which was nice. The first time we tromped through the drizzle to the resevoir, pretending it was a treasure hunt for Sam. The second time was to Safeway to pick up ice cream late at night.

Emma had problems getting to sleep so I ended up playing music for her in front of the computer. She especially likes the visualizations that come with Winamp, slowly falling asleep to the pretty lights.

It was a typical whirlwind day at the Miller-...

February 01, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was a typical whirlwind day at the Miller-Mellor household. I fiddled about with my computers until the kids woke up, then it was a hearty breakfast to start the day. Jamie had prepared some swedish pancake batter the night before and it was simply divine. Then the kids and I went to the park while Jamie cleaned the house.

Jim and Judy arrived a bit before noon and immediately Jim started painting. I kept an eye on one kid or another while Jamie had a short visit with her mom. They also set up a table for the train as a belated Christmas present, which Sam has greatly enjoyed. Jamie and I even managed a short walk by ourselves just catching up on things.

In a few minutes, we'll wind things down and get ready for bed. Happy birthday to Destin. We'll try to arrange a present when things wind down a bit.

Jamie made it back from the coast

January 29, 2004 by Adam in Family

Jamie made it back from the coast. Late morning on Sunday, we discovered that Jamie had hidden a "To Do" list on the refrigerator. Sam and I cleaned up, did the dishes, vaccuumed, and by the time she was came home we had started in on the gourmet dinner (the last item on the list). I tried making ravioli from scratch, which I'd never tried before. The pasta ended up a bit on the thick side - now I know why people buy machines to do it or simply buy the ravioli itself.

The week has been fairly quiet. I go to work each day and play with the kids in the evening. We might have a touch of a cold being passed around, but it doesn't seem too bad.

This Saturday Jim and Judy come down to help with the final painting jobs in the basement. It'll be nice to have it completely done at last.

Sam and I have been hanging out just ourselve...

January 25, 2004 by Adam in Family

Sam and I have been hanging out just ourselves this weekend after sending Jamie, Emma, and the girls off for the coast. We went to the library to stock up on I Spy and Halloween books, then later rented some movies and made pizza. Sam was dead tired at the end of the day as he was up at five in the morning. Hopefully he'll sleep in today.

Mocha Friday

January 23, 2004 by Adam in Family

Mocha Friday. Ahhh.

Jamie and Emma are off to the beach with friends and family tomorrow, leaving Sam and I to fend for ourselves. Hopefully we won't get in too much trouble or play computer games until our eyes pop out.

It's been a fairly uneventful week. Work plods along. Emma was up late one night, leaving us extra tired, but we've muddled through. The kids continue to be funny and giggly, which I suppose is their main job these days.

Jamie and I had some rare time together last ...

January 20, 2004 by Adam in Family

Jamie and I had some rare time together last night, sitting on the couch and watching Down With Love. It combines two of Jamie's favorite things - old 50's romantic comedies and Ewan McGregor. It was a fun little treat and I think she's wanting to take it along with her to the beach this weekend.

Not much to report otherwise. Emma's extremely mobile, pulling herself up to a standing position. She can even stay upright for a second or so if she lets go. Sam loves playing in the basement, running about like the Prince of Persia or fiddling with Legos.

The weekend is winding down to a close

January 19, 2004 by Adam in Family

The weekend is winding down to a close. I was sick for most of it. Nothing terrible, just a bad headache Saturday morning and a stomach ache that lingered until this evening. Now it's time to head back to work.

No exciting events. Jamie's dad and uncle are down, so we had a dinner gathering Saturday night (I mostly hung out in the basement moaning to myself). Sunday we puttered around and took a trip to Amazon Park just to get out of the house. Tonight was Tasty Thai and watching Sinbad. Everyone went to bed early.

The week seems a whirlwind of work and family

January 14, 2004 by Adam in Family

The week seems a whirlwind of work and family. I've been having bike problems, so I've been driving to work. It seems strange after so long biking in. I finally got my flat tire fixed (the first replacement tube blew up when installing it) and hopefully I'll get new brakes and a bike light today.

In a rare moment of forgetfulness, Jamie wandered down at 6:30 this morning asking me to watch Emma around 10:45 so that she could go to the dentist. I'm looking forward to wandering around campus with a baby strapped to my chest. I end up getting way more looks than the college kids with wacky hair or odd piercings.

Sam continues to be a joy to be around. We played a bunch last night, putting together an elaborate Lego parrot. There were also ball throwing games in the basement and assorted bath adventures (he kept pretending the Lego parrot was being attacked by jungle animals). Of course, I was pretty exhausted at the end of the day.

The weekend is coming to a close, with the fa...

January 12, 2004 by Adam in Family

The weekend is coming to a close, with the family tucked in their beds and I soon to follow. It was a pretty good weekend, with a Saturday hike and later having Dave and Kirsten over for some kid playing and impromptu dinner. Sunday had lots of time entertaining Sam and Emma, with a shopping and swimming trip for Jamie while the kids and I ran to the park.

I was pretty happy getting my computer panel all finished up. Sam and I continue to marvel at the Prince of Persia game. There were also plenty of Lego playing for both Sam and Emma, though she gets the big Duplos. I did hear the sad news that Lego would stop making Mindstorms and the movie tie-ins (such as Harry Potter and Star Wars). They evidently had a huge loss last year. Sniff.

Life seems to be returning to its normal busy...

January 09, 2004 by Adam in Family

Life seems to be returning to its normal busy self. Last night we had my mom and grandfather over for dinner. I switched between entertaining guests and my own children back and forth, finally collapsing once everyone was gone or in bed. It looks like sometime this weekend, Jim and Judy are coming down from Portland. Jamie somehow convinced Jim to finish painting the last few things in the basement.

Ah, the indulgent joy of taking a shower in t...

January 07, 2004 by Adam in Family

Ah, the indulgent joy of taking a shower in the morning. Never again shall I take it for granted.

I think we're trying to return to normal today. In theory it's supposed to warm up and simply rain. Sam's school is today and the plan is to get him there. I'm planning on getting to work, though it may be a little late.

Great

January 06, 2004 by Adam in Family

Great. No hot water this morning.

(later . . .)
Well, I managed to take a "shower" by standing between the sink and the microwave, heating up a damp cloth then washing myself. My hair was the most challenging and required a couple cereal bowls filled with microwaved water with a freezing rinse from the faucet in between. I'm feeling slightly more awake, though I'll probably need to down a couple more cups of coffee before I look at the natural gas water heater outside our house. I'm not sure what I can do about it, perhaps poke at it in a manly way with a wrench or something.

(much later . . .)
I never did make it to work today. Instead I worked from home as best I can. It's funny that I've been complaining about no hot water when I've got electricity, a gas fireplace, and a fast Internet connection. I'm a wimp.

I did manage to fix the hot water heater. It turns out that while the heater itself has "frost protection", that does nothing for the exterior pipes going into and out of the unit. I spent a half hour heating things with a blow dryer, which seemed to do the trick. I managed to slip and bruise my knee on the way back. Maybe I can convince Jamie to let me have a long hot bath as spoils of my victory.

The light through the cherry tree looks beautiful. All the plants are covered in ice, so they sparkle like Christmas trees.

It was very icy and cold this morning

January 05, 2004 by Adam in Family

It was very icy and cold this morning. I gave up trying to drive to work when my key wouldn't even turn in the car's lock, so I dressed as warmly as possible and walked in to work. My coworkers over the river were reporting 45 to 60 minute travel times due to extremely slow traffic. Black ice is everywhere it seems.

The weekend was good if uneventful. Sam and I built a snow fort in our back yard with the slushy snow. I tossed a bunch of icy snowballs at it, breaking huge chunks off of it. Eventually it was reduced to a pile of misshapen snow, with a giggling Sam trying to hide behind it.

What a day

January 02, 2004 by Adam in Family

What a day. It started snowing sometime in the middle of the night, and didn't let up until late in the morning. Everyone seemed excited and soon enough Sam and I were out the door, a piece of vinyl left over from the remodel to use as a sled.

We weren't at the park for more than a few minutes when Sam started to feel cold. We headed home but within seconds he started really complaining and crying hard. I think his hands and feet got wet and he wasn't really well prepared for the weather (he was outside before I got ready). Once he got home, there was another fifteen minutes of crying until the circulation returned to his hands and feet. I think he now has a healthy dose of respect for cold weather now.

Jamie braved the weather to go to the grocery store, but otherwise we just hung out at home. Sam and I played Prince of Persia a bunch, with lots of breaks for science experiments in the kitchen, tag in the rec room, and entertaining Emma.

Jenny had a transformer mostly knocked down by falling trees. We had some branches down, as did my mom, but otherwise it seemed uneventful. I did manage to break a broom knocking snow off of the trees. Ooops.

I managed a little time working on my dad's Christmas present for me - the new control panel/monitor that's going into my office wall. It's quite stylish and I can't wait to finish it. I just need to solder some connections then my dad needs to help me get it mounted and cut some holes in the wall. Should be fun.

I'm thinking of going in to work tomorrow and hopefully take care of some things that I've been waiting to finish up. I'll still work from home a bit in the morning to see if the weather improves. I walked to work on Wednesday and may do it again.

Happy New Year's to all of you

January 01, 2004 by Adam in Family

Happy New Year's to all of you. Yesterday was actually fairly quiet at work. A bunch of people watched the Duck game in the break room while I tried hard to get my piles of work done.

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It's Mocha Wednesday for me

Well, Christmas has come and gone

It's Christmas Eve and we just finished up th...

We made it to Portland safe and sound

Well, it's Mocha Tuesday for me today

The weekend is coming to a close

The cold has hit in full force

I spent a fair amount of time at 5:30 this mo...

I'm home from work today

Sunday is winding down

Saturday has come and gone

I started getting pretty sick towards the end...

Mocha Friday once again rolls around

Well, the windows were installed yesterday

It sounds like both Jamie and Sam are sick today

Jamie had a funny thing happen to her today

It was a good, uneventful day, filled with od...

December already

After four days of whirlwind family activitie...

Saturday Thanksgiving with the Mellors has co...

It was a fairly exciting Friday

Thanksgiving Day is coming to a close

Ah, mocha Friday

It was a packed Sunday, with kid playing in t...

It was a good Saturday as Saturdays go

Yet another mocha Friday

I was up at 4:30 this morning, given a charmi...

Wednesday is wrapping up and life seems to be...

Saturday went fairly well

I managed to get a zipper related injury on m...

Jamie and Emma were woken up in the middle of...

The weekend has come and gone

Mocha Friday

Well, after all my family members used a vari...

Halloween night is winding down

It was a great day yesterday

Well, we're up in Portland

It's been a somewhat weird work week for me, ...

We all had a pleasant Sunday, somewhat uneventful

Sam spent the night at my dad and Yayoe's hou...

Sweet, sweet mocha Friday

The week is slowly moving along

It's been a very wet weekend, one of those wh...

It's the end of a Friday and I'm very much lo...

The colds that gripped our household are slow...

The kids and I managed to get out to Amazon p...

It was a pretty good day yesterday, though we...

Mocha Friday, posting from my new cubicle

Emma's still sniffly and I've been battling h...

I think Emma's getting better, though it's ha...

It was an exciting day yesterday, and an exci...

Well, it looks like Mount St

I somehow managed to get close to nine blissf...

Unfortunately this morning was a bit more exc...

It was a pretty low-key Sunday, now slowly co...

It was a good Saturday, as Saturdays go

Mmm

It was a little more exciting yesterday than ...

We're back from the coast

Mocha Friday

It was a funny morning today

It's Sunday night at 8:30 and I'm seriously t...

I just wanted to uncharacteristically add my ...

I'll be riding off to work shortly, eagerly a...

Sam's first day of school was today, somethin...

After work yesterday, we all piled in the car...

Well, we're slowly adjusting to city life again

We've arrived safely home after Sam and I's e...

Well, my bags are almost packed

Mocha Friday with only a few minutes left at work

The week moves along

The day seemed long, with many events going on

It was a really nice day, though I'm not quit...

I was welcomed home Friday afternoon by a flo...

Mocha Friday

I just got permission to post the picture fro...

It was a fairly quiet day