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.



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