Sam and Emma have been sharing a bedroom for ...

November 29, 2005 by Adam in Family

Sam and Emma have been sharing a bedroom for a couple nights now. It seems to be going generally pretty well. Sam's especially excited about it for some reason. Emma's doing okay with it, never excited to actually go to bed, but adjusting to the change.

Yesterday Sam was balking and doing the dishes and Emma told him that he better be good or she wouldn't sleep next to him. Sure enough, that motivated him to get the dishes done.

Last night was pretty quiet. Jamie went off to get her hair done and I played with the kids. Sam worked on his Neverwinter Nights game, Emma played on the Nick Junior site, and I acted as tech support. We took a break to make pizza, complete with cookie cutter animals to chew on. They ended up a little over done, unfortunately, and neither kid ate more than a few.



The great Thanksgiving weekend has finally co...

November 28, 2005 by Adam in Family

The great Thanksgiving weekend has finally come to a close. It was pretty eventful, with all manner of family and other activities going on.

Friday was probably the most quiet of days. Jamie's dad and uncle came over in the morning and we hiked about Hendrick's park in the rain. In the afternoon, Jamie went for a walk with a friend while I played with the kids.

I took the kids swimming Saturday morning while Jamie made wreaths at my mom's house. Jim and Judy arrived around lunch time to give gifts and play with the kids. Dave and Kirsten arrived in the evening to do much of the same.

Sunday morning, we took another hike on Ridgeline trail. I'd been wanting to do it for quite some time, so I really had a good time. Sam seemed ecstatic, tromping through the mud and finding all sorts of crazy paths. Afterwards we did a quick change and headed to my mom's for a birthday party for Robbie. In the afternoon, a couple of Sam's friends came over for two hours of wild play time. Sam was pretty exhausted by the end.

Probably the biggest event of all was saved for bedtime. Emma has now moved her bed next to Sam's and our bedroom is once again quiet. It seems like another stage in life quietly passed by. I only heard Emma get up once, and settle herself back to sleep, though I suspect Jamie might have checked on her another time. It's funny how big these small things can be.



We had a grand Thanksgiving and Sam's birthda...

November 25, 2005 by Adam in Family

We had a grand Thanksgiving and Sam's birthday combination yesterday. It was quite busy, starting with bread making as soon as the kids woke up. Sam was especially fond of the challa bread, which involved a volcano-like yeast cauldara bubbling over the flour crater rim. That plus the cranberry bread gave everyone their carb load for the year.

Jamie's family began arriving around noon. Emma started getting pretty cranky in the early afternoon, so I drove her a few blocks until she fell asleep and then sat in the car for an hour or so. After she awoke, we rushed off to Yayoe's house, all the time Sam explaining how it was impossible for him to be late for his own birthday party.

It was great seeing everyone and the kids had a good time running around the house. There was birthday cake and presents, which made Sam quite happy. We returned home for Thanksgiving dinner and more presents. Sam opened up his Gamecube, which took awhile to figure out. I think one of the games is going to be too hard for him, though another should work out okay.

As for the next few days, I'm going to avoid shopping and just hang out with family. Maybe I can arrange for a hike to burn off a few of those Thanksgiving calories.



It's my sort-of Friday, the Wednesday before ...

November 23, 2005 by Adam in Family

It's my sort-of Friday, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I decided it was close enough and treated myself to a mocha. I'm looking forward to today being relatively quiet here at work. Many people are taking the day off, so hopefully the odd requests will be minimized.

Seraph brought up a question about the Christmas name draw. I think I'll be bringing the mystical box of names over to the Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, with strict instructions from Jamie as to its proper use. So far I've picked Robbie and am busy assembling the entire collection of Britney Spears CDs and memorabilia for his gift. Fortunately he never reads this site, so I think the secret is safe.

Emma and I had a hysterical bubble bath last night. I need to upload the picture for it, but I'll describe it in the meantime. Emma was getting bored while bathing, so I hopped in and she suggested bubbles. Soon enough, she was applying globs of bubbles to my nose and declaring me a monster. She also gave herself a beard and exclaimed, "I'm Santa! Ho, ho, ho!" We called up Jamie who started laughing and took a few pictures.

See everyone tomorrow at Thanskgiving.



The day is winding down

November 21, 2005 by Adam in Family

The day is winding down. We just returned from an afternoon at the wave pool, so everyone's pretty beat. Emma in particular has been quite wacky, not wanting to give in to her afternoon nap. They had a great time at the pool, though, celebrating the dual birthdays of John and Natalie.

Yesterday was relatively uneventful as well. We took a long walk to the store. The kids and I played while Jamie picked up some groceries. Jamie's family briefly descended upon the house before the Civil War game.

Gotta run. Emma's on the loose again.



It was another productive day at work

November 18, 2005 by Adam in Family

It was another productive day at work. I'm getting close to releasing a new version of a wildly popular tool I made. Hopefully people will ooh and aah appropriately.

My mom came over to watch the kids last night while Jamie and I went out to Ambrosia. It was a treat to get away for an hour or so, though I was strangely eager to get back to the kids. Fortunately my mom did a wonderful job with them. Emma was smiling and eager upon our return.

It looks like I'll be off to work in a few minutes. We've got a few things happening this weekend. We're all going swimming on Sunday for one of Sam's friend's birthday parties. I've got to pick up a new swimming suit as my last one vanished. I think we get to see Jamie's family briefly, before they head out to the football game. Same ol', same ol'.



Yesterday was a bit more cheery, though not w...

November 17, 2005 by Adam in Family

Yesterday was a bit more cheery, though not without the occasional missteps. Work continued to be fun, wrapping up a neat little program that should make some doctors happy (and patients as well). The kids and I had a great time after work. Emma put her fists on her hips and declaired that she was "super girl!" The started off a game where I was a monster and they were super heroes. It's always a treat to be able to throw the kids around the room with abandon.

Unfortunately the first casualty was myself. Sam's knee landed on my big toe, bending the nail in odd directions. Emma then became greatly concerned, wanting to dab at the blood with some toilet paper. A couple band-aids later, I was fine and we settled into some quiet computer games.

The rest of the evening was fairly uneventful. Emma nearly fell asleep at the table due to no nap, and we all pitched in trying to keep her up until her normal bed time. Sam and I worked on his homework, coloring pictures based on math equations and coming up with silly sentences for him to write for his spelling homework. Good times.



Yesterday had its ups and downs

November 16, 2005 by Adam in Family

Yesterday had its ups and downs.

I started feeling a cold coming on, so I was feeling a bit achy by the end of the day. Jamie and I got into a tiff, seeming to involve getting Sam to eat a well-balanced meal for dinner. Emma was having a hard day as well, complaining of her legs hurting, probably due to growing pains.

There were some highlights as well. Emma came to visit me in the morning at work, and was very fun to take around. Sam continues to do well at school and is a bright and thoughtful boy. I talked to Sadie for nearly an hour, which was a rare and wonderful treat. I worked on a fun project at work, getting a chance to ooh and aah over something I made. At the end of the day, Jamie wandered down the stairs and we had a nice long talk.

So, life continues to be interesting, if tricky at times. I woke up with a headache this morning, but after some Advil and tea, I'm feeling much perkier. So it goes.



I'm heading back to work shortly after a rath...

November 14, 2005 by Adam in Family

I'm heading back to work shortly after a rather nice three-day weekend. After three days, it makes returning to the daily grind a bit difficult. The kids were generally in good moods and we all had a good time.

Friday was my "all day with the kids" day. Well, not exactly, but it felt like it. We walked to the movie store to pick up some videos. Emma was in the back pack and Sam trudged along. It's a few miles there and back, but we amazingly made it in a pretty good mood.

Saturday we walked to the library, returning with even more videos and books. Sunday we went to the playground by Oakway, the kids getting pretty soggy bug enjoying themselves.

All-in-all, it was a family-filled weekend. We didn't do anything terribly exciting. There were movies, art projects, playing in the basement, running around outside, and the like. It was generally relaxing and often pleasant.



The kid's illnesses continue

November 10, 2005 by Adam in Family

The kid's illnesses continue. Sam hasn't been in school all week and if last night's coughing continues, he may not be in today either. Emma seems better, though she seems to be having problems sleeping. I've noticed a sniffle this morning, so I'm expecting the worst.

I'm taking tomorrow off by request from Jamie, so I'll likely be puttering around the house and taking care of kids. I'd like to take them to a playground or for a hike, but I'm not sure they're up for it.

Work's been busy in an odd way this last week. The interruptions and meetings continue non-stop. Rarely do I actually do what I had planned to do when I arrive in the morning. Fortunately I actually got some work done yesterday. Just talking about how we're going to do things can get a bit wearying.

Best to head to the shower and start getting ready for the day . . .



It's been a bumpy week

November 09, 2005 by Adam in Family

It's been a bumpy week. Sam was out of school for the last couple days, not horribly sick, but not well either. Now Emma's starting to get the cough and sniffles. She was up a lot last night and I ended up coming to work late so that Jamie could get a little sleep this morning.

Despite all of this, the kids and I have been relatively cheerful. We've had some great times playing in the basement, coming up with all sorts of silly games. We replaced the batteries of Sam's little remote control car. Emma loved driving it all over the place, at one point "giving me a haircut" by driving it on my head.



I'm beat

November 07, 2005 by Adam in Family

I'm beat. It's Sunday evening and everyone has gone to bed. The guests went home. I'm ready to hit the sack myself.

Saturday I took the kids swimming, and then Sam and I watched Batman Begins. Ray and Dave came over to visit for a bit, with Ray passing out all sorts of Huskers-related clothes. Sunday was all about getting ready for the party. Dave and I fixed the light, Jamie cookied, I made biscotti. The party itself was lots of fun, with the kids going over to Dave's house while the grown-ups remained to eat, drink, and chat.

Poor Sam had a bad fever today, throwing up in the morning and not eaching much the rest of the day. He was feeling better by the time he went to Dave's, but he's still pretty worn out. We'll see if he's in good enough shape to go to school tomorrow.



It's been a rather busy morning here at work

November 04, 2005 by Adam in Family

It's been a rather busy morning here at work. It was a Mocha Friday, fortunately, which helped alleviate the frantic nature of some of the issues that popped up. The problems were typical computer ones, things not working as expected, new weirdnesses popping up, and patchings causing problems. I suppose it's all job security.

The weekend is mere hours away, something I'm looking forward to quite a bit. I think the kids and I will do some swimming, and the Batman Begins movie is wating for us. On Sunday night we have a "grown-ups only" dinner party. It's been a long while since dinner hasn't involved squabbling over how much food has to be eaten before dessert can be handed out.

Emma had a bad cough last night, which kept waking me up. It seems like she basically slept through it all, though. I think everyone else has recovered from the sniffles, and Emma seems fine other than the occasional cough or sniffle.



We made it through Halloween

November 02, 2005 by Adam in Family

We made it through Halloween. It was fun to watch Emma figure out the whole "trick or treat" thing. She kept saying "let's try that house" after each one. Of course, we now have massive amounts of candy in our house and Emma knows it. She'll claim to be hungry during dinner and then ask for candy.

Everyone's been a bit blah these last few days. I think they're sick or tired or some combination of the two. I think I need to get the kids out of the house for awhile, perhaps swimming or something.



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