Yesterday was indeed, all about the Harlem Gl...

February 27, 2006 by Adam in Family

Yesterday was indeed, all about the Harlem Globetrotters. It was fun, full of the expected zany hijinks. The poor New York Nationals once again lost horribly, despite my cheers. It was also neat to hang out with the family and do the wave once or twice. Maybe we'll do it the next time we get together for dinner.

I had the kids to myself towards the end of the day, playing in the basement, cooking the pizza Jamie made, and working on Sam's homework. I read more Spiderwick Chronicles to the kids during their bath, up until the point where Emma discovered her ability to annoy Sam with her bubbling noises. It was pleasant end to the weekend, though I was pretty bushed by the end of the day.

The rains have returned to Eugene. Emma helped me work on my bike on Saturday, replacing the seat and cleaning things up. She had a great time squirting assorted bolts with cleaning fluid.



Sunday already

February 26, 2006 by Adam in Family

Sunday already. Sam's watching over my shoulder as I type away, waiting for me to get off the computer so he can work on his game. Jamie's making waffles and Emma's watching a show.

Today's big event is Sam and I's trip to see the Harlem Globetrotters. I don't think I've ever been to a basket ball game, though I'm not sure this really counts. Hopefully it'll be fun and I'm looking forward to hanging out with my family.

We've had a couple nights to get used to the new bed. Jamie loves it, sleeping well and feeling refreshed. I'm a little more hesitant, but I think I'm getting used to it. It's a lot firmer than what I was expected, but have slept well enough.

We did our normal routine Friday night and Saturday morning, full of swimming, library trips, and a visit to Humble Bagel. I took the kids to the park where they got cold and sandy, and made a few friends. Jamie made an interesting dessert made out of yogurt and gelatin. The kids didn't eat much, but they thought it was a grand thing to play with.



Emma came to work yesterday and we had a nice...

February 24, 2006 by Adam in Family

Emma came to work yesterday and we had a nice little time simply exploring and carrying on. We ran around at a nearby park, rode the elevator, and chatted with "the ladies" at our front desk.

There's this funny thing that Jamie and I do sometimes. She'll buy something or start a house project, and I'll grumble about the cost and whether or not I like it. Afterwards, though, I end up praising her brilliance and wondering how I could have ever lived without it. Anyway, we're getting a new bed today, which has a fairly different style than what I was expected. I'm fretting about it a little, but hopeful the same pattern continues.

Sam and I are going to see the Harlem Globetrotters along with Jenny and her kids and my dad. I haven't seen a basketball game for a long while, though this is more of performance art than anything else. I think it'll be fun.

Other than that, I think it'll be swimming tonight and the library in the morning. Should be fun.



I told Jamie that she should never buy me cho...

February 23, 2006 by Adam in Family

I told Jamie that she should never buy me chocolate covered espresso beans again. I got some for Valentine's Day and proceeded to eat a good portion of the bag yesterday. Sure enough, I soon developed superhuman strength, a dashing wit, and the ability to see things not meant for mortal eyes. Amazingly, I somehow got to sleep at a normal hour.

My mom was over to watch the kids while Jamie and I went for a walk and then later watched an old Doris Day movie. I think Jamie has been saving up all her adult conversation as I could barely get a word in edgewise.

I spent a fair amount of time with Emma, who is a very neat little girl. I'm still amazed she's only two, as her vocabulary and height make me think she's lots older. She ended up painting my toes and fingernails last night, fortunately with washable pen. Anything for a few moments of peace.



I was pretty much dead to the world yesterday...

February 22, 2006 by Adam in Family

I was pretty much dead to the world yesterday, though I managed to shuffle in to work and put on a good show. It helped that most of my team was off to a conference. I feel better today, though still pretty sniffly. At least my headache has faded.

Otherwise, it was a pretty quiet day yesterday. Jamie worked out. Emma and I played with magnets and modeling clay. Sam's been working hard at his drawing skills.



I'm sniffly again today

February 21, 2006 by Adam in Family

I'm sniffly again today. The hardest part is feeling so tired. My endless cups of tea seem to do nothing.

Last night was a bit tough. Jamie was around for long enough to make me a cup of tea and then went off to dinner. I watched the kids and did their evening routine. They ended up having more screen time than normal simply because I was so darn' beat. The evening wrapped up with me reading books "wrong" to the kids and Jamie coming in to put them to sleep.



Another weekend has come and gone

February 20, 2006 by Adam in Family

Another weekend has come and gone. I'm a bit sick this morning, sniffling away with whatever the kids passed along to me. It's not too bad, though I'm sure I'm annoying my cubicle neighbors with sneezing.

I did the usual routine with the kids, taking them swimming Friday night and to the library Saturday morning. Jamie went shopping with Angie, picking up a bunch of things at Meyer and Frank's going out of business sale. Towards the evening, Ray and Darrel arrived, along with Dave and Kirsten and my mom for Dave's birthday party. Emma was in her princess outfit, being a social butterfly.

Sunday was fairly low-key. Jamie took the kids hiking while I took it easy, though I ended up doing a lot of cleaning and laundry. The rest of the day was quiet, with Jamie's folks coming over briefly, but otherwise just puttering about.



It's Friday morning, with my mocha ETA in abo...

February 17, 2006 by Adam in Family

It's Friday morning, with my mocha ETA in about two hours. I've been waking up early this week, having switched my bedtime to 9 o'clock. It means I'm getting up at 4:30 instead of 5:30, which is a bit odd.

Emma decided I was her horse last night, riding me about the playroom and putting me in the "barn" (which was actually the play tent). Well, okay, it was actually worse than that. She called me a pony and kept putting a silk flower behind my ear. Ah, the things they don't tell you about fatherhood.

The big family news is that Jamie's brother Brant finally proposed to Wendy. I assume she said yes, though we're hearing this all third hand. As a plus, this means we'll have a vet in the family. Maybe we can even take the kids in to her periodically, have them checked for worms or something.

Jamie claims he did it due to her prompting to "Do something nice for Valentine's Day." My theory is that he forgot to get Wendy a card, panicked, and asked her to marry him.



Yesterday seems like a bit of a blur

February 16, 2006 by Adam in Family

Yesterday seems like a bit of a blur. Since I was out of work on Tuesday, it felt like a Monday, and I spent the day answering e-mails and fixing things that broke.

When I returned home, Sam and Emma had an elaborate game going on, involving princesses and orcs and pirates. I think Sam was quite proud of the layers of disguises placed upon his younger sister.

Afterwards, it was off to my dad and Yayoe's house for a lovely dinner. The kids played with their box of toys and we adults chatted about grown up things. We returned home to try and wind down the kids and get them into bed.

Soon it's off to work and hopefully feeling like I'm accomplishing some things. I have a rather complicated project awaiting my return, so I'll likely fill my veins full of caffiene and put on my thinking cap.



Happy Valentine's Day to all

February 14, 2006 by Adam in Family

Happy Valentine's Day to all. I stayed home today in honor of the occasion, ending up hanging out with the entire family as Sam was sick and stayed home as well. I handed over my horde of gifts, an iPod for Jamie and Mermaid and Dragon Megablocks for the kids. Jamie seemed excited about her little present, which I'm hoping ends up being a nice addition to her workouts.

Mostly I hung out with Emma today. We got about fifteen minutes of real snow, though it was too warm to stick. We went outside anyway and Emma laughed and giggled as expected. I taught her how to eat snow from the sky, toungue sticking out, and avoid that on the ground.

The rest of the afternoon has been fairly quiet. Jamie rested a bunch. Sam watched the Zathura movie. Emma and I blew bubbles outside and ran about. All-in-all it was a very pleasant day.



Sunday was a little slower

February 13, 2006 by Adam in Family

Sunday was a little slower. Emma and I hung out a lot, going to the library and walking around outside. Jamie took Sam to the park to play with a friend. By the end of the day, it was pretty clear that the two of them were getting sick.

Emma made it off to school this morning, but Sam ended up staying home. Sadly Jamie missed delivery of my Valentine's Day present, though hopefully I can snag it tomorrow as I'm wanting to take the day off. I secretly have little presents for everyone in our family.

Rumor has it that we might get some snow at the end of the week. We'll let Sadie and everyone else on the East coast mock us as we frolic in an inch or two of soggy snow. Even if it's just a dusting, Emma will be terribly excited.



For whatever reason, yesterday was a great day

February 12, 2006 by Adam in Family

For whatever reason, yesterday was a great day. As the kids were waking up, I was out the door, heading to Jerry's Home Improvement. I picked up compost and trellises, returning to unload them on the patio. I then Shanghaied Sam, grabbed some power tools, and we attached the trellises on top of a retaining wail in our garden. It turned out quite well and there was only minor blood loss on my part during the construction process.

The kids and I went off to Humble bagel where they proceeded to ingest way too much cocoa and cream cheese, along with three bagels. We swung by a game store and nearby bought a zombie-themed game. Fortunately I restrained myself and averted Jamie's piercing glare, returning to find her having spread compost all about the garden beds.

The next few hours were spent outside, puttering around. I couldn't help but gaze lovingly at all the newly growing plants. It seems that all our plants are taking advantage of the sunshine, popping up flowers and growing like mad.

As the day wore on, we made Valentine's for the kids' classmates. Emma took a nap. Jamie went to the store. Sam and I played. As the evening approached, the kids grew crankier and we eventually tossed them into bed. I ended up staying up too late watching the finale of Arrested Development and hopefully not waking anyone up with my howls of laughter.



Well, I'm still waiting on my mocha

February 10, 2006 by Adam in Family

Well, I'm still waiting on my mocha. I typically head over to get coffee with Jim, but alas he's scurrying off somewhere moving computers about. At this point, I think I'll take the law into my own hands and just get one by myself.

Emma was up later than usual last night as well, so Jamie and I chatted and tried to be boring in hopes of lulling Emma back to sleep. Lately it seems that whenever Jamie and I chat, we spend our time lamenting how little time we get to spend together. Eventually everyone got to sleep, giving me time to catch up on episodes of Lost and Veronica Mars.

If the weather holds, I think we're going to try and do some gardening this weekend. Maybe we can even put the kids to good use, pulling weeds or something. I'd like to get my bike cleaned up and the seat replaced. Time for spring cleaning.



Bedtime was like a game of musical chairs las...

February 08, 2006 by Adam in Family

Bedtime was like a game of musical chairs last night. Emma wouldn't sleep again, so I kept her up until after nine. She still wouldn't go to sleep in her own bed, so I laid down next to her in the guest bed until she got sleepy. Then I went moved her back to her bed upstairs. Awhile later, Sam came to our bed, complaining that the back of his knees hurt. Jamie switched places with him, I gave him some Tylenol and he went back to sleep.

I got Jamie a Valentine's Day present that I hope is really cool. It's a bit unusual, so I'm a little nervous. Hopefully she'll like it or at least lie convincingly. I'm not sure it beats the power washer I gave her in years past.



The week is slowly chugging along

February 07, 2006 by Adam in Family

The week is slowly chugging along. Last night was a little rough. Emma had a long afternoon nap, which caused her to stay up until 9:30. Jamie was exhausted, and so I ended up watching her until my bedtime rolled around. I'm hoping she's over her illness at this point.

Sadie mailed us the first book in the Spiderwick Chronicles. Sam and I loved it so much that I promptly went out to Borders the next day and bought the entire series. It's a pretty cool story and the illustrations are very neat.

On my way out to work this morning, there was a thin frost on everything. I scratched messages of love to Sam and Jamie, which unfortunately left Emma heartbroken. I'll have to do one just for her tomorrow.



The weekend is coming to a close

February 06, 2006 by Adam in Family

The weekend is coming to a close. Emma's sick and Sam's watching Spy Kids. I've finished the last load of laundry and have a few minutes to myself.

Saturday was a good day and I was in a fine mood. I took the kids to the library and then Humble Bagel, as is often our Saturday routine. I returned with a good haul of books and proceeded to read all of Emma's princess books soon after we returned home. Sam poured over his treasure map book and worked on his fort in the back yard (a little area behind the butterfly bush in the corner).

In the afternoon, Jamie went to get a pedicure with my sister Jenny as reward for hitting the gym on a regular basis the last few weeks. I hung out with the kids and generally had a pleasant time.

Today was much of the same, though the kids were a bit unruly in the morning. Emma was given to me early and then Jamie went back to bed. We snuck off to Metropol for a cafe mocha and a chocolate croissant. It reminded me of when I used to take Sam there in his car seat when he was just a wee lad.

Sam has been working on a novel, which was apparently inspired by a book that Sadie sent us in the mail. It's called "The Door" and involves a young boy named Joe who finds a mysterious door in the bedroom of his new house.

Emma started feeling poorly towards the afternoon. We made a short trip to Jenny's for Destin's birthday party. It was a bit of a madhouse, but the kids had a good time with all of their cousins' toys. After that, we took a short trip to a playground where Emma shivered, and then a nearby mall to get a little activity.

Tomorrow it's back to work, and Sam to school. Unless Emma makes a surprise recovery, though, I think she'll skip her school for the day. Poor girl.



Mocha Friday

February 03, 2006 by Adam in Family

Mocha Friday. I'm feeling perky at the moment and just finished reading through all my e-mails at work. Fortunately today is looking like I'll be able to work on some of my bigger projects, which often get pushed to the side for various emergencies.

Today is a bit odd for Jamie and the kids. Sam doesn't have school today, though Emma does. I think Jamie and Sam will go do something special together. Mother son bonding is fairly rare these days, with Emma taking up most of our attention.

Lately Emma has really gotten into the whole princess thing. Most nights this last week the kids and I have played in the basement for awhile and then Sam plays Zelda while Emma plays various princess games on the computer. I go back and forth between the two, helping out.

We have a fairly quiet weekend ahead of us. The only event that I'm aware of is Destin's birthday party this Sunday. Other than that, Jamie wants to seal the grout in the bathroom, but that's about it.



Jamie and I had a lovely time at the art muse...

February 02, 2006 by Adam in Family

Jamie and I had a lovely time at the art museum last night, pretending we were a hip young couple doing cultural things. The modern art was hit or miss, with Jamie heaping grand criticism on pieces like "Fog Dog" which was simply a gray canvas. A couple things were pretty neat, such as the interactive one where you could make rubbings from steel plates. There was a van Gogh that was good, and the asian section always impresses.

On the other hand, the kids weren't doing so hot yesterday. Emma squished her finger in the door and feeling it, though she was mostly recovered by the end of the day. Sam was still feeling marginal, with a lot of time hanging out on the couch. Hopefully he made it to school today.

Update: It's the end of the day and we're killing time before the bath. Sam stuck a balloon in the hood of his jacket and ran about the play room. Emma has changed into her ballerina outfit and talking on her pretend cell phone.



February already

February 01, 2006 by Adam in Family

February already. Weird.

Sam was sick all day yesterday. I returned home to find him on the couch, where he evidently spent most of the day. He actually fell asleep while Jamie was reading him a story, though he had no memory of it later. We played a little Zelda, which took his mind off things, and I tried to chat with him and keep him company.

Tonight is our normal Wednesday date night, with Jamie and I going to the art museum. It looks like there's a neat photography exhibit on Japanese architecture. Just the idea of getting out with Jamie and chatting about non-child things is highly appealing. Emma's getting old enough where we can sneak away for a couple hours, so we're taking advantage of it as best we can.



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