Happy Halloween to all

October 31, 2007 by Adam in Family

Happy Halloween to all.

We've had a rough last couple days. On Monday, I ended up sending both kids to their room for not cleaning up. There was a funny moment in the kitchen where Jamie asked politely for a timeout too.

Last night I ended up sick and miserable. Copious amounts of Advil finally made me better, but I felt pretty horrible for awhile. Sam informed me that he didn't like it when I was sick, as it was boring. Jamie kept shooing me away, not wanting me to try and help with the kids. Emma, being the sweet girl that she is, made me a little bed in the play room and made me lie down.

I feel much improved today. I'm going to see if I can go into work a little late and help with Sam's hair. He's theoretically becoming an 80's punk rocker with pink hair and spikes. Should be fun.



It's a lazy Sunday afternoon

October 28, 2007 by Adam in Family

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon. Jamie is upstairs chatting away with her dad and Joanne. Sam's playing Portal with Josh. Dave and Emma are chatting away in the tent. It's weird having a little time to myself.

Friday night was swimming as usual. Emma was a swimming maniac, going halfway across the pool by herself. Needless to say, both kids were exhausted at the end of the evening.

I took Emma to ballet on Saturday, then visited Humble Bagel. We got way too many books at the library, headed home, and watched a show. Sam headed off to an insanely elaborate Harry Potter themed birthday. Emma and I went out again, this time to play with her friend Etta at the park.

We did a massive cleanup this morning, and now are enjoying the fruits of our labor.



Happy Mocha Friday to all

October 26, 2007 by Adam in Family

Happy Mocha Friday to all. We got our first frost of the season, making me realize that I don't have an ice scraper for my new car. The full moon was up as well. I stood in stunned awe just staring at it, until I realized that my code wouldn't write itself at work.

Sam and Emma played so well last night. Sam eschewed all video games and instead built forts and did other wacky things with his sister. I was almost bored watching them as they were clearly doing their own thing.

It's swimming tonight, as usual, along with ballet in the morning for Emma. Sam has a Harry Potter themed birthday tomorrow and on Sunday Jamie, Ray, and Sam are going to hear big band music. I haven't decided what I'll do with Emma. I should probably think of some treat or another for just the two of us.



The week continues to move along

October 25, 2007 by Adam in Family

The week continues to move along. At work, I've been chatting with consultants a fair amount. I'm also redoing some of my older web applications, cringing at how ancient they are. I'm strangely looking forward to sitting down and writing some more code today.

Jamie went off with Emma during her school to pick up pumpkins at a little farm in Springfield. Carving the bumpy gourd was the most challenging. Emma got all excited when I suggested a chain saw, but I ended up using a hack saw to take off the top. In the end, it turned out fairly well.

Dave came by last night to play with the kids for a little. Jamie and I watched the last episode of Mad Men for the season. It's brilliant and sad and epic, as usual. I continue to be amazed at how much can change in a generation.



Soccer is over

October 23, 2007 by Adam in Family

Soccer is over. Sam and I hiked Spencer's Butte and then went off to his last game Sunday afternoon. Though it wasn't raining, he managed to wallow in mud and return home without a dry stitch on. I got him showered, combed, and we celebrated with the other kids and parents at a pizza party.

The girls made it back safe and sound from Portland. Emma brought back a Princess scrap book, which she's been playing with the last couple days. Jamie felt vaguely guilty at the gifts showered upon Emma and bought some socks for Sam. Of course, they were pirate-themed socks, which unfortunately don't fit me.

The week has been chugging along. Emma's school is going to a pumpkin patch today. Sam's getting out early. Busy, busy.



It's Sunday morning and Sam is cheerfully pla...

October 21, 2007 by Adam in Family

It's Sunday morning and Sam is cheerfully playing with Legos next to me. I think he's reenacting scenes from a video game.

It's been a quiet weekend without the girls. Friday we went swimming, though mostly Sam played with a friend from school. Saturday was the library and the soccer game. It was raining hard, so everyone was soaked. In the afternoon we hung out, played on the computer, did homework, and watched a movie.

Today I'm trying to go hiking, though Sam doesn't seem quite ready yet. He was also disappointed that the sun came out, as he was hoping for a rainy march through the mud.



Another Mocha Friday

October 19, 2007 by Adam in Family

Another Mocha Friday. How could I ever get tired of it?

The kids were especially goofy last night. Sam dressed up like a creature, which involved strapping a rubber chicken to his face. Emma was more subdued, scribbling away in her notebook with a pink pen.

We have a full weekend ahead of us. Jamie and Emma go to Portland. Sam and I are being bachelors, though our schedule is pretty full. Tonight is swimming, tomorrow the library. Both days we have soccer games, followed by a pizza party to celebrate the end of the season. I'd like to try and sneak in a hike or something similar, but we'll see how much time we really have.



The weekend is over already

October 15, 2007 by Adam in Family

The weekend is over already. I'm not quite sure what happened, but I remember laying my head on the counter Sunday night, mumbling that I needed to go back to work so I can get some rest.

Friday was swimming, which was great. I did a bunch of errands on Saturday, picking up a new power supply for my computer, taking in a bunch of recycling, and getting the kids' computers upgraded.

Jamie went to Pat's Saturday night, leaving me to manage the kids. There was sock throwing, spaghetti making, dancing around to Code Monkey, and general hijinks all around. The kids went to bed, tired but happy. Of course, now Sam and Emma will spontaneously start singing the Code Monkey song at odd moments.


Sunday was a bit more low-key. We went to Oakway mall to see Angie and Winnie, while I ran around Borders with the kids. Dave came over in the evening while Jamie and I watched Mad Men. At night there was movies, though Jamie and I mostly slunk away to hide and be quiet for a few minutes.



Another sweet Mocha Friday

October 12, 2007 by Adam in Family

Another sweet Mocha Friday. Since the caffeine hasn't hit my brain yet, I think I'll try to summarize the week through various anecdotes that struck me as amusing or interesting.

I was up at 4:30 this morning, playing newly released computer games. I've been doing that every day since Wednesday, reveling in highly-polished video goodness.

Emma and I played a game where she was a pig and I was a farmer. My favorite part was cooking and eating her, which she didn't find too amusing. Eventually Sam joined in after I declared I was a vegetarian farmer. When we were assigning roles, I told Sam he was a carrot, and promptly cooked and ate him.

Sam's been reading Hardy Boy books, reading them at a rapid rate. Wednesday he took a field trip to mount Pisgah with his class. He was most impressed by a cougar kill of a deer, remarking on how long the spinal cord was.

This week our dish washer has been on the blink, the heating element stuck permanently on. We shut it off at the fuse box, but have been doing dishes by hand. It's strangely satisfying, soaking in warm water on a cool Fall evening.

Jamie's been busy, managing a sick Sam early in the week, working Wednesday, dealing with house issues, and today Sam's off school again. Hopefully tonight I can take the kids swimming and run around outside this weekend. Good times.



The week slowly moves along

October 09, 2007 by Adam in Family

The week slowly moves along. Sam's sick, sniffling his way through yesterday and today. Jamie got virtually no sleep Sunday night, though fortunately managed to recover last night. I got my flu shot, so my joints ached for awhile.

I'll probably down a third cup of tea this morning, if only to kick my brain into high gear.



The weekend has come to a close and we're bac...

October 08, 2007 by Adam in Family

The weekend has come to a close and we're back to the daily grind of work and school. It seems that I spent most of the weekend cooking or taking Sam to a soccer game. On Saturday I made the lasagna, biscotti, and fruit salad. Sunday was the bread, soup, and actually cooking everything. In general, I think it was a rousing success. Probably the most fun was making the little heart lasagnas for the kids.

Jamie took Emma to her ballet class on Saturday. I think she's loving it, dancing around the kitchen from time to time. I took Emma to Sam's first soccer game, where she played with Natalie and Sidney. On Sunday, it was just me and the other parents. It'll be odd when soccer is over for good, though I'm sure we'll find other physical activity for the boy.

We did do one big project Sunday morning. I disassembled Emma's old bed and moved it into the craft room. Jamie's now turning it into a guest bed, though it's awful comfortable to just plop down on it while Sam does homework.

Now it's time for a shower and getting my work stuff together.



It's Mocha Friday, and I just finish my last ...

October 05, 2007 by Adam in Family

It's Mocha Friday, and I just finish my last drop of that oh-so-tasty elixir. I was in an unusually bad mood last night, which is rare for me. Sam was a little grumpy, my computer was having issues, and I ended up giving myself a little timeout before rejoining my family. Fortunately I resolved my computer problem, made up with Sam, and all is well in the world.

This weekend promises to be filled with maniacal cooking on my part. I'm doing a seven-course Italian dinner this Sunday, which will likely span most of the afternoon. Tomorrow is the big cooking day, getting the biscotti, fruit salad, and other things ready. With luck, all I'll have to do is pop things in the oven periodically and bring them out to everyone in an apron.

I'm trying really hard to go swimming with the kids tonight. Various things have kept us home during swimming classes and we haven't gone for a long while. Swimming is one of the things I've done with the kids since Sam was a baby. Now Emma's nearly swimming herself, but I still love to play around in a warm pool at the end of the week.



What a weekend! It seems all a blur now, but...

October 01, 2007 by Adam in Family

What a weekend! It seems all a blur now, but I'll touch on the highlights.

Sam had soccer Friday night. There was no rain, but it was very chilly. My mom joined me to keep my mind off the shivers, and we admired Sam's running about. Saturday brought Emma's first ballet class. She was so excited, dancing around like all the other little girls. There was a tear in her tights near the bottom zone, which gave her a touch of 80's Madonna.

In the afternoon, we had Barbara and Zoltan over. Our kids all played together, making the expected mess in the play room. We adults traded wedding stories and generally ate our way over several hours. We had a bit of chocolate mousse to finish it up and everyone headed home.

Saturday was much more low-key. Angie brought over Winnie for a bit of play time, and Victoria stopped by. In the afternoon we went to Tom's Apple Orchard and stopped by 5th Street Market to get pizza for the kids. Jamie and I went out for dinner while my mom watched the kids. The first two places were closed, so we ended up at the place where Humble Bagel resides during the day.

I did my usual exercise and cereal later that night, and headed upstairs to find Jamie watching the finale of Rock of Love. It's not nearly as good as Mad Men, but there's striking paralells as to how disfunctional relationships between men and women can get.

Now it's moving day for me in cubicle land. I'm stuffed into a little-used cubicle while trained cubicle technicians reconfigure my workspace. I would have done it in 15 minutes with an allen wrench, but I suppose this way is far more scientific.



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