It's midway through my Friday mocha

January 30, 2009 by Adam in Family

It's midway through my Friday mocha. I've taken care of my critical work things and I have a brief respite before the madness starts anew. It's been busier than usual, though I'm keeping a cheerful attitude about it. My "happy place" is starting to get a worn-in look.

Jamie and the kids are off to Portland this morning, stopping by the children's museum in Salem. Emma called me up yesterday and announced that she'd miss me, then followed up by asking if she could chop off my head and keep her company. That's my girl.

As for me, I'm being a bachelor for a couple days. Hopefully the weather is good enough to paint tomorrow. If so, I'll be working on the shed and maybe doing some landscaping. Tonight, though, I've got to make a shopping run and stock up on the relevant bachelor supplies like bread and tofu pate.



We had a good weekend, very typical in many ways

January 27, 2009 by Adam in Family

We had a good weekend, very typical in many ways. There were library trips and swimming. Sam and I played with his Mindstorms Lego robot. Jamie made all sorts of delicious meals.

It looks like this next weekend will be a little unusual. Jamie's taking the kids to Portland, leaving me a bachelor for a day. I'm tentatively planning some project work, either on the shed or around the yard. If it's sunny and relatively warm, like the forecast says, then I'll be painting until my arms fall off.



It's another delicious Mocha Friday

January 23, 2009 by Adam in Family

It's another delicious Mocha Friday. I'm settling in at work, reading e-mail and catching up.

Sam injured his knee yesterday, jumping over a pig. In his gym class, they were stacking objects and leaping over them. He'd stacked foam pads, a block, and a toy pig. Evidently the pig was too much, and he got a good bonk on landing. Fencing was out, but he was feeling better at the end of the day.

Jamie went off with Angie and Victoria after her gym, so I didn't see her until late. Fortunately she'd made a delicious lasagne so I didn't have to terrorize the children with my cooking skills. The kids ended up playing this elaborate pretend game, leaving me to putter around and get some chores done.

As for this weekend, I don't think we're doing much of great importance. It's still too cold to paint, though maybe I'll arrange to pick up supplies for the shed. I'd love to go to the library and swimming, as always.



Today was the inauguration

January 21, 2009 by Adam in Family

Today was the inauguration. Sam watched it in his classroom today. We managed to bring down our Internet connection at work, as so many people were trying to watch it. Sam thought the whole experience was pretty cool.

The weekend was good, with an extra day for Martin Luther King day. We had a great time at the park on Sunday, with Sam swinging as high as possible. There was playing with Mindstorm Legos, playing pretend with Emma, and going swimming. My mom and Bob came over for a delicious cake.

Sam did manage to get his face whacked pretty hard when playing with Sophia, taking a big ball to the face while holding a camera. Emma's foot was hurt when Sam accidentally jumped on it. To top it off, everyone has a bit of a cold.

Still, our spirits are high. Maybe it's the new president.



It's mocha Friday and I'm nearly done with th...

January 16, 2009 by Adam in Family

It's mocha Friday and I'm nearly done with that delicious beverage of choice. I'm gleeful that the web site is still working, as there were some tricky parts after my ISP made some changes. Regardless, adamandjamie.com lives on.

The week has been going well. Sam's getting used to his new hair cut. He went to fencing last night and a few of his fencing buddies noticed the dramatic change. Sam was secretly happy that he could beat his good friend John. I pointed out that he should help make fencing as fun as possible for his friend, otherwise he'll move on to another sport. Vanquishing your foes and mocking them openly gets old after awhile.

Emma read us a book from school last night. At her urging, we ignored the teacher's instructions to read it to her first. Instead she sounded out all the words and did an amazing job. The speed isn't there yet, but that will come in time. I'm most impressed by her ability not to get frustrated when something is hard, which is something we still work on with Sam.

I was somewhat down on Wednesday. I got a parking ticket at work, issues with the ISP threatened adamandjamie.com, and Jamie told me she'll be away at the beach with friends on Valentine's Day. The next day I woke up, went to my happy place, and everything seemed to get better. My parking ticket was dismissed, my network issues were sorted out, and we're going to move Valentine's Day to another day.

I'm hoping to work on the shed some more this weekend, swim with the kids, and all the normal things that make weekends fun.



It's hard to believe the week is already half...

January 14, 2009 by Adam in Family

It's hard to believe the week is already halfway over. The big news is that Sam cut his hair short. Other than that, we've had typical evenings of play pretend, homework, chores, and Nintendo Wii. Sam and Emma are having lots of fun with Boom Blox these days.

Tonight I'm doing some server maintenance, as PacInfo requested that I change my static IP address. I think that means that the web site will be down for an hour or so. Hopefully it won't be too disruptive.



We had a very fun and laid-back day

January 11, 2009 by Adam in Family

We had a very fun and laid-back day. Yesterday Sam's Lego Mindstorm kit arrived. He'd been saving up his money for a year, and finally had enough after Christmas. It showed up and soon we had a Lego robot assembled and ready to go. For most of the day, he was writing programs and watching it run around.

After a delicious breakfast of crepes, potatoes, grapefruit, and coffee, I went to the library. After returning with treasures, I took the kids swimming where they had a great time. The afternoon involved playing Kung Fu with Emma, having her read me a book from school, and of course more Lego Mindstorms.

Soon Jamie promises us all cookies, which I very much look forward to.



It's Mocha Friday, and the end of a somewhat ...

January 09, 2009 by Adam in Family

It's Mocha Friday, and the end of a somewhat quirky work week. We were out in Bend, so I missed the first couple days. Then I was in all-day meetings for the rest of the week, working remotely as the rest of my team gets flooded in Washington. I also discovered that generally responsible adults get very silly in front of a webcam.

The kids are slowly adjusting to school and returning to the routine. Jamie had the chance to go hang out with friends last night, returning at a very responsible hour to help get the kids to bed.

As for this weekend, I could start getting supplies for the shed. There's always library and swimming. Jamie may have a bit of a cold. We'll see how things go.



We're all back at home, the kids in bed and m...

January 07, 2009 by Adam in Family

We're all back at home, the kids in bed and me joining them soon.

The last few days were pretty low key. We checked into Eagle Crest on Sunday, and spent the next couple days playing Monopoly (Sam won), swimming, and hanging out. Now the kids are dreading returning to school and I'm sure my e-mail In Box is full of endless tasks. Plus I think I have to work late the next couple days due to meetings.



We're sitting in Wendy and Brant's house, enj...

January 04, 2009 by Adam in Family

We're sitting in Wendy and Brant's house, enjoying the beautiful view of the land outside of Bend. It was so quiet last night and you could see the stars wonderfully. The kids have really enjoyed the animals and hiking around the property. Sam briefly got to drive their ATV to haul the garbage out. Ah, country living.

We're heading over to Eagle Crest later today, though we're in no rush. We'll probably hike around until we're ready for a little swimming. It makes for a relaxing end to winter vacation.



It's Mocha Friday, and a new year to boot

January 02, 2009 by Adam in Family

It's Mocha Friday, and a new year to boot. Sam went off with my mom to see an opera on New Year's Eve, and surprisingly really enjoyed it. It was in English, which helped, as well as being a comedy about Greek mythology. I'm sure there was a cookie during the intermission which sealed the deal.

Tomorrow we're off to Bend for our final vacation activity before school returns and things return to normal. We'll probably play in the snow, spend a lot of time at the swimming pool, and hang out at Brant and Wendy's ranch.

Our backyard shed is finished, which probably signals the end of building projects for awhile. Our construction company came back with a much increased estimate for the balcony remodel. We basically said we didn't have the money, and so we're done for now. I think finishing up the painting and interior of the shed will keep us busy through summer.

For Christmas, we gave the kids coupons for family events. Last night Emma used her "fancy dinner" coupon. I wore a suit and tie and everyone except Sam dressed up. The bill was shockingly high, as Sam wanted to try the lobster, but everyone had a good time and was on their best behavior.

Sam's been thinking about cutting his hair considerably shorter. He's getting increasingly annoyed with being mistaken for a girl, though he's nervous about making a big change that he can't undo afterwards.



Older Posts