Adam Miller and Family

Sam woke up at 4 am this morning

December 03, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam woke up at 4 am this morning. He fell out of bed and Jamie couldn't get him back to sleep. I ended up entertaining him until it was time to go to work.

He's developed some funny expressions. One of them is "to the power of Google", which represents a really huge number to him. We were talking about big numbers one day and I mentioned Google (1 with 100 zeros after it), then talked about a Googleplex, which is Google to the Google power. He's even got other kids at preschool saying it.

This morning he also told me, "Being a grown up is pretty cool. You can hold your pee for a long time and don't move around like me." Evidently the pinnacle of adulthood involves mastery over your waste disposal processes.

Thank you for all the generous well-wishes an...

November 28, 2003 by Jamie in Sam

Thank you for all the generous well-wishes and gifts for Sam. He now no longer needs anything for Christmas except buddies to play with. We'll be in touch ;-)

Go Sam, it's your birthday

November 26, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Go Sam, it's your birthday.

Sam's five years old today, pretty amazing. This morning I'm going to his preschool to be "Outdoor Dad", whatever that means. Later tonight, we're going over to my mom's for a semi-birthday party.

Hard to believe that it was only five years ago when we were all eating turkey in the waiting room, waiting for Sam to come into the world.

As you can tell by this picture, he's clearly far for mature now - the manly jaw, the confident face - it's quite obvious.

I don't usually post super-huge pictures of...

November 19, 2003 by Adam in Sam

I don't usually post super-huge pictures of Sam, but this was taken at school and gives a glimpse into the reasons he might be enjoying it this year.

Sam and I discovered a new game this evening ...

November 03, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam and I discovered a new game this evening - the Time Travel game. In it, Sam goes into the future or back to the past to visit various people and places. Tonight, he went back to talk to me when I was a kid and back to visit Jamie as a baby. He said some hysterical things when I was trying to explain video games of the 70's to him. I was going into Pong and lines and bouncing dots when he replied, "in the future, video games make sense."

He also traveled to the future and it turns out the dinosaurs were around and had stomped the cities to dirt. I asked how they got there and he told me that they had just been hiding in caves. For some reason, that made me laugh out loud.

Sam continues to grow in leaps and bounds

November 01, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam continues to grow in leaps and bounds. He's currently sitting on the floor next to me, practicing his drumming. A bit before that, he was spelling things with Tinkertoys. I think me managed to spell "Tail Hi Air".

I periodically forget he's still only four as we can carry on an adult conversation fairly easily. He also has a good memory and comes up with clever things quite often. I'm very proud of him.

Sam's been very responsible lately

October 29, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam's been very responsible lately. He helped everyone out during the great demolition project and has been aiding me as well in various projects around the house.

He also started gymnastics today. Jamie reported that he did an excellent job at following directions, could do all the moves, and had a good time.

Sam continues to adore his cousin Josh. When I came home today, they were making Lego cars together. Evidently the goal was to crash them together until their person flew out of it.

Sam's been having some interesting issues aro...

October 23, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam's been having some interesting issues around making friends at school this year. He's evidently quite popular and many kids want to play with him. Unfortunately, his friend Jake really tries to monopolize his time. Sam likes Jake and enjoys getting wacky with him, but does want to have other friends too.

So, he reported yesterday that he "turned Tuesday to the dark side." His friend Tuesday is a girl, with the uniquely Eugenian name of Tuesday. She's evidently a bit "wild" compared to the more demure girls. Yesterday he and Tuesday ran around hiding from Jake. Today they've got a play date together. Ah, youth.

I got Sam a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book ...

October 20, 2003 by Adam in Sam

I got Sam a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book from Smith Family bookstore a few days ago. He loved it, and we picked up even more at the library. He's been entranced by the concept ever since and was giving me a version of the book while playing Legos today. He was holding a Lego character that represented me, then gave me choices of what to do. It was quite creative and Jamie wandered in to remark on how amazing he was.

We've had a great time this weekend together, with lots of park time and he even watched me finish up my game of Halo. He's been amazingly polite and surprisingly funny. What a great kid.

Sam made up a joke the other day

October 16, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam made up a joke the other day. He was playing with Legos downstairs when he ran up to tell Jamie that he lived in "E-ville".

Also, Jamie just called as she discovered a new way to get both kids entertained while she gets dressed. She plunked Sam and Emma in the crib together where they happily entertained each other. Sam specifically told her to call me about the news. Sounded like a plan born of desperation to me.

Sam's really been enjoying school this year

September 18, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam's really been enjoying school this year. He's been getting ready quite happily, then going off to play with friends. One friend, Jake, was a bit wild last year but seems to have settled down and things have smoothed out a bit.

Sam's also gotten used to having Emma around, slowly working her into the routine.

Sam called me today to let me know that he'd ...

September 05, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam called me today to let me know that he'd received a number of tattoos from Jamie. It turns out that Sam had given one to her as well, though he didn't say what it was and it was on the back of her neck so she couldn't see it. I reported that it was the letter S in a heart, which Jamie thought was very sweet.

I've been reading The Lion, The Witch, and th...

August 14, 2003 by Adam in Sam

I've been reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe to Sam at night. Afterwards, I'll lay next to him while he tries to get to sleep. This is a new thing since Emma was born, as he suddenly developed a fear of being alone.

Last night as I was reading, I heard a funny noise and looked up. Sam was giving himself hickies up and down each arm. I told him to stop and he asked me why. We got into a long conversation about how even though it doesn't hurt, it's still not a good idea to do it. This morning it looks like someone has beat him about the arms.

He also has a pretty bad cold, just like the rest of us. That, coupled with the Beach Boys blaring from the fairgrounds, probably kept him up so late last night.

Jamie called to report that Sam was a genius

July 31, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Jamie called to report that Sam was a genius. She was talking about "web of life" things, such as the spiders eating the bugs and the bugs eating tomatoes. When they got to "What do tomatoes eat," they were a bit stumped. "Water and light," Jamie said, "but what eats light?"

Sam thought hard about this one, "Space!" There was then a long discussion of the sun and space and all that.

"But what eats water?" Jamie then asked. "Electricity!" said Sam, "because when you put electricity through water, it creates oxygen and hydrogen."

After that, Jamie had to call.

A couple days ago, I arrived at home, sweaty ...

July 30, 2003 by Adam in Sam

A couple days ago, I arrived at home, sweaty from my bike ride. Sam announced that the upstairs had been trapped and I had to come at once. He had layed out various pipe cleaners and foam animals that were some sort of traps, but he'd also strung across the kitchen some plastic-coated wire that he announced was his tripwire.

Within about 10 minutes, he came zipping around the corner into the kitchen, completely forgetting about the tripwire he had previously set up. He landed with a loud smack, looking vaguely confused and embarrassed. We decided that trapping your own house wasn't such a good idea.

It was also so hot last night that he and I shared the upstairs bed next to the air conditioning. That boy seems to rotate throughout the night, with his feet ending up kicking my ribs half the time. I was up every hour or two to rotate him back.

Sam and I sometimes do the oddest things

July 20, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam and I sometimes do the oddest things. I try really hard to engage him when I'm able. These days, it's hard for me to find the time to play with him as much as I used to. This weekend, I actually had an hour or two when Jamie was watching Emma and I could dedicate some moments completely for Sam.

We had tried a bunch of various games and he was starting to get bored. Jamie found some pictures of the children who had lived here previously, lost at the bottom of the closet. She showed them to us and threw them out, but I realized the opportunity.

I fished them out of the garbage and turned them into "orcs" and "warriors", giving them each tiny paper weapons. Sam and I battled it out on the kitchen table, constructing towers and such to compliment the little characters. I think it was worth nearly an hour of entertainment. Hopefully the previous owners don't think me too uncaring.

Sam and Emma get along reasonably well

July 10, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam and Emma get along reasonably well. Basically, Sam wants to fiddle with her until she makes funny faces and then cries. Usually he's pretty gentle with her, but sometimes she's just in a sensitive mood.

I also try to incorporate them both into the games we play. Sam's latest favorite is that Emma has "toe guns" and she tries to shoot at him while he dodges about. When we did laundry the other day, the baskets became our "pods" and we flew about.

Sam is the luckiest boy ever

June 29, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam is the luckiest boy ever. Yesterday, Jamie went to visit Angie and it turns out that a coworker was getting rid of all his Star Wars Legos. Angie found out and an arrangement was made. Sam came home to find a huge number of Legos awaiting him. He played with them most of last night and is fiddling around with them this morning.

We've realized just how big and mature Sam is now that Emma's around. He's basically self-sufficient at this point, dressing himself in the morning and getting snacks when appropriate. We're very lucky.

Sam adores Emma

June 05, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam adores Emma. "I didn't think that Emma would be so cool," he told me the other day. Sam will often go up to her, pat her head, talk to her, or sing her little songs. It's a bit of a surprise to Jamie and I, but a pleasant one at that. Having Sam's help with things is quite nice.

We haven't really had to warn him much about Emma's fragility. He's already very gentle with her. Sam tells Emma he loves her all the time.

Sam's spelling and reading has been improving...

May 25, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam's spelling and reading has been improving over the last month or so. The other day he asked me what H-I-S-A-M spells. I said "HIS-AM". He looked at me funny and said, "No, it spells HI SAM". Silly me.

Sam just called me at work to ask if I secret...

May 01, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam just called me at work to ask if I secretly worked at a gum company. After some confusion on my part, he informed me that his gum had the name Adam on it. Ah, the joys of having your children learn how to read.

Sam called me at work yesterday afternoon, te...

April 17, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam called me at work yesterday afternoon, telling me to come home at once.
"Where's mom?" I asked.
"Upstairs sleeping."
"And you've just been playing by yourself?"
"No. I've been going in and waking up mom. That's entertaining."

Needless to say, I came home. Jamie was no longer asleep, but she promptly went back to bed when I arrived.

Sam's started to get into reading and writing...

April 14, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam's started to get into reading and writing these last few weeks. He spelled out "CAT" on the chalkboard the other day. Also, when playing Neverwinter Nights together, he had his character say "HLO" to me. While not spelled out perfectly, I was amazed that he could: 1) figure out how to send a message in the game, 2) figure out how to spell HELLO reasonably well, and 3) find all the keys on the keyboard. It's pretty neat watching him grow up.

Sam recently watched Jumanji and expressed an...

April 08, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam recently watched Jumanji and expressed an interest in Kirsten Dunst, who played the girl in the movie. He evidently said that he "likes" her and that he had a dream about her later. I think he prefers the girl version, as she's in Spiderman, though she's not as interesting to him there.

Sam's been pretty fun to be around these days. He's started playing by himself more, often with various figures that he has (knights, pirates, or Legos). We also have been trying out Emma's new carseat, putting Sam's doll (also called Emma) in it to try it out.

Sam had his knights out, but the game evidently wasn't interesting enough. He began to unbuckle Emma, calling out "the monster awakens." There was then a huge battle between his doll and the knights, until they appeased the beast with a giant bottle.

We were having dinner the other day, talking ...

April 01, 2003 by Adam in Sam

We were having dinner the other day, talking along as we ususally do and Sam said, "Dad, are you being sarcastic?" Cracked me up.

Last night, we were playing an older game of mine called Rune, which involves much fighting. Sam asked, "Is this game for children?" I responded that it wasn't and he said, "But I'm a children." I then acted surprised and announced that we should stop playing immediately. He then backtracked and told me that he was really big enough. Funny kid.

Sam has said some really sad and really funny...

March 12, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam has said some really sad and really funny things as of late. I thought I'd collect them here so that I wouldn't forget.

I told Sam that Dick was dying last Saturday. He understands at some level, though he's still trying to figure out what it really means. We were visiting Dick later that day and he said to him, "You don't look as yellow anymore. Does that mean you're not going to die?" I had to explain that no, he was going to die, but not today. He accepted that and moved on.

A couple days later we were talking about Dick and how the procedure in the hospital should help. "But he's still going to die, right?" said Sam. "Yes, he's still going to die," I replied. Telling Sam has been one of the hardest things for me, as he and Dick are very close.

On a completely different note, Jamie was taking Sam somewhere in the car and he was entertaining himself with some variations of the song "Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah." The first one went, "Someone's in the kitchen with dina - mite." And the next followed, "Someone's in the kitchen with a sniper rifle." Needless to say, Jamie lectured me on the evils of video games while admitting that she had a hard time stopping herself from laughing.

As Peter O'Toole said, "Death is easy. Comedy is hard."

Sam's been really sick lately

February 22, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam's been really sick lately. Today I came home and he was fast asleep in Jamie's lap. I haven't seen that since he was a little kid.

I think he and Jamie are getting a little stir crazy stuck at home all the time. Yesterday he wanted Jamie to fight dragons with him so he went into the craft room and assembled a mace all by himself. Jamie was amazed he could get out the tape, take it off the roll, roll up some paper, and tape it all together.

Sam's been having funny dreams lately

February 19, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam's been having funny dreams lately. Last night, he was telling me his dream and it went something like this:

"I was in the Star Wars world, and stormtroopers were coming after me. But instead of blasters they had vaccuum cleaners and they sucked me up. But I broke out and took the vaccuum away and sucked them up."

That one had me laughing hard for awhile, just visualizing the whole thing.

Sam and I got into Legos quite a bit over the...

February 12, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam and I got into Legos quite a bit over the weekend, constructing a huge castle while Jamie was away.

Sam's playing next to me, flailing about on the floor. I asked him if he had any message for his future self and he replied:

"That I got punched out of a train, okay?"

Sam's been really funny lately

February 01, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam's been really funny lately. Tonight, for no reason at all, he began to demand wedgies from everyone around. Not wanting to disappoint the child, Dave and I complied much to the amusement of Jamie, Kirsten, and Josh. We first explained that he couldn't get wedgies unless he had underwear on, so he specifically went upstairs to put some on. We also couldn't figure out where he picked up the term "wedgie". Currently, we're blaming it on Jamie's brothers.

A few days ago, Sam stayed up with Jamie to watch Friends. It was the episode where Joey was doing quotation marks with his fingers to denote sarcasm. Unfortunately, he kept doing it wrong which Sam thought was really funny. So, he's been doing it for the last few days as well.

Poor Sam was pretty exhausted tonight. He got up early this morning for starters. Right before bed we danced around the basement to loud music, then he collapsed right before bed.

Sam woke up with a fever this morning

January 09, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam woke up with a fever this morning. He's so pitiful when he's sick like this. Mostly, he sits around and takes lots of naps. You'd think we'd be happy to have all the free time that it brings, but we mostly want to hover about him.

Right now, he's sitting next to Josh as Josh looks up computer game things on the computer. Sam just looks like he wants to sleep, but he wants to be around Josh so much that he's keeping himself up.

Sam woke up this morning and reported to Jami...

January 03, 2003 by Adam in Sam

Sam woke up this morning and reported to Jamie: "I had a dream that dad was protecting me from all the evil guys."

We took him to karate last night and it soon became clear that he was simply too tired. He kept falling down and had a hard time staying still. So, we'll try earlier in the day or Saturday mornings. Good class, otherwise. The teachers went around bonking all the kids on the head with big padded bats. The kids thought it was great fun.

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