Friday with the grandkids - April 24, 2009

Amber and Chris dropped Isaac and Abigail off for the day so they could spend some time together on Chris's day off from work.    The sun came out around noon and it was warm enough for the kids to play outside.    Isaac and I drew chalk things on the front sidewalk;  Isaac loves trucks, trains, cars - especially police cars, so we drew two, one for him and one for Darin, the Scappoose Police Officer who lives across the street.

Then, later we all went out into the back yard.   Isaac wanted to pull weeds (bless him) so he and I spent about 45 minutes actually getting rid of some of the weeds that have sprouted with the warmer weather.  Abigail has been watching Isaac using the swings on Grandma's Park and with major supervision we have helped her use the swings before.    One of the things she has watched when Isaac was on the swings was us trying to teach him how to "pump" his legs, kicking out going forward and folding them back when going backwards.   So, today when DeeDee was with Abigail on the swing, she started kicking her little legs, trying to be just like her big brother.   It was really cute.

Empty Nesters - April 21-28, 2009

Hanna left for Texas on Tuesday the 21st at 9 AM on Southwest Airlines. She is going to spend a week with our daughter Christine in Spring Branch, about 40 miles northeast of San Antonio.    DeeDee and I will be empty nesters again until Hanna returns on Tuesday the 28th.   I am sure there will be much to tell about in the Blog regarding Texas when she returns. 

Then, the fun really begins, as Hanna will very, very busy when she gets home on the 28th.   Scappoose High School's Senior Prom is on May 2nd, the Saturday after Hanna returns.  On Wednesday the 29th, Hanna has a gown fitting scheduled after school; on Thursday the 30th, we are hosting an interview with a reporter from the local newspaper - The South County Spotlight - who will be talking with Hanna and several other Foreign Exchange Students from the local area; on Friday May 1st, DeeDee, Hanna, and I have been invited to dinner by two couples from church who have some German recipes they want to try out, and want Hanna to critique their efforts; and then the Prom on Saturday the 2nd. 

The grandkids stay overnight - Saturday, April 18, 2009

Abigail and Isaac stayed over night at our house Saturday night so their Mommy and Daddy could have some time alone.   Amber was able to go to two baby showers, one on Saturday afternoon and one on Sunday afternoon, go to the gym and for a four-mile  run, clean the house, spend time alone with Daddy Saturday evening after he got home from work, and not get waked up at 3:40 AM Sunday morning with Isaac crying in the hallway (like Grandma and Papa did).  Abigail was easy, Grandma put her down around 7:30 Saturday night and she slept until 7:30 Sunday morning.

Saturday afternoon, Isaac and I had fun with some John Deere tractor stickers - Isaac putting stickers on paper and me putting the sticker outlines on Isaac.   I don't know who had more fun or whose "finished project" looked the best.

And, since the weather was finally warm and sunny, we were able to spend a lot of time in the back yard playing in Grandma's Park and on the lawn.  Isaac is usually pretty timid, but this time he kept telling me to push him higher on the swing.

Dinner - Friday Evening, April 17, 2009

Last year, Hanna treated us to dinner at Gustav's German Pub & Grill in Tigard, south west Portland area, so we could experience some German food.   We had been there once before with Amber and Christopher and knew that the food was very good, but this time, since Hanna was with us, we knew we would get an expert opinion as to how authentic the food was.   Hanna said it was OK and pretty close to some of the food she has had at home.

Hanna still wanted to try another German restaurant to show us more authentic German food. So, Friday night, Hanna took us to the Berlin Inn in Portland for dinner, as a Christmas/Anniversary gift.    We discovered the Berlin Inn when we looked for German restaurants on the Internet and were also told by a good friend from Germany who lives near us in Scappoose that the Berlin Inn was a great place for authentic German food.   When we arrived at the restaurant, Hanna said that the smell of food cooking when we entered reminded her of home and the interior decor looked like the inside of a German restaurant.

DeeDee had the Swabian Pork Sparerib - a boneless pork sparerib, grilled and slow roasted in a homemade European tomato and onion sweet-n-sour sauce, served over classic spatzle and sauerkraut.

Hanna had the Schweinshaxe - a traditional Bavarian dish of oven roasted knuckle of pork (crispy & golden on the outside and fork tender on the inside), served over a bed of sauerkraut with bratkartoffel potatoes.

I had a Beef Rouladen - pickles, onions, bacon, mustard, and seasonings wrapped in thinly sliced top round of beef, braised and baked, and topped with a pan gravy made from the roasting juices; served with spatzle and sweet-n-sour red cabbage.

Needless to say, we came away full, contented, and introduced to several authentic German dishes.    Unfortunately, since I was driving, I did not sample any of the wonderful looking dark German beers that were available - guess I will have to either go next time with a designated driver or wait until we visit Hanna and her family next year in Germany.

Thank you Hanna for a great evening out.

It's Our 20th Anniversary - April 15, 2009

20 years ago today at 1 PM, DeeDee and I were married in the home of our wonderful friends Marlene and Earl Watkins in Newark, California. It was a small wedding with family and close friends.    Our theme was "I am marrying my best friend" and we are still married and still best friends.

We went to The Melting Pot in Portland for dinner tonight.     Everything was fondue, except for the salad.   We had a "Big Night Out Four Course Dinner For Two", starting with a great quattro formaggio cheese fondue with pieces of different breads, fruit and veggies; followed by a salad of our choice; then the entree of pieces of lobster tail, filet mignon Florentine, Limoncello flavored balsamic sirloin, Shrimp Diablo, sun dried tomato chicken, orange fennel pork tenderloin, porcini & portobello sacchetti, and veggies, all of which we cooked in a Mojo style fondue consisting of a Caribbean-seasoned bouillion; and we finished with dessert which was all sorts of sweet things we dipped in hot milk-chocolate flavored with Chambord liqueur.    What a wonderful meal.

Thank you DeeDee for 20 wonderful years -- I love you.

Easter Sunday - 2009

After we got home from church Easter morning, we got the house ready for arrival of the Korenthals (Amber, Christopher, Isaac and Abigail) and the Springers from Hood River (Christina, Steven, Alora and Elijah).    By noon, there were 11 of us in the house and the fun and noise never stopped.    After the four kids played for a little while, DeeDee and Amber took them upstairs to the Craft Room to keep them busy while the rest of us hid eggs all around the downstairs.  The kids really had a fun time looking for eggs - Abigail (15 months) and Elijah (17 months) didn't really understand too much of what was going on, but had fun looking for eggs and shaking them to hear if anything was inside.    We used plastic eggs filled with jelly beans because of Isaac being allergic to eggs.  Then we ate and ate and ate:  Christina and Amber supplied the dinner - ham with a most delicious glaze, scalloped potatoes, carrots, asparagus, and fruit salad; with a decadent chocolate whipped dessert that Hanna made and my "Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding" - gee, no one had room for my home made apple pie - oh well, guess Hanna and I will just have to bite the bullet and have pie for a few days as DeeDee has laid claim to the little bit of banana pudding that was left.  

Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm - Tuesday, April 7, 2009

On Tuesday mornings, DeeDee baby sits Abigail while Amber and Isaac go to a Bible Study at their church.    When Amber and Isaac got home last Tuesday, they picked up DeeDee and Abigail and they all went to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn, about 30 miles south of Portland.    They had fun looking at all the tulips and playing with some of the farm equipment there.

 

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Not much to report lately.    Trimester 3 at Scappoose High started on Monday March 30th.   The school year was supposed to end on Wednesday, June 10th, with Seniors ending their year when they graduate on Saturday, June 6th.   Because of the loss of five school days due to snow in December, the District has extended the school year by five school days to Wednesday, June 17th, but thankfully, the Seniors' schedule did not change and the last day for Seniors is still Friday, June 5th, followed by graduation on Saturday June 6th.    We were very happy that the extension of the school year does not affect Seniors, as Hanna's return flight home to Germany is on Saturday, June 13th.

Hanna will be going to Texas for a week from April 21st to April 28th, where she will stay with our daughter Christine, who lives in Spring Branch, about 40 miles NE of San Antonio.    This will give Hanna a chance to experience a very different part of the US, do some horseback riding, and also meet the only one of our three children she has not yet met.

Right now, Hanna is outside sitting in the sunshine with her computer "skyping" with her family.  Yes, I said SUNSHINE, as it was sunny all day yesterday and about 65 degrees, is sunny today and may even get up to 70 or 71, and is supposed to be sunny again on Monday and Tuesday and possibly even up to 75 or so.    However, the weather people on the TV reminded everyone that 3 or 4 straight days of sunshine does not mean the rain and clouds are over, as the rest of the upcoming week and next weekend are forecasted to get back down to the low to mid-50's for the highs, high-30's to low-40's for the lows, and, OF COURSE, showers.     So, we are getting our Vitamin D while we can.