Fruit Night

(Michael blogging...)

It's been one of my continuing goals to really push and encourage all four of my kids to eat more fruit. Laura's kids do just fine with this - but mine never got into the habit and it's been a bit of a battle of the past few years.

I tried gentle prodding...no dice. I tried bribery....no good. I tried screaming....fun - but still not effective.

So - a few nights ago I thought I try a new tact: chicanery.

I went to Fred Meyer and bought 10–15 different types of fruit. Mango, raspberries, pineapple, kiwi, etc. I cut each one up into tiny bits, placed them in small bowls, and set the bowls on the table.

Next, I created a scorecard for each fruit that had columns for "Love It", "It's Okay", "Hate it!" and "Not Sure." The scorecards also had a row for each kid's name. All six kids were required to eat a bite of each type of fruit and could then "vote" their opinion on the cards. Justin referred to the event as a "taste test." How very true!

Even though it still took a bit of prodding to get Emma to finish all the samples - she still did it all and actually had a full serving of fruit in the process. However, she only voted "love it" for grapes and cantaloupe. Everything else got a "Hate It." Ah well...

If all goes well - I'd like to repeat Fruit Night once a month and try introducing new fruits that even Laura and I haven't tried (what the hell is "star fruit" anyhow?) and hope for some really cool results. Like Emma having a normal bowel movement.

You can't handle the tooth!

Emma lost her first tooth the other night and I took a few pictures to commemorate the auspicious event. Two days later (which was tonight's swim lesson) she lost the second tooth. The newest picture was a better one and show the bigger gap.

Tooth Fairy is working overtime now because Carter discovered his first loose tooth a few days ago, too.

Ewww.........

(Michael blogging) Carter finally agreed to sit still long enough to have a mask made that involves plaster or paper mache or whatever applied to his face. He laid dilgently still while Den Mother, Delina Soon, applied the wet strips and let them dry. The picture you see is the from directly after the mask was taken off his face.

Needless to say, he was the first one in the shower tonight. And he will be again tomorrow.

Hey baby, is it hot in here, or is it ju...HOLY SHIT!!!

(Michael blogging...)A few nights ago, Laura and I decided to light-up the wood stove for the first time this fall. We had no kids this night and settled in for a movie (The Lost Boys) and some cozy warmth.

After the movie had ended, Laura and I were small-talking about the film and were about to go upstairs and to bed when Laura suddenly sat bolt upright on the couch, pointed her finger firmly across the room and announced, "FIRE!"

Sure enough - a decorative wicker basket full of pinecones had been set atop the wood stove during the summer months and it didn't occur to either of us that just maybe, sorta, kinda, we might want to move it elsewhere before using the stove. Nevertheless, flames were now licking their way up the basket and devouring the pinecones as well.

Laura quickly opened the door to the back patio and I (sans oven mitt) grabbed the half-gone basket and quickly chucked it out the door onto the concrete before the flames engulfed my hand. Wrong move....

Have you seen Iron Man? Remember the part at the very beginning where Tony Stark is demonstrating the Jericho missile? It was a missile that, after launched, broke apart into dozens of smaller missiles and then wreaked havoc. The pinecones were just like those smaller missiles.

So, now I had a dozen little fire-balls all rolling around the back patio — all with the predictability of a loose, bouncing football and all heading for the fence. The wood fence. So now the night has transformed from a calm, quite, romantic evening into an "I Love Lucy" skit.

Disaster was soon averted as I grabbed the nearby garden hose and sprayed them down quickly and left them all to smoulder in the cool night air. As we left the mess to be cleaned up the next day, we went to bed wondering if the neighbors were thinking, "What the hell are the Richters barbecuing now?" Ah well - Euell Gibbons would have been proud.

It's been real — It's been fun, but...

...I'm really glad the fun's over. (Not true in reality, though)

Last Friday I took my bike to work for what may be the last time in quite a while. With the onset of school next week and with the weather getting colder and darker quikly - it was time to put the bike in storage. I really enjoyed each of my rides in to work and the daunting prospects of riding home from the Zoo stop off of MAX.

Next summer I hope to get the bike out earlier and get on the program right away. Hey - only nine months to go, right?

California here we come....DAY TWO

Woke up this morning and got packed up in quick order and headed down to breakfast. Not sure what was on the menu - but I was anticipating the best and preparing for the worst. As son as I got to the bottom of the stairs I was greeted by a fairly large sized dog of unknown breed that had the utterly creepy charm of being blind as a bat. He (or she, perhaps) would simply lean his head into my thigh and just hold it there while waiting for a scratch behind the ears or a belly-rub or whatever form of affection would be offered. I complied and the dog went about his morning ordeals while Doug (I believe was his name) took requests for breakfast.

We were joined in short order by another couple who had stayed several nights here and we asked where they we traveling from. We were, of course, hoping to meet someone from a far-off land who could regale us with tales of adventure and nuance. Their home? Vancouver, Washington. I suppose when we told them we were from Beaverton they may have been equally underwhelmed.

Actually, it turned out that the woman was a teacher and she and Laura had a common friend in someone from our church - Karen "Whats-Key" (I know that's a terrible way to spell a name, but damn-it, sometimes you just have to rely on phonetics).

Breakfast consisted of blackberry pancakes, eggs, toast, coffee, and orange juice and it was, or course, delicious. We finished our meal; bade good-bye to our housemates, Doug, and the dog; packed up the Pilot and started out on the road.

Our first stop was only a few miles away and something that I've been to a few times - but Laura had yet to see: The Oregon Vortex.

California here we come....DAY ONE

Got off to our trip Saturday morning with a drive down I-5 South toward the Gold Hill area.

We dropped off Michael's kids with his Mom and Laura's with Robert (Justin is White Branch-bound!) and hit the road.

Our final destination is Oakland, California to tour the Bay area for a bit of the day on Monday. However, our first stop was in the Gold Hill area near Medford and a little B&B that Michael picked out called the Rouge River Guest House. Pictured is one of the main rooms in the house and Laura posing for me (after much cajoling) on the swing near the yard.


The guy who runs the place met us on the patio as we walked up toward the house around 6:00ish Saturday night. He had a prosthetic leg and smelled of lots of alcohol. Nevertheless, he was kind and checked us in and led us to our room upstairs. I've (Michael) never stayed in many B&Bs - so I wasn't too sure what to expect. Laura assured me that it was much like some of the places she's been in while traveling in the UK and that it did, indeed, have a bit of charm to it. I was and continue to be confused about the choice of an open box of random screws and bolts for decor. We both, however, found it "peculiar" that it was physically impossible to shut the door to the shared bathroom. Thank God we didn't have neighbors!

We found a nice restaurant right on the Rouge River a few miles down the road and had a few beers (thanks to the recommendations of the local, yet earnest, barfly) and some good food while we watched the river roll by. Still not sure - but we think we may have been sitting next to a food critic who spent her time alternating between bites of food and tapping on her Blackberry.

After dinner, we drove back down the road to the house and after getting thoroughly confused and nearly lost for a moment, we settled in the for the night and began planning our next day's drive into Oakland.