SOLV Saturday and Blazer Shocker.

Yesterday was a full day. I think I need a vacation just to recoup!

It started early as Chris, Blake and I (ranen was at home recovering from a fever) headed to Cathedral park to participate in the SOLV trash pick up volunteering event. I feel Blake is at a good age to do this kind of thing. I want her to know the importance of volunteering. Of how good it feels to give selflessly to the community and to make a positive impact on the lives of other human beings..

All this was lost when Saturday morning cartoons were being missed. "I DON'T WANT TO GO!!!" She cried all the way there.


But after a donut graciously provided for by the organizers, Blake was ready to go.

She was a trouper. We walked all along the park picking up cigarette butts, bits of trash and the like. It took a bit a time but the use of a trash grabber was well worth it!


The best score was when Chris found a pair of panties under a bush....


By the end we were giving each other high fives. I even heard the words, "This was Fun!" coming from the mouth of the 5 yr old disbeliever.



I took Blake from there and did a bunch of errands. By the time we got home we had about two hours to chill before we left for the Blazer game.

Chris was a trouper. He camped in line for 16 hours to get four tickets to the first Blazers playoff game. We were all so excited. We went early to have some dinner, listen to the live band outside the stadium and get our faces painted.


This was the last of the smiles. The game was...disastrous. It was a long night...


REDEMPTION. Tuesday.

I just had to share. Isn't she a cutie?

Pre Easter FUN!

The kids have been so excited about the upcoming holiday.

Today we dyed eggs...


The kids had fun trying out different color combos.



We also went to the Overlook house for their Easter Egg hunt. It wasn't much of a hunt but more of a grab type of event. They opened the doors early so there were more eggs then kids. In the end we gave some eggs back because we just had too many.


...and I finished up a stuffed rabbit for a coworkers baby shower this upcoming week.


She's rather fetching, especially with her fluffy tail!

Rhododendron Garden

This weekend we were blessed with sun. It was unbelievable. It seemed the neighborhood awoke from a slumber. Outside you could hear lawn mowers, saws, dogs barking and children laughing.

On Sunday I decided to take advantage of the good weather by taking Blake to the Rhododendron Garden in SE. I, of course, got lost on the way but the trip was worth it.


I took lots of pictures of Blake...


She herself took lots of pictures....



We fed water fowl (cracked corn provided by the garden)...


Overall, we had a blast. I would definitely recommend a visit.


"Wow Mom! Did you see that one? It showed us it's butt!"

I can't believe the last time I posted was last month. Where have I been!

Life has been steadily moving on at the Johnson-Petryszak household. The weather has finally broke the 50 mark and the sun has shocked us all out of the winter blahs. We've been busy spring cleaning and discovering the joys of working outdoors. Chris has been busy setting up my garden, staining and repainting our decks and other general honey-do list items. Even the kids have enjoyed getting unplugged and took to the outdoors shooting hoops and riding bikes.

Ranen is still very much digging his trumpet. This kid practices every day and can now play a song with noticeable differential notes. It's fricken cool that our little man has found an instrument he likes. Now if only we could get his homework this much attention!

Last week Blake started her music class. I was in the lounge area listening to them beat on drums, giggle, then beat on drums again. At first I was a little unsure if the guy with the Mohawk who had a quiet way about him could work well with kids, but he had them laughing and having fun throughout the entire 45 minutes. Totally worth the cost! Each week they will learn about a new instrument. I wonder what they'll cover this week?

As for me, I'm recovering. Not from the 5K which I was slated to run yesterday but from the crushing blow of shitty knees. I couldn't even run 15 minutes without stopping and limping back home. I bought straps and other knee containing contraptions to help with the pain, but I would rather stop while I still have use of them. The pain tends to go away after a couple of days and quicker still if I don't wear heels. So today I will start swimming. Laps will be easier on the joints and still give me the aerobic workout that I need. But I'm still bummed about the running...

Let's see...what else?

Blake lost a tooth.



Ranen is signing up for his first ever science fair (exploding volcano anyone?).

Thanks to Miss Sara I now have a bike. It needs a few things before hitting the road, but I'm so excited and anxious to do so!

I've been busy knitting. More to come on that later...