Staying connected with Mr. Polischuk

Every time we SKYPE, my dad will go on about how unbelievable the technology is.  He said he remembers 20 years ago there was a booth at a trade show where they had a wall separating two monitors and it was amazing that the people on either side could actually see one another, people thought it was sooooo cool!  Now, we have SKYPE and anyone can use it to stay in touch.  Seriously, what would we do without technology?  It sure helps our little women stay connected to their dad.  The phone is great, fabulous to hear their voices but there is something about seeing their face.  Just tonight Amelia and her dad were making funny faces back and forth, Graham even wiggled his ears while getting Stella to point out body parts.  So darn awesome, really something very wonderful!!

 

 

 

So here we are, day 14 of being separated.  No move in date yet.  Boo!  Just trying to stay positive.  It has been fun running errands with my mom and hanging out with my dad and brother.  The girls are enjoying being at Gramma and Grandpa's.  I have honestly been in a way mello state here, kind of vacation mode.   We usually chill out when we come up, but I am ready to shift gears, contribute a little more and get into a routine because the home I grew up in is going to be home a while longer!!!!

 

~ Mrs. P

Great Gran Hinko and a week on the farm

There were beautiful pink sunsets and foggy mornings.

It was quiet, save only the sounds of nature and children.

There were Grandma hugs before bed.

There were also dead mice, a ton of bugs, coyotes, bats and no pizza delivery!
All that considered, it was a great week.

Our first week without a home was spent with my Grandma Hinko out at her farm. 

I have many fond memories, spending summers there so it was nice to give my little women a taste of it.  Grandma kindly opened her home up to all of the Polischuk girls, this included our pup Tula who loved running free!!!!   She didn't mind our 6 suitcases, 2 rubbermaid bins or 3 reusable shopping bags.  Hey, I had to pack for changing seasons and bring a few 'touches from home'!  It was a great week.  Stella started warming up to Grandma just in time for us to leave and Amelia

was a big fan of Grandma's breakable ceramics, oh dear! We enjoyed her covered back deck and loved visiting the horses.  Under Grandma's tutoring I cranked out 28 jars of Apple Jelly, fun!  The week wrapped up with a family BBQ which was so nice. 

 

My sweet girlies...

 

 Interesting and new things to see... 

Polischuk Ladies self timer pic... 

 

Running Free...

 

 

 We had a good time visiting and hanging out!

 ~ Mrs. P



Ten years have flown by...

Today we celebrate our 10th Anniversary &
My 31st Birthday!!!!!

We are so old that our wedding pics were taken on film.   I have our wedding album scrapbooked and pretty but it doesn't leave me any way to put up an old wedding pic...I could scan pics but the scrapbook is packed and stored.  Oh well, as I looked through our Facebook albums I found a few oldies, but goodies.  I love how young we look.  Oh the days before little people, so full of travel and alone time.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE our life now but goodness how it has changed over these last few years. 

I am proud of us for being at the 10 Year mark, it is awesome to look back and see all that we have done together! I am very grateful we started our married life together at the temple where we were sealed 'together for eternity' and not just 'until death do us part'.  The dude is so good to me and would be sad knowing our life together wouldn't extend beyond.  A forever future with Graham Polischuk seems pretty good!  He loves me lots and I love him, simple!

 

Just a few fun pics from our past...

Cruising the Caribbean (like 7 times)!

 

 Europe...Vienna, Austria

 

 

Miami, Florida



 

Feeding Mr.P's addiction to the Oilers! 

 

Life now...so full of love and joy! 

Our little eternal family becoming three, then four. 

So awesome, so blessed, so grateful!!!!

 

 Happy 10 Years!!
~ Mrs. P

 



Sisters Night Out

Sisters are so awesome and we don't have enough time alone together! 

Life is always so busy.  We booked a night and made a sisters night happen, just us - no kids!!!  

I am so grateful that Amelia and Stella have one another because sisters are totally built in best friends.  They have known you forever, know all your stories, know your family stuff and just know YOU!!!!  Love them so very much.  I love that they can see my potential and can say just the right things to encourage me or knock me down a peg when needed. I am so thankful for them.  We took these pics awhile ago but with Alyson off to camp and me up in Fort Mac until our new house is ready I am missing them a touch.

 

~ Mrs. P

Prince Charming

There is something special about the daddy and daughter relationship.

I love it.

I love watching Mr. P with his girlies. I love watching how excited they are to see him.  I love watching them climb all over, wanting cuddles (Stella) or a ride on his head aka shoulders (Amelia).  They really, really like the guy.

 

The best though is how recently Amelia has taken to calling Graham 'Prince Charming'.  Awesome I know, consequently I have taken to calling him 'Prince Charming' - with minimal sarcasm hahahaha!!!!   She acquired the prince as a potty training reward and is convinced that her Dad is a prince, she is a princess and will marry her Dad.  We have sort of tried explaining gently to her that he is already taken, but she will eventually figure it out.  So funny, very adorable and certainly something I needed to commit to family blog memory.

 

Prince Charming and Graham TOTALLY look alike!!!

 

~ Mrs. P....or am I Mrs. Prince Charming....I'm just not sure??!!

Officially Homeless

Home is wherever I'm with you.
~ Edward Sharpe  & the Magnetic Zeros

 

Amelia is a fan of the song 'Home' and requests to listen to in the car All-The-Time, she also knows almost every word!   This weekend as we travelled around Graham and I both, almost simultaneously noted that this song totally relates to our family...home is wherever we are together because we are officially homeless.

It was so bittersweet leaving our old house last week. There were so many great things about the house and the location but in the end it just didn't suit our family anymore.  Of all the homes in our 10 years of marriage this was our longest dwelling, 6 years!  As we finished cleaning Mr.P and I were both getting all sentimental thinking about all of the things that happened to our fam while we lived there.  We feel good about the move and even in this current state of limbo, as we wait for our new house to be ready we know it will be worth it in the end!!!!

We had one last family pic and made a poster for the people moving in, letting them know about all the awesome aspects of the home.
We will miss:
* the tree out front in the spring
* the view out the back
* a lovely yard with minimal maintenance
* a kitchen filled with light from the morning sun
* great neighbors
* a covered front porch perfect for painting with water, eating Popsicles or writing with chalk...all while being protected from the sun or rain
* the cute bunnies that periodically visit our street
 



 

So while we hang out with generous family members who have opened their homes to us we will chose to be positive and try to stay cool as we live out of suitcases and rubbermaid bins ahhhh!  BTW I have only had one breakdown that resulted in tears, not bad I say.

 

Oh moving! 
~ Mrs. P



Swimming Lessons

Older sister has been in  her first unparented swimming lessons these past two weeks and it has been mostly fun. The fun parts are the new friends, the slide, the songs and the warm pool.  The not-so-fun parts are the showers and the face in the water.

I must say that the first day was emotional for me. Her first unparented class!!  It made me feel like she was one step closer to leaving home!  Silly, but for reals I teared up as I walked away.  The teacher called for the 'Sea Otters' and the little people followed him to the bench where they started their lesson, oh my big girl.  We had talked and tried to prepare, discussing before hand what might happen in class and there were no tears from her (the first day anyway!! :P).  Our pool is great in that they have a large viewing area with bleachers right beside the pool so parents are right there.  I love that I could see and hear how they instruct the kids, I can then use the same vocabulary to practice when we go to the pool as a family. 

Amelia is like me though, not such a fan of swimming.  She mostly tried everything and as we approached the end of the second week she got more confident....not just in the water but also in telling her instructors, "No, it is ok I don't need to try that!".  Oh dear, what a girl.  We will keep working on it.  Swimming is kind of an important life skill. 

 I took photos of her the last day because she looks so darn cute in her little swim suit.  It was baggie in the leg holes and tush because she is so skinny, kinda funny!!!  Oh swimming pool, I am sure we will see you often these next few years.

~ Mrs. P



These feet were made for walking!

In the midst of a house full of moving boxes

Stella has started walking!

The first few steps occurred in Amelia's room after her nightly bath and were taken in pursuit of her big sister Amelia.  It was so very exciting to watch her take this next 'step' of independence.  Her face was priceless, a huge smile!  She clearly felt awesome and was super pleased, beautiful to watch. Wish Graham could have seen.  Little by little she has gotten more brave and now is a walking machine. The picture below makes me want to kiss those chubby baby knees.

We had a friends wedding in Victoria over the long weekend and Stella accompanied us.  She walked and walked and walked.  It was also rather special to be able to give her our full attention, Graham and I both commented how we need to make sure we do this with both our little women periodically.  Give them all of us and spend time with just them, both of us!  I must say it was a pleasure.  We missed Amelia but she had a blast with Gramma Hinko.

~ Momma P

Packing Up

We are set to move in less then two weeks, TWO WEEKS!!! AHHHHH!!!!

It kind of makes my head hurt thinking about everything we still have to do, but once we are in and settled it will be worth it.  I have learned that moving with kids sucks!  Bless them, they are adorable and cute but focusing on a task, bah as if.  Planning what we need to bring with us as we stay with family while homeless, a whole other set of packing.  I want to bring things that are familiar and comforting for our girlies. Yep fun, but worth it.

The excitement of our new house and the chaos of packing up this one, crazy.  Amelia is loving the boxes piled up in the basement, it is like a little fort with unlimited drawing space.  Recently, she was doodling away as Graham and I worked away.  Oh and our little Stella, the chick who likes to stay close to mom.  She helps us have periodic cuddle breaks.
Just packing up, getting ready to move on out!

~ Mrs. P