valley zoo

The Bird girls really do help us experience a lot of cool things! Jacey's GRIT program had a day at the zoo and we were able to tag along for the group rate :)  Leslie's crew and my peeps have seriously had so may neat opportunities because of the resources Alyson finds for Jacey. LOVE IT!!!!!

The zoo always rocks! Am I right?
We haven't been since last summer when they started renovations and I was blown away by the new entrance and all of the work that has gone into giving the zoo a facelift.  It was needed and looks wonderful. The girls had a blast!!!

Found some animal pictures from the zoo on the web because mine were not good. These were a few of the cuties we saw at the zoo. Oh how education and conservation are tied together. Had some kind of heavy conversations with my girls about where these animals were born and why they might now be at the zoo. We did also watch the movie Madagascar recently so that was fresh in their minds, adding to the questions. Beautiful creatures!

~ Mrs. P

tball spring wrap up 2014

Tball finished tonight for our big girl. "I am a really awesome Tball player and am so proud of myself. Aren't you so proud of me mom?" Good positive self talk Amelia.  Then as we walked into the house she says, "Stella when you get bigger you can be really good at Tball like me". 

Amelia had the following stats:

ran bases in 27 seconds

threw 22 feet

She's a superstar!!!!!!! Loved her metal.

 

 My heart was bursting with love and pride for our girls tonight!  

Having them brings such immense joy, a joy like no other.  

~ Mrs. P

camping at the farm...part II

There is something seriously peaceful and beautiful about the farm! We had left our trailer out there and because the Birds had been sick our first weekend camping out there we kind of had a repeat. The weather was spectacular!!!!  We were able to get the quad running and Uncle Mark lent us his side by side so we did a few trips out to the back pasture.  Growing up we would always spend a few weeks, sometimes a month at the farm and would take at least two trips a day out to the pasture checking the cows.  It was familiar, comfortable and kind of special to be able to take the girls exploring. They all loved it!

 Oh the dandelions made for a lot of fun. 

Trying and trying to blow, teaching Neely and watching them fly.

 Jacey Bird is a thrill seeker and boy did she LOVE the quad, like so much.  Graham said it was the best when they were behind, she could see us and trying to catch us. Sooooo funny to see her large smiles and watch her laughing.

 Of course I made everyone pose for a few pics...they are memories. They remind me how beautiful it was, how warm the weather was, how bright the sun was, how much fun the girls had and how peaceful the farm is.

 Also super cool was when we found a duck nest with many egg shells left behind. Coolest ever!  They did meet a sad fate when Amelia tripped on a stick and fell. Bummer!

Fun fun at the farm!!!!

~ Mrs. P

mostly friends {a new stage}

Mostly friends but...
sometimes foes.

There is much talk about the stages that children go through and that parents must navigate. At our house we have transitioned to a stage that makes me appreciate the one we just left, ha!!!!!  The girls now fight.  Up to this point there really wasn't much of it, we could trade or sidetrack or distract and taking turns was kind of okay, NOT ANY MORE.  The girls are mostly into the same things and are both adamant when they want something.  They really do love playing together and have SUCH FUN together but yep there is definitely some bickering now.  A friend with older kids said that basically there will now be fighting until they move out.  Great, so this is apparently a really looonnnnngggg stage ha!!!!  So we continue to take turns, use the microwave timer a lot and do a ton of sentence modeling and help with compromises, we also now have a spot on top of the fridge (visible but not reachable) for use when things just can not be shared.

Love them both so darn much.  Snapped this picture on my cell the other morning when they were goofing on the bed.  Morning cuddles ROCK!!!! Just saying. We are cherishing (almost) every nighttime sneak into our bed.   Having them whisper "mom", flipping the covers and them crawling in beside us...super special.  We don't have a baby waking us at night and don't have five children that want to climb in, (not that I wouldn't take those in a heart beat). Our king bed fits us four perfect the odd night we all end up together and we are grateful for it. Certainly to be cherished!!!!!! We know that this 'stage' won't last forever.

 LOVE THEM.

~ Mrs. P

letting go a little

 I am cautious and conservative and a tad over protective....I know it.  Something that I have tried to do is 'let go a little', this is hard for me! 

The other morning the ladies pulled out these plastic popcorn containers and started playing around.  They scooted around the kitchen and were giggling.  A more cautious Jenny would have told them they could break something and to get down, but I let it go. They were smiling and being silly, it was sweet.  It was one of those moments, a good moment.  Really trying to let go a little more, let more of those moments happen.

~ Mrs. P

ballerina girls

My darlings were photographed by cousin Emma and the results are so BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!

  Emma's skills and my lovelies...what a combination.

I LOVE that the images are soooo them!  A big thanks to Emma for freezing time and capturing a love my ladies have for ballet. They truly put these outfits on many times a week and ask for music to twirl to.  Be still my heart, my darlings!

 ~ Mrs. P

TOFFEE

 This little sweet pea is the newest Polischuk!!!!! Man oh man she is such a doll.  Actually when we picked her we thought she was a dude. Our family has felt the loss of not having a pet.  A few weeks ago we visited a petting zoo and it was like a light bulb went off for Graham and I .....ah yes a bunny!!!!!!  Our girls were both gaga over the bunnies. Also perfect to get a critter from a petting zoo, totally use to being handled by littles.  So many things made sense about getting a little bunny fur ball. We scored a deal at a pet store in the city to get things ready for her at home. Each of us girls picked a toy for bunny and discussed names.  We moved stuff around in the den so that bunny could live in there. I found some great articles online, bought a fabulous book on rabbits and picked up a magazine on the Lion's Head breed (her breed).  In thinking about keeping our bunny active and played with lots, the den seemed like a good place. 

 We originally called bunny, Toffee Kristof but after visiting the vet and discovering that 'Toffee' was a girl the girlies wanted to call her Toffee Elsa.  So TOFFEE ELSA it is!!!!

Toff is such a little sweetie!!! We adore cuddling her.  We cuddle her while doing hair in the morning and while doing stories/scriptures at night....AND many times in between.  She is the perfect addition to our family and we are grateful for her.

~ Mrs. P

2 Girls- 3 Days - 5 Stitches

A few LEGENDARY days for the Polischuks this past week.

Both of our girls now have stitches :(

It is soooo sad and so crazy that tragedy struck them both, so close together.

Amelia got her stitch first on Saturday at Grandma Lorincz's 80th Birthday Party.  We actually missed the meal as we were off at the Sturgeon Hospital getting her fixed up. It went so quickly though that we made it back for dessert. The poor girl fell on a heat vent, she stood up with a gash on her brow and blood dripping. I ran down to the end of the table where she was while calling for Graham to come.  I immediately scooped her into my arms and headed for the restaurant bar for first aid assistance and napkins to apply pressure.  Amelia was a bit frantic at first, definitely in shock as she saw the blood on her party dress. Oh it sucked to see her hurting like that, I tried to put pressure on her eyebrow but she didn't want us touching it. Graham went to get the vehicle while I tried to help her calm down. Luckily Auntie Jenn was there so Stella stayed with her.  By the time we got to the hospital Amelia was more herself and more calm.  The nurses and doctor were fabulous and our little woman, man our woman was a champ!!!  Amelia was such a calm little girl during the freezing and stitching process. We were soooooo impressed by how cool our girl was once we got in there, certainly a few whimpers and tears but a fierce strength. Her daddy carried her around from waiting room to private room and then to the bed, I climbed up too and she curled up resting her head on my lap.  She laid there so still and wounded. The emergency doctor was good, talking with her, distracting her by discussing her favourite character from Frozen and in the end she only needed one stitch.  So brave. What a girl!

Stella had her visit to emergency two days later.  Monday after Amelia's 5th Birthday Party we were going to go out for dinner and were visiting with our neighbors on the driveway.  Stella was playing and then just fell face first onto the driveway.  Graham went to comfort her and as he picked her up yelled to me that we needed to take her to the hospital :( Poor woman!!!  We asked our neighbors to hang with Mia until the Birds could come and get her.  Our poor little babe Stella was clearly, oh so clearly going to need stitches. She was incredibly stoic and strong.  As we waited in the waiting area we were able to distract her with drawing, mini Robert Munsch books, eye spy and saved videos on our phone for her actual stitches.  Things didn't move as quickly this time around but Stella was a champ! She went back and forth between Graham and I as we waited, cuddling right in.  Once we finally got into a private room Stella was actually kind of in a funny mood.  She just blew us away with her bravery. The doctor and nurse were wonderful.  They wrapped her up in a warm blanket to keep her from moving and coupled with Graham's phone captivating her attention, she was spectacular and stayed perfectly still.  She needed four stitches and was wonderful. Seriously so fantastic!

If I am being honest the girls were far more brave then me!  I tried to stay calm on the outside but was totally freaking out on the inside, goodness it was icky and super sad.  I have also been known to pass out at the sight of blood or needles. They are amazing and both now have their stitches out.  Amelia got hers out before we went up to Fort McMurray and Stella wasn't ready until we travelled north. Amelia wanted to keep her stitch because it was blue, like Elsa's dress (from FROZEN). We brought it home but it is now lost. Thankfully Stella was just happy to get her stitches out and did not want to bring them home. Hoping we are done our emergency visits for another another few years. What brave little women we have!!!!

~ Mrs. P

Amelia Ann is FIVE

 Sweet button nose, sweet wrinkly hands, sweet ears, sweet lips, sweet shoulders, sweet soft skin....*sigh*

Our big girl just turned five and it is crazy to me.  As I looked through a few of her newborn pics I thought about all of the little things I loved and enjoyed about her as a new baby. Then my mind ran through our lives the last five years, they have ROCKED!  She made me a momma, a role I waited a long time to acquire.  It is a privilege to be her mother and there are some things I don't want to forget about her at five;

 *Amelia is eager to go to school! Not a day goes by when it isn't mentioned and driving by her future school is ALWAYS acknowledged
*she is a softie for animals, really, really has a gentleness that draws little critters to her
*wears dresses everyday and is big fan of her costume jewellery
*dresses up in various costumes; animals or princess dresses
*has a great imagination often playing FROZEN or being people we know ie. Auntie Al, Baby Corbin
*is a big FROZEN fan
*is sensitive and will say "you are breaking my heart" (sometimes it is said when I am teaching or giving a consequence)
*LOVES to read scriptures about Jesus and His life
*LOVES to paint/draw - I always have two pens and paper in my purse for the girls
*likes to dance
*wants to play the violin  when she is bigger
*likes her hair in a side braid
*since raising butterflies Amelia has been into life cycles and watches different animals or insects life cycles on the iPad
*totally great at printing her name and will write little notes in cards
*getting pretty sassy - perhaps it is a getting older thing :(
*Amelia wakes up happy!!! Like for real the happiest morning person and I would have considered myself and my Grandpa Hudkins morning people but she is off the charts :) love that about her!!!

 Amelia and our classic birthday breakfast! She was sooooo pumped to wear the hat and get sung to.  We made sure to bring the party hat up to Gramma and Grandpa's because it is tradition yo!  We had a joint birthday cake in honour of all three birthdays that just happened;

Stella May 30th

Gramma/Mom June 4th

Amelia June 10th

Three very important women!!!!!

 

Happy Birthday Amelia Ann!

~ Mrs. P

so many fun things

 I have soooo much to record and share. We've a few birthdays, a few adventures and our second weekend out camping!  Busy, busy, busy.  I need to get in the habit of sitting each night, even if just for a few minutes to record the highlights here for our family.

Spray Park FUN

We have had gorgeous weather lately!  A few rainy days but mostly warm and lovely.  We had our first spray park adventure of the year.  I love watching kids make fast friends at the park, it always amazes me how building a 'lake' in the sandbox can pull kiddos to work together.  Amelia and two of her friends worked with two other new park friends making a little assembly line of water filled sand buckets. Adorable!  Her and I had a chance to talk after about looking around and including/inviting ALL those around. It was good. Such fun to be had at the park!  I also love that I don't have to hoover around a tipsy toddler or watch for someone to eat sand.  Our ladies are growing up.  Made them pose for a silly pic.

Splash n Boots FUN
Our cousin Jacey has great connections.  We often benefit from these great connections.  Last week there was a private performance at the GRIT office and we were invited too! In preparation for the show we watched 'Splash n Boots' on Youtube while doing hair, they rock.  They totally rocked a fun, interactive performance which we all loved.  An awesome way to spend the morning!!

Our Friends Acreage FUN
Kristen, Alyson's childhood friend lives close to us out on an acreage. Our Primary Presidency had planned to have a presidency meeting out there complete with quading but when it didn't work out for everyone Alyson and I took the afternoon to go out and play instead.  The land and her home are lovely! It is beautiful and just so peaceful.  We went quading through the back part of her property and the littles got a kick out of the trees and bumpy trail.  The play house and swings were also popular. Super fun afternoon!!!

Serioulsy just so many fun things happening lately!!!!! 
~ Mrs. P