Swinging Evolution Baby

It is very interesting what emerges from the same gene pool. The nurture vs. nature stuff is fascinating also. It amazes me how different two people from the same parents, hanging out in the same house, how so darn different they can be!  I love it!!!  I love that I am able to learn from my siblings who are so different from me and I love seeing how already my girls are stretching one another because they are just unique people.  This is the first year that cautious Amelia Ann has actually really enjoyed the swing, I love her smiling face in the picture!!  And Stella, our adventurer didn't bat and eye, giggled in fact the higher she went!  I don't know if Amelia has just evolved into enjoying the swing or was encouraged by her baby sister to have fun with the thrill of it all.  Either way, I dig it!  These pics were snapped up at the Hinko's in Fort Mac and the girlies really loved when we would push them towards each other and could try to touch feet (the swings face one another instead of side by side).  Such good times we have with these women.

~ Momma P

Farmer's Market Adventures

We made a summer wish list and on it was visiting the Farmer's Market in St. Albert.
One of my favourite things to do is hit up local, eclectic businesses and often Farmer's Markets are composed of just those sort of people.  Graham's Mom had previously lived in St. Albert so the we knew how awesome the market was having gone with her and were eager to go again.   There were many creative people and totally beautiful things!  I bought a few hair clips for the girls (like they really need more?!!) and took a card for a business that makes metal house numbers, way cool.  There was a mini donut stand which we tasted, of course!  It was just such an enjoyable day, relaxed and chill!  I love days when we don't have a bazillion things to do and don't have to rush.  We need to try and make more of those happen.  Also making today great was that Mr. P returned from Scout Camp, a week is a long time!  He got home just in time for bed.  Sweet, tag teaming the kids is always so much nicer then doing it alone.  Post supper time still remains one of my favourite parts of the day, for obvious reasons but also because I love the rhythm of the evening and the slower pace our family has as we have cuddles n stories and chat about our day.  For sure there are daily...hourly frustrations but those quiet moments with the people I adore most in the world seem to wipe the craziness away.
 Totally love these peeps!  And the big peep Mr. P not photographed below. Does this pic from the Farmer's Market not scream SUMMER!  Hats, sunglasses, water and slurpee...oh ya!

~ Mrs. P

Snack, snack, snackity snack!!!!

So 'the cool thing to do' at the Polischuk's house is to eat snack at the little table!

It is pretty sweet actually.  Amelia will ask me to help put sister on the chair (because she can't get on by herself yet) and bring them their snack.  It is true that the older Stella is getting the more the girls interact...this is both a good thing and a bad thing :P  The wanting to have snack together is a good thing, a very sweet thing!  Rough love happens the odd time - big sis to little sis - and there is definite older/wiser stuff that happens in regard to toy selection again - mostly big sis to little sis - but I am assured that this is normal, in fact as the oldest I do have memories of similar occurrences growing up.  Oh well, just some of the great conflict resolution learned when you have siblings. 

Seriously though, the sweetest little snackers on the block...hands down!!! Also, kinda goofballs lately!

I really love how Tula is so patient waiting for any blueberry to go AWOL.  Of course she would take care of it.  I can only imagine the sweeping done by mothers with toddlers and no dogs, endless I am sure.  So love our dog Tula!

~ Momma P



Rainy Day Play

 A while back we had some crazy rain and following the lead of some moms that I admire - WE WENT OUT IN THE RAIN!  I feel like kind of a nerd because I made the girls put on their rain jackets and hats.  Seriously, I am such a geek afraid of a cold.   Irregardless we all had fun.
Amelia had a blast finding puddles and splashing around with her little pink rubber boots. Stella who walks while holding hands kept trying to do the same, goodness!  It was adorable!  Both of the ladies loved it.

This part of parenting is where I need to grow... Joy in Spontaneous Delight and Discovery.

(Teaching Children Joy by Linda & Richard Eyre)

I am so grateful to be a mom and have the opportunity to grow as a person.  They have helped me see joy in the world around that I previously overlooked.  I am grateful!



~ Momma P



We're Melting....

It is smokin hot!!  We are visiting Gramma and Grandpa up in Fort McMurray, super nice but also super hot.  Our women are sooooo hot, I feel bad that they have lived in an A/C house, they have little tolerance for the heat.  They literally looked like they were melting yesterday, poor ladies. 
So we are off to the movies today, perhaps the pool or sprinkler too!!!
We could also take them to the Caribbean, that may help get them adjusted to the heat. You know, travel for the sole purpose of 'getting them adjusted to the heat'.  :)  I haven't been cruising for awhile.

~ Momma P



Yeah, Auntie Jenn is visiting!

Nothing spells FUN like Auntie Jenn!!

We love that she is a teacher and has the summer off.  This means we get to see her more. Amelia has pretty much monopolized her.  Colouring, painting, watching videos on her phone and of course no one but Auntie Jenn can put her to bed or accompany her to the washroom (no we do not regularly visit there yet).  Mr. P is off camping with the Scouts so we have had some girl time around here.  Root Beer Floats, a bit of shopping today and the Waterpark tomorrow with our other Aunties, and then finishing the day with a dinner date at Grandma Lorincz's. We sure love having her here and appreciate her help!  I dig our convos and having a good reason to watch 'Pride & Prejudice'...oh love me a good girl movie.  I feel blessed to have been born into my family, a brother and two sisters, but then to be so blessed to acquire another sister through marriage, darn lucky.

We love Auntie Jenn!

~ Mrs. P

Jasper with the Hinko Clan

I am not good at narrowing down my photo selections and this post is proof.  The yearly photo albums I try to do are ridiculously full and have a ton of pages. 

To this I say whatever, *PICTURES ARE MEMORIES* and I am determined to capture them. 

It feels like summer is officially underway.  All spring I have looked forward to the July long weekend, kicking off the summer in Jasper at Miette Hot Springs with the whole Hinko Clan.  My sisters, their hubs and kiddos, Mikey and the leaders of the crazy bunch, my parents.  The work of planning, preparing, the drama that sometimes occurs where all overshadowed by the FUN!!!!!  We stayed at the top of the mountain, walking distance to the Hot Springs yippee!

I loved the green space and the view just outside our cabin door, much of our days there were spent playing on the grass with the kids.

Our awesome mom aka Gramma aka Humma (to Jacey) brought some toys just in case we had rain and we did. Just a touch but enough that the stash was well used. Ohhh and the laptop was also a rain survival tool.  Love this pic of the cousins minus Stella sitting together watching 'Puss n Boots'. 



Horseback riding.

Little story here.

Last year Mikey and Leslie went riding, said was awesome, said an hour was a bit short so this year we did a two hour ride!!!!!  Yup, it was beautiful but LONG, my butt started to hurt after only 30min and when I looked at my watch I got a tad bit worried.  After 60min I said a silent prayer inside, for reals I did.  The views were stunning, seriously gorgeous and mostly worth it!  The Hot Springs helped out my sore tush.  My horse, Ardie kept wanting to snack on grass so I was constantly after him to give it up - kinda felt like I was dealing with a toddler on the trail.  Leslie's guy Rio would sometimes take off in a little trot, Alyson almost fell off of Star when we took a steep hill and Mikel, well that dude rode Prince who treated him like a king hehehehe.



Love this pic of these girls in the Hot Springs.

 This was pretty much Stella the whole weekend, workin on the walkin!!!!

 These dudes make me smile and I just love'em!

The whole crazy crew!

Such fun times with these peeps.  Glad we get to roll around this earth together.



~ Mrs. P formerly a Hinko