European Cruise part 1: Travel and the Boat (it really DOES deserve to be capitalized!)
These pictures won't be in time order, but they're all from the same two days...

When you become a parent, there are words that take on a completely different meaning...you all know what I mean - the basics are...joy - looking into your kids eyes, hearing them laugh...a good night's sleep - four hours in a row...buttered popcorn - the smell of newborn poop...etc. Well, here are some that changed for us - European Cruise - exhausting nights of almost no sleep followed by hiking hither and yon through a different city every day...relaxing mornings sleeping in became early mornings spent watching the sunrise with a VERY awake Ellis...losing your luggage becomes a national disaster as instead of just missing your OWN underwear, you are missing formula, diapers, and pajamas for your 10month old...a 'modern' hotel is just one with a lot of hard surfaces and nowhere for a beginning crawler to let loose...ah, we revamped the dictionary on this whirlwind tour!

And despite all of the difficulties - it was a pretty amazing trip - having Ellis with us brought a completely different dimension in a good way - the staff on the boat practically went overboard (get it? :) to help us...they were all in love with our boy - for George, seeing Ellis squeal with excitement over a centuries old painting in the Hermitage beat out seeing it on his own...and it was really okay that late-night dress up dinners were replaced by pizza and ice cream with the newest member of our family -

the boat - simply awe-inspiring - some 3,000 passengers and 16 floors...



the first formal night with my boys....

at dinner

dancing on the deck with Ellis...

the maitre-d in the dining room couldn't get enough of Ellis - the first time we went, he demanded that the bus boy get Ellis some watermelon..but not the previously cut up watermelon - 'cut it up, fresh from the fridge!' - he's been on boats for over 20 years and has two kids...yikes!

Our two lovely sailing companions...Luisa (grandma/abuela) and Marta

the boat - HUGE!!

Our boat has a 'movies under the stars' feature - complete with wool blankets if it gets cold...

cruisin' with the guys...

our room - Ellis slept in the closet ;)


this is how tired he was by the time we made it to the boat - three flights and two days later...we seriously almost killed him....we were cracking up...he literally didn't move from this position for hours!


this is me - saying with my eyes...I can't believe we're taking him halfway across the world...
below...Ellis saying 'goodbye' to SF and heading out into the world...until next time - be looking for the Poliszuk's European Vacation Part II

We were fortunate enough to be able to visit Heather's family in the Olympia Area of Washington for the long 4th of July Weekend. Much of our Heather's extended families were able to be a part of the Holiday Celebration and it was great to experience the 4th of July in Olympia, a big town that likes acting like a small one. We also had a great time hanging out with my cousins Rick and Liz and their two kids Katarina and Gabriel. Here are some of the visual reminders of that weekend... enjoy...george and heather and ellis

Heather recently surprised me on my first Father's Day with an SF Giants vs Oakland A's Baseball Game in San Francisco, among other gifts. It was also Ellis' first major league baseball game! We had a great time taking the train into the city and watching a great game. Ellis seemed to be intrigued by the sport as well. A good sign indeed. All in all, a great day and it will be a difficult Father's Day to match...

My family (George) got together recently to celebrate the return of Prima Alexa from Texas and to eat our weight in asado (castillian spanish for BBQ). It was also Ellis' first family reunion...A good time was had by all...

My mom and I recently undertook a whirlwind trip to Argentina. Here are photos of some of the amazing sights in Buenos Aires and at the Catatatas de Iguazu...and some photos of family (my Tio Nicholas) and friends there...enjoy...

Friends Tim and Christine Park recently made the trek up from So Cal to hang out for the weekend and participate in the 97th running of the San Francisco Bay to Breakers 12 K Race. We had a great time showing them the city, and we came away with a number of stories from the race and some of its...umm..runners (Elvis and salmon to name some of the tame ones..). Although I would like to say that I was victorious in the race, unfortunately I cannot even claim to be the champion among the 3 of us. The honor goes to Tim, who turned on the afterburners the last half mile and finished in a blaze of glory. Congrats Tim! Quick note to Tim: Its never going to happen again, so enjoy it buddy!