Sandwiches in the park with my little lady. How lucky am I?
♥
Category Archives: in photos
A Vernon Favourite: Davison Orchards
Those who really know me, know my love for Davison Orchards. I love everything about it – the grown on site produce, the fresh-pressed apple juice, the unique gifts found in the country market, the fact that it’s family run… I could go on and on. It’s just such a quaint, feel good place to visit. And the best thing is that it seems to be getting better and better with time.
Since our vacation has been a little wet these last couple of days, we decided we’d make the most out of our dry morning, and headed into Vernon to visit my favourite spot. Gracen loved it. We did spend some time at Davison’s last summer, but Gracen was only 10 or 11 months old then…still a baby. This time was different. She was big enough to run around the orchard, take full advantage of the play ground, and feed and pet the animals…grown enough to take it all in.
Our first stop was the playground. Gracen was beyond excited to ride the tractor, play on the tire horses, and zoom down the slide. In fact, she was having such a blast that it was hard to pull her away in order to go and check out the rest of the orchard.
With the promise of seeing animals, our little animal lover followed us up the hill into the orchard. And she was very pleased she did. We saw rabbits, chickens, goats, sheep, and a donkey. Not only did she get to see the animals, but she also got to pet and feed some of them too. Her favourite part was retrieving the food from the dispenser, carefully placing it in the cup, and turning the wheel to send the treats up to the greedy goat waiting on the bridge above head. And although she was a little apprehensive, she even fed one of the goats by hand.
Next, we headed to the Kids Corral – a newer addition to the farm. It was awesome. Giant slides, a plasma car track, duck racing lanes, and a huge sandpit (complete with real tractors and an old truck) were just part of the fun. There was also a teepee to hide in, a corn maze to make your way through, a tree house perfect for enjoying the view, and a cow bell ringing station for those wanting to make some noise. The coolest part though? The biggest sensory bin I’ve ever seen (and you know I love me a good sensory bin). It was actually a shed filled with dried corn, shovels, and tractors… Amazing! 
The best part is that we’re hoping to do another visit next weekend when my brother, sister-in-law, and all of Miss G’s cousins arrive. Can’t wait. It’s sure to be quadruple the fun {and quadruple the craziness!}
♥
Cousin Vanessa’s Wedding Day
Today, Brad’s cousin, Vanessa, got married right here on the family farm. As much as we spent our morning wishing and hoping that the rain would would not grace us with its presence, it did. All. day. long. So when 2:30 rolled around, we made our way down the long gravel driveway with golf umbrellas, trying our best to get out of the way of incoming cars and minimize the amount of mud entering our shoes. While I arrived at the wedding with puddle-filled shoes and mud in between my toes, Miss G arrived, clean, dry, and warm. 
Just as we were asked to take our {hay bail} seats, something miraculous happened… The rain stopped. It couldn’t have been more perfect. We enjoyed a beautiful short and sweet ceremony, while Grae gobbled down a container full of raspberries, a mandarin orange, and part of an apple (hungry girl!)
After the ceremony was complete, we enjoyed a few minutes without rain. Gracen explored the yard and checked out the playhouse, and we were able to snap photos of her with her Great Grandpa Leo and Manmaw.
But sadly, the dryness was short-lived. The rain started coming down in full force once again, and the crowds rushed under the dinner tent to take cover. Gracen did really well with being trapped in her seat and happily coloured, read, and enjoyed more snacks, but with a 3 hour break until dinner and very little space to move, we headed back to Manmaw’s house an hour in to work off some energy before dinner.
We arrived back just as they were starting to call tables for dinner, and Grae kept busy with jam towers while we waited for our turn.
It rained on and off during dinner and dessert (apple fritters – delish!), but whenever it let up, we’d take Gracen out for some exploring time.
She was having a great time picking at the hay bails and smelling the flowers, until she saw another little guest wearing a polar bear hat, that is. After that, it was straight to the photo booth to check out the props. And they were awesome. With each new hat, she’d ask me to take her photo so that she could see it on the camera display. 
Unfortunately, we had to leave before the speeches and slideshow began (two of my favourite parts), but bedtime was calling. Congrats, Vanessa and Cody!
♥
Hello, Vacay!
Overall, last night’s trip was a success. While our little lady didn’t fall asleep until 9:57 p.m. (three and a half hours past her usual bedtime!!), she happily chatted, counted, read, and practiced saying “Hello Mamnaw!” until she finally zonked out when the sun went down. We arrived at Brad’s parents’ place around midnight and successfully put Grae back to sleep, despite the excitement of a bedroom filled with new treasures just waiting to be explored.
This morning we woke up to birds chirping and the Okanagan sunshine in full effect. Hello, vacation! Here are some photos of our day…
Pool filled and warming in the sunshine.
Chatting with Bella.
Loving the new tire swing PopPop made.
Very pleased with her new bracelet.
Grae’s treat of choice.
Home with her farmer’s market treasures.
An evening walk.
Piggy back rides.♥
Granville Island: Favourite Places & Today’s Disaster
I got this question from a local mom last time I posted about Granville Island, and I thought I’d share…
It looks like you guys go to Granville Island a lot. This summer my son will be at the age where he can enjoy these sort of outings, but the trouble is, I usually only go to the Public Market when I go to Granville Island. Where are all of these cool little spots you take your daughter to? Any tips?
I’m actually really happy to answer this question, because although I’ve always loved Granville Island, the truth is, up until we moved back to Vancouver from the Middle East, I was a Public Market and boardwalk kind of girl too. Here’s what our normal visit looks like now:
1. First off, free parking! I know that many of my friends pay for parking off the island and walk on, or park in pay lots on the island. Not necessary! If you park in the lot right beside Bridges restaurant (near the public market, but not in front of it – off to the side) you can have a free stall for 3 hours! And as long as you arrive before 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. (even on weekends) you shouldn’t have a problem finding a spot.
2. Public Market. We normally stop and get a little treat for Mama and a little treat for Grae when we visit. Grae’s treat often comes from Terra Breads. They have amazing fresh-baked bread of all sorts and can quickly tell you the ingredients in any of their homemade goodies as they keep a recipe binder on hand under the counter. Grae’s favourites are the cheese flutes (an extra special treat because they are made with white flour) and the walnut bread. If not bread, we normally stop at The Grainry. They have all kinds of natural and organic goodies for purchase in small quantities, and Grae almost always ends up choosing their no-sugar-added/unsulphered dried mango or apple. For me, it’s coffee! My newest stop of choice is Nons. They’re quick, they accept debit, and they’re located right beside the bank machine if you need to take out some cash.
3. Public Seating Area. After gathering our goodies, we almost always head outside to enjoy the seating area in front of the Public Market. Gracen watches the birds (while I put on my brave face and try not to pass my ridiculous fear of feathery friends down to my daughter), we watch the boats come and go, and enjoy the musical performances that are often happening. The only thing I don’t enjoy about this part of our day is the incredibly greedy/aggressive small dog-sized seagulls who are always trolling above head. Although it has gotten much better now that the crowds are out, we’ve been swarmed twice and let me tell you, it is FREAKY. The first time actually resulted in blood after Gracen’s finger was bit by a seagull desperate for her bread, and I’ll tell you all about today after this list. Best advice – keep all food completely tucked away.
4. Boat play structure. After our fill of aquabuses, birds, and bands, we normally stroll over to the Kid’s Market. While the Kid’s Market itself is not my favourite place, Gracen does love all of the at-toddler-eye-level toys for sale in the shops, so sometimes we take a quick browse. Most days, however, we head straight out back to the little boat play structure. Gracen rotates between the role of captain and passenger inevitably makes a new little friend or two.
5. Water park & playground. After finishing up with the play boat, we walk along the little path to the water park and playground area. The water park is still fairly new to us because we weren’t here last summer and it’s not been quite warm enough lately, but she did experiment with it a little today, and I can tell that it’s going to be a summer favourite. On the other hand, the playground is an old favourite. Between the saucer swing, the climbing structure/merry-go-round, the slides, the sand pit, and the kid-operated river, we can easily spend a couple hours there. The plus is that the False Creek Community Centre is right next to it, and we almost always duck in for a quick potty break.
6. Ron Basford Park. After coaxing Grae away from the playground, we head along the little seawall to Ron Basford Park. I personally think it’s Granville Island’s best kept secret. It’s a basically a giant grass-covered hill that is has a little path that leads to a Canadian flag at the tippy top. It’s the perfect place to let your little one run off some energy, and even better yet – it’s the perfect place for a snack stop or picnic.
7. Seawall. After leaving the park, we usually follow the seawall in front of the Granville Island Hotel and past the Sea Village. I’m not sure who loves the Sea Village more – me or Grae… How cool would it be to have your house on the water?! By the time we reach last one, without fail, Gracen’s request is loud and clear, “More home! More home!”
8. Performers. On the way back to our car, I always try to scope out one or two performances that are live in action. Grae normally gets out of her stroller so she can let loose and dance or sway to the music. After a few songs, we head back to our vehicle, load up our things, and make our way home for some lunch and a nap.
Now onto today…
What’s worse than being attacked by greedy dog-sized seagulls? Being shit on by said seagulls first, then being attacked. True story. Ugh…
Grae and I were minding our business while watching the aqua buses come and go this morning when I felt a series of warm, goopy plops hit my arm and hand. Sick. As I’m one-handedly attempting to open the diaper bag and retrieve a handful of wipes, 3 giant seagulls start swarming us. Globs of shit still all over me, I abruptly grab Gracen’s bread flute out of her hand, chuck in into the bag, and start fending off seagulls left and right. Grae’s now crying, the bird crap is dripping off of my hand, and the best part? I realize that this is all taking place in front of a row of busy window seats. I look up to see 3 people waving. Oh, let me die now…
Even worse? Me literally washing my sweater with hand soap in the bathroom sink, then ringing it out and putting it back on soaking wet because it was chilly, I had a strapless dress on, and didn’t bring anything else. FML. One thing was for sure, I wasn’t going to let a large load of bird crap ruin our morning. We had driven all the way there and Gracen was excited to explore, so on our way we went, albeit dripping wet. Here are a few photos from the better parts of today’s Granville Island adventure…
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Happy Father’s Day, Grandpas!
Gracen sends her love to all of her wonderful grandpas…
Gido, Poppop, Great Grandpa Routhier, Great Gido, and Great Grandpa Leo, we’re thinking of you today.
xoxox
Father’s Day
Sadly, Bradley has to work today… But since we’re headed home to the Okanagan at the end of the week, we’ve set aside a day to celebrate our own little Father’s Day while we’re there. Grae and I did manage to sneak out of the house this morning (in pajamas and gumboots no less) at 6:30 a.m. to retrieve Papa’s favourite hot drink and breakfast treat from our local cafe/bakery. We stayed a while, allowing Brad to sleep in, and when he awoke, he was very confused to find us at the table with our goodies all laid out. Yay for little surprises.
Happy Father’s Day, to the best Papa Miss G could ask for.
We love you!
♥
Maplewood Farm Visit
I had planned to sub today, but late last night, we decided that I’d skip what would have been my final work day this school year, and we’d head over the bridge to North Van as a family instead. And I’m so glad we did. With me working the weekdays that Brad has off, our one day a week as a family often becomes a ‘to do day’ instead of a day to get out, do something fun, and enjoy one another’s company.
A trip to Maplewood Farm as a family was just what we needed. The sun shone all day, we all had a blast, and Gracen got to show her Papa all of her animal friends she met on our last visit. We brought along with us a picnic lunch, a bag of bird seed, and by recommendation of North Shore Mama, some fresh mint for the rabbits (best tip ever seeing as the rabbits are so well fed that they turn away carrots and lettuce left and right, but gobbled up our mint leaves!)
Ooh! And did I mention that our visit cost a whopping $5?! When I got an email from Groupon advertising 2 adult admissions and 2 child admissions all for $10, I jumped on the deal. Little did I know, Groupon was having a deal of their own – $5 off any Groupon. Whew! Doesn’t get much better than that, now does it? Especially since admission for the 3 of us would normally cost about $20. (Have I mentioned that becoming part of the Ogasawara family has made me a sucker for a good deal?!)
Here’s our visit in photos…
The ‘moos’.
Pot-bellied piggies.
‘Hello, turkey!’
Gracen’s favourite – the horses.
Duck feeding.
‘Come, ducks. Come!’
Papa and his little lady.
Family favourite – goat visiting!
Goat watching.
Hands washed and ready for lunch.
Picnic lunch!
Duck feeding never gets old.
Fresh mint for the bunnies.
Cow milking.
Kisses.
Farmer Grae.
Last stop – the playground.
Do you think she enjoyed our day?
♥
Mama, Shoe!
This morning I was tidying the house while Gracen happily played with her chocolate play dough. My cleaning frenzy was interrupted by a very pleased voice announcing, “Mama, shoe! Shoe!” I turned to see this. Oh, my little monkey. How I love her and her crazy little ideas.
♥
A Day in the Life
I’ve been wanting to do one of these posts for a long time now… In fact, I kind of wish I had done one every few months since Gracen’s arrival so that I could forever have one of our typical days for each stage frozen in time. I already forget little details of those early days, and I’m fairly certain that that’s not something that will improve with time. Now, I know I could look back through Grae’s log book and see every pee, poop, nap, activity, and feeding for the first 10 months of her life clearly time stamped and described, but that just doesn’t seem as fun, now does it?
So here is a typical day with our {21 month old} duckling…
6:23 a.m. Our house wakes up to a little voice calling out, “Mama? Mama?”
6:24 a.m. Mama and Grae snuggle in bed for a few minutes while Papa gets ready for work.
6:40 a.m. Gracen takes a potty break and enjoys her morning milk while Mama prepares breakfast.
6:57 a.m. Breakfast time. On the menu this morning – avocado and mozzarella on squirrely bread with fruit salad. Papa heads off to work.
7:35 a.m. Gracen reads and plays independently in her room while Mama cleans up from breakfast, does the dishes, sweeps, tidies the living room and Grae’s room, flips a couple of loads of laundry, and folds bed sheets at lightening speed.
8:16 a.m. Gracen enthusiastically picks out her outfit for the day.
8:35 a.m. Ready for the day! We cozy up and enjoy a few books {and a little dance party}.
9:00 a.m. Mama has a quick shower and gets ready while Miss G plays 250 elastic pick up and imitates Mama applying “pretty pretty pretty”.
9:28 a.m. Gracen draws G’s (that’s what she told me she was drawing at least) while Mama gathers a few ingredients in the kitchen.
9:30 a.m. Together, we make these delicious veggie-packed low-sugar muffins. (Today we cut the sugar down even more and they’re still plenty sweet.)
10:15 a.m. Muffins are fresh out of the muffin and ready to be gobbled up as a morning snack. While Grae eats, Mama packs a quick lunch and stocks up the diaper bag.
10:40 a.m. We head out the door. Gracen put “Papa Baby” (I think she calls him that because of the fact that he’s a boy) out by the front door just after she got dressed, so there was no forgetting him.
10:58 a.m. We visit Hillcrest Centre and Gracen has a blast at today’s play gym session.
12:00 p.m. Gracen picks a corner overlooking the ice rink and enjoys lunch in the company of her baby doll before we head home.
12:41 p.m. We do our usual pre-nap time routine (potty, story, song, and snuggle) and the little miss lays down in bed. She chats with her animals for a bit, and by 1:00 p.m. the house is quiet. While Grae snoozes, Mama empties the diaper bag, eats lunch, catches up on email, preps a couple of things for dinner, and pulls together a little afternoon activity.
2:53 p.m. Gracen wakes up, cozies up on the couch with Mama and a cup of milk, and we watch a few nursery rhymes on BabyTV. Afterwards, we turn off the television and read a stack of books together.
3:32 p.m. Gracen beats Mama outside and is very pleased to find a blanket waiting underneath our plum tree. We play a few little games and soak in the fresh air.
3:40 p.m. We explore a new sensory box (which was a huge hit) and do some light gardening.
4:45 p.m. Back in the house, Gracen reads and organizes her picture cards while Mama prepares dinner.
5:30 p.m. We rush out of the house and head down to the Canada Line Station to pick up Papa.
5:40 p.m. Grae and a happy-to-be-home Papa have a race to the front door.
5:45 p.m. Dinner time! Pad thai with veggies, tofu, and shrimp tonight.
6:03 Papa and Grae enjoy a little downtime together, share a bowl of yogurt with berries, and watch some baseball on TV.
6:19 p.m. Papa bathes Grae while Mama cleans up the dinner mess, does a few dishes, and packs leftovers into tomorrow’s lunch containers.
6:35 p.m. Bedtime routine as usual. Diaper, lotion, teeth brushing, jammies, stories, songs, and snuggles.
6:49 p.m. The little lady is in bed {and quite clearly blinded by Mama’s camera flash}. The rest of our night involves some housework, a couple of shows, blogging / internet surfing, and a hot cup of tea.
♥
Ocean Visit
Gracen and I had a regular little day planned out, but when the sunshine popped out and we received an early morning text from my good friend Steph, it was off to White Rock for a morning along the ocean with friends. We explored the beach, dipped our toes in the water, drew G’s in the sand, strolled the seawall, grabbed iced coffees, and had a picnic lunch on the grass. And one of my very favourite parts? Waving to our shadows and making them jump and dance along the beach. Seriously – is there anything more entertaining than watching a toddler discover the wonder of shadows? I’ve been soaking up moments just like these for the last couple of weeks and just can’t get enough. Today she even crouched down to touch her shadow… Gosh, I love this girl to bits.
♥
Park Crawl
After a busy weekend with Gracen’s Grandma and Grandpa (a.k.a. ‘Manmaw’ and ‘Poppop’) here, we headed out for a relaxing afternoon at the park. We decided to visit one of our favourites a little ways from home, and on the drive over, Gracen spotted a different playground out the window and asked to visit. It was too late for me to jump into the lefthand turn lane, so I quickly decided we’d do both. Why not, right? We went to the original one as planned first, then stopped at the other one on the way home. A mini playground crawl to end our weekend was just what the doctor ordered.
Favourite saucer swing position. Sunnies mandatory.
Big girl swinging.
Balance.
“Muwahs” for Mama.
Cautiously crossing.
Space car riding.
Serious.
Recreating these photos.
“Mama, Grae Grae sleeeeeep.”
Her first time saying, “Higher! Higher!”
♥
Morning Painting
Yesterday Grae and I took a little walk and picked up a few craft supplies and sensory bin items along the way. Besides a few squishy ocean animals she picked, one of Grae’s favourite items was a little wooden birdhouse she chose out herself. It was just begging for some colour, so today we started our day off right – with some painting. I gave the birdhouse a quick base coat and then Little G got busy. She was very serious about it all and pleaded for more when she had used up all of her paint.
Perhaps she’ll be an artist like her Baba one day?
♥
Proud Girl
Off to the mailbox with letters for her grandparents.
♥
The Outpost Cafe
Today Gracen and I visited one of the places that has long been on my ‘rainy day to do list’… And while it wasn’t actually raining, it was one of those dreary, chilly days that makes you crave a good cup of coffee in the warmth of a quietly busy cafe. We headed down Fraser Street in search of The Outpost Cafe, and after circling the block twice and driving past three times, I finally noticed the shop nestled in a small string of semi-deserted-looking businesses. I’d heard all kinds of good things about the delicious coffee, homemade food, and open-to-the-public and child-friendly ‘staffroom’, and despite its very modest storefront, it did not disappoint. My latte was perfectly satisfying and the separate munchkin-centred room was exactly what all coffee shops need in order to allow caffeine-craving mamas a few minutes to enjoy their fix. I sipped my latte leisurely while Grae gobbled up her Larabar (she spilt her entire steamed milk not a moment after purchasing it) and moved on to investigating each and every toy the room had to offer. And on top of all the fun things left out to explore, the room hosts a giant blackboard wall {along with several buckets of colourful chalk} just waiting to be drawn upon.
Gracen had an absolute blast and I had what was one of my most peaceful cups of coffee I’ve had since Gracen arrived in this world 21 months ago. Here’s to another rainy day escape being added to our repertoire.
♥