With the number of parks we visit around Vancouver, Gracen and I may as well be labelled playground connoisseurs. And while Grae has fun wherever we are, there is one playground that seems to be her clear favourite. It’s not big and it’s nothing over the top fancy, but it’s just perfect for her.
It’s the playground at the Langara YMCA on 49th at Alberta.
It’s one of those playgrounds that is perfectly suited to littler kids (I’d say probably ages 1.5 to 5). With the exception of getting in and out of the swings and climbing onto the airplane bouncers which are still a little too high, Gracen can do everything on her own at this playground. What makes it even better is the big firetruck apparatus she pretends to drive, the drums built into one of the climbing structures, the plastic bubble she loves to curl up in, and the covered area, complete with mini picnic tables for snacks and lunch on the go.
If you’re a parent to a toddler and you’re not too far away, I’d say a visit to this little playground would be well worth the trip.
Vancouver parents, which park/playground do you and your little one(s) enjoy most?
♥
Photos edited with Instagram. Find me under jkossowan.
(As a side note, I know that her leg positioning looks a little awkward in this photo, but having her feet propped up like this isn’t her usual riding position. Normally her legs are either criss-crossed or down to the sides, and because she’s never known any different, she doesn’t mind one bit. Our plan was to keep her rear-facing until her second birthday, but as the day looms near and I continue to read articles like 
Luckily, I was able to find plenty of bushes right along the road to pull up to and pick from while Grae snoozed peacefully with the car doors open. Let me tell you, it worked out for the best that she fell asleep. Blackberry picking is dangerous work. 
Gracen really enjoyed the play areas. Besides loving the different types of swings (as she always does), she really liked the playgrounds too. Both were different than the ones we normally visit and had some great new tunnels and climbing structures for her to try out.
The wading pool was a hit also. Although it was COLD (like really cold), she was happy to alternate pool play periods with warm up breaks on our blanket in the sunshine. What I really liked was that I could easily go in wearing my skirt and because it was so shallow, I felt comfortable sitting along the edge while Miss G splashed her little heart out. 
I think we could visit once a week, every week and never tire of it.
Papa and his girl.
Wading in.
I’m not ashamed to say that we were back at 
Today my little lady and I braved the {insane} crowds and visited Granville Island. With our wagon packed with essentials, we quickly picked up our not-so-essentials (fresh bread and iced coffee) and headed over to what I think is Granville Island’s best kept secret – Ron Basford Park (one of our 
In an effort to keep cool while enjoying the sunshine, we tried a new outdoor pool today… The outdoor pool at 
Although Gracen watches very little television, one thing that kind of slips under the radar is watching sports with her Papa. For the last couple of months now, they’ve been all about baseball. Brad gives her a simple play-by-play of the game, and she tells him what she sees and shouts “Run, run, run!!!” as the players make their way around the bases. We’ve even started singing ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game’ as a bedtime song. It’s pretty cute that she’s so into it.
With this newfound interest in baseball, we’ve been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to take Grae to her first live game. And today that day finally arrived.
Being that the afternoon games start at 1 and last a few hours, we decided that Bradley would go for the start of the game with Uncle Brett, Grae would have her usual 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. nap, and she and I would join halfway through. Of course, on the rare day that we planned something for right after her nap, my little consistent as can be 2 hour napper slept for an extra half hour. Not to worry though, we scored a sweet parking spot and arrived at the top of the 5th inning with plenty of game left to enjoy.
When we first sat down {in our very crowded row surrounded by people chanting and shouting} Grae was a little overwhelmed, but she quickly settled on my lap and enjoyed her bag of stove-top popcorn while watching the game as if it was what she does every saturday afternoon.
Although she was very interested in the game, she was equally interested in the bear mascots that came out in between innings. Motioning with her little pointer, she called out “Clum, clum bear!” (come, come bear!) in hopes of one coming our way. When they’d head off the field instead, she sadly say, “More bear. More bear, please, Mama.”
Despite the bears not complying with her requests, she contently took in the game, shifted from lap to lap, gobbled up ALL of the special ball game treats I’d packed for her (stove-top popcorn, 2 ingredient ice cream – both banana and mango, in-shell peanuts, and an 
Afterwards, we made our way down to the field for a few pictures and a closer view of the bears. Kids were actually invited to run the bases during this time, but it didn’t look like parents could accompany their munchkins and we were a little unsure that she’d know what to do. Next summer, maybe!
She did, however, get a close encounter with the Canadians bear, who was {of course} much cooler when looking much smaller from further away.
In the end, we left with a little lady begging for “More ball” and a promise to be back very soon. And that we will.
This afternoon we set out to visit another wading pool off of the 
The best part is that the pool is surrounded by plenty of grassy space and tall trees, making space to play, picnic, and get out of the sun easy to find. 
After a snack in the sunshine and some time to dry off, we headed over to the park’s playground, which was a perfect way to end our afternoon.
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?
