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Tag Archives: around vancouver

iPhoneography // Sushi

3 / 10 / 123 / 28 / 12

IMG 2744We very rarely eat out, so when we do, it’s exciting!  Especially because it’s normally sushi, which Miss G absolutely loves.

IMG 2750Tonight, as usual, she ate her weight in miso soup, veggie rolls, edamame beans, and tofu.

She also tried this… (Try your best to ignore my machine gun laugh. Ugh.)

Apparently she’s not a fan.  I don’t blame her.  Yuck.

 

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Play Gym at Sunset

3 / 9 / 123 / 16 / 12

I don’t know what we’ve been up to, but we certainly haven’t doing our regular Friday mornings up at the Sunset Community Centre play gym sessions…  Maybe it’s because the weather’s been getting nicer and we’ve been spending more time outdoors, or maybe it’s because the lovely teacher, Aggie, no longer runs the sessions, but either way, it was nice to be back today.  Gracen loves it, it’s nice to chat with the same moms each week, and it’s just a few blocks up from our house.  How can you go wrong really?

Gracen was very excited to be back.  There was some regular play involved…

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But she spent the majority of her time frantically running from one car/trike/bike to the next, climbing on, pushing the centre of the wheel/handlebars, and declaring, “Beep, beep, beep!”IMG 7423IMG 7425IMG 7427IMG 7428IMG 7430

 

I’m not sure what this is all about, but hopefully it’s not a reflection of her Mama’s driving.  :)

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The Bloedel Conservatory

3 / 6 / 123 / 6 / 12

This afternoon Gracen and I finally ventured out to a place we’ve been meaning to visit for a while – the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park.  Grae was in heaven before making it anywhere near the dome.  The surrounding area is home to sculptures, fountains, and endless room to run, which was more than enough for our easy-to-please little lady.  We took our time, explored a little, watched the fountains again and again, and eventually made our way to the doors.  Inside the conservatory is a little slice of the tropics.  Exotic plants and tropical flowers fill the dome from ground to ceiling and birds fly freely over head.  Mix that with the warmth, humidity, and sounds of running water and birds calling, and you feel like you’re on vacation in the rainforest.  Of course, Grae soaked up every second.  Birds, flowers, sunshine… This place was right up her alley.  We slowly wandered along the paths visiting birds and stopping to smell flowers along the way.  The absolute favourite of the day had to be a little cove inhabited by several small birds and one larger parrot.  There was a puddle of water in front and Gracen was absolutely fascinated by the fact that the birdies were having a bath.  She repeatedly signed ‘Bird. Bath!’ with big eyes and a look of disbelief on her face as we watched them and then requested that we go back to the bird bath several times later on.    Here are some photos of our afternoon:

IMG 7213A little unsure of the fountains.

IMG 7221Much braver when they weren’t at full power.

IMG 7224Taking in the view of downtown Vancouver and the mountains.

IMG 7312Ruby, the bird that greeted us in the cashier station.

IMG 7242Macaw watching.

IMG 7228Carmen and Maria, green-winged macaws.

IMG 7244Flower sniffing.

IMG 7245The pink orchids were G’s favourites.

IMG 7252Must. smell. each. and. every. flower.

IMG 7274Kiwi, the talking bird.  I think he fancied G quite a lot…  He kept saying, “Muwah!” and “I love you” whenever she got near.

IMG 7276Clyde, an Eastern rosella parrot.

IMG 7277Very into Clyde.

IMG 7284Watching the birdies bathe.  Completely captivated.

IMG 7287Bird talk.

IMG 7291Mmmmm… Flowers!

IMG 7288Grae told me that these leaves were “pretty pretty pretty”.

IMG 7290

IMG 7293Casey, a yellow-headed Amazon parrot.

IMG 7303Copying Casey’s calls (scarily well actually).

IMG 7315Outside after a great visit with her birdie friends.

IMG 7322Soaking up the sunshine.

IMG 7328Our visit was probably only an hour long (and that was walking through twice), but it was so much fun.  We’ll definitely be back again soon, and hopefully this time with a picnic to enjoy outside afterwards.

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iPhoneography // Sniff Sniff

3 / 5 / 123 / 28 / 12

IMG 2696Taking time to smell the flowers while in Marpole today.

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A Day with Gma Char

3 / 3 / 123 / 3 / 12

Today we got in a full day of quality time with Grandma Charlotte (a.k.a. ‘Gma Char’).  It involved a Granville Island visit, some shopping, several tea parties, plenty of cuddles, and a giant Costco trip.  All in all, I’d say it was a pretty great day.   Here are a few photos I took along the way.

IMG 6902Captain Gracen.

IMG 6906Peek!

IMG 6915Ducks galore.

IMG 6923Mama’s worst nightmare.

IMG 6931Kisses for Calgary Stampedin’ Gido.

IMG 6934Greek for lunch!

IMG 6936Grandma, Grae, and Papa.

IMG 6941Tea for two.

IMG 6946Pretending to be a teeny tiny baby.

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Sunday

2 / 26 / 123 / 1 / 12

Oh, how I love Sundays…  And today’s was just as they were meant to be.  Bradley had the day off and we were able to spend the day together, just the three of us, for the first time in what felt like a long while.  Our  day was filled with a morning at the beach, a leisurely walk for tea lattes, a lazy lunch, produce shopping at our favourite market, and fresh vietnamese spring rolls for dinner. Of course, the beach was the highlight…  I know it seems like we’ve been a little obsessed with Kits Beach lately {we have!}, but it’s just so beautiful down there.  There’s a little bit of everything – a seawall to walk along, one of the best playgrounds we’ve visited in the city, and a giant beach to explore.  Not to mention, there’s a Starbucks across the street (this makes Mama very happy) and you can’t walk 3 steps without seeing a dog or a bird (this makes Gracen very happy). Overall, it’s a win-win!  Plus, it’s only 15 minutes from our house and Papa had not been since well before our overseas adventure…  So basically, we HAD to go {and take 150 photos while we were at it}.  Here are some of my favourites:

IMG 6446Little Miss Animal Lover on her way to offer the seagull her muffin.

IMG 6447Carefully selecting a few new items for our ocean discovery box.

IMG 6450Smitten with blankets.

IMG 6460Almond-filled pockets.

IMG 6463Sittin’ with the seagulls.

IMG 6472Deep in conversation.

IMG 6473“Papa, you’re sooooo funny!”

IMG 6480Showing off her shell.

IMG 6483Impromtu beach snuggles for Mama. ♥

IMG 6500Giggles.

IMG 6521Stealth snack style by Papa.

IMG 6530Little admirer.

IMG 6532Serious about boots.

IMG 6534Log walking.

IMG 6537Papa & his little lady.

IMG 6541Dismount.

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Science World

2 / 24 / 123 / 1 / 12

This morning we braved the crazy torrential downpour / sleet / snow / hail combo Vancouver was receiving and spent the morning down at Science World with some friends we originally met in Kuwait, but who are also from the Lower Mainland.  Although a lot of it wasn’t really age-appropriate, my friend, Sue, is a regular there and knew exactly where to take the girls.  Gracen and Ava had a wonderful time exploring, playing, running, and splashing their way through the Eureka and Kidspace sections and by the end of it all, they had tired themselves out so completely that they were perfectly happy to climb in their strollers and be pushed out to the parking lot.  Here  are a few shots from our visit:

IMG 6347Greeted by a Lego horse and knight.

IMG 6351Splish splash.

IMG 6355Ball hoarder.

IMG 6352Watching the start of the snow.

IMG 6362One of Gracen’s favourites. (Mama’s too.)

IMG 6367Snow in full effect.

IMG 6371Loving the gears.

IMG 6375Tired and headed home.

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The Crankiness Cure

2 / 22 / 123 / 4 / 12

This morning was a little rough.  Gracen had a great sleep, woke up happy, and gobbled up her oatmeal with milk and berries as usual, but things quickly went downhill after that.  Before long, she was an unhappy, whining, I-need-my-mama-to-carry-me-all-morning-long mess.  (I think it must be this little bug we’re trying to fight off.) There’s only one fix for a morning like this. What is it, you ask? Getting outside and getting some fresh air, asap!  I swear, it’s the cure for all Gracen issues.  Teething? Get outside.  Tired but not yet time for a nap? Get outside. Feeling yucky? Get outside.  So that’s just what we did.  We quickly got ready, packed some snacks and our gumboots, and headed down to Kits Beach.

IMG 6211Saucer swingin’.

IMG 6216Steamed milk with cinnamon along the seawall (she’s signing ‘drink’).

IMG 6230Seashell inspecting.

IMG 6236Wave watching.

IMG 6241Wet toes.

IMG 6244Newly collected ocean items.

IMG 6247Bumblebee boots on the beach.

IMG 6258Snacks on a log.

IMG 6289Puddle jumping.

IMG 6290Making friends with passersby.

IMG 6300The perfect perch.

Voila!  Grumpiness gone.  Fresh air is magic, I tell you.  Pure magic.

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St. George’s Playground

2 / 19 / 123 / 1 / 12

Sometimes I wonder if a person could make living as a playground and park reviewer…  Cause that may just be the perfect job for me and my pint-sized sidekick.  Today (after our usual Sunday morning play gym / lunch / nap combo) we hit up another new playground on the westside of the city.  We were actually out and about doing a few errands near Dunbar and somehow found our way to St. George’s, an all boys private school. Although intended for older kids, the playground was pretty amazing.  Gracen enjoyed exploring the campus and making friends with two other little girls who were playing on the playground also.  Here are some photos from our adventure…

IMG 5972Crusin’ along.

IMG 5974Entering the campus.

IMG 5976Spinning the ‘log’ by hand.

IMG 5977The climbing apparatus and a peek at the school.

IMG 5981A sideless slide.

IMG 5985Just hanging out with Mama.

IMG 5992A view of the playground.

IMG 5993Snooping around.

IMG 5998Gracen crossing. (Don’t worry – the gates were all locked shut and the campus was vehicle free.)

IMG 6008Snacking on the steps.

IMG 6019Gigglefest.

IMG 6022‘Hi, Mama!  I see you hiding behind that gate you know!’

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We Heart Kits Beach

2 / 17 / 123 / 1 / 12

Although we’re perfectly content living in a little house {just barely} on the east side of the city, there is definitely something magical about Vancouver’s westside. There’s just a different energy about it. Maybe it’s just that before moving to the Middle East I had spent the better part of a decade living there and it feels more like home…  I don’t know.  Either way, I know that I want to spend some time showing Gracen some of my favourite places from times past.

With that in mind, this morning we geared up, pretended not to notice the spitting rain too much, and headed down to an old favourite, Kits Beach.  We walked along the oceanfront, visited with puppies, played at the playground, put our {gumboot-protected} feet in the water, collected seashells, ate lunch on a giant log, bird watched, and jumped in puddles.  Okay…and took a ridiculous amount of photos. :)  It was the perfect Vancouver morning with my little lady. ♥

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Broadway

2 / 15 / 123 / 1 / 12

Bradley had the day off today and since I didn’t get a call to sub until it was too late to actually make it out to Surrey on time, we got to have an unexpected family day… Yay for that.  We’ve been kind of missing living on the westside of the city lately, so we decided to head down to Broadway to browse the shops and grab some coffee.

IMG 5758Uncle Brett works on Broadway, so we were hoping we’d see him when we stopped to peek in the window of his store.  Sure enough, he was there!  We popped in for a little visit, and lucky for us, he was able to escape for a bit and join us for an afternoon snack at the sushi restaurant next door.

IMG 5760Afterwards, we visited Kidsbooks (which was amazing as always) and a few other shops before stopping at Caffeé Artigiano for a hot drink.  Even Baby G got a little steamed milk with cinnamon.  She was beyond excited about it and slurped up her last bit  before I had even had three sips of my coffee.  That’s our little milk-loving monster. :)

 

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A Granville Island Morning

2 / 5 / 123 / 1 / 12

IMG 4910This morning we packed up our things and headed out to Granville Island bright and early.

IMG 4949The air was crisp, but we layered up and did some exploring.

IMG 4913Naturally, we ended up at the Kid’s Market.  It was Grae’s lucky day.  We were there so early that she was asked to test drive this ride to make sure that it was working well for the day.

IMG 4916After riding in a corvette, we popped in and out of stores until we came across this guy.  She patted his leg, said “neigh”, and desperately wanted to climb on his back.

IMG 4921All of the rides caused Grae to work up an appetite. (Have I mentioned that she’s been a bottomless pit the last few days?  I think she’s making up for all of the days she spent sick and not eating last week.)  We headed to the market area where Gracen devoured a Terra Breads cheese flute and half of my souvlaki platter.  This little lady is all about Greek food right now.  Tzatziki?  She LOVES it.

IMG 4924After a yummy lunch, we headed back outside to enjoy some more fresh air.  Gracen is all about being able to let loose and run around without having to hold someone’s hand.

IMG 4925Of course, Gracen walked right up to the local musician who was performing and started dancing to his music. (Side note – If you look closely, you’ll see a couple with a dog and a stroller sitting on the bench behind Miss G…  You’d probably think that they had a baby as well, but no.  That wasn’t the case.  The stroller was actually for their four-legged furry friend!  I’m all about loving your pets – I did miss a funeral for a human being on the day I found out Titan had died because I couldn’t get my butt out of bed after all – but a doggy stroller? Really? Anyways, moving on…)

IMG 4932Besides enjoying local musicians, Grae’s other favourite Granville Island activity is running amidst the birds.

 

IMG 4937I’m not going to lie.  This freaks me out.  Sometimes I think that one of these human-sized seagulls is going to pluck my little girl up by the sweater and fly away with her.  Of course, Gracen doesn’t seem to be the least bit worried.

We had a lovely morning {mostly} outdoors, which will make up for the afternoon we’re about to spend indoors watching the Super Bowl…  Go, Patriots, go!

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An Afternoon at the Aquarium

2 / 5 / 123 / 6 / 12

IMG 4866The weather was gorgeous today, so Gracen and I decided to head down to Stanley Park to visit the aquarium.

IMG 4869First stop – the beluga whales.

IMG 4874Next stop – the sea otters.  This little guy was totally performing for Grae and she was just soaking it in.  Sea otters have to be one of the cutest creatures ever.

IMG 4882After being outside for an hour and a half, we headed inside to warm up a little bit.  Grae loves the giant tank by the entrance way that is filled with all kinds of sea creatures.

IMG 4886Next we headed to the dolphin underwater viewing area.

IMG 4895This dolphin was very playful with Grae and provided all kinds of entertainment by doing flips and twists, touching her nose to the glass, and diving in and out of the water.

IMG 4909After seeing most of the main exhibits, we parked our stroller and headed into Clownfish Cove for some playtime.

IMG 4904Gracen explored, played, and made some new friends before it was time to head downtown and meet Bradley for dinner.

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Business as Usual

1 / 29 / 123 / 1 / 12

IMG 4657We’re enjoying finally being well enough to get out and do the things we normally do.  This morning we headed over to the Hillcrest Community Centre for their Sunday morning family social and play gym session.

IMG 4661After coming home and having a GIANT 3 hour and 15 minute nap, Gracen and I jumped on the Canada Line and headed downtown.  We walked around for a little bit, visited Chapters, and then picked up Bradley from work when his shift ended.  It feels good to be well again!

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Waterfront in New West

1 / 21 / 122 / 2 / 12

IMG 4505Today we headed out to New Westminster to check out the Royal City Kids Fair.  Although the fair wasn’t great, the Quay did not disappoint.

IMG 4489The boardwalk was beautiful!  We walked up and down the walk, greeting people and puppies along the way. Grae loved watching her pinwheel twirl in the wind.

IMG 4499We stopped every now and then to pop in the markets, watch the birds fish from chunks of ice, and watch the tugboats come and go.

IMG 4502One of the highlights was definitely this boat playground.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get a shot from the outside, but it is basically an old boat that’s been anchored into the boardwalk and converted to a children’s play area.

IMG 4504Gracen loved it.  We’ll definitely have to bring Papa down here sometime soon.

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