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Tag Archives: out and about

To the {Woodland Park} Zoo!

10 / 13 / 1210 / 13 / 12

Zoos are one of those things I love and really dislike all at the same time.  (Well, unless we’re talking about the Kuwait zoo, that is… Sadly, that one would have to fall into the category of ‘really dislike’ more than anything else… Animals from all over the world all kept in dry, desert-esque habitats with school children harassing them and visitors feeding them ice cream and popcorn is just not my idea of animal-friendly.) So when I found out that we were staying outside of downtown Seattle this weekend, very close to the Woodland Park Zoo, I had mixed emotions about going.  On one hand, I knew Gracen would love visiting.  She’s a true animal lover and it would be a chance to see many of the animals in person for the very first time.  On the other hand, I knew that leaving feeling terribly for animals kept in small, non-natural confines was a real possibility (I obviously hadn’t done much looking into the Woodland Park Zoo beforehand).  

I have to say, I was very pleasantly surprised.  The Woodland Park Zoo is the least zoo-ish zoo I’ve ever visited.  And I mean that in the very best way possible.  

Because it spans 92 acres, its {more than} 1000 animals have tons of space to live and roam as they would in their true habitats.  And the best part? There are no tiny plexiglass confines or cages in sight.  In fact, most of the animals live in fields and forests so giant that visitors can only see small parts of them (though many can be accessed from several sides and have designated viewing areas).  It’s hard to describe, but it felt as though we were visitors to the animals’ environment, rather than them being the visitors in our environment.  It was peaceful. And beautiful.

And we had a wonderful time.  

Here’s our morning in {a ridiculous number of} photos (try to ignore the fog and smudgy fingerprinted glass)… 

IMG 0602IMG 0476 2A Hip a Hip a HippopatomusIMG 0482IMG 0484IMG 0492IMG 0498IMG 0500ElephantElephant LoveIMG 0529SiamangIMG 0550OrangatangIMG 0557IMG 0564Wolf  HawkIMG 0578I Spy an OwlIMG 0579Brown Bear Brown BearIMG 0589IMG 0593

 ♥
 
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iPhoneography // The Tough Day Solution

10 / 9 / 1210 / 22 / 12

Sushi NightIn all honesty, I very rarely ever wish that my time with Gracen would pass more quickly.  Today, however, was just one of those days.  Despite a couple of really enjoyable activities, by the end of the day, I was feeling a little exhausted.  My solution to ‘just one of those days’? Forgetting about the nightly ‘making dinner / cleaning up the mess / doing dishes afterwards’ routine and heading out to share a bento box with my little lady instead.  A perfect end to a tough day.

♥

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Ballet Tuesdays

10 / 2 / 1211 / 13 / 13

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Will I ever get used to the cuteness that is Tuesday ballet afternoons?  Ummmm…probably not.  Especially when the cute is 12 tutu-clad little ladies dancing around a studio with long ribbons in hand.  Because our class is a parent participation class, us mamas gallop, stretch, plié, and sing alongside our little ones, making it very tricky to take photos of the class itself, but I always make sure to take a couple before and after.  Grae’s so used to it now that she actually stops before going into the community centre, positions herself against the wall, and says, “Picture time, Mama!”

 ♥

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iPhoneography // Mini Ballerina

9 / 18 / 129 / 19 / 12

Today it was back to ballet class for Miss G and I.  And though Grae was a little bit sensitive when it came to loud stomping and ‘angry feet’ last week, this week she participated in everything quite happily.  We’d talked about how funny it is to stomp around loudly and make your feet look angry for the last few days, and with a couple of tiny reminders at the beginning of the class, she was just fine this time around.  In fact, she was having so much fun that she spent most of the class on the other side of the room, dancing and participating without any help or reassurance from Mama.  

Balletpre-class warm-up // ribbon dancing

mini ballerina // post – class beach ball hands

Have I mentioned how cute a studio filled with giggling tutu-clad toddlers is?  Trust me, it’s ridiculous.

♥

Photos edited with Instagram. Find me under jkossowan.

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Southlands Country Fair

9 / 16 / 129 / 19 / 12

Today, my munchkin and I escaped to a little piece of rural paradise, right here in the city of Vancouver.  We spent our day out at Southlands Riding Club (just off of SW Marine Drive), at their annual Country Fair and it certainly did not disappoint.  The fair, which raises money to support the club, as well as their summer riding program for underprivileged children and two other local charities that run programs for disabled riders, was wonderful… The perfect way to spend a day with little ones, really.  Besides horse entertainment and demonstrations all day long, there were pony rides, hay rides, a petting farm, a vendors’ market filled with local goods, musical entertainment,  a huge farm yard fun area bursting with old-fashioned activities for little ones, and more.  Grae and I arrived in time for opening, stayed well past her usual nap time, and could have stayed for at least two hours more.  

Without a doubt, the highlight of the day was the pony rides (and not just for Grae – it seems most families felt the same way).  Though I’d read about how busy the pony ride area was in years past, I thought Southlands had a great system this time around.  Basically, you visited a booth to sign up for your pony ride time slots, then went about your day and reported to the ring only once it was your designated time. Because the line was only for time selections, it moved fairly quickly despite its length.  Luckily, I thought ahead and signed up for two time slots {an hour apart}, guessing that Gracen would love her first horse riding experience and want to go again.  And thank goodness I did.  The first thing out of her mouth after getting off her pony was, “More pony riding?”

Here’s a look at our day in photos…

IMG 9644First pony ride.

IMG 9647Wee cowgirl on a wee pony.

IMG 9652Puppy dog face.

IMG 9666Goats need hugs too.

IMG 9675‘Hello piggy!’

IMG 9681Back to the riding ring.

IMG 9684On the ‘BIIIIG’ pony, as requested.

IMG 9695Doesn’t get much better.

IMG 9696Cowgirl Grae.

IMG 9700Tractor driving.

IMG 9710Bouncy horse!

IMG 9713A giant sensory pit… the hay pile.

IMG 9719Yay for hay.

IMG 9725Ahhh… Comfy.

IMG 9728Future firefighter?

 

What a day.  I’m not sure who had more fun… But one thing is for sure, we’ll definitely be back next year.

♥

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First Day of Ballet

9 / 11 / 1211 / 13 / 13

With fall soon approaching, I knew that I wanted to get Gracen in a couple of organized activities.  Though our days visiting parks and beaches and playgrounds will continue through the winter months, it’s nice to have more than just our usual play gyms, pools, and libraries to sneak away to when we want to escape the cold. When I came across Ballet with Billie, a parent and tot class held at our local community centre, I knew Gracen would love it.   Music, dancing, singing, and little friends…  It sounded perfect for our little lady.

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So today, the first day of classes, we got her dressed in her little leggings, her brand new leotard, and the tutu she’d specially selected for the occasion. As I packed up our bag, she came to me with the handmade scarf she received for her birthday and said, “Mama, Grae Grae wear scarf. Windy day. Sooooo windy, Mama.”  I explained that it wasn’t really all that windy, but she desperately wanted to wear it, so out the door we went.

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We arrived to the class and met several lovely mamas and babes right off the bat, the teacher was beyond fantastic with the little girls, and Grae really enjoyed herself {once we got passed the loud stomping part that left her feeling a little frightened and clingy}.  The best part? She left the class, star sticker on hand and first ever goldfish cracker in belly, asking when we’d be going back.

♥

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iPhoneography // The Perfect Playground

8 / 19 / 123 / 13 / 13

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.

YMCA PlaygroundIMG 5345If 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.

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Grays Park

8 / 17 / 121 / 23 / 13

Gracen and I finally made it to Grays Park for the first time today… I don’t know what took us so long – it’s almost the exact same distance from our house to Grays as it is to Queen Elizabeth Park, and we’re at Queen E. at least a few times a week.  Either way, I’m glad we finally checked it out.  Located at the corner of E 33rd and St. Catherine’s, Gray’s Park is a big green space that includes two separate play apparatuses, two sets of swings, an old-school concrete wading pool, multiple courts, and a public washroom.  

IMG 8530IMG 8532IMG 8542Gracen 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.

IMG 8535IMG 8540The 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. 

The only downsides we noticed were the bees (there were tons of them all through the park) and the fact that the pool was cleared every so often so a man wearing tall rubber boots, a rubber smock, and a Dexter-style plastic face mask could come in and sprinkle in what appeared to be chlorine/pool chemicals into the pool with a watering can (I guess I just figured that in a pool that is drained and refilled daily, these things would be skipped all together?) It’s probably not much different than being in a pool that has a more ‘automatic’ way of adding chlorine, but it definitely made you wonder each time he came out in full gear…

♥

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A Granville Island Morning

8 / 16 / 128 / 16 / 12

Today we spent our morning at one of our favourite Vancouver spots… Granville Island.

IMG 8499IMG 8504IMG 8506IMG 8519IMG 8514 I think we could visit once a week, every week and never tire of it.

♥

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iPhoneography // Accidental IKEA Morning

7 / 17 / 127 / 20 / 12

Somehow a quick fan stop at Home Depot became a morning at IKEA. Oopsies! I blame it on Grae… Clearly she’s the one that loves the place. ☺

Untitledmoving in // lounging

bed tester // “blankie, Mama?”

no hands // soup taster

hiding // new fabric

convinced Mama to buy restaurant food // first ever white flour pancake

♥

Taken with Instagram. Find me under jkossowan.

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A New Playground

5 / 5 / 123 / 13 / 13

Have I mentioned how much I love taking Miss G to new parks and playgrounds?  I don’t know what it is, because we have plenty of great favourites already, but I feel like I’m always driving around with my playground radar in full effect.  I’ll spot one in the distance, take a quick survey (Saucer swing – score! FOUR slides – sweet!  Check out that merry-go-round!), make note of the location, and add it to my mental list of places to visit soon.  (Oh, the things that get you excited as a mommy!)

Anyways, I scoped out this beauty of a playground a few weeks ago, and we just got to visiting it this afternoon.  It was well worth the wait, let me tell you.  The school it belongs to (Dr. Annie B. Jamieson) doesn’t look like much.  It’s not new or fancy, but its playground sure is!  It’s actually two separate playgrounds – one that is geared more towards older kids, and one towards younger ones.  There are multiple swing sets, a saucer swing, one of the safest seeming merry-go-rounds I’ve come across, FIVE slides, and some really cool climbing apparatuses. Not to mention that it’s located right in / next to a park with a giant green space, a walking path, and an outdoor fitness park much like the one in our favourite Kuwait park. (Oh, Kuwait…  How I miss you sometimes…)

Of course I took about a million photographs while there.  Here are a select “few”:
IMG 1767All about spinning.

IMG 1771Sliding.

IMG 1776Trying to balance like Papa.

IMG 1783Swinging froggy-style.

IMG 1788Wheee!

IMG 1795Mama’s turn.

IMG 1805Just chillin’.

IMG 1816Little climber.

IMG 1821‘I’d be much happier if I had some company on this cool merry-go-round’…

IMG 1825Somehow I got convinced.  Barf.

IMG 1835Our favourite – a saucer swing!IMG 1838

Fun!

IMG 1840Riding on her “bell buh” (bellybutton), as she calls it.

IMG 1858Her favourite way to ride… While someone sang Rock a Bye Baby of course.

IMG 1861I think we nearly put her to sleep!  Time for dinner, a bath, and bedtime.

♥

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