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Tag Archives: playground

Vitamin D

5 / 12 / 125 / 13 / 12

I am so, so lucky to have a wee one that loves being outdoors as much as I do.  We spent our morning at Granville Island playing on playgrounds, watching birds and boats, strolling the seawall, and taking in live performances, then came home just long enough for a nap, and headed right back out the door.  Our afternoon adventure took us down to Jericho Beach, where we played in the sand, dipped our toes in the ocean, and collected ocean treasures.

IMG 2577Captain Grae.

IMG 2578Water collection.

IMG 2583Cruisin’ around the water park (can’t wait ’til it opens!)

IMG 2587

Running with the birds.

IMG 2593Paddle boarders passing by.

IMG 2602Unicycle excitement.  (Grae was more interested in the rocks.)

IMG 2574

Tuckered out.

IMG 2606First visit to Jericho Beach.

IMG 2608Sand scooping.

IMG 2613Collecting.

IMG 2625“Gifts” for Mama.

And at the end of the day, after a healthy dose of vitamin D, we reluctantly headed home, hoping for another sunshiny day outdoors again tomorrow.

♥

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Park Date

5 / 9 / 125 / 13 / 12

After a morning teaching Kindergarten, I hurried home to spend my afternoon at the park with Bradley and our baby girl…IMG 2216IMG 2218IMG 2222IMG 2233IMG 2236IMG 2243IMG 2249

Doesn’t get much better.

♥

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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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Highlights

4 / 16 / 124 / 17 / 12

A few highlights from Miss G’s day…

IMG 0826Learning what a piggy bank is for and begging Mama for more and more and MORE! coins.

IMG 0827A trip to our mail lady.

IMG 0828Gracen taking a rock from her pocket, placing it carefully on each piece of equipment at the playground, and giving it  “rides”.

The other highlight of our day was attending our first of several Stroller Fitness classes in Queen Elizabeth Park.  Gracen was a go-with-the-flow gal and loved that her baby friend Tate was able to join us.  Sadly, there are no pictures of the adorableness that was our babies all lined up in strollers…  We were much too busy running up hills and lunging around the park for that!

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A Day Outdoors

4 / 14 / 124 / 15 / 12

Yay for Brad’s first sunshiny day off in a long time!  We soaked up every minute we could and filled our day with a morning trip to Granville island, seawall walking, cherry blossoms, and an afternoon trip to the park.  Of course I celebrated by taking way too many photos {as usual}.  Here are some of my favourites…

IMG 0631The usual Granville Island treat (a Terra Breads cheese flute), a mosaic bench, and a view of the river.

IMG 0634Off to see the cherry blossoms.

IMG 0641Papa and his little lady.

IMG 0645Strolling.

IMG 0650Perched in a tree.

IMG 0667Exploring.

IMG 0672Covered by blossoms.

IMG 0677Mama and her girl.

IMG 0693Sniff sniff.

IMG 0699Merry-go-round.

IMG 0703Spinning cup.

IMG 0715On top of the world.

IMG 0730Mini marathon runner?

IMG 0735Climbing.

IMG 0740First time on a big kid swing alone.

We really couldn’t have asked for a better day.

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YMCA Playground

4 / 9 / 124 / 9 / 12

This morning we visited an adorable little playground at our local YMCA and I’m not sure who enjoyed themselves more…  Gracen or Bradley!  The highlight was definitely when Brad toppled off his tiny perch on the digger into the bark mulch.  Thanks to my cat-like reflexes and stealthy camera skills, it was caught on film – enjoy!

IMG 0202IMG 0206IMG 0208

IMG 0211IMG 0213IMG 0214IMG 0215IMG 0218IMG 0236

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Our Easter Sunday

4 / 8 / 123 / 20 / 16

I don’t think we could have asked for a better Easter Sunday.  For starters, Bradley had the day off work and the weatherman was wrong in the way you always hope he’ll be wrong…  Despite the forecast for clouds and rain, the day was sun-filled and warm, which meant a healthy dose of fresh air and vitamin D for our little family.

IMG 9812Our day started with Gracen waking up to all sorts of goodies from the Easter Bunny.  She carefully went through her basket, spending a little time with each item before moving on to the next…

IMG 9815Inside, she found several books…

IMG 9819An egg shaker…

IMG 9824A new sunhat to fit that ever-growing Kossowan head of hers…

IMG 9838A beautiful new dress…

IMG 9842A button-up perfect for spring… (Plus new stamps and ink pads, stickers, cookie cutters, bunny ears, a baseball cap, a summer dress, and more!)

IMG 9843After enjoying all of the Easter Bunny’s treats, it was onto opening her gifts sent down by Grandma Charlotte and Grandpa Dave.

IMG 9849Again, she opened each item carefully, pausing to investigate them before moving on.  She especially loved her new wooden caterpillar puzzle.

IMG 9856Grae kept busy by strategically placing her new stickers all over herself (and the house) while we prepared Easter brunch.

IMG 9860Soon after, Uncle Brett arrived and we all sat down to eat.

IMG 9863With brunch cleaned up, it was time to pull out some of her new goodies!  This little lady is all about stamping right now.

IMG 9866When she’d had plenty of stamping, we put on her pretty new dress, got her egg collecting basket, and headed into the back yard.

IMG 9873Some spots were a little tricky…

IMG 9891And some were not.

IMG 9897Either way, she collected those eggs like it was her job!

IMG 9908And when she had found most of the ones out back, we headed out to the front yard to see if there were more there…

IMG 9914Team Ogasawara was there to give pointers, just in case.

IMG 9924And then it was off to find the really tricky ones.  Sometimes you just have to throw your hands up into the air!

IMG 9927Problem solved with the help of a shoulder ride!

IMG 9936When we sat down to take a closer look at Grae’s findings, we realized she had collected a new little friend in addition to her eggs.

IMG 9934A little wet slug!

IMG 9941Grae patiently opened each egg and placed the treats into her bucket.

IMG 9945Opening eggs is tough work.

IMG 9960Inside, she found all of her favourite treats – all sorts of nuts, raisins, freeze-dried berries, banana chips, and fruit leather strips.  She was thrilled.

{Yup, this one’s especially for you, Gar and Mikey.  Go on and make fun. At this point, I may as well participate in the daily ‘make fun of Jen and her parenting choices’ sessions…  It’s more fun that way, right?}

IMG 9973Out front, she picked out her first treat and sat down to enjoy it.

IMG 9989Of course she shared a little with Unky Brett.

IMG 9992And then it was off to do a little exploring…

IMG 9999One of the other things Grae found in some of her eggs were these very weird little mystery Easter pills.  We brought out a bowl of warm water, popped them in, and waited…

IMG 0015Some waited more patiently than others…  Uncle Brett just couldn’t stand the suspense any longer, and helped the surprise arrive in a more timely fashion.

IMG 0017Easter-shaped sponges – woooooooooow!

IMG 0029We spent the rest of the morning outside and only went in when it was time for Miss G’s nap.

IMG 0034When Grae woke, the three of us headed down to Stanley Park to partake in more Easter festivities.

IMG 0036And guess who was there!  The Easter Bunny himself, that’s who!

IMG 0042It’s a good thing our little doodlebug is a collecting machine, because she participated in yet another egg hunt.

IMG 0064The only problem was that the baskets were so small that her eggs kept spilling out when she’d bend down to retrieve more.

IMG 0052Not sure what it is about these things, but I just can’t seem to pass them up.

IMG 0067And with that, we boarded the Stanley Park miniature train.

IMG 0076We rode around, watching closely for animals and Easter eggs – both of which, Miss G pointed out plenty of.

IMG 0100On the way into the park, I had spied a little organic popcorn station hosted by Whole Foods, so after our train tour, we stopped in a grabbed a bag as a treat.

IMG 0103Gracen was all over it and kept saying, “Moore. Moore!” the way she does in her little accent.

IMG 0115We stopped and played at this crowded playground for a bit before heading down the hill.

IMG 0123Grae found herself a flower patch that kept her entertained for a while…

IMG 0149And when she had exhausted herself with flower picking, she bounced on Papa’s tummy instead.

IMG 0178With it nearing dinnertime, we headed back up to the hill to our car.

IMG 0166The best ending to a busy, fun-filled day?  Deciding that stopping at Cactus Club for dinner is the way to go.  Yay for a night off from cooking!

For a little trip down memory lane, you can see how we celebrated Gracen’s first real Easter here and see how we spent last year’s Easter Sunday here.

♥ Happy Easter from the Kossowaras! ♥

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Easter Saturday

4 / 7 / 124 / 8 / 12

We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful Easter Saturday.  The weather was gorgeous and Grae and I took full advantage of it by spending the majority of the day outside.  We spent the morning at a really fun Easter egg hunt and carnival, and the afternoon at our favourite outdoor spot – Kits Beach.  Here’s our day in photos…

IMG 9681Getting ready for the ‘3 and under’ egg hunt.

IMG 9684Basket in hand and ready to search!

IMG 9688Waiting patiently…

IMG 9693Go!

IMG 9695Like an old pro…

IMG 9697Found another one!

IMG 9704Checking out the loot.

IMG 9708Grae’s first ever face painting experience.

IMG 9711Gracen, the bunny.

IMG 9713Ring “tossing”.

IMG 9716Bouncy castle!

IMG 9737Playground time.

IMG 9744Bunny-eared baby.

IMG 9748Admiring her findings once again after a nap.

IMG 9757Beach time!

IMG 9761Sand box fun.

IMG 9773Collecting.

IMG 9776Beach-loving baby.

IMG 9791‘Can we collect seaweed too, Mama?’

IMG 9792Telling me that she wants to kiss the dog passing by.

IMG 9799So lucky to live where we do.

On a side note, can you believe that the little dress Grae wore today is last year’s Easter dress?!  When I originally found it, I thought KD 15 (nearly $60 at the time) was a little pricey, but I ended up going back to get it a few weeks later after not being able to stop thinking about how beautiful it was.  I’m so glad I did because she’s been wearing it for a full year now and will probably be able to wear it several more times this spring.  Also, you can check out Grae’s first ever Easter egg hunt at seven months old  here.

♥ Happy Easter Saturday! ♥

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Target and Trader Joe’s and the Tot Lot… Oh my!

3 / 30 / 123 / 31 / 12

With our gardening nearly complete and the forecast calling for rain, we decided to spend our last day with Gma Char down in the States.  It looked a little something like this…

IMG 3040Strapped in and ready to go.

IMG 3043Ball balancing.

IMG 3045Flower fiend.

IMG 3048Mini shopper.

IMG 9205Play and picnic break at the Tot Lot.

IMG 9226Chillin’ in a tree.

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Maplewood Farm Visit

3 / 23 / 123 / 23 / 12

Today Little G and I had the most wonderful visit to Maplewood Farm, a little piece of rural paradise tucked at the base of Mount Seymour in North Vancouver.  The sun was shining, the temperature was just right, and although it was a busy day due to Spring Break, we never felt crowded or rushed. Gracen had the freedom to roam and explore, but always stayed near.  We slowly made our from paddock to paddock, visiting the animals and taking in the nature along the way.  It was perfect.  Here’s a very small sampling of photos from the hundreds I managed to take during our 2 hour visit…

IMG 8574First stop – visiting this colourful feathery friend.

IMG 8580Visiting the turkeys.

IMG 8585An adorable miniature donkey.

IMG 8588Hanging out with the hens.

IMG 8593Roaming with the roosters.

IMG 8597Taking in the garden and its visitors.

IMG 8602One of Gracen’s favourites.

IMG 8601She wanted to come back to visit this beautiful peacock again and again.

IMG 8606A new friend.

IMG 8608These Belgian draft horses, Tom and Prince, were another favourite.  Gracen watched them very closely as they lowered their heads and exhaled deeply while letting their lips flap together and then mimicked this behaviour during the remainder of our visit.

IMG 8624Enamoured with the horses.  I think she would have stayed here all morning if I hadn’t convinced her to move on.

IMG 8614Taking a break and watching the ducks on the pond.

IMG 8617Exploring.

IMG 8620Collecting bits of nature, as usual.

IMG 8633Offering the ducks a twig.  For some reason, they weren’t all that enthused.  Weird.

IMG 8646Getting a sneak peak of the farm’s jersey cow.

IMG 8652Watching the sheep.

IMG 8662In the forest paddock.  So amazing that this is part of the city.

IMG 8665Grae thought this goat was pretty funny and giggled at him again and again while calling him “Papa”…  Not sure what that’s about other than we have a non-fiction book about goats that explains that male goats have beards and when we read it, I call them ‘papa goats’.  Maybe she was making the connection?

IMG 8674The highlight of the trip was being able to go into the goat visiting area and actually touch the goats.

IMG 8675Miss G was brave!

IMG 8684I showed her how to hold her hand out flat for the goats to smell first, and that’s exactly what she did.

IMG 8687This teeny tiny baby goat was experiencing his first day outside with the public and was a hit with all of the visitors.

IMG 8690Waving goodbye.

IMG 8703These little guys were just roaming around as we made our way over to the hand washing station.

IMG 8705Checking out Sofie and Judy III, the giant hereford cows.  Of course Gracen moo-ed at them as she tried to wedge her little wrist through the wire fence to pet their fur.

IMG 8715Visiting the rabbits.  Gracen stood up and signed ‘Rabbit sleeping’ after seeing this chubby bunny.

IMG 8718Stopping to see Gus the goose.

IMG 8726Inside the cement duck pond visiting area.

IMG 8728Getting a close up view of Lima, the jersey cow.

IMG 8735Lunch break!

IMG 8738We loved the goat visiting area so much that we had to go back to visit once more before leaving the farm.

IMG 8743Lucky for us, it was much less busy the second time around and Grae got to put it some quality time with her goat friends.

IMG 8749Saying goodbye for real this time.

IMG 8750After this visit, we may just have a little future farmer on our hands.

IMG 8757Last stop, the Maplewood Farm playground.

IMG 8759A perfect way to end a lovely morning outdoors!

Our trip ended with a very content little lady falling asleep in her car seat as we drove back into Vancouver.  When we arrived at home, I transferred her into her crib, where she lays now, still sleeping, over two hours later.  I’d say the fresh air, sunshine, and farm life tired her right out…  Yay for that.

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On Top of the World

3 / 13 / 123 / 15 / 12

IMG 7600Papa getting off work early + picking him up at the Canada Line station + stopping at a new park on the way home = Pretty much the best thing ever in Miss G’s books

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A Day Outdoors

3 / 5 / 123 / 5 / 12

It was a chilly day here in Vancouver, but that didn’t stop us from spending the day outside… It started with an early morning walk around the block.  Now that may not sound like a lot, but when you stop to splash in each puddle and visit with each picketing teacher, just one loop around the block takes a significant amount of time.

IMG 7023

IMG 7031When we originally walked out the door, Gracen had bent over, tapped her pointer on the sidewalk and said, “Star. Star!”  I asked if she wanted to draw stars on the sidewalk with chalk (she’s all about stars and hearts right now) and she enthusiastically nodded ‘yes’.  I told her that we would do just that upon our return, and she certainly didn’t forget.  The second we stepped up on our walk, she reminded me of my promise. We worked on our sidewalk art for a while, and then Grae focused her attention on expanding the size of her ever-growing rock collection.

IMG 7041

IMG 7039We headed inside for a few minutes, but Gracen wasn’t done with being outdoors.  As I tidied the kitchen and got started on lunch, she decided she’d have a tea party in the solarium.  She played for a long while as I secretly snuck peeks of her pouring cups of tea and nibbling on plastic sweets.  I got away with it several times, but eventually got caught.  It turned out that being caught was a huge treat, because when I did, I got showered with ‘through the screen kisses’ and then got to enjoy this little show of funny faces.IMG 7055IMG 7056IMG 7058IMG 7063IMG 7064
It wasn’t easy, but I lured her in with a grilled avocado and cheddar sandwich (avocado being the key factor) and a banana almond oatmeal smoothie.  But after lunch and a great nap, guess who was back outside having afternoon tea?IMG 7068
I took that as a hint and decided we better fit in some more outdoor time before winding down for the day.  We got bundled up for the cold, jumped in the vehicle, and literally just drove around looking for a fun new playground to visit.  Gracen was my little helper as usual, and every time she saw a play structure or open green space, she’d shout, “Par!” (park) from the back seat.  We eventually found ourselves at an old school in the Marpole area and the playground was perfect.IMG 7072IMG 7077IMG 7096
We played until our hands were numb and our noses were red and then headed home to defrost with a hot dinner and a warm bath.  

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To the Beach with Manmaw

3 / 4 / 123 / 4 / 12

Today we headed down to our favourite beach to enjoy our last couple of hours with Grandma Charlotte.  We played on the playground for a little bit and then made our way to the walking path (towards Cornwall Ave and Starbucks), to which Gracen immediately exclaimed, “Drink! Drink!”, knowing that a steamed milk with cinnamon was in her near future…  Smart little cookie!  Puppy kisses, puddle jumping, sea glass collecting, and extreme swinging were also involved.  Here’s the proof:

IMG 6951Mondern merry-go-rounding.

IMG 6956A dreary day treat.

IMG 6958Splish splash.

IMG 6970Searching for something special.

IMG 6973With Papa’s help.

IMG 6983Taking it all in.

IMG 6985“Catching Papa”.

IMG 6997Extreme swinging, courtesy of Gma Char.

IMG 7002‘Hello down there!’

IMG 7007‘Wheeeeeee!’

Our morning ended with a tuckered out little lady falling asleep on the drive home (an hour before her usual nap time), therefore missing out on saying goodbye to her “Manmaw”.  Oopsies.  Although she didn’t wake up desperately searching for Grandma like we thought she might, she did remind us about where Grandma sleeps and where she sits at the table several times throughout the remainder of the day.  Not to worry my sweet girl, Grandma’s last words were, “Make sure that foamie doesn’t go too far – I’ll be back at the end of March!”  Days spent in the backyard gardening with Grandma are coming very soon, Miss G.

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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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