Monthly Archives: September 2015

Syd and Nolie have been spending a lot of time together on our trip and bonding really well as a result. Together, they are two little goofballs most of the time, whether it’s making patterns with reusable stickers on the apartment’s windows  or playing in their “house” under the dining table. They jump off furniture together, play chase around the apartment, and work on activity books next to each other. 

Syd is a star big sis and loves taking care of Nolie. She helped feed him lunch yesterday and often tells him “I help you.” She started reading books to him at bedtime too, which is the sweetest thing and he absolutely loves it. He brings the books to her instead of to us. Lately, Syd discovered that she can give Nolie “rides” with varying degrees of success. And he’s an enthusiastic participant! 

Nolie’s been picking up lots of new words up here and I love, love, love when he parrots Sydney, down to the inflections of her voice. Today, they were playing in the second bedroom and she came to the door of a room to tell me, “we are hummingbirds and built our nest in here.” Immediately after, Nolan comes to the door and imitates Syd’s words in exactly the same tone she used! It’s the most adorable thing. He even does it if Syd says “ow” after hitting her head or something, and will touch his own head and say “ow.”

  
We’ve been enjoying the outdoors the past few days while it’s sunny and mild. Discovered the amazing playground at Second Beach in Stanley Park, and the kids had fun watching the water. Also, sticks are popular right now.

   
 
Yesterday, we walked along Coal Harbour and watched seaplanes take off and land. That was a surprisingly fun and relaxing activity for all of us. We got to sit down and relax a bit while the kids were transfixed by the harbour traffic. In addition to the seaplanes, there were boats of all sizes and we saw two cruise ships. One of my favorite areas of downtown Vancouver, hands down!

We spent a sunny, crisp afternoon in Queen Elizabeth Park and visited the Bloedel Conservatory for the first time. The kids loved seeing all the exotic birds and the fish under the Conservatory’s dome.

Back outside in the park, we walked around the gardens, watched people go ziplining, saw Canadian geese in the pond, and chased after a drone. We also caught the best view of downtown Vancouver from a lookout spot. 

  
As we were leaving, we happened upon filming for a new Syfy TV series that will debut in 2016 called The Magicians. The kids were transfixed by all the commotion that was filming crew and equipment. Pretty awesome to see this!

  
We loved Science World so much that we had to go back for a second round! We pretty much visited the same exhibits and watched the same performances, but we all felt less rushed and got to explore some activities we missed the first time. 

 
Besides the popcorn we treated ourselves to, Nolie couldn’t get enough of the giant ball shooter and Syd was thrilled again by the Keva block knock-down. 

  
 
We had a rollicking good time and left with four big smiles and some fist pumps!

We spent a beautiful, idyllic afternoon at the VanDusen Botanical Garden today. The kids relished the open space and had a blast running amok, picking up little rocks and twigs, and using their “outside voices.”

There were gardens of all shapes, sizes, and types. The kids were captivated by the stone garden and the central lake with shooting fountain. We saw beehives, fresh veggie beds, a medicine wheel, mole trails, and fascinating monkey puzzle trees.

   
   
The gardens are stunning and very large, so we explored a little less than half today. Our favorite area was the maze made out of hedges. Syd was so excited when we told her about it, and led us through the maze like a champ! She remained undeterred by the dead ends she encountered and kept trying different paths without getting discouraged. It was one of those experiences that truly surprised me, as her parent, and added another layer to her character in my eyes. 

Sometimes the most unexpected outings turn out to be the most fun. The Maritime Museum wasn’t top on our list of places to visit, but yesterday was a good afternoon for an indoor activity the museum turned out to be the perfect place. Between the real-live ship we were able to board and tour, and the super-entertaining kids area, it’s become my favorite indoor kid/family activity in the area. Second only to Science World, that is.

 
Syd and Nolie celebrated Talk Like A Pirate weekend with pirate hat crafts and even an eyepatch. They also loved the boat steering simulation that led them through icebergs, polar bears, and Eskimos.