Wordful Wednesday: The Joy of Discovery

Last weekend, during a rare moment of spontaneity brought on by a brief spell of nice weather in Vancouver, I was overcome with the urge to have a beachside picnic dinner, so we packed up our picnic blanket and some sandwiches and headed in search of beach.  In doing so, we made a new discovery - there is a great little park not too far from us that has a small stretch of beach, though it is admittedly mostly pebbles and very little sand.  But its best feature by far is that it isn't crowded like many of the bigger beaches here.  There may or may not be a few slightly unsavoury characters hanging around, but it's worth it for its proximity to our house, wide open space, fantastic playground, and view of the two elements that make Vancouver so special: the water and the mountains.

 Before the Hubs and I had Lilah, this park would barely have been a blip on our radar.  But now that we are the parents of a toddler, the park has made it onto our much revered List of Things to Do When We Don't Know What Else to Do.  You know, that list you always carry around in the back of your head in case you find yourself kicking around with a restless child on your hands and no set plans. 

Making a new discovery, while it might have been interesting or even exciting, was never quite this full of joy before we had a child.  The pure awe that radiates from a toddler when presented with something novel is absolutely contagious, and I find myself getting caught up in it.  These days, we are all about discovery, and this visit to the park was full to the brim with new ones.

Lilah discovered how great sandwiches can be when eaten at a picnic dinner by the beach:



 The Hubs and I discovered that a (clean, unused - I swear!) sand shovel can be used in a pinch (ie. when you have offered your toddler apple sauce and then realized you forgot to pack a spoon):

Lilah discovered a new climbing apparatus:

I discovered how tall my big girl is getting when she was able to play peekaboo with me through the doorway above the slide:

Lilah discovered the perfect slide for her size and comfort level (she has been known to be bit timid when it comes to slides):

We discovered what static can do to baby fine wisps of hair:

I discovered that getting Daddy to give her a little tickle before I snap a photo results in exponentially more smiles caught on camera:

Yes, folks, we are loving this new discovery, and we've already been back to see what else this wonderful park has in store!

What have you discovered lately?