full days

I’ve been making it a point to go to the beach more often, especially during the recent heat wave we’ve had here in Victoria. The ocean breeze is such a relief. We have been to our favorite beach twice this week already. Every time we go the tide is at a different height, so the setting is always a little different which means that Maya explores something new each day. Today, the tide was fairly high and it was coming in at a rapid pace. Loads of seaweed washed up in the shallows and Maya spent a great deal of time examining it.

Then, she just plopped herself down in the water and let the waves lap up on her.

She learns so much from our days here, not to mention that she has SOOO much fun. As a rule, I don’t bring toys to the beach because I’ve discovered that the beach is it’s own toy, a toddler’s paradise with so much of the natural world to play with.

This afternoon Maya has a special treat, her good friends (the kids next door) are here for a visit because their day home is closed for a few days due to illness, so I have the pleasure of looking after two of the sweetest kids around! Maya is still asleep, but she’s going to be so excited when she wakes up to find her friends here. With only  two weeks until I return to work, I’m enjoying every last moment at home with my girl!

feeling human

Yesterday was a seriously perfect day. I woke up determined to get myself and Maya to the beach in the morning. I love our nearby beach because it’s great for Maya but also because it’s a bit of a hike with the stroller to get there and Maya puts up with it because it’s not too long and she knows that it’s a means to her favourite end. This means I can get in a bit of a workout, especially on the way back to the car as it’s all uphill.

When we got home I fed Maya and put her down for a nap and then I got a surprise message from a great friend from University who was in from out of town. She asked if I could meet for drinks with her and some friends after dinner. Needless to say that as the mother of a toddler with no family in town, I don’t get out without my daughter enough. I was delighted to have the chance to engage in stimulating adult conversation (on a patio by the ocean no less!).

Then another old friend from out of town dropped by my house with her new baby. We had a great visit because Maya was still asleep.

I ate dinner, got downtown and had a fabulous time with my friend (and her friends). I even met another blogger who is clever and interesting and enjoys reading some of the same bloggers as I do. We were having such a good time enjoying drinks on the patio that we continued on to a nearby coffee shop because none of us were ready to say goodnight!

Even better than all that was the moment when I drove up to my house later that night and looked up at a clear starry sky, which is not so common here on the west coast, and saw the glowing tails of the meteors from the Perseid Meteor Shower that happened to be at its peak last night. I ran upstairs and woke up my sleeping husband to drag him out back to watch the meteor shower in the darkness. He obliged. He is such a champion for putting up with me! Our neigbourhood is on the outskirts of town and we have no street lights, which makes for fantastic stargazing conditions. This may be corny but it was one of the most romantic moments we’ve had since our daughter was born!

A perfect end to a perfect day!

Witty’s

Does it get any better for a toddler than a day spent at the beach playing in tide pools?

Maya had a fantastic time at Witty’s Lagoon today playing with her friend O who is a little older.

Despite the fact that she was shivering from the cool breeze, she couldn’t stop herself from exploring the hermit crabs, sculpins, seaweed and barnacles on the rocky shore of this incredible beach. It’s days like this when I remind myself how lucky we are to live in on this incredible island!

On the way home she fell sound asleep and had a three hour nap. This is the life.