The Mid Summer Classics

Pittsburgh continues to entertain the whole family!  Trips to the library, parks, and pool parties never get old when there are a couple of 14 month olds with you.  Mom and Dad even got a little relief this week thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Esker and a few supportive opera friends.  We went out to celebrate 6 years of marriage with a nice dinner on our anniversary and Dad was able to watch Brenden and Jackson's amazing Mom perform as Giulietta in "Tale of Hoffmann!"

The boys ran up to Mommy while she was doing a little singing at the  cabaret.  The 3 of them stole the show!

Although Mom's rehearsal schedule has been pretty crazy as of late, we have still managed to enjoy quality family time.   Last week, we took a trip to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh to get a library card.  Brenden and Jackson spent most of the time pulling books off the shelf so we didn't leave empty handed.  We also tried out family story time one evening.  We were able to get Brenden and Jackson to sit through about one song and one story, but again, the boys spent most of the time pulling books off the shelf.  It was nice to get them some interaction with kids their age.

The Carnegie Museum has a really cool playground right in front, but it didn't take long to grow bored. Most of the time, we are totally content if we find a good stick to play with or some wood chips to sample.

The Fourth of July was a really cool experience.  All of the young artist were invited over to a home on the hill that overlooked the city and festivities for the day.  The house was literally right above one of the observation decks.  The pool provided most of our entertainment for the evening, but Brenden and Jackson also enjoyed weaving their way through all of the people at the party.  Towards the end of the night, Dad took it to the streets for a little stroller ride in an attempt to shut down some sleepy eyes.  The attempt fell short so the remainder of the night ended up a bit restless.  The balcony provided an awesome view for the fireworks.  Jackson was even pointing at them, which made the restless night completely worth it.

The weekend brought some familier faces to Pittsburgh!  Grandma and Grandpa Esker couldn't have come at a better time with the busy rehearsal week.  We were sure to enjoy all of the same amenities, but it made it that much more enjoyable to see Brenden and Jackson interact with their Grandma and Grandpa.  It was an extra warm welcome since we hadn't seen them in a month.  The boys must have remember their grandparents because we played and played and played without a single meltdown.  It also helped that Grandma had made a trip to the toy store and arrived with a bag full of goodies... NEW TOYS!  Grandma and Grandpa's hotel had an indoor pool in which Brenden and Jackson floated every square inch.  They even dipped their feet in the hot tub for a bit.

We capped off the weekend with pizza and drinks at Church Brew Works for Dad's birthday.  Brenden and Jackson might have eaten just as much as each adult.  They sure were in a good mood on our walk to the car.  The night ended with some surprise cupcakes that grandma picked up at the bakery.

The next day we spent some time at the park and picked up some lunchmeat and cheese from the local deli.  There was no need for bread because Grandma had brought some of her infamous sourdough!  We were definitely sad to see them go and look forward to seeing Nana and Pa in a few weeks!  Brenden and Jackson have the best Grandparents ever!