Busy Bee

When Matt was a baby, I couldn't wait until he said his first word. As it turns out, that took a little longer than expected. I also couldn't wait to see his first real drawings- I wanted to see what ideas were in his head; the things that interested him. That was going to take a little longer than expected, too. His first words were at 2 1/2 (most babies start speaking at 12 months) and his first drawings weren't produced until well over the age of four.

Matt's fine motor skills aren't exactly well-developed. In fact, it was only six months ago that he stopped eating crayons and started to scribble with them. In the last week, he has experienced an "art explosion," drawing and creating many pictures. I am so, so excited to see Matt's ideas and thoughts put on paper- he likes insects and boats a lot.

Without further ado, I present his first "true" drawing, The Bee:

Mr. Personality

Big Shoes to Fill

If you tell a two year old to go and put on some shoes, it is probably a good idea to specify which shoes he should put on. Still, Daddy's shoes look pretty cute on him!

Pittsburgh, Day 3: Carnegie Science Center

Rain was in the forecast, which was fine since we were planning on doing the Carnegie Science Center. We were a little concerned that most of the exhibits would be "over their heads," so to speak, but the science center had plenty to entertain little ones.

We stopped by the Sportsworks complex first, which was great for letting off a little steam! The boys could throw balls and run to their hearts' content. Nolan, sadly, was too light to participate in the trampoline or human yo-yo activities (the minimum weight for the trampoline was 36 pounds- Matt barely made the cut-off)!

Matt on the "You-Yo" exhibit.

Jumping on the trampoline.

Nolan, playing a large version of "Operation."

We spent the rest of the day exploring the submarine, miniature train exhibit, and playing on the fourth floor, which contained a large play area for small children. Nolan really liked the ball factory in this area, and Matt was fascinated by the water table.

Nolan in the "ball factory"

Checking out the miniature trains.

Nolan on the sub.

After a day of exploration, we hit the road to return home. The three hour drive went by quickly, with Nolan watching "Signing Time" on the DVD player and Matthew snoozing off the day's excitement.

Farewell, Pittsburgh- we will miss you!

Pittsburgh, Day 2: Station Square and the Duquesne Incline

Matt dubbed it the "Du-Climb"

Station Square was a hit- with trains running through the area regularly, any boy would be thrilled. Matt and Nolan would hear a train coming, then run to the wrought iron fence to watch it pass, shouting and giggling the entire time.

Watching trains race by in Station Square

Matt's favorite thing was the fountain, which was coordinated with music. There's nothing funnier than watching your four year old son dance in the fountain mist to "It's Raining Men." After we had left Station Square for the evening, Matt was still talking about the water "zooming" and "booming." According to Matt, "It wocked my world!"

The boys and Mom in front of the fountain

After dinner and dancing in the fountain spray, we drove over to the Duquesne Incline. Both boys had been longing for this activity since we arrived in Pittsburgh. Every other hour, Matt and Nolan would ask, "Are we going to the Du-climb yet?" We reassured them we would ride the "du-climb" and they were in seventh heaven once we bought our tickets and were sitting in the car. Nolan got quite a thrill out of the ascent, which was steeper than pictures can describe!

Matt and Mom riding up the hill

Nolan's excitement at going up the hill

Oh, I can't look!

The incline from the parking lot

The view from the top was absolutely stunning-you could see most of Pittsburgh and its beautiful suspension bridges. We wandered around the station for a while, then rode the funicular back to the bottom of Mount Washington.

Pittsburgh from Mount Washington

We had a beautiful last evening in the city before heading back to the hotel for a swim and bed. Tomorrow, we will visit the Carnegie Science Center and say farewell to Pittsburgh!

Pittsburgh Vacation, Day 2: The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium

Sunday morning dawned with a dazzling, hot sun. We were very appreciative at all the trees in the Radisson's parking lot, otherwise we would have been cooked alive! After a quick breakfast at the hotel buffet, we loaded up the car and drove to the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium.

I am fairly sure our GPS system was trying to kill us, as it tried to send us on several roads that either didn't exist, had a different name than on the GPS system, or were under construction. Fortunately, Dennis was driving and has a fairly good sense of direction. We arrived at the zoo without having accidentally driven to Cincinnati, which is no small miracle.

After seeing several animals in the African Plains section of the zoo, I had a very special phone call to make. I have a really cool friend who has a brother who works at the Pittsburgh Zoo. It's really awesome to have connections like that! After calling his cell phone, we met up with Jon and got an awesome behind-the-scenes tour of the primate area. Being so close to the monkeys freaked Nolan out a little, but Matt was quite interested. Michele and Jon, thank you for this amazing opportunity!


The heat was starting to get to our little red-faced boys, so we stopped for lunch and found a nice spot in the shade to cool everyone down. We decided to head to the aquarium next, because it had really nice air conditioning fish.


The Pittsburgh Zoo has an amazing children's zoo, so after cooling off in the aquarium, we headed to the playgrounds and children's areas. Matthew was very excited about the polar bear exhibit, which did not disappoint. Having a polar bear swimming above your head is a pretty awesome experience!

The boys loved the kiddie rides at the zoo. We loved the reasonable price- $1 per ride. The cars and the log ride were just their speed, and a great way to end our day at the zoo.



We left the zoo at 3:00pm, and headed back to the hotel for a rest. We had plans to visit the Duquesne Incline and Station Square that evening, and we wanted well rested boys before dinner. Hopefully our GPS wouldn't decide to send us to Toronto instead!

Pittsburgh Vacation, Day 1: In Which Nolan Has Many Things Happen

"I eat my money."

This is never a good thing to hear on the morning you are heading out of town. Nolan's big eyes were searching my face, pinched into a worried expression. I can guarantee you, it wasn't as worried as mine- the last time we had a child consume money, it resulted in an X-ray, emergency room trip, and an ambulance ride to a hospital in another city.

Luckily, Nolan is quite verbal and I was able to determine the coin he swallowed was a penny, and not 2 Pounds Sterling. He wasn't drooling, gagging, or having difficulty swallowing (issues Matt had when he decided to investigate money with his mouth). We waited an hour or so, watching him like a hawk. After the hour had passed, he was running and playing normally- it was quite clear the child was fine.

We loaded up the children and drove for three hours to Pittsburgh's Children's Museum. It was a delightful place- with a climbing structure that reached three stories high, art studio, and several other interactive exhibits. Matt was enraptured by the art studio and the "garage," where parachutes and climbing nets were located.

Matt in the giant kid climber

Playing on a bubble see-saw

Matt tries his hand at silk screening

Both boys loved the water area. The entire top floor of the Pittsburgh Children's Museum is devoted to water play. Sprinklers, ground fountains, a water table, and pipes covered the room, and the boys were in heaven.

Nolan, prior to taking a swim in the water table

The museum offered rain coats and crocs to help keep clothing dry. This worked perfectly, until Nolan decided to take a swim in the water table. While Matt was tinkering with pipes and setting up a complicated plumbing design, Nolan was reaching for a toy and fell "overboard." Fortunately for us, his hearing aids had been removed as soon as we walked into the area.

Nolan was soaking wet (and more than a little upset), so we decided it was time to check into our hotel and head out to dinner. A quick change of clothes and the quiet of the hotel settled his nerves.

We took a trip to the Church Brew Works (a converted Catholic Church, which is now a micro-brewery). Matt was happy to get pizza, and was intrigued by all of the stained glass. The only downside is that there is a 90% chance that his next trip to church might involve a question on the location of the kegs...

Dinner at the Church Brew Works

Once back at the hotel, we took a swim before settling in for a good night's sleep. The boys rotated beds a few times during the night, but finally fell asleep. Around midnight, I heard Nolan crying, "Mommy, help me!"

I stumbled around the darkness of the room, looking for Nolan in the plush comforter of the boys' bed. I couldn't find him at all. I felt around the floor, all the while hearing his voice crying. Nearing panic mode, I called out to Dennis, "I can't find the baby!"

Seriously. We're in a hotel room, can hear him crying, and can't find the child. We turned on the light and played "find that sound." We finally found him.. under the bed. Curled up in a corner and hidden by the dust ruffle- he had crawled under the bed and gotten stuck. With a little tugging and maneuvering, we freed him and put him back to bed.

We can only hope our next day of vacation will not involve swallowed money, swims in the water table, or children lost in the middle of the night.