We congratulate and welcome Melanie Rose to the world! Our dear friends Mike & Kim entered the new parents club yesterday and we couldn't be more happy for them!
Can't wait to meet her!
Showing posts with label Around Pittsburgh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Around Pittsburgh. Show all posts
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
We went to Phipps Conservatory
Grandma loves the orchid show at Phipps so we took her there today! Aaron lost his mind 3/4 of the way through & cried the whole way home. Good grief!
It was horribly overcast today so I was using the Canon with the lightscoop & flash... the quality isn't super.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Fell Asleep at the Table!
If you know the Vandervort kids, you probably know that they never sleep.
Ok, maybe that's not true, but what is true is that our kids rarely fall asleep anywhere but in their beds. It doesn't usually matter how tired, how much running, how late, etc. They just aren't the kind of kids to lay their weary heads down and just sleep.
We had a surprise visit from Emily & Adam & co. today. We went to 2 playgrounds (outdoor until we got cold, then to the indoor one) and they boys played straight through naptime. After we were done playing we went next door and had lunch/dinner. Neither Isaac, nor Ian, nor Aaron, nor Asher misbehaved at dinner. They sat nice and ate well. As Aaron was finishing up his meal, I kept looking at him thinking, man, he looks tired! He was holding his own, but then literally before our eyes he started to sway. I asked Roger to pick him up because I was afraid he was going to hit his head on the table.
He absolutely, 100 percent fell asleep in his high chair sitting at a restaurant.
Hilarious! And pathetic!
I wish I had snapped a picture of the rare occasion.
That is how hard they played today!
I can't wait until spring/summer & the daytripping with the cousins the warmer weather will bring!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Mom's Weekend Morning Out- Coca Cafe
Lauren & I went for breakfast this morning with some girlfriends to Coca Cafe in Lawrenceville. It was tasty. The service wasn't fabulous.
I had almond french toast with lemon cream sauce and berries. And some almond coffee drink that was really good. And a side of bacon. Always have to have bacon.
I had almond french toast with lemon cream sauce and berries. And some almond coffee drink that was really good. And a side of bacon. Always have to have bacon.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Memberships
Our Pittsburgh Children's Museum membership is expiring next month and I'm starting to think about what we should do for next year.
We always have a zoo membership. It is hands-down the best value membership for a family with young children in Pittsburgh. It is free to park, you can take your own food/lunch, it opens early, it has playgrounds, it isn't so big that you can't get through the whole thing before naptime, there's lots of shade. It's great. We even go in the winter when it isn't bitter cold. We had a zoo membership before we had kids!
I like the Children's Museum, but it isn't a great 1-on-3 outing. I just don't feel comfortable going there by myself with the kids anymore... too many nooks, crannies, exits, etc. And Aaron has gotten hurt there every single time we have gone. So I'm thinking that we probably should not renew a membership to somewhere that I don't like going by myself.
My Little Outback or other indoor playgrounds. We won't buy a membership there, but we do buy the day passes in bulk.
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh? National Aviary? Phipps Conservatory? We've been members at each of these places previously, but should we switch back?
I prefer places that have only one entrance to the play area and not a lot of "visual blockage" in the middle. (Obviously that's so I can keep track of the boys even when they're running in different directions.) I like places you can take your own food and snacks. I like places with free or very cheap parking.
What are your favorite memberships? Where do you consider your best-value memberships?
We always have a zoo membership. It is hands-down the best value membership for a family with young children in Pittsburgh. It is free to park, you can take your own food/lunch, it opens early, it has playgrounds, it isn't so big that you can't get through the whole thing before naptime, there's lots of shade. It's great. We even go in the winter when it isn't bitter cold. We had a zoo membership before we had kids!
I like the Children's Museum, but it isn't a great 1-on-3 outing. I just don't feel comfortable going there by myself with the kids anymore... too many nooks, crannies, exits, etc. And Aaron has gotten hurt there every single time we have gone. So I'm thinking that we probably should not renew a membership to somewhere that I don't like going by myself.
My Little Outback or other indoor playgrounds. We won't buy a membership there, but we do buy the day passes in bulk.
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh? National Aviary? Phipps Conservatory? We've been members at each of these places previously, but should we switch back?
I prefer places that have only one entrance to the play area and not a lot of "visual blockage" in the middle. (Obviously that's so I can keep track of the boys even when they're running in different directions.) I like places you can take your own food and snacks. I like places with free or very cheap parking.
What are your favorite memberships? Where do you consider your best-value memberships?
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Thursday, December 16, 2010
A Lunch Date
Today, Lauren & I went into the city to meet a friend for lunch! She was in Pittsburgh on business. We had never met in person before and it was really fun to finally lay my eyes on her in real life. And a momma's lunch out. Debbie got to eat her very first Primanti Bros. sandwich, a Pittsburgh tradition. What a nice lunch!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
A Day At Old Economy Village
Today we went with Grandma & Grandpa Bishop to the Old Economy Village in Ambridge, PA. It was REALLY neat! If you haven't been there, you should consider going.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Family Photo
On the Youghiogheny River Rail Trail this afternoon.
...most likely the last one as a family of four...
...which is perfectly fine with us...
Four.More.Days. (at the most)
Sidenote: Ohiopyle State Park is quickly becoming one of my favorite places in Pennsylvania. I just love it there.
...most likely the last one as a family of four...
...which is perfectly fine with us...
Four.More.Days. (at the most)
Sidenote: Ohiopyle State Park is quickly becoming one of my favorite places in Pennsylvania. I just love it there.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Berry Picking of the Blue variety
On a whim today I took the kids to the orchard and we picked blueberries. Not a TON of them, but a couple of pints. (As long as I could tolerate the sweat running down my forehead and back...)
Ian actually posed for an adorable picture!
Here's Ian in the blueberry patch! (No funny faces, actually looking at the camera! Love it.)
Ian actually posed for an adorable picture!
Here's Ian in the blueberry patch! (No funny faces, actually looking at the camera! Love it.)
Monday, May 3, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Bedtime Battles
About 2 weeks ago, Aaron decided that he was no longer going happily to bed and no longer going to sleep in his bed at night. He wants to be held. All. Night. Long. Being that I am 24 weeks pregnant, with two active young boys, and that Roger works out of the house every day, there's just no way that we can hold Aaron all night long, even if we want to.
With aching hearts (and heads, and backs) we decided it was time for Aaron to sleep train. Now, before you go off all half-cocked about sleep training, or Ferberizing, or Cry-it-Out... just know that in our 3 years of parenting terrible sleepers we have already tried (ha ha I just typo-ed "tried" with "tired," isn't that telling?) everything to keep from getting to the crying-it-out method of sleep training. I'm talking everything. When Ian was about 15 months old, I kept a journal of what pajamas he would wear and how he slept in each pair. And what exactly we did in the way of bedtime routines on nights he slept well. What he ate the days he slept well, what order we went about our day, how long his nap was, etc.
I made myself crazy trying to "figure it out" and I still ended up rocking him for hours on end. I think we own every single book written on infant/toddler sleep and I've read every page of them all. One night, about a month after Aaron was born, right around 19 months old, we just could not take holding Ian in 4 hour shifts all night long anymore and we had to let him cry. It was the best thing we've ever done for him. The first night was horrible. He cried for an hour and 45 min, and we checked on him every 10 or so. But in less than a week he was sleeping through the night and going to bed without being rocked to sleep. An entirely new bedtime routine developed and we were all sleeping better, feeling better, loving each other a little more.
Regretfully, Aaron was born a crappy sleeper too, and for 17 months we have done the same things as we did to get Ian to sleep, knowing from experience that the day would come when we had to sleep train. Nobody wants to do it. For us, it is a decision made out of desperation after months of consideration and trying other no-cry methods. No-cry methods don't work in this house. For whatever reason our children suck at sleeping. I'm not entirely convinced it isn't something I did along the way to make them that way, but I'm also not entirely convinced it is.
It has been even more difficult for me to make the final decision to sleep train with Aaron because of his health problems. It just breaks my heart to let him cry even for one second because he's been through so much already at just 18 months. Before he was even born I had a special place in my heart for this sweet boy who has only one kidney, breathing issues, asthma, allergies, has had pneumonia more times than I can even remember, has spent time in Children's hospital, has had surgery, is on 4 regular medications, etc. I just feel so bad for him. Letting him cry to sleep was the last thing I ever wanted to do because I don't want him to feel bad about anything. He's sick so much, the least I can do is hold him, right? That is my mother's guilt with Aaron. It really gets to me.
Anyway.
Two weeks ago, Aaron cried all night long unless I was bent over the crib rail so he could hold onto my arm while he slept. It was the last straw. His sleeping had been getting progressively worse for several weeks and all of a sudden he decided he just wasn't going to sleep anymore unless I was touching him. Aaron won't even accept Roger as a stand-in for mommy. Aaron wants only mommy in the night. (And most other times too.) I just can't do it any more... be up all night long and all day long, running after 2 crazy boys, keeping up with the house, the finances, the doctors appointments, the shopping, cooking, etc. Not without sleep. You just cannot do it without sleep. So I told him I loved him and I walked out the door. Night one of sleep training for dear Aaron. And it was heartwrenching, just like it was with Ian. My only comfort this time was that we'd already been down this road before with Ian...with a positive outcome. We went into it knowing Aaron was going to be a tougher nut to crack and we were not expecting any overnight miracles. But the one thing we knew is that he was going to benefit from learning to sleep on his own... and we were too.
Fastforward 2 weeks. (Two weeks with a lot of crying, a lot of praying, a lot of lying awake in bed listening to my sweet baby cry over the monitor.)
No crying from Aaron at bedtime tonight! Like the good old days, in bed drowsy but awake, told him I loved him, patted him, he turned over and went to sleep.
Uhm. Awesome.
I'm certain it means nothing for the middle of the night, which we're still struggling with (although it IS getting better... slowly), but I'm seriously encouraged by the return to (mostly) happy bedtimes.
Please take a moment, if you would, to send up a little prayer of thanksgiving for this small victory. And go ahead, while you're at it, and ask for continued comfort for Aaron during the night and at naptime, and continued strength for his parents during those times as well.
In other news:
Today we cleaned our garage. It took 2 hours. By the time we were done I was having major Braxton Hicks contractions. We had a house showing at 3:00 and we really wanted to make the house shine since it was our first Saturday request since like October and we had lots of time to do it... but I had to sit down and drink water and fold laundry for about 45 min before the CX subsided. It kinda scared me.
So most of the hard housework (cleaning floors, etc.) fell on Roger today. He didn't really appreciate it when I apologized for not being able to do more and then reminded him he was *partially* responsible for the problem I had today. I've also had really yucky sciatic nerve pain on my left side today and have been pretty much "walrussy" all day. It's too early to start feeling like a beached whale. I will not succumb. I will not waddle until at least 34 weeks. Ha ha.
The boys only had car naps when we left at 2:45 and we drove around the city for a little while looking at the flowering spring trees and tulips, down to the South Side and then the Hofbrauhaus for dinner. We even got dessert. The Apple Streudel was delicious. Then we walked around the little "crafty craftsmen" festival they were having on the South Side... the boys danced to the live music and made everyone around us smile and giggle, with their electric air guitar playing and headbanging. (Seriously, where did they learn that?!)
I bought some organic goat milk and almond soap from a girl with a booth who lives on the North Side and makes the soap in her garage. LOVE small, local businesses like that. The cake of soap was $4 and if I like it, I will definitely start buying it from her!
Home to a clean house and this awesome bedtime!
I'm in a lovely mood! Exhausted, but very happy.
With aching hearts (and heads, and backs) we decided it was time for Aaron to sleep train. Now, before you go off all half-cocked about sleep training, or Ferberizing, or Cry-it-Out... just know that in our 3 years of parenting terrible sleepers we have already tried (ha ha I just typo-ed "tried" with "tired," isn't that telling?) everything to keep from getting to the crying-it-out method of sleep training. I'm talking everything. When Ian was about 15 months old, I kept a journal of what pajamas he would wear and how he slept in each pair. And what exactly we did in the way of bedtime routines on nights he slept well. What he ate the days he slept well, what order we went about our day, how long his nap was, etc.
I made myself crazy trying to "figure it out" and I still ended up rocking him for hours on end. I think we own every single book written on infant/toddler sleep and I've read every page of them all. One night, about a month after Aaron was born, right around 19 months old, we just could not take holding Ian in 4 hour shifts all night long anymore and we had to let him cry. It was the best thing we've ever done for him. The first night was horrible. He cried for an hour and 45 min, and we checked on him every 10 or so. But in less than a week he was sleeping through the night and going to bed without being rocked to sleep. An entirely new bedtime routine developed and we were all sleeping better, feeling better, loving each other a little more.
Regretfully, Aaron was born a crappy sleeper too, and for 17 months we have done the same things as we did to get Ian to sleep, knowing from experience that the day would come when we had to sleep train. Nobody wants to do it. For us, it is a decision made out of desperation after months of consideration and trying other no-cry methods. No-cry methods don't work in this house. For whatever reason our children suck at sleeping. I'm not entirely convinced it isn't something I did along the way to make them that way, but I'm also not entirely convinced it is.
It has been even more difficult for me to make the final decision to sleep train with Aaron because of his health problems. It just breaks my heart to let him cry even for one second because he's been through so much already at just 18 months. Before he was even born I had a special place in my heart for this sweet boy who has only one kidney, breathing issues, asthma, allergies, has had pneumonia more times than I can even remember, has spent time in Children's hospital, has had surgery, is on 4 regular medications, etc. I just feel so bad for him. Letting him cry to sleep was the last thing I ever wanted to do because I don't want him to feel bad about anything. He's sick so much, the least I can do is hold him, right? That is my mother's guilt with Aaron. It really gets to me.
Anyway.
Two weeks ago, Aaron cried all night long unless I was bent over the crib rail so he could hold onto my arm while he slept. It was the last straw. His sleeping had been getting progressively worse for several weeks and all of a sudden he decided he just wasn't going to sleep anymore unless I was touching him. Aaron won't even accept Roger as a stand-in for mommy. Aaron wants only mommy in the night. (And most other times too.) I just can't do it any more... be up all night long and all day long, running after 2 crazy boys, keeping up with the house, the finances, the doctors appointments, the shopping, cooking, etc. Not without sleep. You just cannot do it without sleep. So I told him I loved him and I walked out the door. Night one of sleep training for dear Aaron. And it was heartwrenching, just like it was with Ian. My only comfort this time was that we'd already been down this road before with Ian...with a positive outcome. We went into it knowing Aaron was going to be a tougher nut to crack and we were not expecting any overnight miracles. But the one thing we knew is that he was going to benefit from learning to sleep on his own... and we were too.
Fastforward 2 weeks. (Two weeks with a lot of crying, a lot of praying, a lot of lying awake in bed listening to my sweet baby cry over the monitor.)
No crying from Aaron at bedtime tonight! Like the good old days, in bed drowsy but awake, told him I loved him, patted him, he turned over and went to sleep.
Uhm. Awesome.
I'm certain it means nothing for the middle of the night, which we're still struggling with (although it IS getting better... slowly), but I'm seriously encouraged by the return to (mostly) happy bedtimes.
Please take a moment, if you would, to send up a little prayer of thanksgiving for this small victory. And go ahead, while you're at it, and ask for continued comfort for Aaron during the night and at naptime, and continued strength for his parents during those times as well.
In other news:
Today we cleaned our garage. It took 2 hours. By the time we were done I was having major Braxton Hicks contractions. We had a house showing at 3:00 and we really wanted to make the house shine since it was our first Saturday request since like October and we had lots of time to do it... but I had to sit down and drink water and fold laundry for about 45 min before the CX subsided. It kinda scared me.
So most of the hard housework (cleaning floors, etc.) fell on Roger today. He didn't really appreciate it when I apologized for not being able to do more and then reminded him he was *partially* responsible for the problem I had today. I've also had really yucky sciatic nerve pain on my left side today and have been pretty much "walrussy" all day. It's too early to start feeling like a beached whale. I will not succumb. I will not waddle until at least 34 weeks. Ha ha.
The boys only had car naps when we left at 2:45 and we drove around the city for a little while looking at the flowering spring trees and tulips, down to the South Side and then the Hofbrauhaus for dinner. We even got dessert. The Apple Streudel was delicious. Then we walked around the little "crafty craftsmen" festival they were having on the South Side... the boys danced to the live music and made everyone around us smile and giggle, with their electric air guitar playing and headbanging. (Seriously, where did they learn that?!)
I bought some organic goat milk and almond soap from a girl with a booth who lives on the North Side and makes the soap in her garage. LOVE small, local businesses like that. The cake of soap was $4 and if I like it, I will definitely start buying it from her!
Home to a clean house and this awesome bedtime!
I'm in a lovely mood! Exhausted, but very happy.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
"You've really latched on to this one"
That's what Roger just said to me. And I think he was using his "teasing" tone. I didn't really appreciate it because you know what? WHO WOULDN'T LATCH ON TO THIS? If you don't latch on to this, if your heart isn't at least stirred by this, you are not a human I want to be associated with. I know he's probably going to feel like a jerk and be mad at me for posting what he said and rightfully so, because I know if he wasn't super busy with work he'd be taking the time to follow this story too. He's not really heartless and he gets passionate about the things I get passionate about when he has 2 minutes to actually think about stuff that isn't work related. So I forgive him for teasing me and making me feel like I shouldn't be "latching on."
Anyway, now that my little disclaimer and rant is out of the way...
There is an orphanage in Haiti that is being run by 2 young women from Pittsburgh. You can read the back story on them here: Love and Haiti
You can read their current situation here: It's Getting Real Bad
You can continue to read updates by following @JanePitt on twitter. She has been faithfully tweeting/blogging the updates on this story as they come in.
My current feeling is this: I know that there are probably hundreds of stories just like the BRESMA orphanage and the McMurtie sisters. I DID latch onto this one because it is local to me. It is being lived by girls for Pittsburgh (Western PA), one of whom is exactly the same age as me. They are working to save children who are the same age as mine. They are doing good work (the Lord's work) down there and darn it, if I can't help them in a tangible way, I'm at least going to try to help them in whatever way I can.
Please do continue to pray over the people in Haiti. Most of us cannot help them in any other way, but we all know that prayer works. So do it. Now.
Anyway, now that my little disclaimer and rant is out of the way...
There is an orphanage in Haiti that is being run by 2 young women from Pittsburgh. You can read the back story on them here: Love and Haiti
You can read their current situation here: It's Getting Real Bad
You can continue to read updates by following @JanePitt on twitter. She has been faithfully tweeting/blogging the updates on this story as they come in.
My current feeling is this: I know that there are probably hundreds of stories just like the BRESMA orphanage and the McMurtie sisters. I DID latch onto this one because it is local to me. It is being lived by girls for Pittsburgh (Western PA), one of whom is exactly the same age as me. They are working to save children who are the same age as mine. They are doing good work (the Lord's work) down there and darn it, if I can't help them in a tangible way, I'm at least going to try to help them in whatever way I can.
Please do continue to pray over the people in Haiti. Most of us cannot help them in any other way, but we all know that prayer works. So do it. Now.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Feeding the Chickens
We were going to go to the zoo today, Ian, Aaron & I, but the forecast "decent" weather was foggy and rainy this morning. So we changed plans en route and went to the National Aviary.
We get in there for free because we're members of the Buffalo Zoo. (Don't ask... we've always been members there, since our Erie days...)
It is free to park.
We pack our lunch to eat on the way home, so it doesn't cost us any money for food. And it keeps us from falling asleep on the way home.
Ian wanted to take his binacul-saurs (like dinosaurs?) with him today so he could see the birds better! It was his idea, really. I wonder where he learned that!
Yes, he is using them backwards. No matter how many times we try to correct him, he insists on using them the wrong way.
Tuesdays, they do tot time at 10:30, which includes story time and a song, and then they get to meet some of the birds up close and personal. Today, it was some silky chickens.
Ian is a total teachers' pet, and I guess it doesn't matter WHICH teacher, or even if the person doing tot time isn't even a teacher at all, just an employee at the Aviary. He had to sit next to her during the whole tot time. What a silly kid!
He was a little scared to feed the chickens corn kernals from his hand, but the other 2 boys at tot time this morning were doing it, so Ian gave it a try. It must not have been so bad because he asked to feed them 2 more times after the first time. :-)
Oh, and in case you are wondering... Aaron also really likes the Aviary. A lot. I just forgot to take any pictures of him today. Oops!
We get in there for free because we're members of the Buffalo Zoo. (Don't ask... we've always been members there, since our Erie days...)
It is free to park.
We pack our lunch to eat on the way home, so it doesn't cost us any money for food. And it keeps us from falling asleep on the way home.
Ian wanted to take his binacul-saurs (like dinosaurs?) with him today so he could see the birds better! It was his idea, really. I wonder where he learned that!
Yes, he is using them backwards. No matter how many times we try to correct him, he insists on using them the wrong way.
Tuesdays, they do tot time at 10:30, which includes story time and a song, and then they get to meet some of the birds up close and personal. Today, it was some silky chickens.
Ian is a total teachers' pet, and I guess it doesn't matter WHICH teacher, or even if the person doing tot time isn't even a teacher at all, just an employee at the Aviary. He had to sit next to her during the whole tot time. What a silly kid!
He was a little scared to feed the chickens corn kernals from his hand, but the other 2 boys at tot time this morning were doing it, so Ian gave it a try. It must not have been so bad because he asked to feed them 2 more times after the first time. :-)
Oh, and in case you are wondering... Aaron also really likes the Aviary. A lot. I just forgot to take any pictures of him today. Oops!
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