Weekend Recap

We had a fun weekend at home.

W took the boys to the BMX park near our house for the first time. Ezra has been waiting and wanting to go for awhile, but we would tell him we'd wait until he could bike without training wheels. I cannot believe that time has come already...and that he would remember! He did great and the boys ended up making a trip there the following day. 

That afternoon, we dropped the boys off at Castlewood for our annual musical at Westminster. This year's production was Annie Get Your Gun, a great ol' western piece. Great entertainment. And of course, dinner at Homeroom didn't disappoint either. I know, we could totally venture out a little. There are some yummy eateries in that area, but why mess with a good thing?! Creatures of habit. Me included. My date night staples now include red lips, a bun, and two babes.

Sunday was lazy. I didn't get out of pjs until the late afternoon. We took some pictures for Theo's second birthday...which is less than a month and a half away. So wild! I swear he was the happy baby on my back just yesterday. Now he's full-fledged toddler. We'll be doing close friends and family style for his birthday, but I thought having a cute theme wouldn't hurt. This Mama has got to pick up creating again sometime soon! What better excuse than this sweet one's birthday?!

The later part of the day included a bike ride, soft serve, park shenanigans {including ice cream swiping}, and pool time.

Happenings {Via IG}

Our 4th of July was pretty mellow. We started the day with a family bike ride: the very first time Ezra joined us for the riding. We biked to the Corner Bakery for breakfast. Then headed out in the evening for dinner at our friends'. 

We put the boys to bed before fireworks because we had had so many previously late evenings {including a First Weds. downtown the night before}. We were so tired! Ezra and I finished our read aloud by E.B White titled The Trumpet of the Swan. Loved that charming story! My mom frequently sends us boxed collections like the Magic Tree House, Boxcar Children, and a small sampling from E.B. White. We have worked through them all and this one was my favorite. Which also explains why Ezra was so excited to try a high schooler's trumpet at the band booth on Weds...

Speaking of the gparents, they went on a two and a half week motorcycle trip and made sure to send the boys postcards. I was so happy to have my support team back-- I celebrated by crashing on Friday afternoon for a nap and dinner. ;) We also started Family Dinners back up and last week's did not disappoint. It was amazing and we were so happy for the leftovers. 

In addition to my cousin's wedding, this past weekend looked like a lot of laundry, our annual Free Shakespeare in the park, and a trip to Urgent Care for Vesper's fever. She checked out fine and was fever-free by the following day. I'm not complaining, but it was so odd. If nothing else, it let us know that she gained a whole bunch since the contraception fiasco was fixed and plumping up again. Phew!

It was so fun having two date nights in a row since it's been awhile. That and our weekend travels have been making this Mama happy. I must say, this summer is shaping up quite nicely. ;)

Celebrating 5 Years

{attempting to catch-up before something big happens..like a baby arriving. hopefully, we'll be up to date soon and back to regularly scheduled blogging. Ha!}

This year was a fabulous anniversary year! On our actual anniversary, we swapped gifts {of wood, since we follow the traditional gift list.} and went to eat at a lovely place downtown {read: it pays to hold on to gift certificates until you can actually use them}. 

Then the first weekend of this month, we headed into the city for a combined anni/babymoon getaway. We've been wanting to see the Lion King for.ever. I'd seen it when I was in 8th grade on Broadway with my parents and remember how AMAZING it was. So, we splurged and got great seats a few rows back from the stage. Worth.every.penny. And then some. 

Beyond the performance, we ate great food, napped, and enjoyed the simple pleasure of just being the "two of us" {+ baby in utero, of course}. It was absolutely marvelous and I'm glad we sneaked it in before she comes.  Count down has definitely started!

Birthday + Scottish Festivies {Long Weekend}

We kicked off Labor Day weekend with Theo's first birthday and the Scottish Games. You know, just doing all of Theo's favorite things on his very special day.

Every one year old's dream come true, right?! Truthfully, he was just content to show off his new threads his Mama made for him: a custom kilt and "1" shirt. 

 Crazy hams, I tell ya!

We met up with W's Mama's side: Crombie from the House of Gordon. Pretty cool stuff. Always makes me wish I had some kind of heritage besides "mutt".

We did lots of wandering, looking and playing...

The highlight of the day for W was getting fitted for a Utilikilt again but then finding out that he would be purchasing it as well. Merry Christmas from my generous generous parents. :)

All that was too much for T so he promptly passed out.

The evening was spent celebrating with our community group. LOVE these sweet families and being able to do life with them.

And of course, another gem for their future slide show. One can never have too many to choose from...

The rest of the weekend was super laid back and close to home. After the last few weeks of crazy, we needed it. W treated me to days of refreshing and re-charging without ever going away. He was extra hands-on, let me nap and sleep in and did lots of cooking and cleaning with me. I was so grateful for such a great way to start the week.

Date Night in Oakland

This past weekend, with our babysitters my parents back from a wild vacation, W planned a fun evening out in Oakland. Our church does several local community events and goes a group to them. When W heard they had discount tickets for "My Fair Lady" at the outdoor Westminster Amphitheater, he knew I'd love it. 

He also took me to a new restaurant. One of the perks of driving people around the area is discovering new places; the last being the Airplane Museum. This time W discovered an awesome awesome place: Homeroom. A restaurant with one simple concept: Mac and Cheese. And they do it well!!

Saying it was delicious is a understatement! I got the Gilroy gouda and W got the pesto basil. Both were straight out of heaven and we were both too stuffed for their homemade desserts. We're definitely coming back! Homeroom has only been open for 6 months and we got to learn the fun story behind the owners. I loved the giant chalkboard, whimsical light fixtures, and succulent plant wall, but really, they had me at the Mason jars.

After dinner, we joined the rest of the group and enjoyed a beautiful summer evening watching the musical, cozied up underneath a blanket . One of my favorite dates to date!

A Taste of Smokey City's History

So I've been on the fence about whether I like this city or not. It used to be called the Smokey City because it was grossly polluted by the steel mills and coal mines. Apparently, the buildings were just covered in soot and there were serious health issues for anyone who lived here. Now, steel is no longer made here and they’ve cleaned up much of the building faces. But it definitely still has a dirty ol’ feel to it. W says I’m just a girl who likes her aesthetics. And I think he’s right. Seattle, Milwaukee, and Chicago are all clean, have beautiful buildings, and have lots of greenery and flowers scattered throughout the downtown areas. This place, not so much. Or at least what little I've seen.

BUT I will say that I love all the random history I’ve learned about Pittsburgh—W isn’t the only history nerd in this family. And random history it is! I learned a ton when we went to the Heinz History Center on day two. Pittsburgh definitely takes pride in all its accomplishments and accolades. It was the birthplace for…

Mister Roger’s Neighborhood--yup, that homemade-knit-sweater wearing guy of the early 70s.

The invention of the Big Mac

Andy Worhol, the pop culture artist

Rachel Carson—the first notable environmentalist who did a lot to clean up this city

The great Lewis and Clark Expedition…seriously, they started from Pittsburgh.

Andrew Carnegie’s great success as a steelmaker and contributor to the city’s cultural development

The Polio Vaccine

Heinz Food Company

And Rosie the Riveter 

Okay, so probably more than you EVER wanted to know about Pittsburgh, but I was quite impressed by its resume. We then headed to the Strip to grab a bite to eat and check out the bizarre. Like the Alter Bar which is located in a church…

And The Wholely Market—full of chaos and weird smells.

We grabbed some yummy pizza at a hole in the wall place before heading back home for the day. That evening, W’s sister Dof and Ashaya flew in. Just in time for the Cromie Reunion!

Day 14

The Nutcracker is pretty synonymous with Christmas, right? I can already hear the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" starting. 

Actually, seeing this doorstep on our walk this weekend made me finally sit down and order our tickets that I've been talking about for a month now. So excited! And my sweet hubby is looking forward to it too!! How'd I get so lucky??

Drank a Little Drank, Smoke a Little Smoke

Last week, Linds and I split out on our responsible day jobs to head to the Greek Theatre in Berkeley to see Jack Johnson. Love his mellow music beyond words. The last time I saw him live was in San Diego in 2005 with a then boyfriend. {Still have that shirt he bought me, only thing I ever kept from an ex...just couldn't part with Jack} This time the only gentleman that was with us was Flat Stanley.

The Greek is an amazing venue! I loved it! Very intimate. With general admission, we came early to get some great seating. We brought butt-pads and a blanket.

Our drank a little drank: wild Linds snuck some shooters in. Must confess, first time with shooters. I discovered I love Malibu with Coke. I'm such a light weight and only could handle one. I'm lame, I know. I already get made fun of. :)

We both felt like we were in college again. Well, Linds did. I don't have any good juicy stories besides the small handful of frat parties I went to as a date during my freshman year.

Totally interesting side note. While waiting for the opening artists, this came up:

"Help us make this tour carbon neutral. purchase your Jack Johnson To The Sea Carbon Offset Sticker."

How is consuming another item, an offset sticker, make the tour carbon neutral?! I  still breathed out carbon during the concert. Can someone explain this?

First up was Zee Avi. 

Oh.My.Word. This girl, who's only 23 by the way, is simply phenomenal. Think Colby Caillat meets Norah Jones. 

Followed by ALO, who opened with Matt Costa {love his music too!} in 2005.

Jack!! Love him.

And man, was he awesome.

I was glad he played a lot of his old songs. I haven't been following him for awhile so I'm not familiar with his new stuff. And as far as the smoking, well...there was plenty of hash to go around us. And here I confess again: my first experience of seeing people smoke pot. A lot of firsts this night. :) Linds's boyfriend made a big deal when we were in line to eat something. We kept laughing at him, but he was on to something. Caught a puff in action. 

Oh, we did some gambling too: parking in Berkeley without a permit. Even with an hour and a half left before we were actually free to park there, we got off without a ticket. Probably helped that we were several blocks from campus. Definitely worked up a sweat walking through campus to get to the venue.

Such a wonderful girls' afternoon/night. We booked these tickets back in March when Ezra was only 3 months old. It felt like eons before October would come, but here it is already! Both my boys were sound asleep when I climbed into bed. W was so kind to put E down a bit later so I could sleep in the next morning. Definitely don't love Jack even close to how much I love William.

You Know You're Scottish When You...

...get sized and fitted for a Utilikit by a guy wearing a Utilikit...

...cheer for buff men tossing an 18 foot 6 inch wood log that's 115 pounds. Oh, and you would call it a caber toss...

...see a really really long line underneath this sign...

...sweetly fall asleep to the tune of marching bagpipes...

...replace an old favorite sweat-stained hat for a fresh new one....with a bottle-opener on the bill upgrade!...

...gaze longingly at a Clydesdale horse, wishing for snow, a sledge, and a jingle bells tune...

...stretch your legs on the grounds of a 1st century re-enactment, Braveheart style...

...throw a spear in a distance contest...

We had a really great time at our 1st Scottish Games Festival. This event was HUGE and had such a variety of fun stuff to see and do. I could see this quickly becoming a family tradition whenever we stick around town for Labor Day weekend. We went with our neighbors, Kellie and Kevin {who are expecting their first come March!!} and their friends, Donavan and Jen. It was a big hit for everyone, including Ezra!