Here We Go...

My dad's 60th birthday is in a couple of weeks. My dad has taught me and my siblings a lot of things over the years and provided us with countless opportunities and experiences, but a love of the Pittsburgh Steelers is certainly one of the most identifiable.
As far back I can remember, I have watched Pittsburgh Steelers games with my dad...first at our house when they happened to be on tv, then at a hole-in-the wall bar after Sunday School when I was in my early teens, next back at our house with a bunch of bar friends turned Steeler Sunday crew, and all the way until now where me and my boys meet my dad (and other family members) every Sunday at a bar/restaurant to watch the Steelers. Even though I have never lived in Pittsburgh for even a moment, I learned to love the Steelers, and consequently passed that love on to my boys, because of my dad. So it seemed to be apropos that for my dad's 60th we should all be together in Pittsburgh (his hometown) doing what we do best...rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
We left bright and early Saturday morning, and in bright and early, I mean early. Despite a 6AM flight, the boys were super excited to start off our journey and did an awesome job on both flights!
Luckily, Levi did manage to squeeze in a nap on the second flight, so once we arrived in Pittsburgh, the boys were ready to hit the town. After a quick lunch in Market Square, we headed over to the Strip District for some Steeler gear shopping. One of the boys' highlights of the trip was getting to ride in a couple Ubers...without car seats!!!

Once in the Strip District, the boys were quick to pick out their purchases: new Steelers hats each! Levi also got to wave to a man in a pink tutu, and we heard the Steelers Super Bowl song on repeat, so overall it was a successful trip!

We headed back to the hotel to rest and warm up for a bit and then headed out to dinner at Six Penn Kitchen. 

We came back to the hotel and waited in the lobby for a bit hoping some of the Steelers would come through for autographs (they were staying in our hotel too), but we really didn't have any luck and were pretty exhausted, so everyone headed up to sleep.

We repeated the same attempted Steeler sightings the next morning with a doughnut breakfast in the lobby.

And then, with our Terrible Towels in hand,  it was finally time to head over to the game!  We took the metro train over which was super quick and easy.

We arrived with some time to kill before the stadium actually opened, so we walked around checking out the tailgates and getting the boys' faces painted.

Prior to the trip, my dad had been gifted three field passes. We weren't sure if we were going to be able to share them, so at first my dad had us draw envelopes to see who was going to join him and my mom on the field. Luckily, it turned out we did get to pass them off, so everyone got a turn...including the boys! While the boys definitely enjoyed the experience, I'm sure some of the significance was lost on them. I just hope one day they realize how fortunate they are!

And after all that excitement, it was finally game time. We were a little wary going into the game because the Steelers were really not expected to win, but we ended up witnessing a really exciting game...and a Steelers victory at that! The weather was a bit more of an adventure, as we basically went through all four seasons in one 3 hour game...it went from rainy and cold to sunny and relatively warm to sleeting (!!!), and finally back to sunny and comfortable. I really hadn't packed appropriately, so the boys ended up with new gloves and a blanket out of the deal. 

A lot of people have expressed surprise when they find out we took the boys to a football game. But honestly they did great...and had a blast! They definitely got a little cold and cranky for a few minutes, but as soon as the game got exciting (and they got their coveted stuffed animals), they got really into it.

We walked back to the hotel after the victory, and thought about trying to squeeze in the incline, but in the end decided just to relax at the hotel for the evening. I was kind of bummed we missed it, but hopefully there will be another Pittsburgh trip in our near future because I definitely have some Steelers fanatics on my hands!

May His Memory Be a Blessing

It is with a heavy heart that I write this post I have been mentally crafting for awhile.  Yesterday, at the age of 85, my Papa passed away. Two years ago my grandfather was the picture of old-age thriving: golfing, out with his girlfriend nightly,  working, etc, but his heart gradually gave way over the couple years, and towards the end, it was clear that our Papa would not be coming back.  As much as you prepare for these things mentally, and as much as I truly believe he deserved to move on to a place free of pain, it is still such a hard reality to face that my Papa will not be in Florida when we arrive later today.
In Judaism, we say "may his memory be a blessing" when speaking of someone who has passed.  I think it just meant to be a sing of respect, but I prefer to look at it a little deeper.  Because with my Papa, the memory of him and the memories we have with him will continue to bless my life...and the lives of my boys...for many more years.  He may be gone physically, but I will always remember:

• standing on my tip toes to give him a hug and kiss him good night and/or good bye
• putting the mezuzah he wore around his neck into his mouth to have him spit it back out at me when I was little...and then watching my boys do the same with him years later
• the man's incredible quick wit and amazing one-liners.  My personal favorite: as we were driving through Miami as I was a teenager, we passed a billboard at a Christian school that read "thank you Jesus for a great season."  My grandfather commented, "that Jesus must have been one hell of a quarterback."
• his fierce love and loyalty to his family
• how proud of us he always was...he may have embellished some facts (like when I was an intern at an NBC affiliate in college, but he told people I was working for NBC), but he sincerely believed that my cousins and I were the best at anything we tried to do
• watching him dance with my Grammy (who passed about 10 years ago) at their 50th anniversary party
• playing with his robot outside their former Florida house when we would visit each Spring Break when I was younger
• getting ice cream for no reason, Butterfinger bars on the way to Disney World, and dessert for dinner because with Papa you could always have sweets
• watching him tear up when he met both boys for the first time

My grandfather was such a good man, and we will miss him more than words can possibly say.  At 85, he lived a good, full life and I am incredibly thankful that I had him there at so many of my milestones.

 

We love you Papa.

Old Friends are the Best Friends

I met my friend Claire in elementary school...4th grade to be exact.  We went to different middle schools, but then reunited again in high school.  We had the same group of good friends (about 5 of us girls).  At the time, I was probably technically closer to some of the other girls. But over the years and the trials and tribulations of friendships, Claire and I have always remained tight despite the fact that I have lost touch with pretty much all of the other girls (and she too).  She has been there for me whenever I needed it (and vice versa), she was a bridesmaid in my wedding (and vice versa), and now we are facing motherhood together.
Well, kind of!  Claire and her husband live in San Francisco, but luckily her mom is still here in VB, so we get to see them at least a couple of times a year when they come to visit.  And this trip was exceptionally exciting because since the last time we saw them, Claire and Jerry have welcomed two adorable baby girls into their family (in addition to their son, Waid, who is just 5 days younger than Levi!).
We had the whole family over for dinner and play time last night.  It was so nice to watch the boys become fast friends as Claire and I sat and chatted.

And then there was Levi and the babies.  My boy was totally in love, particularly with baby Elle whom he doted with kisses and attention all evening.  I've said it before and I'll probably say it a million more times: Levi can be such a pain in my rear, but the boy has the biggest heart on the planet and is such a lover!

                           

                          

As we all caught up, it dawned on us that five years ago, we had no children between us, but now there are five!

While Claire and Jerry are currently west coasters, they do have plans to make their way back to Virginia in coming years.  So who knows...maybe those five cuties will be able to celebrate two decades plus of friendship as well!

Spring Celebrating 2014

I love that my kids are growing up in an interfaith household where they get to experience so many wonderful traditions, customs, and holidays.  But a couple times of year that means we are super busy! And Spring is one of those times...
Last Monday, we all gathered at my parents house for our annual Seder.  A Seder isn't necessarily a very exciting event (at least compared to egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, etc), but the boys did get to taste matzo ball soup (which they loved), hunt for the afikomen (a hidden piece of matzah), and play with the Passover stickers Nene got them.

Over the course of the week, I tried to teach the boys a little about honoring Passover.  As Jews, we are not supposed to eat anything that has risen (mainly bread, but basically anything with flour/yeast so pasta, baked goods, and some even take it to rice, corn, etc).  So, we substituted matzah sandwiches at lunch time and even tried matzo brei (a delicious scrambled egg and matzah combo that I have always loved and my boys agreed!) one morning for breakfast.  And that was pretty much it for our Passover celebration!

Of course, we also had to fit Easter in.

We dyed and painted eggs.

And we made some chocolate peanut butter eggs to give away as gifts.

And when Easter morning rolled around, the boys were very excited to find that the Easter Bunny had indeed come and left them some goodies behind.

Colton and Levi were super excited to find out that the Easter bunny had even left behind some eggs out front for them to hunt for.

When they were done with that hunt, the boys headed over to their Gammy and Pop's house for another egg hunt (this time with their cousin Gavin who was going to church afterwards hence his spiffy appearance) and some breakfast.

At night we concluded our celebrating with dinner at Josh's parents house.  

It's no secret that I love traditions and celebrating, so I must admit I am a little sad that our celebrating is over...until the next holiday rolls around anyway!