Hello everybody! I hope you had a happy holiday to those who celebrate it. Ours was fun and also a bit messy and exhausting (hello, 5 small children).
We were in the Pittsburgh area (specifically Sewickley – it’s about 20 minutes out of town) with Matt’s family – his parents, his younger brother Drew and his wife Morgana and his older brother Chris, his wife Jess and their 3 boys (9th and 9th birthdays). , 7 and 3 years).
Giant and Wes both love their cousins and had the best time playing and romping with them! It was cute to see Wes with all the bigger kids – he’s dying to be a big kid so he’s dying to keep up with them!
I’ve got a billion photos so I’m going to break this post up – stay tuned for part 2 on Tuesday!
Christmas Recap 2022 in Pittsburgh (Part 1)
Hello to the frozen tundra
Matt and I made a last minute decision to leave for Pittsburgh a day earlier than planned due to the snowstorm and glacial weather that was coming our way.
It meant driving all the way to Pittsburgh during the evening rush hour in pouring rain (and of course we made it 20 minutes in said traffic and rain only to find that we forgot Wes’s shoes and coat and had to go home, to get them – ARGH), but it was ultimately the right call to go early and not stress about driving in snow and ice.
We arrived late Thursday evening (December 22nd) to rain and moderate temperatures and when we woke up in the morning the world was covered in snow and it was positively cold outside.
The kids loved the snow – we all got dressed and went out!
Wes wasn’t a big fan of Very Cold Wet stuff, but he did enjoy some sleigh rides. 🙂
The snow stopped early and by the afternoon it was outrageously cold (“feels like -28 F – yes, that’s minus 28, no typo – I’ve never felt weather this cold in my life) but the roads were ok so we decided to drive into town to go to the science center.
Giant and the older boys really enjoyed it, and meanwhile Wes decided that this toilet exhibit was the most interesting thing about the whole place, so I spent most of our visit standing there while he climbed on and off the toilet seat – rinse and repeat. Ha.
Dinner that night at the house was a homemade taco bar. I always love a good taco bar. I went back again after this picture. Plus some more Prosecco for a good measure!
Speaking of Mexican food, Wes is on a “take everything out of all cupboards, especially if it’s fragile/dangerous” (shockingly he only broke a jar while we were there); But his #1 favorite item of the week was this plastic margarita mixer bottle, which he spotted in a closet earlier in the week and then carried with him literally everywhere throughout the trip. lol Kids that age are so arbitrary.
christmas eve
It was still outrageously cold outside on Christmas Eve, so some indoor crafts were in order. Luckily my sister-in-law brought some fun to make your own jewelry craft kits for the kids (and the adults, I made one too)!
I also made it to a hot yoga class at Salt Power Yoga in town which felt really good in the crazy cold. I ended up going a few more times while we were there – it helped me to center and calm down amidst the noisy children’s chaos around the house!
For Christmas Eve lunch, I made some easy tuna sandwiches (here’s my favorite recipe: Tuna Salad with Avocado) for me, Matt, and the kids, plus some salad for the adults:
And the Christmas dinner was my mother-in-law’s famous lasagna! I believe it’s an old family recipe. It’s sooo good.
The children were so excited that Santa Claus is coming. They worked together to write him a note. 🙂
Christmas Day
Christmas morning the kids were AMPED! It was fun to see it all through their eyes, even if it started a little earlier than the adults would have liked… 😉
Present the opening break for some food – a tasty sausage, a potato and egg casserole, almond croissants and berries.
Early that afternoon, while Wes was napping and the other kids were happily watching TV, Matt and I decided to brave the crazy cold temperatures for a Christmas Day run date.
It was so cold that I actually ran in my super warm everyday jacket and fleece tights – the only thing that got really cold was my face and butt!
I think it was “feels like -1 F” as we ran, mild compared to the previous day but still insanely cold. We made it 2 hilly miles and that felt like a big win!
Fresh air is always a good idea.
Leftover lasagna + salad for a late lunch:
christmas dinner
That afternoon preparations were underway in the house for a big Christmas dinner! My father-in-law always gives us great holidays, and this year was no exception.
The star was a sous vide beef tenderloin:
And here’s the entire menu (yes, my fall sangria did it! Matt made it for us and took some liberties with the recipe, um, but it still turned out pretty good, if not as good as IMO the original…) :
In addition to our entire crew, some family friends who are good friends of ours came over, which was fun. And the kids loved it because then there were 2 other kids in the mix to play with!
Dinner was delicious and everyone had a festive time. The table was beautiful too, thanks to my mother-in-law who has a really good eye for floral arrangements and table decorations.
(All the kids except Wes were outside in the kitchen area at a “kids table” – credit to all involved!)
First up: a pear and pomegranate salad with walnuts (hot tip: the leftover pears and pomegranate seeds were delicious on nut butter toast!).
The main event:
The dessert bar was epic – my favorite was the homemade apple pie. Super tasty and not too sweet.
A big thank you to Matt’s parents for all the work they both put in to make such a special meal for us all. <3
Stay tuned for part 2 of our holiday adventures, coming to you on Tuesday! And in the meantime, I wish you a great weekend.