Chapter 4. Trip to the 'Burgh

A couple of weeks after getting home from our shut-down week tour, we embarked on another trip. We took an extra day of vacation and spent a long weekend in Pittsburgh. We drove down Thursday night and arrived at Aunt Jess' house late in the evening.

The next day, our plan was to meet up with Uncle James, Aunt Jaclyn, JJ, and Gracie at Kennywood. It has been a couple of years since the last time we were there and Marie was very excited about going back. Joey was likewise excited, though not because he remembered it (he was only 9 months old at the time). Marie, Jon, and the rest of the family had really talked it up, so we were hoping that he wouldn't be disappointed.

On Friday, the kids took early naps and we headed out, meeting the others in the middle of the afternoon. It was a pretty hot and sticky day, but that didn't slow them down. We went straight to "Kiddie Land" and they spent all their time going from ride to ride, with brief pauses to hydrate. There were swings, motorcycles, flying elephants, roller coasters, cars to drive, and the much loved "Whippersnapper".











After a few hours, we decided it was time to get some supper, so we walked over to the cafeteria. While we were there, the sky grew dark and the wind picked up. Rather than heading back to the rides, we decided instead to go back to the car. It was a bit of a hike though and by the time we got there, the rain had really started to come down and we were drenched. Guess it wouldn't be a trip to Kennywood without a good rain shower!

On Saturday morning, we headed over to Uncle James and Aunt Jaclyn's house for lunch. Peg's dear friends from college, the Coffields, also joined us for a short visit. It had also been a couple of years since we'd seen them. My how the kids have grown!

Aunt Jess had brought some fun crafts for the kids to work on and then it was time for naps. After nap time, we got everyone in their respective baseball gear to get ready to go downtown for the Cardinal / Pirates game.







We were a little uncertain how long we would stay, but were completely prepared to call it a night whenever needed, no matter the inning or score. We were quite pleased with how the kids did. PNC Park is very kid/family friendly. Marie, Joey, JJ, and Gracie spent a good bit of time playing on the playground they have on site (with LOTS of other kids their age). On the walk there with Uncle James, they even got to give the Pirate Parrot a high five...or at least that's what Marie and Joey tell us.



We ended up staying until the middle of the 9th inning. They Cards were well ahead, so we felt okay not staying until the very end. Plus, we wanted to try to avoid having to deal with any potential crowds and traffic after the game. Needless to say, we were all pretty tired by the time we hit the sack.

On Sunday morning, we went to church, had lunch, and relaxed a bit before heading back home. Marie and Joey were so tired, they even took naps during the drive. It was a short visit, but packed full and well worth it.