Fourth of July Portraits

I was kinda bummed out seeing all the cute Fourth of July outfits in stores because Izzie couldn't wear most of them.  They were primarily red and it clashes with her hair.  I happened across one that was more blue than red, especially near the top, so I snagged it.  Brady was given a nice set by my Mimi and the two together were so cute.  We only had Izzie's 3 month portraits taken a few weeks ago, but I couldn't resist getting their pictures taken again.  

It was quite the event.  I decided to take the kids in the middle of the day by myself since they wouldn't have an outfit change.  We got there on time and I woke Izzie up to dress her.  It was mass chaos there and it took about 20 min for someone to even ask if I had an appointment.  It was another 15 min before we got back to take the portraits.  I then had to wait 30 min to even pick out what I wanted.  Brady was going crazy, Izzie was getting tired, and I really had to pee lol.  They gave me three free portrait sheets for the wait, but I don't think I will go in the middle of the day by myself again.  On the upside, both kids did well and I was kinda disappointed that Izzie didn't do this well in her 3 month portraits. 

I couldn't resist this one for my mantle.

Finally a smile out of Izzie on camera!

Even though it was a crazy wait, they had two ladies working in the room and had some great ideas on how to position the kids together.

I'm not the only photo nut in the family.  My mom was always taking us for portraits as well.  Above are portraits from the Fourth of July in 1991 (left) and 1992 (right).  In 1991, I was 5 and Alex was 3, and in 1992, I was 6, Alex was 4, and Chris was 2 months old.

Phipps Conservatory - Gardens of Glass

Pittsburgh is one of the top 10 cities to raise children, and growing up there myself, it's no secret why.  On any given day, rain or shine, there are so many things to see and do with kids, it could make your head spin.  Since Brady only gets there once in a while (especially when we have a day with nothing planned in advance), we try to make the most of those amazing activities.  This time, we chose to go to Phipps Conservatory in Oakland (one of my most favorite places, but maybe I'm biased because I was born there and lived there for six years of my adult life).  Brady hasn't been there since he was 18 months old and the exhibits are always changing.  Six years ago they had an amazing exhibit called Gardens of Glass and there were Dale Chihuly blow glass pieces everywhere.  It was jaw droppingly beautiful and we still talk about it.  This time, in addition to the few Chihuly items the conservatory had purchased before the exhibit moved on, there were glass pieces from local artists.

An authentic Chihuly.

There was a room filled with spinning mosaic pieces and each one represented a part of the city.

The view from the UPMC building downtown.

The Aviary.

The Cathedral of Learning.

The Nationality Rooms.

The Holocaust Center.

Brady was doing the scavenger hunt with Nana. I think his favorite part was the butterfly room.

My parents have a very nice camera which we were using, so I snapped a few of Izzie.

Another Chihuly.

This was so cool.  It was a woolly mammoth skeleton in blown glass.

From the side.

More Chihuly.

Running through the mister.  It was a 90 degree day inside a greenhouse, try to imagine.

A few more Chihuly.

And another.

More Chihuly.  Just try to imagine how much these things weigh.

The Desert Room.

This room was simply stunning.  The purple, pink, and yellow flowers are blown glass and you can see blown glass birds as well.

Definitely the largest Chihuly they held onto.

Brady with the Cathedral of Learning in the background.  You could see it from both our apartment and also the hospital where Brady and I were born.  I'll never tire of that sight.