A Little Trip

While Mate's job has a very family-friendly schedule, it does require him to attend quite a few conferences throughout the year.  Luckily, the girls and I have been able to tag along to most of them.  We recently returned from a successful trip to Pittsburgh.  Since I wasn't about to sit in a hotel room all week, I made sure to have an activity planned for each day.  On Saturday, we explored the Science Center.  This wasn't on my original list because the girls are a little young for the activities, but my mom planned a weekend trip that coincided with the conference dates, so we were looking for somewhere my whole family could enjoy.  We had a great time at all the exhibits.  Mia and Ava were very interested in the demonstration about liquid nitrogen. Perhaps we have little scientists on our hands.

Mia's weight on the Moon

Ava's weight on the Moon

After our afternoon at the Science Center, the girls and I picked up Mate from the conference and headed to IKEA.  We always find time for a little shopping at our favorite store.

Ava was wide awake.  Mia slept the whole time.

On Sunday, we all went to the Convention Center. Mate only had one session to attend, so the girls and I found a place to play while we waited.

The littlest conference attendees

We spent the rest of Sunday afternoon at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium.  It was the first time Mia and Ava were visiting a zoo, so I was thankful Mate could join us. The day turned out to be practically perfect.  Watching our girls experience things for the first time is so much fun!

Ava and I watching the kangaroos

Our only family photo from the whole trip

This baby sea lion stayed by us for the longest time. 

Mia and Daddy touching a sting ray

They fell asleep before we got to the lions, tigers, and bears

We were all tired after our day at the zoo, so we spent the rest of Sunday relaxing at the hotel.  We had a great room, which made the whole trip a lot easier.  

Time to play

Love

This part of our room was so useful

Monday, the girls and I were on our own all day.  We spent the morning at the Pittsburgh Children's Museum.  It has an area dedicated to children under the age of 2, which was perfect for Mia and Ava. They had a great time exploring and I loved watching them learn.

Play area

Just the three of us

Water painting

Bird seed fun

Looking in the mirror

After a few hours, we had lunch and then headed back to the hotel for an afternoon nap.  The girls slept for quite a while and then we bundled up to walk over to the Convention Center.  Mate had a short break, so we spent a little time together before his evening meeting started. 

Well rested after our day at the museum

Let's go see Daddy!

We had a wonderful time in Pittsburgh and look forward to returning in the future.  Mate and I agreed this was one of the easiest trips we've taken with the girls.  Planning ahead and being flexible are two pieces of advice I would give to anyone traveling with small children.  

To make our lives easier, I also:

-made sure we had a hotel room with lots of space and an area to store food/wash bottles

-packed a sheet to keep the girls, their blankets and toys off the hotel floor while they played

-packed store-bought baby food instead of trying to bring homemade

-tried to keep naps as regular as possible

-planned our travel time during their nap time 

I am thankful for the memories we created this past week!