Winter weddings here in Pittsburgh are not too common. (Although I would be happy to photograph a winter wedding! Winter brides, take note – I don’t mind cold or snow and think winter is beautiful.)

So, what have I been doing this off season? Here’s a look at some of the Montemurro family escapades and goings on.

Jonas, my youngest, turned 7. We made and decorated these cupcakes together.

Salt is probably his favorite food, so I couldn’t resist this salt-powered robot at the toy store. Jonas wasn’t sure he wanted to share his salt with it. Another birthday present: Citiblocs. I admit, I was skeptical when my husband, Matt, bought these, because we already had quite a few blocks. But I’m not skeptical any more. We’ve made some pretty terrific creations with these. This tower got so tall, big brother Leo had to help finish it. We’ve spent a lot of time wandering the snowy, icy trails of Frick Park with our dog, Iroh. Did you know that if you’re interested in buying Pirates season tickets – even just a 20-game plan – you can get a behind-the-scenes tour of PNC Park? Baseball player Leo was thrilled to sit in the dugout. So many 2-hour school delays and cancellations meant lots of time to play in the snow. Iroh’s had a lot of visits from his best dog friend, Thunder the Australian Shepherd. Leo had a birthday too. Here, his silly mom pulled that old trick of putting a small box inside a bigger box inside a bigger box inside a big box…Birthday gift: new catcher’s equipment.

I sometimes get asked if I’m excited for baseball season to start. I’m excited for the Pirates season to start, but Leo played in a winter league and has had practices three times a week, so our season started a long time ago. Pittsburgh’s rivers were icy and frozen for much of February, and we made a few trips down to the North Shore. Don’t panic, he’s standing in the spot under the Clemente Bridge where the kayaks from Venture Outdoors put into the water and it’s about two inches deep.

I’ve been experimenting with making my own bagels. These looked pretty good, but tasted a little bland. Subsequent batches tasted much better, but were frightfully ugly. Maybe some day, if I keep at it, I’ll successfully make bagels that both look good and taste good. One of the prettiest sights: a tall weed completely covered in morning frost.

That’s winter for us! We’re ready to welcome spring.