A Waltz in the Park

A week or two ago, there was a free New Jersey Symphony Orchestra concert at Pier A Park on a lovely Thursday evening. So, I decided to treat my kids (and myself) to a very nice musical evening in the park.

Ellie, Achilles and I walked down to Pier A and found a nice spot under a tree. We laid out our blanket in the grass and waited for the concert to begin. I thought it was supposed to start at 7:00 p.m., but it didn't actually get going until 7:40! Luckily, both kids were in good spirits so we killed time just relaxing on our blanket.

Crowds gathering for the concert at Pier A

Happy baby, ready for her first concert!

Happy to be out with his family

My kiddos

Just lounging around!

Such a nice night!

Just as the concert got started, Eric arrived home from work and came to join us. After a 40 minute wait for the music to begin, Ellie was getting a little wiggly so she and her Daddy shared a lovely waltz in the park.

She's always so excited to see Daddy when he gets home from work!

Sharing a delightful dance

The concert was quite nice but we only stayed for a few songs before packing up and heading back home. We probably could have stayed longer Ellie-mood-wise, but we wanted to get home and have dinner before starting Ellie's bedtime routine (oh, parenthood!). Although she didn't say so, I think Ellie agreed that this was a good plan, as concert-going is clearly an exhausting activity for babies.

Passed out on the short walk home

Although we didn't stay for the entire concert as we would have in our former pre-baby life, it was a perfect evening, and just what I always dreamed of for my little family: a gorgeous summer night, beautiful music, and the four of us happily passing the time together in a cozy spot under a tree. Perfection.