All Aboard!

{Alternate title to this post is "Becky saves the day"}

Earlier this week, Becky emailed saying she was feeling adventurous and wanted to see if we wanted to go on an a take the kids to Tilden Park. They have a little farm, Merry-G0-Round & a steam Train. Becky and I have been talking about going all summer, so we decided to make it happen! It is only about 30 minutes away, so it is a fun activity to do that isn't too far away.
It was an adventure all right...
Here is a picture of the girls right before we left.
(You might remember Kate likes to bring her keys, camera & cell phone everywhere, just like me!)
I pack the girls in the car & also bring them each a sweatshirt. It can be foggy & cold at Tilden Park because it is in a canyon near the coast It is usually 20-25 degrees colder there than at our house. When we got off the exit & were driving down the windy & curved road into the canyon.
Did I mention it was really curvy?
From the back seat Kate is telling me she wants to get out of her car seat. I tell her we are *almost* there! I was thinking she was just really excited to go on the train and see her buddies Maddie & Sam.
We were just about to turn into the parking lot & Kate yelled "I need to get OUT!" and then I heard the sound of Kate getting car sick. I will spare you the details, but let's just say chocolate milk & raisins do not look appetizing to me anymore. *shudder*
I immediately pull over & poor Kate is covered in puke.
Her shirt, jeans & car seat are just wrecked. I took her out, took off her clothes & started wiping up the mess with baby wipes.
Then I panicked when I realized.
" I didn't have any spare clothes with me!"
(for Kate OR for Claire!!!)
Oh my. I felt like a terrible, terrible mother.
All I had for Kate was her hoodie. Luckily, she wasn't wearing it in the car. I had thrown her hoodie & Claire's hoodie in the back seat in between their car seats. Kate's sweatshirt was under Claire's and was still "clean". Claire's sweatshirt was not so lucky....
I cleaned up the carseat the best I could & loaded up Kate back into the car to meet Becky, Maddie & Sam.
I was thinking that we were going to have to go home since I only had a sweatshirt for Kate. It was COLD, only about 60 degrees. There was no way I could let my 2.5 year old out in the cold weather with a diaper and hoodie (can you say white trash?!?) I felt terrible because Kate had been talking about the trains ALL morning.
I get out of the car & tell Becky what happened. I asked if she had any spare clothes (Maddie and Kate are a week apart). She is obviously a good mother (unlike myself) and had 2 extra pairs of pants....for Samuel (5 months old).
So, I came up with a plan. I took Claire's jeans (size 6 months) off her & put them on Kate. I took a pair of Samuel's khaki's (size 3 months) and put them on Claire!
I had a feeling Claire's pants would fit Kate because of THIS.
Here is what my children looked like as we got ready to walk into the park:

And, I am well aware that my girls look like big dorks (or old men) with their socks pulled up, BUT, it was COLD and since they now had on pants that were like "capri's" their legs were cold. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Kate wanted her socks pulled up to keep her legs warm, so I obliged. And, of course I DID NOT have a blanket to put over Claire, so I pulled her socks up also, especially since her sweatshirt was "soiled" from Kate getting car sick.
So, our adventure had begun & despite the car sickness & clothing debacle, we had a GREAT time!
Feel free to laugh at how ridiculous Kate & Claire look. I was seriously laughing at them the entire day. They looked so funny!

Kate didn't seem to mind her outfit, as you know from HERE, she has been known to pick out some silly outfits on her own.
Waiting to go on the Merry-go-Round:
Riding the carasuel:


The little ones watching their older sisters on the merry-go-round:
Group shot after the ride:
If you have ever been to Tilden Park, you know that it is spread out & you have to get back into your car & drive to the different activities. That was not fun getting into my car that smelt like puke. Gross!

As we pulled into the train area, Becky noticed Samuel had a blow out...good thing she is super-prepared and had another pair of pants for him! (if not, Claire would have been pants-less)
Waiting to get on the train:
Practicing the "choo-choo"
All Aboard the CHOO-CHOO Train!
Maddie's got the ticket!
Kate's ready to go!
The train conductor:
Chuga-chuga-chuga-chuga-chuga-Choo-choo!

In the tunnel:
Going fast!

Claire LOVED it!
Checking out the tracks after the ride:
Running around after lunch:


Things I learned on our Adventure to Tilden Park:
1. Kate gets car sick when we drive on curvy roads.
2. I should always, always, always carry spare clothes for the girls in my car.
3. I am thankful to have friends who are more prepared than I am! Love ya, Becky!
4. I am glad that Kate is a tiny 2.5 year old & was able to fit into 6 month pants, for without that fact, we would have had to go home!
4. Kate really loves trains & wants to go back to Tilden Park
5. Puke is really, really, really hard to get out of car seat straps
6. You need wash & air dry car seat covers for AT LEAST 2 days in the backyard for the smell to go finally away. It's STILL in our backyard airing out...