another trip to traintown

Last weekend, we took yet another trip to Traintown. I've lost count how many times I've gone with the kids, let alone how many times I've been since I was a little girl. You'd think that I'd be sick of it by now, not so. The steam engine ready to pull it's pint sized passengers, puffs away and Anna eagerly shouts, "I hear the whistle!"

Twists and turns and through the tunnel, Kieran and Anna raise their hands in the air and joyfully scream. There's no such thing as afraid of the dark while at Traintown. We arrive at our stop to feed the animals that seem like they have been frozen in time from 30 short years ago. 

It's no matter that we have the same pictures each time we go...

of the schoolhouse,

 of the jailhouse,

of the outhouse.

It's no matter that we have the same pictures waiting for the train ride to arrive...

waiting for the train to chugga...

or choo.

It's still a thrill to ride the merry-go-round...

 to wave at your mommy and people you don't know,

to look as though you are riding for the very first time with the simple joy of going up and down,

and around and around...

even at 29 weeks pregnant.

It wouldn't be another trip to Traintown, if it wasn't topped off with a coin operated horse that whips pigtails in the wind,

and has little boys pretending to be a jockey (while Nonna commentates in the background)

who of course,

wins the race!

No, it's not just another trip to Traintown. It's another day to be care-free. Another day to have fun. Another day to love life. Another day to be thankful of my roots where I was born and raised.

And another day to know that so strong as the roots I've been given, I am strong enough to pass on to them:

that one day, they will take their children and me as their Nonna,
to another trip
to Traintown.

a flat tire first

Today, I walked to work. At 28 1/2 weeks pregnant, and not exercising like I should, this seemed like a great idea! Okay, so I wasn't walking by choice, at least not a couple miles anyway. I walked because Erik had to take my SUV to pick up our new tile (which by the way, if you are going to have a fridge leak, you might as well have a new floor...it's going to be beautiful!). Granted, we have two cars (which my husband adores), but I am ridiculously lame in that I cannot drive a stick. Well I could if I had to, but I'm not really interested in burning rubber, grinding gears and bouncing up and down before I kill the engine (all things I've done) with two kids in car seats so that I can feel like a total idiot! 

So, this morning I notice that my tires are low and the pump is in the back of my car. No biggie, I'll be okay I think to myself. Kieran and Anna were so happy to be going for a nice little walk!

We arrived at my school so that I could unload a few things before heading the rest of the way to daycare.

We're still happy.
I decided that instead of taking the neighborhood streets that I'd take the greenbelt. It's peaceful, it's quiet, and I purposefully avoided one of the streets that is a good uphill climb. Not a big deal when you aren't pregnant, but pushing two kids and a good 24 pounds of additional baby weight, a big deal.
Even though I overshot where I was supposed to return, I was really thankful I wasn't on the uphill climb when one of my tires seemed to be getting really low...fast!
Then, the sound of pavement, and it wasn't my footsteps, it was the wheel. My right rear tire...completely flat. I called Erik to tell him that he forgot to air up my tires. Okay, so I forgot to ask him, but I made sure to tell him anyway! Two 1/2 kids and a flat tire, really? The kids were still happy, me not so much.
I made Kieran get out and walk to take out some of the weight, but the stroller could go no more.

A flat tire first. It's okay Bumbleride, I still love you! (not paid, it's just stroller love!)
When it became increasingly difficult to hold up the stroller any longer for fear of damaging the wheel, it was Anna's turn to hit the road...or so I thought.

Thank goodness by this point, daycare was in sight and my lovely walk ended there. I borrowed my daycare lady's (who is my angel by the way) car to drive back to work and Erik picked us up at the end of the day. I knew there was a reason to bring my camera this morning! It's documented anyway, and I can look back in another year and see where life has taken us. Thanks to my friend, Melissa, I can celebrate my blogoversary (well it was this past weekend, but I'm always behind) and print my posts in a memory book (which I'll be doing this weekend)!
It's been a great ride so far, flat tire and all.

27 weeks

27 weeks (as of this past Monday-this picture was taken at 1am because baby girl likes to move and shake from 10-1, might as well take a picture!). Anna (my 2 year old), told me at the doctor's office that my belly was getting really big. I asked my doctor in fear, "Is my belly getting too big?" He replied that I was just fine, but to remember to keep a handle on my weight. Oops. I love my doctor and he is not a weight freak at all, so it scared me when he said that! 24 pounds. That's how much I've gained. Oops. I reminded him that I gained 40 with Kieran and 37 with Anna. I'd like to gain less this time, but with 13 weeks to go, I'm not feeling a whole lot of confidence. 27 weeks, and big, but loving every minute :).

Humm-baby!

If you are a baseball fan like my mother, then you know when I say, "Humm-baby!", I am referring to the San Francisco Giants. Born and raised in San Francisco, my mom is a die hard Giants fan. What you don't see hidden in her backpack, is the Giants baseball hat that Erik usually refuses to allow Kieran to wear :).

All of this was a momentous occasion as this was Kieran's 1st BART ride as well as his first ever, baseball game! How great is it that it was a Giants vs Dodgers game? This of course, was the only way that Erik would allow Kieran to go to his first game. He was certain that Nonna's team would lose and L.A. would win.

While there, we had so much fun! Kieran and Erik went down the slide (he couldn't go down the big one because he wasn't tall enough, but he was bummed and is definitely brave enough!)

And, much to my surprise, without a big production, Kieran even got to wear his Giants hat as he sat with Daddy in his Dodger blue :)

Of course, how could I leave out pictures of Kieran and Nonna? The Giants-wear just intensifies once we're in the park!

Nonna trained Kieran to say, "Beat L.A.!" Now all we have to do is get him a Giants sweatshirt and he's good to go!
It was a fantastic game, the Giants swept! Not only did Kieran get to run the kids bases,

He also got to run the REAL bases after the game!

And, proof that a brand new Giants fan (no, not me, I root for the Giants when I'm there, but I don't follow baseball so I don't qualify) and a lifelong Dodgers fan, really can get along :) :

(Kieran would be wearing his hat, but what baseball game would be a baseball game if you didn't have someone spill their beer all over your hat?!)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we have our own version of Humm-Baby.
What's this you ask?

And this?

This my friends, is only a fraction of what is actually taking place behind those ET zipper walls. This, all caused by a tiny crack in the water line to the fridge, that leaked while we were on vacation. Do yourself a favor and check the back of your fridge. If the water line is plastic tubing, RUN to Home Depot and buy the $25 kit to change it out to copper. Hmm...would have been nice for the fridge repairman to have told us this when he installed it 4 years ago!

 A couple of weeks ago, I was reading Rage Against the Minivan, thinking, how awful to have your house in shambles due to water damage! Behind this containment is a kitchen that is no longer in working order. A kitchen, that was just remodeled 2 years ago. Behind this containment, is our tile floor ripped out to the subfloor. It will have to be ripped out through the entire house. The solid hardwood floor that was installed nail by nail by my dad and my husband? Gone. There are dryers and dehumidifiers (who knew that I'd one day have to call on my cousin Johnny to come to my house for restoration after all of his stories? Thank goodness for awesome cousins!) that run all day, and all night.
They hum.
Humm-baby.