I love Sundays. Avery loves Sundays. If you ask either one of us what our favorite day of the week is, we'll both undoubtedly reply "Sunday!" I love it for the peaceful energy it brings; the hustle of the weekend is dying down, the work week ahead is looked upon with a refreshing outlook (or in some cases, people may try to make the most of their Sundays because the dreaded "Sunday Night Syndrome" is upon them...). Avery probably loves Sundays, because I am always saying I do...or maybe it's because she learned that day of the week first? Not entirely sure, but whatev. It's cute!
(Sunday Night Syndrome - it's when the afternoon starts to slip away and the night comes creeping in and you realize the "fun" is over and tomorrow starts five. days. of. WORK! (Or school, as it so applies.))
Maybe I love Sundays because they were always nice when I was little - a day for church, donuts and a resting and relaxing afternoon - maybe a few hours spent with friends, maybe a drive with the family, always a good dinner and a game or some TV. Jeff and I try to do the same in our family and even though Jeff thinks I'm crazy for loving Sunday the most, he can't deny that he enjoys them too.
Okay, so my point of this blog? This Sunday Jeff and my Dad had blocked out a few hours in the morning to get some home improvement things done, so I knew I was on "Avery duty." As soon as I woke up this morning I thought, "what should Avery and I do today?" I wanted something low key since no one in this family is 100% - we're all battling a lingering cold - not bad, but definitely not fun. Anyways, I thought a trip to the library would be great. We could read books, maybe check a few out and you know, have a good ole time. Well, the libraries nearby don't open until noon on Sundays, so on to Plan B. How about a train ride? We were talking about that a lot yesterday and thinking about taking the train to the Encinitas Street Fair (we ended up driving since the weekend train schedule is at half mast). Avery was bummed about the lack of train riding yesterday, so BAM - that is it! Let's go on her first train ride!
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| We got there 10 minutes early. She didn't want to sit down and wait. She stood with her toes touching the "DO NOT STEP PAST THIS YELLOW LINE line staring down the track the entire time. Priceless. |
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| So excited!! |
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| Eating it up. |
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| This cracked me up. Avery was so giddy after we got to our destination - Solana Beach - that she was literally hugging most of the plants and flowers once we exited the train. |
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| Since it would have been awkward to hug this palm tree scrap, she decided to befriend it and take it on our walk. |
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| My pint-size acrobat. |
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| Love. |
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| Train ride back home. |
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| What's the fun of a train ride if you don't take advantage of being able to walk around? |
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| Charging down the aisle. Barefoot. Yikes. |
So, a few things to mention:
1) I didn't look at the train schedule for our ride back home until after we got to Solana Beach. Funny how just the day before we were commenting on the lack of trains on the weekends and it never crossed my mind today. Uh oh. Thankfully, there was a Northbound train coming through the station in 1.5 hours (and then not again for many, many hours). Can you imagine me calling Jeff and saying "Babe, Avery and I are stuck in Solana Beach. I forgot to figure out a way home. Any chance you can stop the productive morning you're having and come get us?"
2) After we exited the train in Solana Beach we decided to get some breakfast, so we found a little cafe a few blocks from the station (proud to say it wasn't a chain, but a family run place with amazing food). Avery and I had breakfast together like two buddies. I am loving our time together lately and look forward to more Mommy and Avery outings.
3) After breakfast we walked to the beach and then moved on to a park at the beach's bluff (the beach portion lasted 5 minutes - we weren't in the mood to get sandy today...). Avery is getting more physically confident and not only swung on the big kid swing like no one's business, but also climbed up the mock-rock climbing wall all by herself. This is a big deal for us and I was so proud.
4) Avery had to use the potty once we were back at the station waiting for the train home. I'm not going to lie, she peed right there...well, behind a bench, but nonetheless, she popped a squat like a champ. This was especially hilarious, because a maintenance guy had just come by and told us we were making a mess with our crumbly muffin and asked us to move so he can blow the crumbs down the drain. Well, maintenance guy, how do you feel about toddler pee? (P.S. I always carry wipes with me and thankfully so - this isn't the first time she has shown us her impeccable timing.)
5) Avery wore flip flops. Her first time. Some may say I am crazy to take a toddler on an adventure when wearing a new pair of flip flops for the first time...without a backup pair of shoes, I might add. Well, again, I'm thankful - Avery rocked them hard and never once complained.
I think the above is a perfect example of our love for Sundays. No huge agendas, spending time with family and doing something new and exciting. What a perfect day with my baby!
FPT
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| She is on the mustache bandwagon. Her favorite kind? The mustaches that are made from the chocolate on your chocolate covered strawberry. |
