we made the train!

so, good news, unlike last time, we actually made the train this morning! :) it was a crisp, fall morning so we all bundled up and headed back to the north alabama railroad museum WITH TICKETS this time and hopped on the train. casen had a ball. anders not so much at the beginning, but he warmed up to it once fico had an... interesting experience changing his diaper. :-P we had a really great time and are looking forward to going back again for the Santa Express in December!

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These days

This may sound silly, but I am so grateful for instagram. There are so many memories and moments that i would never capture were it not for my iphone, and instagram helps make those memories beautiful and memorable. 

instagram @ashcalante

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Tate Farms

Yesterday we took the boys to the pumpkin patch at Tate Farms. Casen literally did not stop from the second we got there to the second we wrangled him back in the car. He ran from one thing to the next like there wasn't enough time in the day to get to all of it. Needless to say, he went to bed like 2 hours early and slept all night. I'm not complainin'! We were planning on picking pumpkins while we were there, but decided against it since he was having such a good time. We may just have to go back! 

I knew I shouldn't have rolled around in the cotton pit!

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a missed train and a lesson learned

This time last year, Casen was obsessed with trains. And i mean obsessed. We lived in an old mill that was right off the train tracks. Each day, we could see the trains speed by just about every hour from our kitchen window and Casen's bedroom, so we got him a little stool that he would run to as soon as we heard the train whistle off in the distance.

That being said, we thought that it would be an awesome idea to take him on a little mini train trip with Santa last December at the North Alabama Railroad Museum. The depot is tucked way back on a back road that most people don't know even exists, so I just assumed that no one would really know about it and we'd be able to make the trip with no issues. Was I ever wrong. They had been sold out for weeks, apparently, when we showed up the day of the excursion to buy tickets. I was actually the one that was distraught. Casen was just excited to see the train, of course. He didn't know what we were missing so I didn't worry too long, although I did promise myself that we would make it happen this year. but I didn't learn my lesson apparently.

The plan was to make another trip this weekend to the depot for their "Fall Color Special" train ride, and again I didn't make reservations ahead of time... So we show up, and yep... you guessed it... they were sold out. I was super bummed. But I deserved it! We waved back to all the passengers peering out the windows at us with sympathy as the train rolled away, and thankfully Casen was too distracted by all the old train cars that were on display to care that we "lied" to him about going on another train ride. So this time we thought clearly like big responsible adults and went ahead and bought tickets for the ride two weekends from now! Thank goodness.

Although we didn't get to ride the train we still had a good time looking around and being silly! I love that Casen loves trains as much as his mommy. I can't wait to take him on this little ride and eventually an overnight Amtrak trip!! One of my absolute favorite pastimes ever. That is something i think everyone should experience for themselves, but that's a whole 'nother story. :)

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