Tains toomahwoah

Everyday, Julian stops and says to me, "Mommy, I want to tehw you sumteen."
"What is it Julian"?
"I want to go see de tains toomahwoah".
"Okay Juju. We'll see".
And well, it is Whim-day. So I decided to go ahead and grant his wish. We drove into the City on sparkling sunny day, and headed for the train tracks. We passed right by the Main Caltrain station south of Market, and headed for the P Hill stop at 22nd. We parked, and went down the stairs into the station. As we were descending, I was trying to decide if we would wait, and for how long and if we would just watch the train stop and go, or if we should hop on and for how long, because the train only stops once an hour. Just then, as I was still holding Julian from the stairs, the train pulled into the station. I know that you have to get your ticket before boarding, and I hadn't made any decisions or read the info- I didn't know if the kids needed tickets or not. As I glanced at the ticket machine and back to Zoe, I saw that she was already being helped up the steps of the train, so up I went. A gentleman who had helped Zoe up the stairs told me that we could not buy our tickets on board, but could "jump off quickly" at the next station to get the ticket. People, nothing in my life happens either quickly, or alone. I sat the kids in a seat amidst a cacophony of loudly asked questions that pierced through the silence of the commuter car. We went a few stops, then a couple more at the urging of the conductors for fear of leaving us in "the ghetto" to wait for the return train. We jumped off at Burlingame, where we walked up the main street for refreshments and a potty break at Starbucks before heading back 40 minutes later for the return train.
A real train ride for Julian!
Then at Zoe's request, we headed to the Haight for a slice or three of our favorite pizza, then up to GGP to the arboretum (which no longer free). I thought it would be nice for the kids to ride their vehicles along the little paths, but once inside began to worry about the noise of the Chiccomobile and the possibility of the kids running into some poor old lady. I tried to keep them on a short leash, but the hills and smooth asphalt paths were too much for them to ignore. Despite one nasty comment by a grumpy lady about "bikes" in the arboretum we continued around the park, taking the trails less traveled, and we had a great time. Another wonderful whim day!
After no naps, however, the kids hit the wall later- Zoe in the middle of dinner at the Japanese restaurant- all of a sudden, she fell out of her chair and hit the floor- literally. Then declared she needed to "go home now". Then Julian hit the wall right after downing his bottle on the couch. Oh he cried and sobbed and refused to brush his teeth, and had to have mommy lay down with him. Okay. He rolled over and said, "Ma-moh-ah". He wanted his kitty. Uh oh. Where was the kitty? We looked everywhere. I called EFNY pizza. No kitty. I called Stacey, no luck at her place. Not on the train, I see it in the pictures. Oh no, where is kitty Ma-moh-ah?