Birthday Week: Day 6- Train Ride

Since we didn't plan a big party for Helen Claire's birthday this year, we decided instead to take her anywhere she wanted to go for a little day trip.

Originally, we were planning to go to Chatanooga to the Aquarium, but with the beach trip falling the weekend before her birthday, we didn't want to make her ride in the car for another trip.

We decided to go the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum out in Calera, which is about 35 minutes away, since Helen Claire LOVES the train at the Zoo, and it sadly only lasts about 5 minutes.  The train at HOD is a real locomotive with a steam engine, and it runs through the woods in Shelby County for a full 12 miles.  It ends up being about a 45 minute ride, which was well worth the price.

The only thing she asked to do was go to "Tee ta" for breakfast before the train. At Tip Top she was super shy and nervous so this is the only picture we got.

To her credit, it can be a little scary on the bluff so we had our breakfast and got on our way to the "tain"

We told Helen Claire where we were going and drove really slowly so she could see all the train cars as we pulled into the train yard.

We looked around in the depot and tried out the waiting benches.

Then, we got in line and bought our tickets...on the way out to board the train, we looked around the museum. 

She loved this headlight and told us over and over about the "tain wight."

We went out to board the train, and Helen Claire was excited that it was decorated for the party!

She got a little nervous when the big train cars pulled in... fingers in mouth and hanging onto Daddy. 

She gave the attendant her ticket, and we were so happy that the conductor yelled, "All Aboard."  We say that all the time when we read our train books, and she had been practicing.

We rode on the blue train car, which was originally built and started running in the early 1900s. It was the Frisco car, and originally went all the way to California on the L&N Railroad.  It had all of the original parts, except the seat covers had been redone.  We rode in the inside for the trip out, then rode on the open car for the trip back.

The train goes very slow, and it makes a white noise kind of sound from inside, so we were all so sleepy.  During the trip back, the birthday girl asked for silky baby and was almost asleep before we made it to the station.

This was cool to me and Jonathan... it was an original crew car where the train workers stayed.  

When our train ride ended, we took some pictures around the train yard.  The blue and white car in the background is the one we rode in on the way out.

We picked out a train whistle souvenir to remember our 2 year old birthday trip, and Helen Claire could already make it work in the cars eat on the way out.  So cute!

We had such a good time, and Helen Claire has talked about the "choo-choo tain" ever since we got back.  She loved it!

We ended the day in our cupcake PJ's all ready for our big birthday in the morning! We've tried to telll Helen Claire it's her birthday and explain it all week, but I think she's just excited for balloons!

Sweet baby feeding her doll a "bottle."  Love this little girl so much and can't believe she will be two tomorrow!!!