Tilden Regional Park on a Foggy Day

Last Sunday we decided it would be fun to meet my parents and my Aunt and Uncle at Tilden Regional Park. Our neighbor takes her son there to ride the train, the carousel and visit the farm.

My parents are walking distance to a neighboring park, and no more than a ten minute drive to the entrance for the carousel and the farm. I don't know how we managed not to visit Tilden Regional Park, especially with my boys' proclivity for trains.

We decided to start the fun at the Tilden Park Steam Trains. The entrance to the steam trains is in Orinda. To get there you need to get the exact street entrance from the park... your GPS will send you somewhere else.

When we came out of the Caldecott tunnel and exited on Fish Ranch Road and Old Tunnel Road we were hit by a surprise bank of fog. It was thick, and made it difficult to see the road. Thankfully, it was a little clearer when we got to the railroad.

Tilden Park runs two miniature railways. One is larger, and longer than the other. We opted for the larger steam engine. It is the first stop across from the ticket booth. The ride through the redwoods was beautiful, and it is by far the longest $2 train ride we've taken in the Bay Area.

The second miniature railway runs through miniature towns, mines, and a miniature roundhouse. Next time we go, we'll definitely check that one out too.

My family never made it to the trains. Tilden Regional Park is huge, the signage is poor, and there is no common internal roads that connect the trains with the rest of the park.

After our train ride, we were able to work it out and meet the family at the carousel. The carousel is located in the main area of the park. It is enclosed, so you can even go on a rainy cold foggy day. The building is lovely, and the carousel is fantastic. On the day we visited they were already packing up a fabulous Holiday display. You would think that they would keep it going through News Years, but no such luck. We'll have to check it out next year, because it looked great.

We then concluded our whirlwind adventure at the little farm. The boys loved this part. They saw baby pigs, cows, sheep, goats and bunny rabbits. It was the end of the day, so the animals were put away for the night, but you could still see them. Signs said you are allowed to feed the animals lettuce. So we may just bring some next time we go.

The boys had such a wonderful time that Xander fell asleep in the car, was successfully moved to his bed and woke-up the next morning. Caleb napped in the car, woke up when we got home and went to bed early. All proof that the boys loved it, and want to go back again soon.

Kicking Off the Holiday Doldrums

A friend of my husband used to say "slower than Christmas."  Considering the cacophony of activities leading up to Christmas and the relative slow down between Christmas afternoon and New Years Eve this seems to be apropros, although not altogether accurate.

For children the Holidays can be stressful, boring, exciting and fun all wrapped up into one little package.

From the pressure of a day spent with loved ones, usually resulting in showing off, avoiding naps, and finally melting down around the dinner hour, to December 26th when the present giving and getting is over, and you just need to get outside to let off some steam. Add in inclimate weather, and your best friend visiting family in Austin and this time can be down right brutal for the average preschooler.

We generally have limited travel around the the Holidays. First off we aren't skiers, and second off my my sister's family often visits from Scotland and my Aunt and Uncle are usually here from Michigan.

For us the challenge of the Holidays is to get the boys out of the house, but avoid the crowds. We still want to incorporate some of the popular family Holiday activities like riding the train at Oak Meadow Park, but we also want to do somethings off the beaten path.


For example, on December 23rd we went to the San Francisco Zoo with my Aunt and Uncle. The highlight of the zoo trip was that the lion and lioness were right up against the glass of the enclosure, so you could see them up close and personal. The low lights were that a lot of animals were inside to escape the weather.

We also went back to the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo on the 26th. It was good for two hours of play, and not very expensive (a suggested $3 donation). The boys were very comfortable there and had a good time.

We went to the Los Gatos Farmers Market for crepes. A favorite activity for the boys, however the market had only half the stalls (people took off for the Holidays).  We also tried new adventures like Tilden Regional Park on the 27th (I'll write about that on Thursday).

Later this week we are taking the boys sledding at Leland High Sierra Snowplay (I'll write about that trip next week) and maybe we'll go ice skating  at the rink a mile and half from our house. My friend offered to give the boys a skate lesson.

Hopefully we'll successfully keep our boys entertained without going overboard.

Fantasy of Lights at Oak Meadow Park

An annual Holiday tradition in our house is going to the Fantasy of Lights at Oak Meadow and Vasona parks.  Oak Meadow and Vasona are adjoining parks in Los Gatos. Each year Vasona is decked out in lights, and cars line-up for miles to drive through.

Oak Meadow's Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad runs the Holiday Train, and it is fun to bundle up the kids, and take the train to see the Holiday lights. The lights are pretty elaborate. There is a dragon, a train, a soldier blasting a cannon over the road (it explodes on the other side), a tooth holding a toothbrush, it goes on and on.

In previous years the train option was pretty low key, hardly a line at all. This year however, the line was really long ...about forty five minutes long. This didn't discourage us. Jonathan bought tickets, while I took the boys to the bathroom. When we met back up the line had gotten longer -- now our wait was about fifty minutes. Ugh.

During Fantasy of Lights the W.E. "Bill" Mason Carousel is free. I took the boys on the carousel while Jonathan waited in line. Of course this was the time that Caleb decided to assert his authority. We were the last allowed to board that ride, and Caleb saw the red bench while we were heading to the last two available horses.  Of course we didn't have time to stop at the red bench, and so Caleb threw a temper tantrum.

Xander happily got on his horse, while Caleb cried. He and I ended up sitting in the blue bench. Once the ride started going, Caleb realized his mistake, and wanted to ride a horse, but then it was too late. Ah the drama of being three.

After the ride, I calmed Caleb down by taking the boys to watch the next train hitch. All was forgotten, and there now was only two train rides in front of us. I took over standing in line while Jonathan got popcorn. At $1 a pop it was a good deal, it was also quite tasty.

The boys ate popcorn while we waited ... and then it started raining. Jonathan thought they might cancel the train. A little guy at the front of the line was balling his eyes out, he thought the same thing. By this point there were only three train rides left.

They didn't cancel the train, they added sand to the railroad to make sure the train didn't have trouble. Then it was our turn.

Yes it was rainy, but our boys didn't notice. In fact Caleb wants to go back again. He wants a carousel do over.  The Holiday Train runs through December 27th. It is closed Christmas Eve and Christmas night.

Concerts & Preschoolers ... Too Soon?

Last summer when I planned my blog, I added a concerts for kids blog around the Holiday. I imagined taking the boys to the Nutcracker, or any of a number of Holiday concerts.

Thankfully, we opted to have a trial run. It didn't go so well.

Yes, my boys love music. They know all of the words to the Bare Naked Ladies album Snack Time, as well as They Might Be Giants, Here come the ABCs. There love of music goes deeper, they like opera and classical music as well. Xander had a fabulous time at Opera in the Park when he was a toddler. Of course he fell asleep after the second song ... The boys also like the show Little Einstein's and their favorite composer is Tchaikovsky.

But to ask them to sit still for 30 minutes and just listen is too much.  As I think of it, I don't even think we've successfully gotten them to hang around and listen to music (there was live kid's music at Pumpkins in the Park, and the boys just weren't interested).

We took the boys to our friend's Christmas concert. It was at a church in Woodside, Calif. We had gone before, and it was as low key as a Holiday concert can get. The boys don't get the point. We managed a total of ten minutes of listening time, only obtained through bribery. There was a nice spread afterward that included cookies.

I tried making up stories to go with the music. Everything I could think of, and it comes down to this ... our boys aren't ready to go to concerts. Am I giving up? No. But the Nutcracker, and other fun concerts are still one to two years away.

There is a zoo in Palo Alto?

Well actually we didn't get to see the zoo, it was closed, but we did have fun visiting the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo. For the five and under set, the Junior Museum is a blast.

It is like the Exploratoreum, but on a less chaotic and more manageable scale. Don't get me wrong, if you are a school aged kid, or even an adult (we have gone as adults), the Exploratoreum rocks.  But preschoolers need a more low-key hands on experience, and this is what the Junior Museum had to offer.

We went for my company's family holiday party, so our first experience may be different. For one thing, the zoo is probably open. When you enter there is a donation robot. Xander could have spent the entire night standing there and lifting his arm. On the left there was an animal room, and to the right there were hands on science fun.

We went right first. The museum has an elaborate exhibit of levers, lifts, shoots and tennis balls. The boys could turn wheels, and drop balls in holes, and see where they went. The majority of our visit was focused there.

Then we managed to pull them away long enough to  go to the animal room. Caleb loved it. He got to pet a rat, a ferret, a turtle, a snake and a hedgehog.  He made several rounds of the room, and kept coming back throughout the evening.

The center of the room has a purple climbing structure, with a cave filled with stuffed animals. Caleb climbed to the top of the structure and slid down. Xander liked diving in the cave.

There was also a wall with circular disks, that you could drop down a flat panel.  It seemed dull, but Caleb and Xander both enjoyed it.

The boys had two solid hours of fun. We will definitely go back sometime during the day when the zoo is open.

Here Come the Parades

We went to two parades this past weekend. Probably one to many.

The first parade of the weekend was Saturday's Los Gatos Holiday Parade. It started at 11 a.m., which is a little late. Everyone in town brings their lawn chairs, and starts setting them up on the sidewalk starting as early as 6:30 a.m. This makes sense when you realize how long the parade is ... over two hours.

We didn't realize this, so when we got to the parade at 9:30 a.m. all of the real estate was taken.  But honestly our boys are small, so we can squeeze them to the front of any crowd.

The highlights were the Stanford marching band, the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad, and of course Santa.  Los Gatos is also a charming town, and the backdrop for the parade was lovely. However, it seemed that every middle school and high school band in Santa Clara County marched in the parade, and the parade could have done with some editing.

The boys enjoyed themselves for the most part. We did have to exit early (two hours is awfully long for a parade).

Then we woke-up Sunday morning, and had our typical conversation. Where do we want to go for breakfast? Do we want to make pancakes at home or venture out? Then an ad came on for the 8:30 a.m. broadcast of the San Jose Holiday Parade with Kristi Yamaguchi. Then the conversation shifted to, how come we didn't know that San Jose had a parade?

The San Jose Parade looked interesting too. It had the giant balloons, ala Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. It looked like a legitimate parade that shouldn't be missed. Well, we had this conversation at 7:51 a.m., and the parade started at 8:30 a.m.

At 8:35 a.m. we were parking on Autumn Street, and walking from the staging area to the parade route.  The San Jose Parade is much more grand then the Los Gatos Parade, but also had commercial breaks. You heard it, commercial breaks.

When we arrived all of the bands, dance squads, cars, and large floats were staged and waiting their turn. We walked past them as if they were holding the parade for us. When we passed Stomper, the A's mascot. He got out of the car and came over to greet the boys. Xander would have nothing to do with him, but Caleb was beside himself with joy.

The fact the parade just stopped, for two to four minute intervals meant that our boys got to interact with the people in the parade. I have pictures of Caleb with the San Jose shark, a recycling mascot, Snoopy, you name it, Caleb managed to high five everyone.

The commercial breaks were annoying, and made it feel like the parade really wasn't for the bystanders. We were props. Couldn't the local station have set-up two camera crews, and kept the parade going? Jonathan tells me that the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is the same ... but honestly this wasn't a nationally televised parade. 

The highlights of the San Jose Holiday Parade were Star Wars complete with Darth Vader balloon, the Chinese New Year troops, the Peanuts float, all of the local mascots and the Billy Jones Wild Cat Railroad.

Two parades in one weekend was probably too much. We enjoyed both parades, but next year we'll plan a little better.

Go fly a kite

It is Fall, its getting cold and windy, and it is a perfect time to fly a kite. I bought kites for my boys last December, when they were three and two.  Considering what a challenge our first kite flying experience was a year later ... I think I was over optimistic.

The original plan was to fly some kites on Thanksgiving day, but the weather didn't cooperate. It was warm, and there was no wind in site.

Saturday on the other hand was downright blustery. Around 3 pm we headed out to our neighborhood grassy knoll. The boys were really excited. Kites are a centerpiece of preschool literature, and often featured in the plots of the kids shows.

They each wanted to fly the kite, and by themselves. But like so many things,  there is an art and science to flying a kite. Xander had bad luck, and landed the kite in a tree on his first solo mission. Caleb had better luck, and the kite flew higher, but soon the wind became too much for him, and ripped the kite out of his hands. Jonathan and I successfully chased it down, although there was a scary moment when the kite handle got caught in a palm tree about 30 feet high.

The boys eventually lost interest, and ran around the park playing tag, while I tried to undue an impossible knot (I think I need scissors).

Will we take the boys kite flying again? Absolutely. There are some fabulous fields in our area. I'm glad we had this trial run though.

The California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento

The word "trains" is in the title of the blog, and I can't overstate how much my boys love trains.  Trains seem to be universally appealing to boys under five. For example my oldest had the Thomas Playbook (a book of all of the trains and accessories for Thomas the Tank Engine) at the park on Sunday, and a group of about six boys gathered in a circle to look at the book. The pack broke up before anyone got a good picture.

On the Friday after Thanksgiving we decided to reward our boys with a visit to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. The boys had a wonderful time, and we will definitely be going back before the new year. The California State Railroad Museum is set in the heart of old town Sacramento on the eastern bank of the Sacramento River.

For the Holidays, tables were set-up in the roundhouse with model train displays. For our youngest Caleb this was the highlight of the day. He spent most of his visit watching intently as the little trains circled the track. There was also a lego train display that was really special.

The big trains were beautiful, and the volunteers brought everything to life. Everyone who worked there loves trains as much as our little boys do, and will bend your ear about the mail car, the big engine that was flipped around so it could go through Donner Pass, and more.

There is also a children's play area with a train table and Thomas engines. The boys played there briefly, but the wonderful exhibits were far more interesting.

We were also able to take an hour ride on a classic train. The train was decked for the Holidays, and had caroling, and a surprise visit from Santa. We sat in the front car, to our dismay was the back car on the first half of the ride ... but then something wonderful happened. For the return ride the engine was hitched to our car, and our boys were up front to see it all happen. For the under five set this is like winning the jack pot.

Now, the California State Railroad Museum is no B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore. The B&O Museum is larger, and its collection is more comprehensive. But the California State Railroad Museum has a lot to offer, is in a much more appealing location, and is also less expensive to visit.