Speaking of Random Train Rides...

So there's this train kind of near Raleigh that you can ride on (the New Hope Valley Railway).  It doesn't go anywhere, it doesn't do anything fancy, it's just a train ride.  And I know it sounds completely random (because, um, it is) but I've wanted to take my kids to ride it for a while now. 
So a couple weeks ago, the stars aligned and the schedule worked for us to go (they only do the rides on the first Sunday of the month, only about half the year, and Mark frequently works on Sundays too).  Yes, on a holiday weekend.  Yes, it was approximately eleventy billion degrees outside.  Yes, I'm still very pregnant.  We were hot.  I don't know how to emphasize that sentence enough, but you can get the general idea from this pic:

Our most attractive (dare I say hottest?) family moment ever.

Another Nathan (and his parents! what good sports!) came with us.  They're from Iowa.  They're not used to our hot humid Julys (to be fair, we should know better).  Logic says their midwestern summer fragility should have caused them to wither in the heat before we did, but somehow they didn't actually look as melty as the rest of us felt.  Which means I should probably stop talking about their midwestern summer fragility.

Anyway.  I covered the fact that it was hot, right?  It was hot.

Nathan, predictably, asked endless questions about the caboose, the engine, the cars, and everything else under the (hot. I said that right?) sun.  Anneliese mostly just said chooooo chooooo. 

They also got to explore and climb on some restored train cars that are on exhibit at the departure platform.  I got to explore and climb on some apparently-still-in-use engines parked behind those (oops).

The whole thing is billed as a "scenic" ride but really it was mostly just woods.  But it was good enough for the kids (us too; we just enjoyed the breeze).  They got to watch out the window and see the tracks and the engine and the other cars.  They mostly liked the ride, but there were a few times when the engine blared and it was just too loud for them, and they got a little Daddy-clingy.  Which was sad and sweet at the same time.

When we stopped and they moved the engine from one end of the train to the other to go back to the station, I know one or two Nathans who were literally hanging on the edge of their seats to watch the action. ;-)

And when we were done sweating it out on the train, we hit up Cracker Barrel for dinner.  Train day win.