UP Acad Oval

I think most people know by now that the UP Acad Oval is closed to motor vehicles every Sunday. This makes it an ideal place for jogging, biking or just taking a leisurely stroll and breathing in fresh air. There are also grassy areas good for picnics and for letting toddlers and kids run around to expend their endless energies.

My husband had this "great" idea to go to UP this morning with Ally, Sofia and me. He said he needed exercise and that the kids would benefit from the fresh air and morning sun. I tried to beg off as the idea of carrying all 16.5 lbs of Sofia was already tiring to me, but Ally wanted to make a family thing out of it. She insisted that Sofia and I should watch her ride her bike. So I had no choice but to go.

We started by the College of Music and went around the oval counterclockwise.
It was nice at the beginning. The huge trees provided ample shade from the sun and there was a lovely early morning breeze. I had Sofia in our SaYa carrier and she seemed to enjoy her new adventure. She people-watched while thumb sucking. Ally was in her bike and Jojo was semi-jogging alongside her.

We saw a group of men playing bike-polo at the AS parking lot. There was a fun run and a family day event at the Sunken Garden. There were lots of families having picnics all over. It definitely didn't feel like we were in the city. It was a nice change of pace for all of us.

The novelty of it all soon to fade as Sofia's weight plus the heat took its toll on me. The last stretch from Engineering building back to Music was hard. It made me realize how out of shape I really am. I needed to sit down and have a drink as soon as we got back to our car. Good thing Jojo came prepared with a cooler filled with juice and sandwich wraps. I devoured mine in no time at all!

All in all, it was a good bonding activity for our family, and I think we will do this again soon. Maybe a couple more Sunday mornings like this and I can finally lose the last 5lbs of pregnancy weight I put on.