A Day Out With Thomas

On Saturday, we took the kids on a road trip for “A Day Out With Thomas.”  These events are held at railroad stations all over the country, and I wanted to take DJ to one before his Thomas obsession begins to fade. It was a 2-hour drive, so to give the kids a break from the car, we stopped at the halfway point for lunch, just in time to watch a local “Oct-ember Fest” parade.

I had a delicious sandwich with olive and walnut spread, lettuce, and tomato on rye bread, along with the most wonderful sweet potato fries I’ve ever had. It was so good that I was going to take a picture of it, but then Bee informed me that the olive spread looked like dog food. She doesn’t mince words, God bless her.

Our Thomas tickets included admission to lots of fun activities, including crafts and playtime in the Imagination Station.

DJ also got a Thomas temporary tattoo on his arm. He was apprehensive about having it done, but in the end he was pretty pleased with it.

The kids all had their picture taken with Sir Topham Hatt,

but the real highlight of the day was the half hour train ride. When Thomas pulled into the station, DJ was at first stunned,

and then completely THRILLED!

The theme this year was “Mystery on the Rails,” because Sir Topham Hatt sent Thomas to pick up some “secret cargo,” which turned out to be a 795-carat “diamond,” which the conductor brought down the aisle for all to see.

Somewhat cheesy, yes…but the kids all got a big bang out of it.

The ticket price also included a ride on a restored 1915 trolley car, and the major highlight of this little trip was when the driver had to make an emergency stop to avoid smashing into a truck that ignored the whistle, and flew right on through the intersection.

DJ was alarmed, but he felt better when he got to “help” the conductor reset the brakes and get the trolley going again.

During the ride, I asked the girls to smile for pictures,

but of course Cakes had to flash me a couple of her patented goofball grins first.

Which is precisely why we love her so much. She is an original.

Always with the hair in her face

When we got back from our train ride the magician was performing, and he kept all of us in stitches! He was really funny, and the kids all loved him.

DJ also got his first taste of cotton candy. He was really enthusiastic at first because he saw how excited the girls were about it, and we could tell that he was trying to like it, but after a few bites he told us, “Maybe I don’t wike dis.”

He takes after his Mom. I don't like cotton candy either, and never have.

After jumping in the bouncy train, riding in a little pull-around train, and getting their free souvenir packs, the kids were all tired, hungry and thirsty.

So, we stopped at a local supper club to eat,

and by this time DJ was really overtired, and therefore extremely wound up.

We told him repeatedly to sit down in his chair and eat nicely, and just as I was getting ready to go on a search for a high chair, my husband solved the problem in a way that only a Dad would think of.

He tied him to his chair with cloth napkins.

DJ didn’t like it, but surprisingly, he did accept it. So there you go…male ingenuity at work.

On Sunday, we were all tired after Saturday’s activities, so after church and lunch, we put DJ down for a nap (he slept from 1:30 until 6:30 – 5 hours!), and my husband and I finished up a few small projects, while the girls played outside. I went into the kitchen to put something away, and I caught sight of them through the sliding door as they lay sprawled out on the deck. We watched them for quite awhile, and speculated about what they might be talking about.

I love that our kids are all so close and loving with each other (well, you know…not ALWAYS. But usually). I hope that they remain best friends for life.

“Brother and sisters, together as friends, ready to face whatever life sends.”

Tagged as: Children, Daily Life, Holidays and Celebrations