Train Fever

What is it about little boys and trains? Honestly, the Beast never really seemed to care about trains, but our Spud seems to have been born with a toy train in his hand. He is THAT obsessed. He does love him some Thomas and Friends, but he is perfectly willing to play with generic trains too. Spud will take quite a bit of time to set up his tracks in the morning and then spend hours driving his trains endlessly around the track. Whatever pull those trains have on the little guy, I want in on their secret. If he paid half as much attention to me as he did those trains, I would be Mother of the Year!

Anyway, when we found out a train show would be in Portland a few weeks ago, we (the Nerd) thought it would be a fun event for the kids. (That's because he read the ticket information that said kids were FREE!) Adults were ten dollars each, and they lured you in with promises that all kids would get to ride Thomas the Tank Engine.

Most of the rest of the show was run by guys who are a little too into their trains, if you know what I mean. They are the kind that search and search for the perfect tree replica to put in a special spot in their train set-up in their house. Still, my little man was bursting at the seams with excitement at all the trains!

Not only did several very kind vendors let him "operate" their trains, but he also spent some time in a play area playing with Thomas trains and lots and lots of plastic tracks. Pretty much the same thing he could have done at home, except at home we don't have a hot dog vendor standing nearby tempting kids with his $4 hot dogs and sodas.

There was a giant Lego city set up in the middle of the show. The Beast was especially enamored with the pirate ship and kept sneaking under the rope to "get a better look." The guys who had spent over fourteen hours building the city were having mini panic attacks at this threat to their handiwork. I did my best to keep my extremely over-stimulated Beast from doing any damage.

We were able to get in the line early to ride Thomas the Tank Engine. Spud's eyes were wide at the fact that we were getting to see the "real Thomas." The Beast was in awe of the steam that came out of Thomas' smoke stack. All of us were a little underwhelmed at the very short and uneventful ride the kids got.

I still don't get why trains have such a magnetic appeal for my son. Seeing his face light up at the show, though, was worth stopping at every. single. booth. to look at the trains. And then, when the Nerd decided to take them on a ride on a "real train" (i.e. the Metro downtown), the kids' reactions were priceless. Totally worth the ticket money and outrageous downtown parking fees!

GTKY #2

Hey, y'all! It's time again for a little more Getting to Know You, courtesy of Mannland5. I'm sitting here with my nose running like a faucet, the sinus pressure blocked up to HERE, and all alone. :( I have discovered that watching the Super Bowl solo is not all that fun!

But in case you didn't know:

1. How many piercings do you have?
Technically, I have two piercings in each ear, although the second hole in each is pretty much closed up due to my laziness. I don't need any other holes in my body, thanks. I have enough trouble with the ones I have. :)

2. I love the sound of.....?
my kiddos enthusiastically reciting their favorite Bible verses and making up their own versions of songs. oh, that and the sound of the Spud's giggling when he's tickled. And, the coffee percolating in the morning. hm, lots of sounds I love...

3. Favorite city?
Portland, OR. I have completely embraced this new city in my life. Lots of art, fun places, interesting people, great architecture, and Voodoo Donuts.

4. Colts, Saints, or could care less?
Sorry, Dad, I like the Colts, but today I'm rooting for the underdog. It would be great to see Brees lead the Saints to victory!

5. Frozen yogurt or ice cream?
Please give me the fattening stuff - ice cream! If you share Tillamook Udderly Chocolate or Mint Chocolate Chip with me, you will automatically become my new best friend.

6. Favorite appetizer?
Chips and salsa from Chevy's. Pretty sure I could make a meal out of them. I could also just eat the salsa sans chips. Mad good!

7. What item in your closet currently makes you the happiest?
Hmm. I really like my chocolate brown shirtdress. That, or maybe my new robins egg blue super soft sweater.

8.Favorite facial moisturizer?
I don't have a favorite. Is it bad that I don't really use facial moisturizer? I love lotion though - current favorite is Drenched in Pink: Fresh and Clean from Victoria's Secret.

Woot! Just saw the Saints score their first touchdown!

A Christmas Tradition

The first year we were married, the hubby convinced me that we just had to go see the "Singing Christmas Tree" in Portland. Although I was skeptical that it would be the awesome experience he promised, we went and I was hooked! There's just something about the hundreds of people standing in a huge tree and singing beautiful Christmas carols, the thousands of lights, the adorable children's choir singing Happy Birthday to Jesus, the precious re-enactment of the nativity scene, incredible violin solos, and more.
Thus we made it our family tradition and have gone every year since then, budgeting to make sure we don't miss it! Last year, the Drama Queen got to go with us for the first time and loved it.
This year, we debated for some time whether the Beast was really old enough to go. I envisioned spending the entire time trying to keep him quiet and in his seat, and it really didn't sound like a good time. However, after some consideration and knowing his love for music, we decided to take him too.

This was the first year that we traveled to the Singing Christmas Tree with our church group on one of our church buses. The Drama Queen loved sitting next to her daddy and seeing all the lights of Portland out her window.

The Beast also really enjoyed the bus ride, often exclaiming that we were getting to ride in the "church train." He handled himself pretty well at the show, considering he is only 2 1/2 years old. Of course, some gummy worms and other sweet treats helped! He was starstruck when the violin soloist played "What Child is This?" and "Carol of the Bells", telling me that he wanted to learn to play violin like that. :)

And of course we took a quick opportunity to get a photo of us - these moments are rare indeed. Making Christmas memories is so much fun!
We love this Christmas tradition and hope to continue it for many years to come!