A Day Out With Thomas

The real reason we were in Lancaster vacationing a week and a half ago was not just to check out an amusement park. The motivating factor for this trip was a certain smiley blue train that was coming to visit the Strasburg Railroad.

 

For Caleb's birthday this year, we opted to give him a "Day Out with Thomas" as his big gift. Since Thomas only visits Lancaster a couple times a year, this present was delayed a few months, but finally it was time for the big event!

Hadley got the benefit of her brother's birthday present and was allowed to tag along as well. I'm pretty sure she enjoyed it as much as he did thankfully. Whether it was high-fiving Sir Topham Hatt or spotting an enormous blow-up Percy, she was right in there for the experience. No waiting from the sidelines this time; she was involved in it all.

In one tent they had several train tables set up for the kids to enjoy while everyone waited on their trains. My kids knew just what to do with all those toys and got their little hands in there as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

All aboard! Dave yelled for us to put the toy trains down and hurry so we didn't miss our scheduled train ride. Thomas, who is "a very useful engine" of course, pulled our open air car through the beautiful Amish countryside. While Thomas visits Baltimore every so often too, I chose for us to meet up with him at the Strasburg Railroad instead for this very reason. Open fields of green produce and peaceful farms make for a much more pleasant view than anything the city has to offer in my opinion. We got to see several Amish men using horses to plow their fields, enjoyed the sweet aroma of honeysuckle, and imbibed the fresh air. Hadley was so relaxed that she even took a little snooze.

Other attractions included in the price of the Thomas tickets were these little crank cars as well as a miniature steam engine ride.

And, you might be able to tell that these are kids are mine because, when it came time to go in the gift shop, Caleb ran right to the book shelf ignoring the toy section. Eventually, he made his way to check out a few other novelties, but both little ones ended up with books from NaNa as their souvenirs for the day.

In combination with the Thomas ride, the railroad offered an additional longer train ride for just a little bit extra. Since we had no where else to be that day, we splurged and went for it. More cool breezes, gorgeous countryside, and SANTA! Yes, Santa! Though it was not planned, Santa was spotted hanging out near the railroad tracks in some shorts and suspenders. I'm not sure who got a bigger kick out of this jolly character showing up out of context in June - the parents or the kids. Thankfully, Santa wasn't the only legendary figure we passed. An up close look at Thomas as we passed each other was also part of the trip.

Caleb, who was wore out from the activities of the weekend, never made it from the train ride to his midday meal. While Dave and I were waiting in line for the grub, this preschooler curled up in the stroller and konked out. It is very rare to see him so tired that he falls asleep anywhere but in his bed or the car. He didn't even make it to his normal nap time!

Since Hadley had her siesta on the first train ride of the day, she was raring to go. Back to the train table tent we went and then to get her first TATTOO! Yes, her daddy held this one-year-old while an older gentleman plastered a lavender Rosie train on her forearm. She loves when we put stamps on her hand at home and often points to them and grunts to get us to let her have one if she spots them sitting on the desk. When Dave saw her pretending to stamp her hand with one of the Thomas blocks, or so it appeared, he thought she would be very happy with the tattoo. I don't think she knew quite what to think at first, but it grew on her. And, though Caleb missed out, we got a Henry tattoo to take home for him to apply later if he wanted as well.

All in all, this was probably one of the best vacations we've taken with the kids. They were both in very good moods throughout the trip, we couldn't have asked for better weather, the lines were short, and we didn't feel rushed or stuck to an agenda for the most part. While my growing baby bump made it difficult for me to tote the kids, having my mom around also made the trip much simpler as the three of us took turns holding the kids, pushing the stroller, and lugging the bags. I'm definitely glad we had her!

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