All aboard!

Grace is a huge Thomas the Tank Engine fan. I really don't understand the attraction. The videos and music are old-fashioned with absolutely NO modern graphics or effects. It is essentially someone's model train with fake scenery and voice-overs that looks like it was filmed in a basement. But she loves it. We come home from school and she will often ask to watch a "Thomas" video.
Knowing this, Kyle bought tickets to "A Day Out With Thomas" which is an event that offers preschoolers and their families an opportunity to take a ride with a 15-ton replica of Thomas the Tank Engine. The tour, now in its 15th year, will make stops in more than 45 US cities and is expected to welcome about one million passengers in 2010. This year also marks the 65th anniversary of the Thomas series!
To say Grace was excited would be an understatement. She was bubbling over with excitement all day from the minute she woke up. She even changed her clothes without a fuss after school and wanted to get dressed up in a dress and ponytails!

The actual train ride was about 30 minutes long. The traditional Thomas music played for almost the entire ride and, 30 minutes was plenty of time to be on the train on a beautiful Friday evening. Grace danced in the aisles, got our tickets punched by the conductor, and proudly showed us her "Junior Engineer" certificate. Beyond riding the train, they had various booths for storytelling, watching videos, getting a pretend tattoo, meeting Sir Topham Hatt, and there was, of course, a Thomas the Train store on site with 100's of items to choose from. They also had a maze, inflatable obstacle courses, and a magician. Grace liked the model train and the play train tables, but we didn't stay at either one for long. She really was anticipating the arrival of Thomas. After all, that is the reason we went and it was worth it!

Waving to Thomas as he arrived at the station.

Proudly posing with Thomas