Thomas the Train came to town and we, like the parents of every other child under 5 in Middle Tennessee, went to see him. As a good friend said on Facebook…”Bring your American Express.”

We headed down to parts unknown in Nashville with Thane’s friend Demetri and his dad. Mom and baby Denise stayed home with a fever. We were fortunate to have the GPS…it would have taken us ages to find the place without it.

The place was packed but the far away parking let us build up the excitement in the boys when they saw a real live Thomas from the distance. “We go see Thomas and Percy” as Thane kept chanting.

As luck would have it, we never did see Percy.

We looked at the inflatable bouncies but neither boy was interested. We headed to story time which kept the boys enchanted for quite some time. Next was the train table area and then off to get some official Thomas tattoos. Percy was an option here but Thane and Demetri opted for the classic Thomas look.

We tried to wait for Sir Topham Hat but the line was way too long. Instead, it was time for us to line up and board the train. We were in Car 11, the last car. For people going to see Thomas…pick the last car! You board first and exit last (and get out of the sweltering heat the longest) and get to walk through a good bit of the cars (Jay says Cars 7-11)…a huge plus because you get to see more of the train.

Our car was the dining car and good for all of sitting and chatting. The boys were loving the train. When we finally got moving, Jay and I both wondered when it was going to pick up speed. It never did. 25 minutes later, I think we could have walked faster. The boys did not mind one bit and Mara enjoyed looking out the window too. They loved seeing the tracks, the other trains, and all the scenery (slowly) pass by.

After the ride, we enjoyed a mango Italian Ice listening to the singer…who sang our family favorite, You are My Sunshine. Then it was time to call it a day. We headed out (not through the gift shop) and made the long hike to the cars, exhausted. When we got home, it was all about Thomas, and we even read a few more stories to complete the day.

I think we are going to take some more train rides, Thane is a big fan. Daddy does not love the 1 mph train speed and said, I quote, “You know who likes trains…? Old, white men.”

Yesterday at the doctor’s office for Mara’s 9 mo appointment, Mara doubled her vocab (Dada and Hi now…I still contend she said Mama at least once)…

She said Hi when Dr. Yoneyama said hi. She is also now waving whenever given the chance.

Height: 28.5 inches – 80th percentile
Weight: 20lbs 8 oz – 80th percentile
Head: 45 cm – 60th percentile

I don’t know the percentages yet but she is doing great and seems ahead of the milestones.

Thane also has some good quotes lately, including…

Mommy: “What is in your mouth???”
Thane: [Big grin...]“Germs”

This year marked the 8th Anniversary of the Fantasy Fools Football Draft.

Jay and I made a mad dash to get back in the old house and get it ready for the party. Terry came down early Saturday morning to help with the …I’d say final touches but that would make it seem like less a task than it was! I think it was worth it. At one point, Robb looked and me and said, “This feels right.”

I was in a bit of a pressured bad mood for the start of the day, between getting ready, kids, dogs, and doing the draft. Lesson learned…get a babysitter to help with the day. We did get started and have a fun day…hopefully I will have a better season than last year!!! Thane pulled the draft order and picked Daddy first and Mommy fourth. Some were calling foul!

The day was also a celebration of Uncle James 61st Birthday. Oh, okay, 51st, but who can keep track when you get that high?!?!

And we cannot forget to mention that, instead of driving, Uncle Adam decided to high roll it and took a plane ride from Owensboro to here and back. We think he spent as much time start to finish.