A Day Out With Thomas

After cleaning up Joshua's party on Saturday, September 17, I went on Craig's List and saw cheap tickets for a Day Out with Thomas. There were four tickets for the price of what one would normally cost. That said, they had been advertised much earlier in the day and typically things like that are snatched up immediately. Since they were still being advertised, though, I thought I'd give it a chance. I emailed the link provided and gave my phone number and told her that I'd love to take my kids but would never pay full prices to take all of us. They are SO expensive! I didn't hear anything that night, so I thought maybe I had missed out. BUT... the following day - Joshua's actual birthday - I received a phone call from a nice older lady, who said the tickets were ours if we'd like them!

She explained that she didn't realize that she bought them for a Friday during the day. She & her husband work, and her one grandchild is in school. She couldn't exchange them or get a refund (printed right on the tickets) so she tried to give them away to her son (who's now older with his own children) who couldn't go, cousins who couldn't go, and even some co-workers. No one could go on a weekday. Her cousin told her about trying Craig's List, and this was her first experience. She said when she got my email saying that I had boys, she remembered her own two boys who would have loved this event, and she decided to choose me even though I wasn't first to ask for them. I was sincerely blessed - God had answered my prayers! While the two older boys and Shawn napped the afternoon of Joshua's birthday, I took Ryan with me to New Holland where I met the woman and exchanged the cash for the tickets. I was tickled! She was very sweet and it was a great transaction all around.

Then I thought about who would be a good fourth person to give a ticket to. Shawn couldn't go along; he had to work. My dad was in GA. My mom had a house guest for the week. I thought of giving it to a friend, but then I realized that any friend would have to pay full price for the additional tickets, which are extremely expensive. So, I decided to ask my sister Becky. I told her that I would give her the free ticket if she could take off work and help me with the little guys. I didn't expect her to say yes, but she did! She said she could make up the time at work and would love to see the boys enjoying themselves. And she was very helpful.

The weather report called for torrential downpours with flooding. The boys & I prayed against rain since we had plans the whole weekend. I told God that it was most important that it didn't rain for our vacation to D.C. but it would be so nice for the boys to enjoy their time out at Thomas, too. Well, we woke up to rain on Friday. It was only drizzling, and my sister called and said she was still fine to go. I was absolutely going either way - we had tickets! We got there and had to park off-site this time, no where near the actual event. We parked at the Historic Strasburg Inn and rode a shuttle school bus to the event. This was a major hassle with strollers. On the way there, a man loaded the stroller for me, but I still had Ryan in his car seat (the combo makes a pretty good screen against the rain) and it was terribly difficult to maneuver the car seat in these small spaces like the stairs and aisle, etc. But, we made it!

The first ride we did was the small coal train. Aunt Becky stood with Ryan as I took the boys on the little train ride. She got under an overhang as the heavens let loose. I was immediately soaked through to my underpants, even with my raincoat on. I knew the boys were in the same boat. Joshua at first looked startled, nervous and a little not-cool with the rain. Here's where I knew he was watching for my cues. I smiled wide, laughed out loud and said "Hey, how cool! We get to play in the rain, too! Bonus!" I continued to joke about needing soap for our shower, etc. I told them they could splash in puddles as long as there weren't people around who would get wet from them. From that moment on, neither kid complained about the rain. And, the downpour went back to a typical shower/sprinkle in a few minutes.

Once the coal car ride was done, we grabbed Aunt Becky and said we'd like to head to the cranky cars. There wasn't a soul there (everyone else had run for cover), and Caleb Luke grabbed a cranky car and went around the track, even with the rain pounding him. I don't know if you can tell in this picture, but that is a HUGE SMILE on his face. He loved it! And the rain wasn't putting him out at all. When Joshua saw his little brother thoroughly enjoying himself, he grabbed the next one (the worker was there to help them, of course). I asked her if Aunt Becky & the baby could come under her tent (inside the work area) and she said yes. So, they were shielded from the rain as the boys rode and rode and rode these cranky cars. No lines with the rain!

As the downpour let up, a few kids saw us and jumped in line, so the boys would go around to get back in line and still get to go again almost immediately. They went around at least a half a dozen times.

Eventually, we decided to keep exploring. Another gentleman had come to work in this area and didn't like that we were hanging out under the tent with them. It wasn't a big deal, so we just kept moving. We walked around for a bit, and then decided to hang out at the one covered area to eat some snacks that I had packed: apple slices, grapes, string cheese and crackers.

While we were there, they started calling for us (our ticket time) to line up for the train. This is the only time I got Ryan out of his car seat. I realized at that moment that I had left his rain coat behind. WHOOPS! I had gotten it out and left it. He was dry from being shielded in the stroller, but I couldn't take the stroller in line with us. It wasn't pouring at the time, but my rain coat was sopping wet. Literally, I could have wrung it out and filled glasses of water. He got wet just from being against us, and he wasn't too excited about it. But, it didn't matter since his big brothers were all smiles! They were so excited to ride on Thomas!

Caleb has talked about nothing else for days! He loved getting to ride the rides and see Thomas and meet Sir Topham Hatt.

Aunt Becky would hold Ryan when I needed to get something out (like snacks or tickets) and hold the boys' hands when needed as we were walking. She also surprised me in that she didn't seem to mind the rain. If she would have been grumpy or complaining, it would have been a downer as well. But, she said when we got there "I just planned on getting wet today." That was that! And wet we were! But, we were excited for the kiddos.

As we stood in line, a nice lady in front of us and another gentleman later offered to let us stand under their umbrella with the baby. Thank you, God, for the kindness of strangers. We need to buy an umbrella! I typically think of them as a hassle to carry and maneuver, but I could have used one that day!

Soon enough, they called "All aboard!" We climbed on and found our seats. The Bean sat with me. I took a bottle of expressed milk for Ryan. I wasn't sure how nursing would go there, and a bottle is easier for public places. He ate it okay, even though it was just a couple ounces. I fed him more when we got home.

Caleb sat with Aunt Becky. The train ride isn't long, and we opted not to even let them take our pictures since I knew how much they cost to purchase. The conductor came around and took our tickets which were soaked. :) The boys loved looking out the windows and riding in the train, etc. It was fun.

After the ride was finished (and it's a short ride for Thomas days!), Aunt Becky took the older boys to meet Thomas. There's a short window of opportunity while the next passengers are boarding. When he pulls away, your time is up! But, with the weather, there weren't very many lines to do anything. In the meantime, I walked around the other way with our Schnook since this was another area that didn't allow strollers and I didn't want him to get any more wet. Caleb was in awe that Thomas' eyes move on the train!

We continued to press on because Joshua really wanted to meet Sir Topham Hatt. Years past, we've never done this (or met Thomas) because of the outrageously long lines. So, we went... only to find that he was on his lunch break. Luckily enough, he was supposed to return in less than 10 minutes. So, Aunt Becky took the older boys on another little train ride to pass the time while I stayed with Ryan this time. She even took pictures for me. :)

They came back and Sir Topham Hatt still wasn't back yet. Another family or two lined up behind us. Then, he returned! We were first in line. Caleb went up to him and gave him a high five (so did Joshua). BUT, Caleb did not want to get in the picture or have Sir Topham Hatt put his arm around him. So, he came back down with me as I snapped Joshua's picture with him. They got certificates that said they officially met Sir Topham Hatt and Thomas.

There was more to do there - train tables set up in tents, craft stations, and play times. But, Ryan had been good all day and was now starting to get hungry and tired. We were also soaked. I told the boys that it was time to go back to the bus and back to our minivan. Joshua was sad. But, I was glad we made the right call. As we headed back, the heavens let loose again. This time we noticed that it felt a little chillier (all morning we said how thankful we were that the temperature had been in the upper 70s so even though we were wet, we weren't freezing). Now, we were starting to get a little cold. We didn't wait long for the shuttle bus, but their system for strollers fell apart. A guy put my stroller behind us rather than toward the front of the bus where they belonged, since folks were sitting in the 'stroller seats.' I slid going up the stairs (with Ryan in hand!) and almost fell backward out of the bus. Everything was wet, and buses aren't made for car seats. When we got back, Becky & I had to get everything off including the stroller. She was a big help in getting the stroller where I could get it from her as we made our way back. We were literally skating on the bus with how wet and slippery the surface was! Then Caleb tried to run off in the parking lot and she got him and had him come back to hold hands. At that moment, I realized how glad I was that she was there. She had been helpful the whole day, but I don't think I could have done the last ten minutes without her (or some sort of helper).

When we rode home, the boys both fell asleep. I dropped Aunt Becky off at her car (we had combined at Rockvale Outlets), and she went into work while I headed home. It was after 1 pm until we got back. When the boys started peeling off the layers of coats and clothing, they both cried at how wet they were. We didn't realize how soaked we were until we were home, praise God! They had such a blast that the water didn't matter until we were home. We all got new undergarments and sweat pants on, along with comfy t-shirts. Then they went to bed while I tried to dry their sneakers (which were still soaked when we left that night to head to Mamaw's house). The boys napped for HOURS! I had to wake them to leave for dinner. I think they were beat from our fun day. But, they told anyone and everyone all about their experience. It had been a really fun day, and we got to do more than typical because there weren't lines with the rain. I was so thankful we had been blessed with the cheaper tickets. Thank you, God, for fun times and for family! Bye-bye, Thomas!

Appreciating the Everyday Moments

Last Wednesday, September 21, Aunt Jen invited us to come back to her house after preschool. We said sure. She made grilled ham & cheese with pepperoni (which was awesome!) and I took along drinks, apple slices, pretzels and our left over mini-vanilla wafer cookies for dessert. They have a great backyard which is shaded and has the play set, etc. The boys enjoy playing with their cousins and I enjoy talking to my sister. :)

I've been trying to remind myself that it won't be nice out forever, so on days that it's not raining, I'm trying to make sure we get outside while it's daylight. That's difficult some days with preschool in the mornings then lunch and naps and Ryan's eating schedule, but I've been doing my best to make sure that we have some outdoors time each day that we can. The boys LOVE to ride their bikes and will ride up and down our sidewalks. They will also push their dump truck and play in their cars, etc. Caleb told me that he loves to play in the garage. Yesterday, he wrote his own name in sidewalk chalk extremely legibly (Shawn was surprised that he didn't have any assistance with it) and then he wrote Joshua's name just as legibly. I cracked up. Little brother syndrome! ;-)

I remember when we got the bigger bikes, wondering if Joshua would be big enough for them and if he'd be able to ride and somewhat worrying (there's no better word for it) if he'd be okay on his bike. Now he does it with ease and really enjoys it. I'm amazed at how our children grow! My mom always told me it was short years of long days, and it's so true. Five years have flown by, but we do have some days that feel long to me. Other days feel like they fly just as quickly!

Mamaw & I went shopping for shoes again the other day. I wanted to get a second pair of shoes for the boys, in case they got really wet (which happened on Friday) or they got sick on them or in the mud. I don't need a ton of pairs for each kiddo (they outgrow them far too quickly!) but one extra pair while we wash one would be nice. The shoe store that had been closed just re-opened, and we got there at a good time. When the woman measured Caleb's 11.5 wide foot, she guessed that he was four. He smiled and told her that he was three, and I said he just turned three. She told me that he has a four-year-old foot, and that Joshua's size 12 foot was normal for his age. I think my little Caleb Luke might grow up to be a big boy to grow into his big feet. We shall see! They had used sneakers for $3 (and these are outrageously expensive sneakers that are really great for the kiddos). Even their typical close-out prices are much better than typical retail, but for $3 when they are completely washable and looked brand new - we couldn't beat it. Joshua got a new pair of new orange sneakers that are really cool since they didn't have used ones in his size (thanks, Mamaw!) and Caleb got a pair of used ones that are brown & blue that literally looked as if they hadn't been worn before.

Ryan is interacting more with his brothers these days and a little more with toys. He's still not eating well, but Shawn weighed him the other night on our scale and he came to 17 lbs even. So, I'm trying not to worry about him. He did well the first two weeks of study & share, but did not make it this last week. The woman was a little rude to me, too, when I picked him up. I had never seen her before in the nursery, and she didn't seem to like any fussiness at all. I don't want Ryan to cry it out either, but after he burped for me, he seemed okay. I took him into the meeting, but he's at the stage where he coos and gabs a lot. I didn't want him to be a distraction, so I just left. Another gal from my table told me when she saw me picking up Joshua later that his happy noises weren't distracting since we're all parents, but I don't want to take away from anyone else's experience. Such is life! I was sad to have missed the video, but my kiddos are most important to me.

Joshua & Caleb both will smile at Ryan and try to make him laugh. I LOVE their interaction as brothers. :) I am so thrilled to be raising three little men. For the longest time, I wanted a girl. But, after hearing a sermon the other week, I realized that my whole desire for a girl came from wanting my children not to leave as they got older. I've heard the old expression "A son is a son until he marries his wife, but a daughter's a daughter for the rest of your life." I wanted a shopping buddy and someone who would call me as they continued to get older with cooking questions or whatever was on their mind. I realized that I don't need a girl for that. If we cultivate good relationships with our boys, we will continue to have healthy relationships with them as they grow. I know several families - like my friend Karisten's - where the entire extended family gets together at Grandma's house every Sunday for a meal. She said all her cousins go with their kids, etc. My friend's cousins do the same thing, both boys with their wives and kids and girls with their husbands and kids. So, the more I thought about our situation, the more thankful I am for my boys for so many reasons. For one, I have no desire to do girls' hair or struggle with putting tights on another person. I am not frilly in the slightest and enjoy more boy interaction. I won't have to worry about moodiness as much during the teenage years. I like how the boys and their daddy interact and that he can easily teach them sports (not that he couldn't teach girls, too, but there's just a special father-son bond with him and our kids). I like that we are training and equipping men, who will be leaders in their worlds. In reading about the twelve tribes of Israel, Jacob had at least one daughter too (Dinah) but she wasn't counted in the 12 that are talked about inheriting God's promises, etc. Part of that is customs at the time, but part of it is that men are the heads of the households, etc. I am honored that God would entrust me with three of HIS men. Also, as we take family vacations, I'm glad that our boys will be interested in the same types of things. I told Shawn that I never cared so much about dinosaurs, cars and trains as I do right now. He smiled. We won't have to hit doll exhibits or things of that nature in trying to please different groups. My boys only need two pairs of shoes at all times (maybe three when they get older to have dress shoes). Boys don't care about having a million things in their wardrobe. They don't need the latest styles of hair, make-up and accessories. In general, it doesn't take us long to get them out the door. I also don't have to worry about some of the most grotesque bathroom scenes I've seen because they don't need to touch anything - they can stand! There are so many other things I love about my boys, but I realize that God knew what He was doing in giving us our three sons. I'm thrilled to have each one of them and wouldn't change a thing about them.

I'm trying also to let things come as they come and not get worked up over some of the details. This is hard for me as I am a detailed and organized person, but I admire how relaxed and easygoing Shawn is. It's easier to appreciate the everyday moments when you're not stressing about things. So, I've been enjoying more of our little times together. The boys love to play games; in fact, Joshua said they are his current favorite activity when asked in preschool (between playing with trucks, cars, coloring, etc). We've been playing a lot. I've been trying to work in craft time as well. We've left the TV off, and I've been limiting Joshua's time on the Wii (all things in moderation). We read together. We color together. We play outside together. And there are many times as I'm feeding the baby that the older boys play cars together or with their bags or puzzles or various other activities. As I was going for a jog the other day, I realized that when they grow up, I'll miss these "everyday moments" that I'm so cherishing right now. They may not be "picture worthy" times, but they are precious times. Simple things like eating breakfast and lunch together, talking about silly songs or making rhymes, purposefully mixing things up (saying that tags go on the belly verses the back for clothing), or other things we do on a regular basis are moments that I absolutely love. I am so thankful to be here with my boys in their lives. I love them!

Homework

 

Joshua has had homework every week in preschool. He gets an assignment on Thursday to complete by Monday. The first week, it was to write his name using one capital and all lowercase letters for the rest, and also to write upper and lowercase "M's" by first tracing the examples and then writing his own. Then he would circle the number of upper and lower case "m's" that he found in a box and write the number of each on a line. Lastly he would write his own "m" freehand in front of a word. All of this was to be completed holding the pencil the correct way. His teacher gave us a sheet on flipping the pencil up or having our child make an "okay" sign and then pinching the pencil between the two fingers while dropping the rest over it. I've noticed Joshua's grip has gotten better with practice.

The homework was a bit frustrating to him (and then me!) at first. He didn't want to do lowercase letters, and I realized that that "bump" of an "m" was harder for him to make so he just wanted to do straight lines. I'm also working with him on making his letters to scale using the lines that the teacher gives us - writing capitals to the top of the top line and starting lowercase at the top of the mid-line and going the entire way to the baseline but not below it. This is difficult work for a little boy who's been given the freedom to write free-hand in any size he wants to! But, he's getting better with practice. I've noticed he's definitely a lefty, but when he gets tired, he'll switch to his right hand for a letter or two and then immediately switch back because it feels awkward.

He told me that yesterday they tested him on his letters, and he got them all correct. He was so proud of his accomplishment! Way to go, my little buddy. :) You are doing great with preschool, and even more importantly to me, I see the character you're developing as you learn new tasks and are placed in new situations.

I guess homework is now a part of our routine. My baby is growing up!

Family Painting Night Lives On

We had a few little friends who couldn't make it to Joshua's party, so we had a couple pumpkins left over. Since the boys had enjoyed painting their airplanes and their pumpkins at the Bean's party, I suggested we go ahead and paint the other little pumpkins one night last week (Monday? Tuesday? I don't honestly remember...). Daddy snapped a few pictures this time.

Caleb's was primarily blue & white; Joshua did yellow and green, and I did a mix of colors just trying to enjoy our time together. :)

I love these ages! I love my boys at these ages, I should say. And I've loved them at each stage, so I'm going to assume that I'll love each moment as they grow. But, having fun with something as simple as painting pumpkins for fall is my cup of tea. :)

Then I put them all outside to display, including the ones from before. They are all around our front porch area. Joshua's mum is also just starting to bloom. Every time I see it, I think of when he was born and smile. What a wonderful time of year! I love fall..and our family. We are so blessed to be raising three little "men in training."

Kuddos, Caleb!

Caleb's teacher stopped me on Wednesday, September 21, to tell me how impressed she was with Caleb's fine motor skills. We had gotten an email saying that she was going to test their skills just to give her a benchmark of where they were. But, when I picked him up that day, she showed me his paper and how he had perfectly traced all the different lines, curves and zig-zags on the paper. She told me how difficult it is for children at his age to perform such tasks, and his paper was absolutely perfect - not that there was a "right or wrong" for this activity but it just shows where the children are at in their development. She seemed impressed. Way to go, my little buddy!

And where drop-off and pick-up for his class had been somewhat chaotic, his teacher also told me that the one child who was constantly screaming and crying the entire morning was no longer coming back and instead there was another little boy "more on par with Caleb" who would be joining their room. She said "not that Caleb didn't enjoy it before" but that he should "have fun with this little boy." I think Caleb is probably a little more advanced than some of his peers (and maybe even a little older) and it sounds like the little one who joined his room is at the same stage and that he should like his company. I hope so! Caleb is so easy going that he had seemed to enjoy it before, but crying from other children does make him tense. I think he seemed much more relaxed today, which made me glad for his sake.

Sono's Visit

 

Years ago (I'm guessing around 2004ish), my mom and sister both housed foreign exchange students. Mom's student Sono was from Japan, and she lived with Mom & Jamie for the entire school year. On Saturday, September 17, Sono came back to visit for a week, staying again with Mom (in her new house this time).

On Monday afternoon, after Joshua's doctor and picture appointments, they stopped in to visit. This was Sono's first time meeting our boys. Her sister recently had a baby who is a month younger than Ryan, if I'm remembering correctly.

She came bearing gifts for each one of us. I should have remembered that gift giving and receiving is very important in Japanese culture. I couldn't believe all the nice and thoughtful things she had for the kids and us adults. The boys LOVED these little remote control "Cars" cars (a Mater one for Joshua and a Lightning one for Caleb). Of course, I couldn't read the directions that were in Japanese so she explained how to charge them and make them work. The kids thought these were really cool and have enjoyed playing with them! She also got them a mat to play them on, which is a picture of Japan.

Then Joshua opened another gift that was a book and in it all the different train sounds. We can't read the Japanese words but the noises are really neat.

Even baby Ryan got little gifts from Sono, including a chocolate bar looking teether (so cute!), a froggy bath wash clothe and a bib.

Here's Sono helping Joshua with his gifts:

She also had candy and treats for the kiddos, which they have enjoyed. I received several nice gifts as well, and she even had a present for Shawn.
The boys wanted to teach Sono & Mamaw how to play "Trouble" so we played a round while they were here.

Joshua & Caleb also showed her some of their Toy Story toys, since she likes Toy Story. And Caleb tried on his new sweater that Mamaw made him.

Soon enough it was time for them to head to Jen's house.

but we saw Sono again on Friday night, September 23, when Mom had a little 'farewell' family party for her. We all went over for dinner and to play. We ate pizza, wings, fruit and snacks; and we checked out Ken's new "Keurig" coffee maker, which makes excellent Chai! The kids had a blast playing together in the basement (as you can see from the picture of Joshua & Emma). Shawn stopped in to say hello and farewell and then headed to our nephew Grant's birthday party. When he left, he took my minivan keys with him - DOH! (We had driven separately, knowing he would need to leave). So, after I had packed up all the kids and realized that I didn't have my keys, I called him and he headed back over.

In the meantime, we had looked at a book Sono had brought Mom on the devastation from the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. We had made little "thank you" cards that morning for her (the boys made them as a craft when they woke up early that morning) and I had put on them "Made in the USA" since she won't buy anything made in China. I had also bought her a shirt and some candy to say thank you for the gifts she had brought in keeping with her customs.

Farewell, Sono! We hope you had a nice visit and that we'll see you again sometime!