All Aboard!

Yesterday morning we asked Andrew if he felt like going to see a "real train". He got so excited that he ran straight to the front door. So we headed out to a historic train station near our house where the Amtrak to and from Kansas City stops about four times a day. Susie had printed out the schedule last week so we knew when the train came through. We got to the station about thirty minutes early, and Andrew was easily occupied with all of the train models and books inside the station (first built on that site in 1863). He also liked going out on the platform and touching the train tracks.

As it turns out, we weren't the only parents who had brought their son to the station just to watch the train. There were two other boys there too. And one even bought the $11 ticket to take the 30-minute ride downtown with his dad. His mom and baby brother dropped them off at this station and were going to pick them up at the next one. That will be something we'll have to do next time.
Andrew, Susie, and the conductor. Do they still call them that? I really need to learn more about trains.

One thing I do know is that they do still say "All Aboard!" I think Andrew was a little scared of the train. It was pretty big and noisy. Plus the engine actually went through the station and blocked off the major street next to it. So for a good five minutes, the arm was down blocking traffice and the loud warning signal was going off.

After the train left the station and we waved goodbye, Andrew asked us where it had gone. We told him it had left for the next stop. His response: "I find!" Good luck, buddy. It will be back through in another four hours.

Magic House (Stay-Cation Part 2)

Here's another set of pictures from our recent Stay-Cation. This day we went to the Children's Museum in town. Lots of fun. Lots of kids. It's really an awesome place with everything desgined to be a hands on learning experience for the kids (and parents too).

Sliding down the beanstalk slide from the Jack and the Beanstalk story. This was part of their fairy tales section.

Driving a Caterpillar. Andrew loved it. He took at least three turns sitting up there playing with all the buttons and controls.

The hall of mirrors with four Andrews.

A look at us playing the bubble organ through the bubble tubes.