Riding a Train

Wow. I almost forgot I had a blog. Yes, it's been that long. And yes, I am feeling really behind.

We went up to Snoqualmie a few weekends ago for my nephew, Edmund's, second birthday party. He loves trains. Loves. Here's an analogy for you:

Edmund is to trains as Aubrey is to Dora.

Get it? He's mildly obsessed. So, of course, Amy (Edmund's mom, Jeremiah's sister) held the first part of Edmund's party on a sight-seeing train in Snoqualmie. We rode on a refurbished old-fashioned train (think slighty breezy, loud, and old - but in a good way) through part of Snoqualmie, past the Falls, and back to the station.

And in a surprise to the kids and me, Josette was there! Apparently Jeremiah knew his mom was going to be at the party but failed to tell the rest of us. So the kids were doubly excited (is doubly a word?) to be on a sweet train AND being on that said train with their Nana Josette!

Aubrey was not loving the train. In fact, as excited as she was to see Nana, she clung to me like her life depended on it. It was really cute, but I didn't quite get the train experience I was hoping for. So, like any good mother, I forced her off me and into Jeremiah's arms where a few snacks later she had warmed up to the train idea and was off exploring with the other kids.

Here's an old (and obviously broken down) train that they are going to refurbish. Does anyone else think of the Boxcar Children series when they see this?

Snoqualmie Falls, or at least the top of it. And the Lodge peeking through the trees. This is where Jeremiah proposed to me. I told this to the boys and they had it in their heads that this is where we got married.

We were in the very front of the train, so as we went through intersections the conductor would sound the horn and the kids would cover their ears.

The birthday boy crashed when we got back to Amy's. With all the train excitement and no nap, he was out like a light. Poor kid. But we woke him up because we all felt bad eating his birthday cake without him!

If she was afraid of the Snoqualmie train, she was just the opposite with this one! It was Edmund's birthday present, but that didn't stop her from spending most of her time on it. It's just a little train that goes around in a circle. And Aubrey LOVED it. She won't ride the quarter-rides at the grocery store (you know, the ones that move ever so slightly back and forth while you pretend to ride with Elmo?) - this girl keeps us on our toes!

Anyhoo, happy birthday to little Edmund! I remember when Amy told me she was pregnant, they'd been trying for so long and so of course she found out she was pregnant the day after she went to Cedar Point (roller coast capitol!) and Great Wolf Lodge. But everything turned out great and she was a sweet little train-loving boy (and now she's expecting a girl!).