The Finn Files: Finn's Big Day with Thomas the Train

This day has been on our calendar for a while--since February I think. Because if you are a little boy with a heartbeat, then you know about Thomas the Train. And it just so happened that Thomas was making a special trip from his home on the Island of Sodor to Baltimore, MD . . . what are the chances? Since he was coming so close to us, we knew we had to go and see him. Because the island of Sodor is a long way away and it doesn't look like we will be visiting anytime soon. We met our good friends Alisha and Sam for a big day of Thomas festivities.

And what a big day it was. The crowd consisted of every little boy in within a 200 mile radius with an occasional little sister thrown in for good measure. It was a Thomas bonanza. I have to say that the organizers of this event are excellent marketers because the big ticket item . . . the Ride with Thomas was basically a ride on Baltimore's public transport cars . . . with Thomas in front. Now, I have to admit, even I was a little bummed out. Because if you've ever taken public transportation, especially in Baltimore, you know it's nothing to get excited about. So for the past few months I've been telling Finn all about riding on Thomas and the time finally arrived and we are so excited and then we "board" the platform, drumroll please . . . only to walk right past Thomas ("no touching, please") straight onto an old MARC train where we must remain seated for the remainder of the trip. Just to show everyone what he thought of that, he took a big ol' #2 which I had to change right there on the seat in front of everyone. Anyway, we made it through the "train" ride and I think there were police escorts on dirt bikes following us (that's how sketchy the neighborhood was) and at the end Finn got his Little Engineer certificate which he promptly wadded up and handed back to me. Finn and Samantha did manage to have a blast, bouncing back and forth from seat to seat and calling out "all aboard" and "choo, chooo" to anyone who would listen.

After the train ride, you had the option of WAITING in a long line to have your picture taken with Thomas. Which would have been awesome if you are the kind of parent who enjoys having your eyelashes pulled out one by one. Because that's what it is like to wait for anything when you have a squirmy toddler in tow. Alisha and I took one look at the line and decided the memories just weren't worth it. So we headed to the tattoo booth, kiddie train and moon bounce for a real good time. Finn and Sam wore themselves out playing, running around, jumping, climbing and causing mayhem in general. And as if that wasn't enough fun, we retired to Sam's house where they took a short nap and playtime continued in the yard. It was a very long day, but a very fun day.

What trouble looks like: