So the big day finally arrived! It was time to go RIDE THOMAS! We excitedly get ready and head out for our 3 hour trip. As we're deciding what to eat for breakfast, Daddy says those infamous words "You do have the tickets, right?"
Yeah! Another hour added to the trip for a return home. Oh well. We still make it there within 10 minutes of when Andy's parents arrived, so all turned out well.
We spent the first few minutes finding the grandparents (which he was SO excited to see!). Then we went exploring and trying to figure out which thomas-filled tent to venture into first. We decide to go get Brent's free temporary tattoo, which he shows us for pictures, but his eyes have already caught the biggest parent-trap of all - the biggest Thomas gift shop in the world! He sees the rows and rows of trains, and for a moment I'm afraid he might have a stroke or something. It's like he didn't know which way to go first. There were Thomas trains, of course, and tracks. There were also shirts, hats, books, sunglasses (yes, I replaced the ones I flushed) and more. By the end of the day, he had made quite a haul, though he won't get most of it until Christmas.
Then we ventured into "Imagination Station", where lots of tables were set up with different Thomas tracks and trains that the kids could play with. As he was busy summing everything up and deciding if it was safe to venture among all the large-eyed, overly excited children, he spent a few minutes at an uninhabited table where you could decorate paper with Thomas stamps. Finally, he waded among the crowd, unable to resist any longer. He passed by the sets that were similar to what he has at home, and settled in among the battery-powered displays. Happier than a fox in a henhouse, he played until it was time to go RIDE THOMAS.
Only it turns out that Thomas is just for picture taking. We rode on passenger cars that were parked BEHIND Thomas so it may have fooled the kids, but he had fun on the 20 minute ride none-the-less. After he got bored of the scenery, he spent the rest being tickled by Grandpap.
After the train ride, we posed with Thomas for a picture (I have yet to go online to order the prints, but they'll be coming shortly). And then we headed back to the tents. Sir Topham Hat's line was pretty long, but we did catch a sighting. And Brent and I petted a large snake, turtle and sheep in the petting zoo before heading back to Imagination Station. I'm pretty sure he would have stayed there for days until he passed out from lack of food. And eventually I was forced to drag him away, literally kicking and screaming. But in my defense, he hadn't had a nap and his eyes were beginning to droop, so I made the executive decision.
From there, the rest of the clan walked over to Pizza Hut, and I drove the car. As I passed them, I made the "L" for LOSER sign on my forehead, just as I made a wrong turn and got stuck on the on-ramp for the freeway. After that, I got extremely lost, and spent 20 minutes wandering around that town from hell trying to find my way back. I guess I showed them who the Loser was :(
So after dinner, we headed back, all of us (except for one) with enough Thomas in our brains to last a century. Happy Birthday, Brent :)
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