Day Out With Thomas... Take 3!!

Today we got to see Thomas the Tank Engine up close and personal... for the THIRD time! 

My husband was promptly fired from picture taking...Seriously, why take a picture with Thomas if you can't SEE Thomas??

Some may ask why we've gone three times... it is not like each time was terribly different and it was fairly expensive.  Despite the fact that me and my husband find it a little boring and we already know that the actual riding on Thomas is lame, this is an activity that is truly just for the kids and they can't remember the previous visits, especially our train obsessed little boy!!

Waiting in line to board the coaches... Ben said we were on Annie

So, because I love my children and spoil them rotten, I was able to convince my husband to purchase tickets for Day Out With Thomas.  When we went 3 summers ago, we got the tickets to ride on Thomas.  My daughter was 2.5 and loved it!  Last year, she wasn't as into trains and our son was only 1.5 so we paid to enter the railway museum but not actually ride on Thomas.  We got away with it probably because our son wasn't vocal enough to say "Hey mom, why are you depriving me of this awesome experience?"  This is probably our last summer in Illinois, and our last summer seeing Thomas up close.  So hey...what's another $80 to feed into my son's obsession? 

You know what?  That money was TOTALLY worth it!! He was awestruck!! Seriously, the kid barely made a peep the entire time! He didn't talk full sentences until we got back to the car!

 

Ok... Maybe my husband wasn't fired after all!  

 

What He's Been Waiting For!

Since the new year started, my husband has been counting down the days until Six Flags opened.  Seriously, counting EACH DAY.  So, when the park opened and he had to WORK every day it was open, he was pretty upset.  Yesterday we could FINALLY go!!!

I measured the kids before we left.  Jordan is 41 inches, which means that she can still ride all the rides she went on last year, but is 1 inch too short for a few new rides.  Ben measured in at 35.75 inches.  With shoes, he is 36 inches, JUST tall enough to go on some bigger, real people rides (not those lame little kid rides... I mean, fun little kid rides....). 

I do believe that my 2 year old is now a roller coaster JUNKIE!  He LOVED all the new rides we went on.  And although I was scared to death that my baby was too little for such fast or spinning rides, he did have fun.  There were only two rides I will NOT let him go on again until he is a little bigger.  I swore I saw him nearly pass out!  Of course, being the new junkie that he is, as soon as his head stopped rolling and he could stand, he said "AGAIN! AGAIN!!"  But the roller coasters.... those were the biggest hit with him.  Thankfully we went on a weekday, at the beginning of the season, with chance of rain, so there weren't a lot of people there and we could re-ride without getting back in line a few times per ride.  If the park hadn't closed at 6pm we probably would have stayed longer!

I think this year's Six Flags experience for us will be an awesome one.  We can go on rides as a family, instead of one of the adults being left behind with Ben while the other takes Jordan on the big rides.  It's crazy.  Time is going way too fast.  My children are growing into these amazing, fun, thrill seekers!!

Thankfully we can still find horsies on carousels fun so that mommy's tummy can recuperate!

Sundae On Sunday FAIL

Have you ever agreed to something that you thought was possibly a bad idea but wanted to be the good guy and it turned out wrong anyway? That was me on Sunday. I thought I was the COOL mom who let their kids eat an ice cream sundae for lunch.

Dumb, right?

RIGHT!

We went to the Museum of Science and Industry in the city to see the trains and tornado exhibits. Our kids were pretty much done for at about 11:30am, right when the ice cream shop in the museum opened. Great, lets use our new membership and get 10% off, and get a really cool brownie ice cream sundae. Kids were in HEAVEN! 3 scoops of yummy vanilla ice cream on top of a brownie, each ball of ice cream surrounded by tons of whipped cream, and a cherry on top of each. Oh, and smothered in hot fudge.

YUM!

Let me just say, now that I am an experienced mom.... Ice cream + lunch time + hour car ride home = daughter puking.

YUCK!

Thankfully daughter said later, when she was feeling better, "I am never going to eat ice cream and brownie at the same time again. It made me sick!" Let's see if she remembers that next time she asks for a sundae.

Dino Bones

What mommy? You mean there is a museum that is only for dinosaurs?!

My kids like dinosaurs... just a little bit. They aren't obsessed, but they definitely like them. My daughter has outgrown them slightly, not playing with all the figurines that we have acquired over the past 2 years. My son, however, has just discovered dinosaurs over the past 3 months and thinks they are the bees knees. Can you see the excitement on his face??

There is a museum not too far from us that is all about dinosaurs, and is FREE. SWEET! Granted, it is incredibly small. One big room of bones, and one room with kids crafts, dino bone digging, and books about dinosaurs. But that's ok, to an almost 2 year old and almost 4 year old, two rooms was just right. And the price was just right for mommy and daddy - only the cost of two Starbucks. ;)

Trip to the Firestation

One of the great things about being part of a moms group is having wonderful women who organize the group and group outings. Recently we joined our friends for a tour of a local fire station. I can't recall if I got a tour of a fire station when I was little, though I did get a tour of the Heinz Factory and got a free pickle pin (those rock!!)

We got to see where the fire men sleep/eat/work out/what the do when waiting (nice tv... Ben approved of the recliner). Then the kids got to walk through an ambulance and fire truck.

"you can't make me move"

"That'll teach you for trying to make me move!"

"I said IM NOT DONE!"

After the tour the kids got stickers that look like badges, and those plastic hats that you always see OTHER kids wearing and wondering where they got them.

"That was fun!"

This Year's Visit To The Apple Orchard

Hi there, blog readers! We've been keeping pretty busy around here. Last week we went to the local apple orchard, same one we went to last year. This year was more fun because the little guy could help too, instead of being stuck on mommy's back the entire time.


Daddy was in charge of picture taking. He didn't take nearly as many as grandma did last year, but he got a few good ones!


After working hard to fill up our bag, we grabbed a couple extra for the ride home. Apples are way yummier when you pick them yourself!

Babyfit Playdate at the Pittsburgh Zoo!

Mommy and Jordan checking out the Lions

Renee, Katie, Mary Beth, Meredith, and Jordan taking a closer look at the lions

Jordan in her pretty bow from Renee. Thanks again!!

Daddy and Jordan

Jamie and Jordan checking out the fishies

Meredith, Jordan, and Katie

Babyfit Mommas and their girls!

Mommy and Jordan petting a goat

Renee, Katie, Mommy, and Jordan with the goat. Katie was much gentler!

We had such a wonderful day today with all our friends! Thanks Renee and Mary Beth for meeting up with us. =)

Fun!

Jordan went to her first carnival on Friday at her Daddy's school. Unfortunately the carousel was the only ride Jordan was big enough for, and we went on it again, and again, and again!

Daddy and Jordan on the Carousel

Jordan and Mommy on the Carousel

Best part... Hot dogs!

Playing the piano.

Watch out world, we've found the next Ray Charles!

Pittsburgh Children's Museum

This past weekend we took Jordan to the Children's Museum for the first time!

Jordan playing Mr. Rogers' Piano
Giant Lite Brites are fun!
These will fit in my mouth perfectly...
Jordan with daddy at the sand table
Sand is fun!!
Mommy, is this lunch?
I'm going to be the next Crocodile Hunter!