All Aboard

......The Snowflake Express!

Carson is obsessed with trains right now.  Anytime he hears the whistle of a train rolling through town, he makes everyone around him know that there is a "choo-choo" coming, as his excitement level can hardly be contained.

Carl and I had talked about going on a train ride with Carson, and our initial intent was to go on a ride in Boone.  Well, after I did some more serious research about the Santa Express in Boone, it showed that we weren't going to be able to make any of the available dates.

I made a rather last minute call to Hy-Vee, and they delivered some disappointing news that all of the tickets were sold out, and they had been for a while.  This was one week before the event, and I figured that would be the news I would get, but I needed a confirmation.

I was on the phone with this nice lady for a few minutes, and she suddenly got excited, and explained that she had just found 4 tickets to the Noon train ride.  I wasn't able to choose the time slot, as this was strictly for the Noon ride, and I needed to pick the tickets up that day.  Just fine, and done!  A call to my 'rescue- phone- caller,' my Mom, and she picked the tickets up later that day. (THANKS, FRANNIE!)

The Saturday of the train ride was a busy one.  It was our annual Baking Day, but I was able to sneak out for a few hours to enjoy a special event with Carson.  Just the three of us, as Wes stayed back with the girls at Diane's house.

It was a muddy rainy day, but magical nonetheless.  The smile that was plastered across Carson's face is something that I hope I never forget.  He has many different smiles that he displays.  Some are shy, some exclaim pure happiness, some pure joy, and others gratitude.  He showed us a little bit of each that day.  He was all smiles and so happy to physically be on the train, that he has only ever seen from a distance.  Pure joy when the train started rolling down the tracks, and he heard the whistle sounding "aaalllll aboard!" Just plain happy when he spotted other trains on the track as we approached the neighboring towns.  And a bit shy as the conductor came by to punch his ticket.

 
The train ride lasted about an hour, and it was the perfect length of ride to get the full effect.  Carson's eyes were glued to the window, and he loved to gaze at everything out the window.  We saw many pretty trees, some animals, and other train cars that put this little boys' excitement through the roof.

I am so thankful that the lady at Hy Vee found tickets for us so we could enjoy this event with Carson. We all had so much fun, and it's a memory that I will never forget.  There have been talks about more train rides in the future, as this is something that our Wee Lad gets so excited about.

I really enjoy and cherish the one-on-one time that I have with each of the boys.  I feel like it's needed.  This was such a magical event that Carl and I got to be a part of with Carson.  We got a glimpse into his young heart, and an opportunity to see the world through his sweet and innocent little eyes.