Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Chugga-chugga-choo-choo!

As part of our spring break festivities, we headed to the Train Museum in Elkart today.  It was really fun.

They have a ride-on Thomas the Tank Engine for the under-three-year-old set.  Bella loved it.  She's recently become obsessed with Thomas.

 She did, however, ask me where Percy was, and if she could ride Percy too.  I'm afraid my answer was a little disappointing.
 They have an engine parked just outside the main museum that you can climb into.  However, after all thirteen children in our group had climbed in, there was no room for adults.  This picture was taken through the very dirty window.  The best part of this train cab is the actual working horn.  (No, the actual best part is that the air compressor that supplies the horn runs out of air after 8 or 9 long honks.  Long LOUD honks.  8 or 9 is plenty.)
 The museum is covered with crazy signage and old railroad ephemera.
 Plus it has two tracks full of abandoned cars with sets of stairs leading up to several of them.  Some of them were death traps. . .
 . . . and some were perfect for a little nap.  (If a little dirty.)
 Bella thought all of them were terribly exciting.
 The tracks were so much fun to climb around.  I have no idea how the museum's liability insurance lets them get away with all of this, but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.


 Getting all these little faces to look our direction at once was impossible.  This was the best of several shots.
 We loved the train museum.  I definitely recommend it.

 And if you're wondering how I could take four little kids to the train museum by  myself, meet my new best friend.  (And I'm not talking about Maddie.)  This is my ergo carrier, (Thank you, Krista and Karen!), and it is how I vacuum, how I make dinner, how I do all my chores.  Maddie loves to be right next to me, and this way, she can be.
 I love it when she falls asleep and her little face peeks out the armhole.  :)
 Oh, as an afterthought, I wanted to share these two little still lifes set up in the model railroad room.  I think a crashed airplane is in great taste, no?
And if that's not your style, how about a classic bear mauling?  I wish I could have gotten a clearer picture of this--it was hysterical.

3 comments:

adventure knitter said...

what a fun museum! jack would LOVE that right about now. there is supposed to be a railroad museum here in Nairobi, but it's downtown...so I haven't ventured there yet.

so you like that ergo carrier?? I was looking at them recently...we're traveling to the UK this summer and I've been looking for something to put Evan in during all of our crazy long days. email me and let me know what you think about it!

cowbell kelly said...

I always enjoy a good bear mauling.

Unknown said...

I love the train museum. Wish we could have come. I have also noticed the plane crash and bear mauling. I laughed to myself pretty hard. Glad I'm not the only one who noticed that!