The Richardsons: Thomas the Train

Today was our first Saturday here in Nashville! Before we moved, we made plans to go to the Thomas the Train Day Out with some good friends in Memphis. They were going for their son’s third birthday and invited us to join them. Paul and their son Matthew love to play together (especially trains!) and we were happy to go. We got to the Tennessee Central Railway Museum a little after 9, and as soon as we walked into the rail yard, I realized just how much fun we were going to have. There were several big tents set up, each with a different activity set up for the kids. In one, you could meet Sir Topham Hatt; in another, you could watch Thomas the Train movies; one was filled with wooden train tables as well as Mega Blox train tables; another handled temporary tattoos; a fifth one had several rows of tiny lawn chairs set up in front of a stage that alternated between two young women singing kids’ songs and a magician. Not covered were about six mini putt-putt holes, a bounce house, a huge inflatable slide and a little train.

Our train ride was at 10, so we spent the first 30 minutes doing the bounce house and the putt-putt course, plus a lot of time just standing by the fence looking at the train and tracks. Paul’s first bounce house experience was the night before, but the kid is a natural. He really loved playing golf! We need to go play putt-putt with him sometime. We hadn’t been there long when it was time to get in the line for Car 10 for our train ride with Thomas!

Paul was very excited and wanted us both to sit by him, although he was closest to the window. When the train started off very slowly, I found myself waiting for it to pick up speed, but it never really did. Paul loved it and I’m sure it felt fast enough to the kids! The route took about 25 minutes and Paul and the kid nearby kept pointing out things they saw from the window – Trucks! ‘Quipment! Bridge! Boat! Trees! Time tunnel! Tracks! It was really fun to see Paul experience something he’s only seen on TV or imagined from playing with his own trains or train tables at the Children’s Museum or Matthew’s house. Michael and I love being able to share these experiences with Paul, and I look forward to so many more fun, new experiences in the future.

After our train ride, we took a little break – it was very hot – and watched the kids’ singers perform. Paul immediately plopped into a little chair in the front row and got comfortable. He stayed there for a while! Long enough to make friends with the kid next to him and eat some of his Cheetohs before my friend Katee intervened for me (I was watching her baby, Luke, we switched kids!). Cheetohs aren’t bad but even without a nut allergy, I wouldn’t want Paul to eat after someone we don’t know. And with an allergy, you have to be so much more cautious.

Anyways, we all decided some Italian ices were well deserved and wow, were they well appreciated! It was so hot and they were cold and delicious and we all enjoyed them. Paul and Matthew were eager to get into the petting zoo, which was full mostly of aggressive goats, one small, white bunny, and a few sheep. They had a few coin-fed feed dispensers that you had to reach up to access, and no wonder, because one big brown goat would prop up on the gate and nose around in the hole as soon as he saw you put a quarter in. This was a very intimidating goat. Paul had been desperately trying to feed all the animals hay he picked up from the ground, so I got him some feed despite my reservations – I knew those goats would be all over us. That bully goat actually jumped up on me, but I wasn’t too bothered and the attendants got him down fast, talking about how much he was like a big dog. I finally got Paul some feed in his hand and he wouldn’t hold his hand out to the animals. At first I thought he was nervous, but then I saw him feeding one of the sheep one tiny piece from his handful. Hah! He wanted to make it last! He did well with it, although I ended up using most of the feed just to make it go quicker. I only thought he was about to be knocked into a bucket of water once, but he caught himself. We got out of there after that, but both boys, especially Matthew, wanted to go back! Michael went with him once and he kissed one of the sheep. For the past three days he has gotten to pet animals – kangaroos, bunnies, sheep, goats, a chicken – and he just gets braver and braver.

We walked around a bit after a few doses of hand sanitizer and a trip to the handwashing station. Paul climbed up the big ladder to go down the slide. He did great and did not need help, but the older boy in front of him kept checking on him and then wanted to go down the slide with Paul in his lap. He had his arm around Paul’s neck in a worrisome chokehold, but Paul looked ok and wanted to go again with the boy after, although he had already disappeared.

We spent the last fifteen minutes playing at the train tables where Paul probably would have been happy the entire three hours. He absolutely loves train tables! If we had more room and/or weren’t looking ahead to several more moves, we might have that on his Christmas list. For now we will just have to enjoy them where we can find them!

Of course we couldn’t leave without a little treat from the gift shop, two new little wooden trains. As we were walking out we felt some rain drops and once we got on the interstate, it came a downpour. We had already planned to meet Katee, Joe, Matty and Luke at the Rainforest Café at the Opry Mills Mall, so we went straight there. By the time we got there it had let up so only our shoes got really wet.

We have been to the mall a few times and every time we walk by the big automated hippo and snake outside the restaurant, Paul is both scared and enamored with it. This was our first time actually eating there, and we really enjoyed the jungle décor. Paul loved the fish tanks – we will have to go to the Aquarium Restaurant here – but was pretty scared when the monkeys started dancing around. He wanted to be close to Mama, but mostly just watched and said, “Scary!” Matthew had a similar reaction.

We had a really great time just sitting in the cool air and talking to Katee and Joe. The boys were happy to play with each other’s new trains. By the time we left it was 2:40 and all the kids were way past due on naps, but they were great nonetheless. We were sad to say goodbye but are hopeful they will make another trip to Nashville before we move on.