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All aboard!

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Anyone who knows anything about my two boys knows that they are absolutely consumed by all things trains. Real ones, fake ones, as long as it has a funnel and says, "Choo-choo!" they are all in. I have spent more time than I like to admit sitting next to the tracks at our local station just watching the trains chug in and chug out. The way some children are bribed with lollipops and fruit snacks, mine are bribed with time at the station. Anyway, you get the picture.

All that being said, you can imagine my reaction when I found out last summer that there was going to be a brand new amusement park opening entirely devoted to . . . Thomas and Friends. That's right: 11.5 square acres of pure thematic devotion to the Island of Sodor and all its useful engines.  The first time I heard about Thomas Land I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and I saw that the Thomas and Friends page had updated their status with information about the upcoming grand opening of the park. I remember having mixed feelings of elation and anxiety as I clicked the link and prayed that the park would be within (relative) driving distance of our house. When I found out that the park is located in Carver, Massachusetts, I was ecstatic. Having just recently purchased a summer house on the Connecticut shoreline, I found out that Carver was just a short 90 minutes from our beach house. I think it took three more sips of coffee before I had purchased tickets for myself and the boys for our inaugural trip to (Utopia) Thomas Land.

Our first trip to Sodor was a wild success, but our return visit just a few weeks ago was nothing short of magical. Much anticipation had built prior to this trip knowing that new rides had been added since last year and that the boys' beloved Oma and Opa (my parents) and Doug (my husband) would be able to join us this go round. Having learned how to avoid the incessant "When are we going to..." line of questioning years ago, I kept the date of our actual trip a secret from the boys until we were physically in the car and on our way there. After grabbing my parents fresh from the airport in Providence, Rhode Island, our journey began.


When you first arrive at (the Promised Land) Thomas Land, the gates of locomotive euphoria welcome you. If you only knew how long we spent just admiring and examining every square inch of the "real life railroad crossing," you wouldn't believe me. 

Oma and Opa were fresh off of their 6:00am flight from Florida but it was still hard to tell who was more excited to fly Harold the Helicopter or ride Bertie the Bus -- them or the boys! Alejandro and Antonio are blessed with truly erstaunliche Großeltern (amazing grandparents)!
Without a doubt, this replica clock from Knapford Station in Sodor is one of my absolute favorite features of the park. It is just such a beautiful and perfectly British timepiece. (Note Tino's sly slide of his sunglasses in this shot, a la Maverick from Top Gun.) 
I managed to grab this shot of the replica of Tidmouth Sheds while we were on "Wilson's Sky Ride," one of the new rides that was open for park goers this year. 
Never to be left in the back row, Alejandro and Antonio managed to grab a front row seat for the little live show that runs every hour at the park.  The show is super fun and each of the engines has a live "talking" role, complete with steam from their funnels and -- get excited parents -- interactive audience dance segments. Let's just say Doug didn't win any points for his "starburst hands" moves. 
And if you're a card carrying fan of the Sir Topham Hatt Fan Club, which I happen to be, this would be your favorite part of the live show. A live pairing of Sir Topham Hatt with resident railway curmudgeon Gordon, my absolute favorite engine, was a highlight of for me. "Oh, the indignity!" (If you don't get that reference, never fear! You're welcome.)
Take a ride through the Diesel Works and you'll find a beautiful rear view of the park. From here you can see several of the rides, including Cranky's Crane Drop, which my Alejandro was tickled pink to be able to try this year after being just a smidge too small last year. I think we can all agree that you don't have to be a Thomas aficionado to appreciate the lengths park creators went to in leaving no stone unturned in their design. 
In addition to the Thomas inspired rides, there is also a real locomotive that the kids are welcome to explore at their leisure. As for the sign to Tino's left, let's just say it's a good thing that neither of my my dutiful rule followers can read yet . . . 
No recap of Thomas Land is complete without mentioning the real Thomas steam engine that offers unlimited rides for all park goers every 20-30 minutes. The engine has both indoor and outdoor cars, including one very red, very shiny caboose that our family had all to ourselves after saving our train rides (that's correct -- we had to take two -- back to back) for last.  Our two very rosy cheeked boys (did I mention we happened to go on the very hottest day of the summer so far?!) were overjoyed to have their picture taken with this oh-so-kind Conductor and his shiny pocket watch. 

To say that this trip was a highlight of (our) their summer thus far would be the understatement of the millennium. Our day was filled with nothing but emotional peaks, spent with our favorite people on the planet (Wir lieben Oma und Opa!). Despite the 91 degree temperatures (for any of my Southern readers, you have to understand 91 degrees to us Northerners basically feels like we are sitting on the sun) paired with an early rising and absence of nap, this was a day I wish we could relive again and again. I soaked up every ounce of the joy that never left my sons' faces during our 6 hours at Thomas Land; the purest kind of joy that seems to belong only to children.  The longer I am a parent I realize that this joy is a gift enjoyed most fully in childhood, but our children pass it on to us in their own special way so long as we take the time to slow down enough to notice.  My boys have taught me to really hear the whistle of every passing train and to really see the blinking lights at every railroad crossing.  Every day as their mother is a lesson in gratitude from which I hope to never stop learning. 

xoxo

Ashley 

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