Yep….I’ve become that parent that posts about our Day Out with Thomas. Before having Luke, I saw people posting pictures of them and their kids at this Thomas event and thought, “Why would anyone want to go to that?” Well, as a parent, I think I would do anything to see joy in Luke’s eyes and face. I get excited if I get to show him something he likes just to see his reaction and that smile on his face. Sorry (but not sorry) for being so sentimental. I love the kid, and I love seeing him happy.

When Luke was about 18-months, he showed interest in Thomas the Train. He loves watching the cartoon on PBS and of course, loves the trains. I think Percy is his favorite character. So when we found out that Thomas was coming to town, we couldn’t wait to go and spend the day with all the trains. I think my husband was more excited.

We went to the Day Out With Thomas this past Saturday at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL (it’s about 50 miles northwest of Chicago). We arrived at 10:30 AM and thank goodness we did because it turned out to be a hot and stormy day. There was plenty to see and do. There was the model train tent (which Luke loved and wanted to touch everything), a craft tent, a gift shop, and of course a ride with Thomas. To ride with Thomas, you had to get in a gated corral for a certain time slot. The ride with Thomas lasted for about 20 minutes. Nothing special to me but Luke really thought he was riding with Thomas.

We got rained out during out day out with Thomas and stayed in a train storage for about 45 minutes. Therefore, I didn’t get a chance to take as many photos as I would have liked of the place. We left the museum with mud on our feet and very wet, but I think it was quite memorable day for us as we got to see Luke’s excitement when he saw Thomas. I think I had more fun dressing Luke up than the actual event (but don’t tell my husband that).