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Sunday, June 23, 2013

Lincoln's Day Out With Thomas - Review {2013 Summer Bucket List}

Disclosure: In exchange for my post and to facilitate my honest review of this experience, I received tickets to the event for my family. No other compensation was received and all opinions expressed are my own.


What's big and blue and brings smiles wherever he goes? Why, Thomas the Tank Engine - of course! This iconic really helpful engine is a longstanding favorite with the preschool crowd, and our toddler is no exception. He loves choo-choo trains almost as much as he loves trucks!

As soon as I heard about the A Day Out With Thomas experience (hosted local to us at Midland Railway in Baldwin City, Kansas), I knew it would be something Lincoln would enjoy. We had tickets for the second weekend Thomas was in town, which turned out to be a good thing since we spent the weekend before in the ER. We had had a really low-key week after Lincoln's burn incident, so this was the first time he really was able to do any sort of activity, and the first time he had spent much time outside. I was worried that he would be overwhelmed, but he just seemed thrilled to be out of the house.


Baldwin City is about an hour's drive from us, and we were running a few minutes late thanks to traffic - but we arrived in time for our 11:15am departure. We went straight to the boarding line and waited for the train to arrive.


The event is clearly planned with children in mind - even as we waited in the boarding line, we were greeted by a friendly clown who gave Lincoln a sticker! Lincoln was a little unsure about the clown, but did eventually offer up a high-five.


Lincoln was still pretty bandaged up and had some open spots from the burn on his chin, so he wore a cute floppy hat throughout our excursion to minimize sun exposure. He didn't really seem to mind.


Our little family boarded the train and set out to find seats. We were last in the boarding line, and the car we entered was pretty full. Thankfully, we were escorted by a friendly staff member to the adjoining car, where there were more open seats! We settled in for the ride. Lincoln was pretty excited to be riding a "choo-choo!"


Family photo!

Addie was snug in her Peanut Shell sling, and was happy to just watch the events unfold around her.

Sling and Chewbeads = happy baby!

And them, we were off! Lincoln was delighted to hear the train whistle and tried (multiple times) to lean out the window. He wore a delighted grin as we headed out of the station.



The ride lasted about twenty-five minutes. We had a relaxing ride, and received certificates saying our kids had been passengers on Thomas. Maybe halfway through the ride, Lincoln decided that he wanted to run around the train, rather than sit still. At 2 years old, he is a very busy little man - and he had been cooped up inside our house most of the week, so sitting still for so long was a little much for him. I think next year his comprehension will be a little greater and he will enjoy the ride even more.


We disembarked after our ride and set off to explore the rest of the attractions. There were so many things to see and do! There were bounce houses, a magic show, a meet and greet with Sir Topham Hatt, and much more. We were even able to support a local BBQ vendor and have an impromptu family picnic on the grounds!


Lincoln had a blast playing with the Thomas train tables in the Imagination Station tent. It was a busy place, but there were plenty of trains to go around.


Lincoln didn't sit still long enough to color or stamp with the provided art supplies, but it still looked like great fun!

We found Lincoln's friend Grace!


The fire truck on the grounds provided extra entertainment for my truck-loving boy! We easily occupied a couple of hours of our afternoon with all the fun and would have stayed even longer, but Addie was getting restless and Lincoln was pretty worn out from all the excitement!


Before we headed out, we made a quick stop to visit some exotic animals. Lincoln kept calling the kangaroo a "bunny" - hilarious.


Our train-riding adventure was definitely a success! I can't wait to take Lincoln and Adelaide on another train ride next year! I think that we may plan to bring grandparents along to help keep track of everyone next time. When Lincoln sees these photos, he grins and says "Train?" so I think the experience left a big impression on him. This was the first item we were able to check off our summer bucket list, and it was a great way to start off our summer of fun!

Come see how much progress we have made on our list!

See you soon, Thomas!

Thanks to US Family Guide and A Day Out With Thomas for my review tickets. I received no other compensation and all opinions expressed are my own. For more information, you can read my Disclosure Policy.

4 comments:

  1. How does she fit in there? Does she just sit in it with her legs stradled around you? Or is she just in front? Doesn't it hurt your shoulder?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She's pretty much positioned on my hip, just supported by the sling. I can't wear it for hours on end since it puts all her weight on just one shoulder, but I do like it since she is all snuggled up against me. If I'm wearing her for a longer time, I usually use my Ergo carrier, which has a more ergonomic design (hence the name...ha).

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  2. What about the live shows (magic and interactive percussion)?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We didn't actually watch any of the live shows as Lincoln refused to sit still. I'm thinking next year he will likely be old enough to enjoy those aspects of the day a little more!

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