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Jun 1, 2011

Our Day Out With Thomas

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I’ll admit I was a little lazy this year and didn’t throw a big birthday party for Mira. However, I’m not totally to blame – I had the option of throwing her a party, or instead taking her for an amazing day out with her favorite TV celebrity, Thomas the Tank Engine.

Sure, Mira likes cake and ice cream, but the opportunity to ride in a train car pulled by Thomas? What can top that?

Mira may be a girly-girl who loves pink and dresses, but she’s also a Thomas fanatic. Her blankets are Thomas. Her pajamas are Thomas. Her entire room is decorated in Thomas and the other engines. I read her a Thomas book every night at bedtime. If this kid could write, she’d probably be sending creepy stalker love letters to Thomas.

Our day started out bright and early with a long drive towards the Cleveland area. The Day Out With Thomas event travels all across the country to different scenic railways – it’s a great way to connect train-obsessed children with the local railway resources in their areas. Our stop was at the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway, which had been taken over with everything Thomas for that weekend.

Aside from the train ride itself, there were lots of activities at the event. They had bounce houses and an activity tent filled with Thomas train sets to play with and activity sheets to color. The story time tent featured live readings of Thomas stories and occasional videos as well. You could also meet Sir Topham Hatt and get your photo taken with him. They had live music and a magician, a spot for kids to get free temporary tattoos, and of course a huge gift shop.

Mira gets her Thomas tattoo

Thomas was the main attraction, however, and Mira was asking where he was from the moment she stepped out of the car. We weren’t there long before our boarding group was instructed to come to the station to line up. And then, from around the bend, we saw him chugging along on the tracks:

De traaaain, de traaaaain!

I thought Mira might faint from excitement at that moment. Even as an adult, I have to admit it was pretty cool. The engine looked just like the toy models on TV, complete with moving eyes and puffing steam. We waited for the previous passengers to unload, then found our assigned car and climbed on board. Two little girls could not be happier.

No, really, they’re happy. Even if they are trying to throw the other to the floor.

The train ride lasted about 20 minutes and took us through some beautiful woods and fields. During that time Thomas music played from the speakers (very quietly) and a short Thomas story was told. A costumed conductor came through the car and punched our tickets, chatted with the kids, and near the end presented each child with their own Jr. Engineer certificate.

When the ride was over, the girls asked for a quick photo by Thomas and then they played in the activity tent for bit.

We played for a short while longer, then took a peek through the gift shop and let Cordy and Mira each pick out one souvenir before heading for home.

Did Mira have a good birthday? Well, this was her 5 minutes after leaving the Day Out With Thomas:

She later declared it was the best birthday ever. Considering all of the birthday parties she’s attended in the past month for her classmates, I felt pretty good that we came through with something that didn’t involve spending a lot of money to rent out a party facility. Parties with friends can come later – for a four year old who likes trains, I think this was a pretty awesome birthday.

Full disclosure: I did receive complimentary tickets for the Day Out With Thomas event in exchange for sharing my honest opinions of it. It was a fun family outing, and I can already tell you we’re planning to purchase tickets for when Thomas travels to southern Ohio in the fall.

Filed Under: family time, growing up, Mira, pop culture ·


May 30, 2011

The Definition of Four

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“OK, sweetie, give me a pretty smile and show me what four years old looks like!”

…

Yep, that sums it up pretty well. 
Filed Under: growing up, kid logic, Mira ·


May 27, 2011

Four Going On Twenty

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Four.

How is it possible that my baby is four years old today? It seems like only a short time ago that she was cradled in my arms, the needy baby who insisted that she was always attached to me. She lived her first year in my arms or strapped to me in some way. And while she is more independent now, she still comes to me every evening, asking, “Can I sit wif you?”

At the same time, I wonder how it’s possible that only four years have passed since Mira joined our family? It’s hard to remember a time when she wasn’t babbling loudly about some random subject, taunting her older sister, spinning in circles until she falls down, or stomping her foot in protest at some slight.

Mira is convinced she can do anything, and telling her no only encourages her to try it. That would be why my brand new can of sunscreen is empty after she found it one morning and applied “just three sprays” to herself and everything around her, draining the can.

When scolded, you can see her deep in thought, already trying to determine how to get out of the situation and working on what to do next. She has no shame in approaching anyone – even strangers – and attempting to manipulate them to get what she wants. But just when you reach your breaking point with her, she swoops in with an, “I wuv you” and a hug and completely disarms you.
 
Despite her speech apraxia, Mira talks nonstop. She will repeat herself several times if you don’t acknowledge her the first time – although acknowledging what she said only leads her to continue on to a new tangent. But practice does make perfect, and her speech is getting better and better, even if I do wish she’d understand that silence is occasionally a Good Thing.

At four years old, she’s already had a boyfriend. She’s already determined she wants to be a mail carrier or a train engineer when she grows up, and plans to drive a pink car. And she plans to be a mommy, too.

She’s my social butterfly. My drama queen. My force of nature. (Tsunami? Hurricane, maybe?) The child who will keep my stylist in business from needing to color over all of the grey hairs she gives me. The girl with the pretty curls and long eyelashes who will likely keep Aaron up late at night when she’s out with friends as a teen.

As much as I laugh at how stubborn and unruly Mira can be, I love how aware she is of everything around her. She’s funny and knows how to say just the right thing at just the right time. She never forgets anything said to her. She has an eye for fashion and loves to pick out her own clothing. (Pink, of course.) Her favorite animals are polar bears and she never falls asleep without her precious pink stuffed polar bear tight in her arms.

  And her tiara.

Happy birthday, Mira. You’re four years old now, but that doesn’t mean you get to drive yet. Sorry, little girl, you have to wait to grow up. But trust me: enjoy being small while you can, because you’ll have a lot of time to be an adult. And you can’t just smile and say “I wuv you” to get out of trouble as an adult.
 

 Yeah, you’re pretty cute…
 …but every boy you bring home will be required to view this photo of you.
Filed Under: growing up, Mira ·


May 6, 2011

Mother’s Day Presents

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Scene: In the car the other day.

Cordy: Mama, it will be Mother’s Day soon. What kind of present do you want?

Me: I don’t know. What do you think I’d like?

Mira: Mommy, you like flowers!

Me: Well, yeah, flowers are OK I guess.

Cordy: No, Mira! Mommy likes chocolates more! You want chocolates for Mother’s Day, right?

Me: Ummm…I am trying to diet…

Mira: Flowers! Mommy wants flowers!

Cordy: Chocolates!

Mira: Flooooowers!

Cordy: Chooooocolates!

Me: What about sleep? I’d like that for Mother’s Day.

Mira: Mommy, that’s not a present!

Me: Oh, you’d be surprised what mommies would consider presents…

Later…

Cordy: Mama, I know what your present will be! Us! We’re your presents, mommy!

Me: Well, yes, but actually, you’re the reason I get presents on Mother’s Day.

Cordy: (panic in her voice) But we can’t get you anything because the Toys R Us doesn’t have anything you like!

Me: Um…well, I guess that’s true…

Cordy: So if you don’t like anything from the Toys R Us, we won’t have anything to give you! Can’t you like a toy that we like, and then we can get you that?

Me: I think you’re missing the point now…

—

After that conversation, I’m a little scared to think what will be waiting for me on Mother’s Day. It’ll either be nothing, flowers, chocolates, or a new Thomas & Friends train set with some easy reader Backyardigans books.

Note to self: teach my children what “spa” means and why mommies like it.

And I still argue that sleep can be a present.

Filed Under: being a mom, Cordy, kid logic, love, me me me, Mira ·


Apr 29, 2011

Anglophile

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Yes, I’m watching the royal wedding this morning. Well, I’ll be recording it this morning, since work and taking Mira to preschool will be cutting into my royal TV time.

I know some people can’t wait for the wedding to be over with, but I’m giddy with excitement. Truth is, when storks were dropping off babies in the 70’s, my stork clearly read the address wrong and brought me to Ohio when I should have been delivered to some family in the British Isles.

I’ve been an anglophile for many, many years, appreciating nearly everything about the British people, culture and government. I spent a summer in London in college, and during my time there I felt more “at-home” with my surroundings than I ever have in my life. I considered skipping my flight home to pursue citizenship, but came to my senses when I realized I had no money and still no college degree yet. I left that country vowing to return again someday.

When Diana Spencer walked down the aisle to become Princess Diana? I watched it. I was proud that her first-born son, William, was born on my birthday. (Although a few years later than me.) During my time in England, I lived in a dorm in Kensington and remember playing soccer on the green just outside of Diana’s primary residence, Kensington Palace.

Many years later, when Diana was in the car accident that took her life, I watched the story unfold on CNN. I wished and prayed that she would survive, and then sobbed when they announced that she had died. I watched her funeral from start to finish, stunned that this stunningly beautiful humanitarian – a woman who used her power and influence to bring notice to those who suffered and needed help – would be taken from us so young.

And now her son is marrying his college sweetheart, and I couldn’t be happier for them. The royal family may seem like an out-of-place establishment in the modern world, but I think it still has relevance. They provide a living connection to the history and very nature of their culture. And as I’ve often joked, a monarch that is groomed from the beginning for their role in the government (even if it is a very minor role now) provides stability and continuity that I often feel is lacking in our constantly rotating parade of politicians in the United States. Prime Ministers may come and go, but they have the benefit of seeking advice from the one person who has seen the government through many changes and is well-educated on the topic.

(I don’t want to get into an argument over which government system is better or calling for a return to the feudal monarchy system – I’m just pointing out that there are some advantages to a constitutional monarchy.)

Anyway, I’m looking forward to the wedding. I can’t wait to see demonstrations of the history, ceremony and style of the British people, but even more, it’s about the pleasure of seeing the genuine happiness of two people who love each other very much making the ultimate commitment to each other.
And to get in the spirit, Mira is already practicing her royal stiff upper-lip while wearing her tiara. She’s available for any discussions of betrothal contracts with princes who like trains and can promise her lots of dresses and a pink castle.

Formal portrait of HRH Miranda of Ohio
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