Milo loves...

In addition to his love affair with Thomas the Train, Milo has some other characters with whom he spends a lot of time. We read "Where the Wild Things Are" and "Cowboy Small" several times a day. He can finish the sentences to the story as I read, and we're trying to recognize some letters; right now, he can point out all the O's and some M's. I love how characters from books show up in his play conversations with Thomas or his closing dialogue for his day when he's put to bed at night. I read a study two language specialists did with their own toddler daughter about the importance of the seeming babble she did alone in her crib. They found the talk she did alone was very important for processing events of the day and learning language. I love hearing Milo do this with the real events of the day and mixes of Cowboy Small, Thomas and Max making appearances in his self talk as well.

Thomas!

This Sunday morning, we drove over to Filmore to ride a real Thomas the Train! Milo's little face lit up when he saw Thomas! He kept repeating as we were walking over, "I ride Thomas, I ride Thomas." Thankfully, we booked an early ride, because it was a hot day, and the attraction was very crowded!

Milo had a great time checking out the train car and watching the landscape go by. His favorite part was going in the tunnel!

So Much Fun

Posing with Thomas

After the train ride, there was still a lot to do. There were about 3 covered tent areas with different train set-ups. Milo could have spent all day there; he was having so much fun! There were also some jumpers and carnival-like food which we skipped for the gift shop and firetruck and Sir. Topham Hatt. There was oddly, someone with a gigantic tortoise. That didn't seem to fit the theme, so we didn't get to close to that either. If Milo is still into this next year, I can see us going again. He was so happy!

Winding up the Day

Thomas returns to the station with a new bunch of kids.
A firetruck with two nice firefighters let kids take turns sitting in their truck.

Sir Topham Hatt waved goodbye to us as we left. I'll be he/she was happy to get out of that suit on the 80+ degree morning. We certainly had our fill of fun. We pushed our luck taking Milo into the store; he didn't understand that it wasn't like the rest of the activities, and he couldn't play with everything there. I always get very anxious when he cries in public. Lyman asked me on the way home, after my heart-rate returned to normal, if I heard all the other kids throwing a tantrum? I really didn't- just Milo and that was enough. Milo was happy to leave the store when he saw Sir Topham Hatt and all the fun stuff Daddy came out with.

Back at home, Milo got busy playing with his train set.

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday we were a very merry party with our good friends Lesli and Ivan. Lyman outdid himself making an incredible meal! Mom make a fluffy, yummy dessert. It was a bitter sweet day with mom and dad leaving short after. We miss them so much! I have been hunting on-line for flights to see you and all our other Hoosiers soon.

Barber Dave

For those of you who don't know, my dad used to be a professional barber until he and mom had Kelly. Milo was so well behaved getting a little trim from his grandpa!

Happy Easter

I thought it was going to be tough to have as much fun as we had in San Diego, but we have found plenty to do and see. Also, it's more fun to come home where we can nap and sleep on a schedule! Check out the next blogs to see what we have done this week! Happy Easter to you all!

Carousel in the Park

This historic gem is a fun, fast ride!

Around Town

For more fun this week, we went to

The Autry Museum of Western Heritage and, one of our favorites, the zoo.

In the Garden

We went to a beautiful garden today for an egg hunt and train ride for Milo and a look around for Grandma Penny. The ladies will have to go back again for lunch in the cafe and closer look at the shop, but Milo had a wonderful morning with all the other little egg hunters.

Egg Hunt

Milo "finds" his five eggs and heads out.
He picked out a toy squirrel as a prize to go with his eggs.

Later, while waiting for the train ride, he found a drain cover to stick some sticks; it may have been more fun than the egg hunt!

Grandma and Grandpa

Grandma Penny and Grandpa Dave are here for a visit, and boy are we having fun. So much fun, Milo is pooped! Keep reading to see all the fun times we have had so far.

Night Out

Friday night Mom and Dad watched Milo in the hotel so I could go see Lyman play with Steve. They went Saturday night for a date. The show was great, Lyman sounded wonderful in both his bass solos and back-up singing; he got a lot of special applause. Afterward, we went out for another drink with Jon and Lindsay (pictured here), and that was super fun.

San Diego Zoo

Saturday we went to the Zoo without Daddy (who had to work on the taxes). It was a wonderful day with a perfect child. Great weather, wonderful sights, good food, and happy tourists. We had so much fun, the only sad thing was our feet.

What species of wild animal is this?

Sea World

Sunday we spent the day at Sea World. Right after we entered the park, we headed to the the Shamu show "Believe" which was beautiful and amazing. Unfortunately, the rest of the day went downhill from there. Milo needed a nap after that, but he didn't drift like an angel as he did in the zoo. Oh no. He had to fight and scream. We found a remote path (where there was just an aquarium with live fish and no ride) and Dad patiently strolled him around. During the screaming and strolling, I was wringing my hands and having a anxiety attack. Mom was trying to calm me, and I asked her if she heard his screaming. I was hopeful I was just having a mother's moment when only I could hear the cry of my child. Mom says, "That's not Milo." To which I replied, "Yes it is." to hear her say, "Well this is awful then."
Finally, the boys' plan worked, and he slept. We then enjoyed a quiet and relaxing lunch, saw a dolphin show, Milo woke up, he rode some rides, he cried and cried for a sword (we said no, we don't do swords), he cried some more, we saw horses (it's a little weird that the place is sponsored by a beer company) and we left. Lyman says he'll never go back, I'll give it another shot in 6-10 years. After all, that whale show was amazing.

Spin Ride at Sea World