Tweetsie Railroad, here we come!

Last summer, P really started to take an interest in trains. So when Thomas came to Tweetsie Railroad in a town not too far from our house, we decided to take a trip for some "Wild West Family Fun." We had a blast, and decided to upgrade our single day tickets to season passes. We went to Tweetsie almost once a week (and occassionally twice!) all summer long. Grandma Paige and Poppa Fred gifted us with renewed passes for Christmas, and we were ready to go when the park opened for the season.
P could not wait to ride the train! No, not this one.

P wanted to ride the "mouse train at the top of the heel (hill)". He was "skeered" to ride this one. Never you mind that he rode it all the time last summer. Anyway, we hung out near the park entrance and watched this train for a while. P was happy to do that, and commented on the whistle and the steam. C was not a fan on the loud whistle, so Daddy A walked him toward the back of the train. (While they were walking and P and I were watching the train leave the station, an employeed ran into Daddy A and asked, "Where's the rest of the family?" Did I mention that we were frequent visitors to the park last summer?)

Despite being afraid to ride the train this summer, P is no longer afraid of the jail cell in Tweetsie Town. He was allowed to buy a black gun "like Samuel," which he placed in his holster and wore for the rest of the day weekend. And a good part of the next week. He even wore the empty holster to church. I made him leave his "gunny" in the car. Everyone has to draw a line somewhere.

We headed up the "heel" to the fudge shop for snacks, and took them to the Palace Saloon, where we watched Diamond Lil's Can Can Revue. P really enjoyed his "chocit train stick."

After the show, P chatted with the dancers a bit. Turns out that Miss Ruby is a dance student where P will be taking dance this summer. She was a good dancer, so that was nice to hear. Diamond Lil herself talked with the boys, and commented on how much C had grown this year and that he still had "those pretty blue eyes." (We were, ahem, pretty familiar with the Tweetsie staff by the end of last summer. I think I may have mentioned that.)
After the show, we headed forward in time a bit and drove into town to "cow chikin" for lunch. Then back to the park wild west and all the way to the top of the mountain. We got off the bus at the Deer Park and prepared to head down toward some rides. P surprised us by asking to feed the goats, which he had tired of by the end of last summer. I guess after a long break from the goats the novelty was back, because he fed plenty of them!

At this point in the day, C was pretty tired, because while P rode the planes

and the boats,

C rode in the stroller. And, you know, slept.

When we passed by the face painting station, P asked for a James. He wanted it on his arm, though, so he could see it. We finally got to the mouse train. While we waited for our turn to ride, P looked at his freshly painted arm.

The engineer on the mouse train offered to take a family photo. I know, C looks unhappy. But really, he didn't realize she was snapping the picture and he blinked. Or something. But this is the only family photo we got that day, so here it is:

Finally, even P was exhausted. We made our way back down the hill as he slept in his stroller. Clutching his prized toy gun.

We had a blast, and we're already planning a trip back the first week in June to see the Little Blue Engine and Sir Topham Hatt!