history museum...

upon a GREAT recommendation from Natalie and Grandpa, we met them at the History Museum in Forest Park this afternoon. they had a train exhibit there (last day was today). we got there late, so all we got to do was look at the trains that were displayed (no other activities as late as we were there). the boys had a BLAST! there were only 3 train tables set up, but they loved them. jack could have stayed and watched all day. he was obsessed with the trains at the pumpkin patch we went to, too. it was so neat to see them so fascinated. it is times like this that make me miss my dad even more than i already do.
my dad LOVED Lionel trains. he was a HUGE collector. he even had a 2nd phone line installed in our house to make/receive phone calls on train collections. he had business cards made. our basement was floor to ceiling, layers of trains upon trains. he even had a multi-layered "city" built up in one corner. it was amazing down there. when i was born, i was affectionatly named "the caboose."
i can even remember when he first started using the computer, he swore up and down he'd never use the "internet." he got ahold of a cheap modem, i hooked it up...and he was lost into the world wide web. he found a site similar to Ebay and was like a kid in a candy store, "did you know i can find Lionel trains on the internet?" he was a happy camper (though he never made purchases).
so, needless to say, this afternoon was so much fun for me for more than just my children's happiness...it brought back some wonderful memories of my own dad.
here are some of the pictures:


the train says, "choo-choo"

"this is totally cool! how do they work?"