These Are A Few Of My Fav-or-ite Things!

Have you ever been passionate about something? Or maybe ever so slightly obsessed? What if you were a little preoccupied with umm, let's say for the sake of conversation... trains? What do you think you would need to get you through the day? Maybe a nice "whoo! whoo! hat!"....

And maybe a new...

...and different...

...train...

...everywhere...

...you...

...went???!

There's definitely no way to predict what your child will be into. But, we were warned early on to look out, because around 2 or 3 boys REALLY get into trains. Let's just say I think we started a little early. Around 15 months! The kid can already identify just about every part of a train: wheels, bell, whistle, smoke stack, light, where the engineer sits, coal car, passenger car and caboose (which he current calls the "boo-se".)

To say that Dash is OOOOOB-sessed with trains is an understatement. Many a morning starts with him jumping up in his crib shouting "Whoo! Whoo!! Track!! Whoo! WHOO!!! Choo, choo, choo, choo!!" Then after I collect him and take him downstairs he finds it necessary to gather his hat and his train books and settle in for storytime with a breakfast smoothie.

Given his penchant for trains, my parents made sure that Dashy saw every single electric train in Chicago went we went to visit over the Thanksgiving holiday!

Dash was beside himself.

 

He had never seen so many amazing trains in his life!!

So, of course out here in California, we've taken him on every train ride in the area as well as a local park where you can actually see (and climb on!) real retired trains.

Dash LOVES it and we have been more then once. And, as if this park couldn't be any more amazing, they have a ride-on train too, where you get to circle trains in a TRAIN!!!

The ride-on train is just a little bit more his size. I mean, look at how tiny the kid is...

The size comparison kills me!

But, please don't think that it is only trains that the child is hooked on. Oh no, that my friend would be a grave mistake! One that I am sure you, who have been reading along for a while, will not make.

As I have mentioned countless times before, Dash has a "small" thing for sticks. If he is outside...the boy has a stick. Consequently, I have hundreds of pictures like this...

Dash in motion, with... a stick. Not usually what I'm shooting for!

I'm not going to delve too deeply into the Freudian aspect of this, but lately Dashell has been gravitating toward larger and larger sticks. Consequently, he always seems to be on the look-out to trade up...

What do you think? Hmmm... right??!

Uh, um, anyway, getting back to sticks...  Although Dash doesn't quite understand sharing yet (thank goodness, I don't want to have to worry about him sharing his stick at such a young, tender age!!), he has been pretty adept lately at pointing out the virtues of a good stick to the less enlightened.

And I think he really has a thing for speading the word, because he seems to leave converts in his path where ever he goes...

Outside of trains and sticks there are, of course, tractors...

...trucks and cars. Dash has words or signs for garbage trucks, dump trucks, cement trucks, taxis and buses.

And last but not least, I absolutely can't forget the two things closest to his heart, Ducky and Sheepy...

... (his wubbies). Life would be simply unbearable without them!