"Daddy! Play trains!"

It is a well known fact in our household that Brant is a little kid at heart. Sure, he is working on his doctorate, reading scholarly works, and getting published in notable theological journals, but deep down, he is a little boy who has always loved to play. Specifically, play with trains.

Brant grew up with friends who owned the famous "Brio" wooden train sets. They would play trains for hours. He has talked about these train sets since I first met him, and how someday he was going to have a train set to play with with his kids. Well, that day finally arrived.

At the start of September, we brought home a wooden train starter set from Target. It does not have the "Brio" name, so we didn't have to pay the "Brio" price (score!). It goes in a simple figure-8, along with a bridge, a tunnel, 4 train cars, 2 additional vehicles, trees, a train station and a conductor. Maddie had been introduced to trains at a friend's house, but only to an individual train car, not the tracks and other bells and whistles. Brant could barely contain his excitement; his face was that of a 4 year-old little boy, lit up with anticipation of bringing the box home and digging into its contents. I knew he was excited to give Maddie her first train set, but I think he was just a bit more excited (and possibly in awe) that he was becoming a wooden train set owner for the very first time himself.

On the drive home from the store, Brant was talking up "playing trains" with Maddie, getting her all pumped up for something she couldn't even fathom. We walked in the front door and Brant bee-lined it back to Maddie's room, train set in hand. Maddie bounced in quickly behind him. I knew this was going to be a photo-opportunity, so I was quick to get my camera and document Brant and Maddie putting together their very first train set...

Here we go!Showing her how its done.I want to help, too!Look at the bridge!My first little wooden red caboose!I think I'm going to like this!This is so much fun! The master conductor, teaching Maddie the ropes.She's a natural, just like her Daddy.Not a day goes by, seriously, not a day, where Brant doesn't walk in the door in the afternoons to hear Maddie joyfully exclaim, "Daddy! Play trains!" And he happily obliges. :)