He started IT!

It all started with a Christmas Tree....actually it started under a Christmas Tree. As many of you know when my son was 1 1/2 my husband started a two-year nursing program. This led me to find new and inventive ways to get Travis out of the house so my husband could study. It was time for finals and my mother-in-law called to tell us that they had put up their tree. So I packed up my toddler and headed over. We arrived and the minute my son saw that tree, he was hooked...for underneath the tree was a train circling through a small village. He was enthralled with that train. And my husband's grandfather Ernie, the owner of said train, was happy that this little guy took such an interest. He has always been a train enthusiast. Watching Travis and his Great Grandfather was like watching two little boys...the four generations that separated these two people melted away. My son got down on his belly and watched the wheels roll on the tracks and the pistons pump. He peered into the tunnel as the train went in and ran to the other side to see it come out. And at 1 1/2 he didn't even try to touch it. At that point it was enough to just look.

This experience was the trigger for many train adventures with Travis and Grandpa Ernie. We have been to Essex Steam Train, Edaville Railroad, and Forest Park in Springfield to see the Christmas Trains. Each Christmas has been a new adventure for Travis, as he has been asked to actually help Grandpa Ernie set up the train under the tree. This is an honor that has never been bestowed on a grandchild before! We have bought Grandpa presents to include in his village, including a light up Home Depot, which no village should be without. And Grandpa Ernie has even taken Travis to meet his friend who is the engineer on the commuter train into Boston. My son was three years old and he drove the train while Grandpa Ernie got to ask lots of questions and even blow the horn a few times. And when Grandpa Ernie flies (drives) south for the winter, his daughter, Grandma BJ, has stepped in and taken our boy to the Train Show at the Big E.

So when anyone ask how Travis got started with his obsession with trains, I tell them Grandpa Ernie started it. It is fun to watch two "boys" (separated by 74 years in age) come together. It is also wonderful to know that it is creating special memories that will always be cherished by the participants and the observers.

Christmas is only a little over 4 months away. My son started asking to put up the Christmas Train in February. This year they may have to make room for one more, as our daughter Chelsea loves to play trains with her brother! Move over boys! There is a new Engineer in town.

A young Grandpa Ernie plays with a train in Springfield Massachusetts. The trains have since gotten bigger and more complex, but the love of trains and the enamored look on his face when he sees them today remains the same!

Travis's sees the Christmas Tree Train for the first time... It was love at first sight.

Travis poses in front of the T right before he hops on and drives. It was a dream come true! Whenever we see the commuter train he says "There is the train I drove!"

Grandpa Ernie and Chelsea last Christmas. Something tells me he won't mind welcoming her aboard his engineering team! Travis, on the other hand, is a different story!

Travis in a recent pose with trains. He has taken it to a new level and occasionally will dress the part as well. It is very common to hear "choo choo!" during a visit to our house. And for this we say a big thanks to Grandpa Ernie, whose love of trains has been passed down to his little great-grandson and provided him with hours upon hours of entertainment and fascination. We love Grandpa Ernie!