Patee House Museum

Eli loves trains. He has grown up liking Thomas and we have long been amazed at his ability to identify the different trains. He received a Lionel Train Set as a Christmas gift, I think two years ago. As a little guy he was afraid of it such that we had to put it away. Right before Christmas this year, we got it out again and he was enthralled by it and yet still careful around it. Below is a picture of that day. He was wanting to grab his wooden train whistle but is being very careful to keep his eye on the train and to maintain his distance.

Eli loves trains so much that he even likes to watch his Lionel Instructional DVD that came with his set. He watches this as much as he watches his other videos. From this he has learned all kinds of new terminology. I caught him, while playing by himself the other day say, something about the "Lionel FASTRACK track system". He knows the term coupling and all about his powerful CW80 Transformer. Papa Tanner (Lisa's Dad) also likes trains. From him he has learned about boxcars (Eli calls them "foxcars"), hoppers (Eli calls them "poppers") and tank cars. He is fond of saying Diesel Locomotive and can identify these engines as such.

In an effort to get him to sit still in church, we have been rewarding him with train related events. The first reward was a trip to the "train store". Eli is a very particular little guy and everything must be just so. In church that day, we forgot to bring his snacks. This would normally be an occasion for a melt down but on this day, one little phrase diffused the situation, train store. Just like that, he bit his lip and fell asleep on Momma's lap, and Daddy was able to enjoy the sermon without the anxiety of him interrupting someone else.

Well, the train store left a little to be desired. I think he enjoyed it well enough but it really had very little. The plan the following week was to take Papa Tanner to the train store, if Eli was good. His behavior on this day was border line. When the service was over he looked at me and said, "I did good." I said, "Not really" and the kid burst into tears. We didn't end up going to the train store that day.

We have been wanting to get him something to add to his train set. He most often talks about getting a diesel engine but for some reason he has gotten it into his head that he will be afraid of it. He'll say something like, "I want a diesel engine but it doesn't have a whistle and it won't be loud." Sometimes, because of this fear, he says that Isaac is going to get a diesel engine.

The other day Lisa and I were talking about something (uninteresting grown up talk) and Eli came up and said, "Are you guys talking about diesel locomotives?" We said, "Uh, no." I then said as he was walking away, "He sure has a one track mind." He turned and said, "What are you talking about Daddy, are you talking about tracks?"

Our next "bribe" (if you must) was a trip to the train museum. This particular museum is the Patee House Museum in St. Joe. We met Po (My Dad), Pappa & Nana Tanner, and cousin Skylar in St. Joe. The museum is very neat. They have a lot of stuff from the history of St. Joe and they do a good job of transporting you back to the 19th century. $5 for adults, $3 for students, 5 and under are free. We were there for over 2 hours. The main attraction, of course, was the steam engine they have on display. Despite his excitement, he was afraid of it. We had to assure him that there were no loud bells or whistles and that it wasn't going anywhere. We wanted him to go near the train so that we could take a picture. He would have none of that. We had to settle for the little train below.

They also have a room with a substantial train layout in a glass case. It operates with the touch of a button on the side of the case. This was a big hit.

The next day Eli asked Lisa, "Tell me the story when we went to the train museum." Gladly buddy. That story and your love of trains will be things we long cherish from your childhood.

We are hoping to hit Union Station soon with Gammie and Papa.

We wanted to take his picture on the big train but we had to settle for this little train. He was a bit afraid of the steamie.