After documenting Connor's obsession with Thomas the Tank just yesterday, last night only made it that much more clear. Our good cousins, Katie and Josh, offered to come over to watch the boys so that Josh and I could have an evening out.
We don't do much on these occasional escapes, usually just a bite to eat at a sit-down restaurant that doesn't have chicken nuggets or playlands, and then we run any errands that need to be done. Last night was no exception. We went to Applebee's for dinner, then stopped by a couple places Josh needed to go for work, then finally drove across town to visit the local Toys 'R Us (we had gift cards, you see, from all the money we spend on our Babies & Toys 'R Us Mastercard). We also stopped for ice cream on the way home - DQ, if you're wondering, chocolate malt for Josh, strawberry sundae for me.
We apparently like to torture ourselves, because at the store we picked up two more Thomas the Tank trains for Connor - the really expensive ones, because we like the wood set best (they make them all - wood, plastic, die-cast metal, you name it, they probably have it). One "Gordon" (one of the larger trains) was $20 alone. The smaller "Harold" the Helicopter was only $10. You would not believe the amount of stuff you can buy (or the price tags attached to some of the bigger items). Someone is clearly living it up on the obsessions of little kids.
(We also picked up a set of color foam blocks for the little guys, since they're both big into stacking and organizing right now, lest you think we were neglecting our other sons in the gift card redemption!)
So we come home with the new toys, and the boys are of course still awake and playing, so we get the Thomas the Tank stuff out, assuming this would be the safest option. I am not crazy enough to open a large new set of blocks that close to bedtime - mass crying and screaming would surely erupt. Well, it did anyway. You see, Connor thinks of the trains as being all his. Brothers are not allowed to look, much less touch, the trains. Even though there were three present, it did not suit him that we wanted everyone to share. He already had his "Henry" that he had brought down from his room. We let Xander have Gordon, because he was the first one to come running. Sawyer got Harold. Connor broke down in tears and could not be consoled. They did not stop until he was safely in his room for bed, with all of the trains tucked in beside him - Thomas, Henry, Gordon, James and Harold the Helicopter.
Clearly, we are just punishing ourselves now . . . because you know there will eventually be an Emily, Molly, Rosie, Toby, Harvey, Cranky, and on, and on, and on . . . (there are at least 50 total)! Ah, the joys of childhood, right?