Choo Choo Frenzy

Marcus is choo choo obsessed. There is just no way around it. I am not sure exactly when it started but his obsession has just escalated. Perhaps my earliest hint of this all was when we were on vacation in early August. He came running out of the room he was sleeping in yelling in hysterical excitement about a choo choo. I had no idea what he was talking about. Then I went in there. He had lined all the shoes up into a nice neat line and decided they were a choo choo.

It wasn't until a few weeks ago that we started watching Thomas the Train. He had been showing much interest in trains and we had even bought him that little wooden train set so what the heck, we put it on. Normally Marcus is one of those kids that just bounces off the walls. He is a great listener and a fabulous rule follower, but he also just behaves as if he just drank a pot of coffee. He is loud and very very active. Today Greg was at the dentist and I was trying to cook dinner with two kids running around so I put "choo choo" (a.k.a Thomas the Train) on TV. I turned it on at 4:30. This was Marcus at 4:31.


This was Marcus at 4:38:


This was Marcus at 4:45:


At about 4:51 Will joined him to see what was so captivating. At first I think the only thing Will found captivating was what was in his nose:


And the show was finally coming to an end around 4:55:


Now, allow me to take you on a little tour of Marcus's choo choo obsession. It is not merely limited to watching choo choos, or even choo choos themselves. Marcus has opened my eyes to a world where anything can be a choo choo. The following is a short sampling collected over the past four days of many (but not even close to all!) of the things that Marcus has designated as choo choos.

Picture taken four days ago, a Matchbox Car/Train/Roller choo choo:


Picture taken three days ago, a snack time choo choo:


Picture taken two days ago, a choo choo/car/truck choo choo:


Picture also taken two days ago, a block choo choo with a previously built hodgepodge of vehicles choo choo in the background:


Picture taken yesterday, I decided to be completely insane and attempt to take two kids out to eat at a restaurant by myself. All went well. I was eating a salad. I don't like raw tomatoes and don't eat those. I was quite confused when Marcus started pointing at my salad and yelling out in a crazy frenzy, "Choo choo!!" I looked down and saw this:


Picture taken yesterday, a frech fry choo choo:


Picture taken yesterday after bath, a soap choo choo:


Picture taken today at a restaurant, although he was fixing it at the time, a napkin choo choo:


And it doesn't end there. We have a book in our house for the kids that has lots of random pages in it with themes for each group. There is one page layout that is all transportation objects. Yesterday Marcus opened the book to that page and made me sit there and hold it open for about 30 minutes straight, checking back periodically to make sure that the page with the choo choo was still showing. He got really mad if I put the book down or switched pages. Another book we have is about all kinds of things that go. There is one page spread that is nothing but trains. Thankfully I wasn't forced to hold that page open today. Marcus found a better solution. Anytime Will would go within 3 feet of the choo choo page on display, he turned into some sort of wild beast protecting its young.



I have to get off this couch and do some packing. Although I do have one question first. I am totally at a loss as to what theme I should use for Marcus's room at our new house. Any suggestions? :)