Thomas and his friends

Thomas arrives!

If you have a little kid, chances are you know who Thomas is. If not, he's the blue train in the picture above. A lovable character in a tv show that's been around almost 70 years. I say lovable because of the adoring fans, mostly 2-, 3-, and 4-year olds, at the mall this past weekend. It was quite the crowd.

Happy campers.

The kids were so excited when we told them where we were going Sunday morning. They held our hands as we walked from the parking lot to the mall. They were buzzing with excitement, but a spot on the second floor looking down on the crowd was still a good choice for my shy guys.

Waiting for Thomas to come.

The show started with an MC of sorts. This guy warmed up the crowd by asking them to clap and cheer. He encouraged the kids to be loud and have fun. Little J wasn't too sure about him.

While Little K just took everything in and danced around in circles.

Snack break.

After the MC there was a girl, Driver Sam, who was mega cheerful and did some songs and danced around. It was like watching a live cartoon character, but the kids loved it. Sir Topham Hatt got in on the action. I didn't recognize his song and I'm not sure most people did.

But then it was time for Thomas. You should have felt the energy in the room when the theme song started. I think all the kids were vibrating with excitement.  Thomas came out of that box and "arrived" the kids had the biggest smiles on their faces.

I know he's winking but believe me when I say he was super excited.

Ridiculously excited.

Minds blown.

I would say that this was totally worth it. It was a free show and the kids loved it. They may not have clapped and sang along, but they took it all in and are still talking about it. 

The fam.

Thomas has been a big part of our lives for the past few years. I know more about trains than I thought possible because of my little man's love for the show. Little K is right there along with him now so I'm glad we got to do this together.