All Aboard!!!

On August 5th we took the boys aboard the Wickersham Train for an old fashioned ride through the hills of Western Washington. Isaiah is a train addict right now, probably thanks to the incredible marketing being done by Thomas the Tank Engine, Inc., but indulging his love of trains on this day was so much fun for the whole family. We arrived very early and got to climb all over an old steam engine that was being restored while being given a very thorough train anatomy and history lesson from the volunteers who run the Wickersham station. We met some of these guys a couple months ago when we visited the Bellingham train museum and they are, to put it simply, of a different breed. In any case they are very passionate about trains and were more than happy to let us explore, much to Isaiah's enjoyment. The actual train ride was only 3 miles, but what a thrill for Seth to take Isaiah all over the train, getting a ride in the engine and laughing every time the whistle blew. We stopped midway where Isaiah got to crank a handcar and then walked a short path to a beautiful waterfall set just off the tracks. Elias was a great passenger as well and even got to take a snooze on the ride back. For more pictures of our train adventure check out our web album.

A million and one questions

If I had taken the time to sit down last week and write this blog entry, it would have been titled "A thousand and one questions", but since the week has lapsed we have gone WAY past the thousand mark. I am referring very lovingly to Isaiah's new habit of question asking. On many occasions he doesn't even stop for a breath between the answer to one question before he starts with the all too familiar "but why..." or "cause for what?"
Yes, it is endearing and pretty funny sometimes, but more than that I pray that he continues to be a learner all of his life. That he never stops asking questions and seeking the answers. That his mind would always be challenged to explore and not take for granted. That he would think and reflect and ponder the greatness of God and of this world. My challenge is to teach him how to think through the answers for himself so his questions can become deeper and stronger as he grows up. And when I've spent the whole day answering his questions and am on the verge of being exasperated, to remember what a privilege and a responsibility it is to be a parent and have the opportunity to interact with my son like this. I hope we can always keep talking so easily and that one day I'll be asking his brilliant mind to give me some answers.