Granny’s Spray Ground

This was the dream Ondra Edds had back in 1999 when her Breakfast Rotary Club was looking for a project. The small club chose the ambitious project of building a children’s spray ground at Legion Park. At that time, she had no grandchildren or daughters-in-laws and seemingly no prospect of them, but while this project would not personally benefit any of her existing family, she hoped that one day her grandchildren would enjoy it. Maybe that was the driving force behind many of the club members who worked so hard to meet their fund raising goal. As the 10th anniversary of the spray ground’s opening approaches in August, Ondra can reflect on her family’s progress. Her sons did marry and produced three grandsons, and on Memorial Day she enjoyed watching the twins joyfully playing in her spray ground.

One Tasty Caboose

Of all the cabooses we’ve seen, both public and private, this one had the finest paint job. This bay window caboose is located in Bardstown and acts as a sign for My Old Kentucky Dinner Train. R.J. Corman Railroad Company operates this 15 mile year-round rail excursion train that include both lunch and dinner trips. Four course meals are served aboard the dinner train, that features elegant vintage 1940s dining cars, and offer a place to enjoy relaxed conversation, along with the fine cuisine and gracious service. Special event trains include a Mystery Train, a Valentines Train, a North Pole Express as well as other event trains. The stylish environment and pricy admission is prohibitive for small children, but could make a nice weekend escape for mom and dad.

Tour de force

Holding fast to our vacation theme of playgrounds, trains and Mexican food, today became another tour de force. We started our day checking out the train cars and playgrounds at Yellow Creek Park. After about 90 hot minutes we found a nice picnic table and enjoyed a snack. From there we drove about an hour to Irvington to see a caboose, but by then the boys had fallen asleep, so we kept driving. We stopped for Mexican Food in Corydon, Indiana and found their train museum out of business. Down the road we found a playground in Lanesville, then since we were near Louisville, we decided to go scout out Bardstown. There we found another caboose, then drove on to see the Kentucky Railway Museum in New Haven. By then the boys were awake, so we found a nearby playground, burned some calories and then headed home.

Model Behavior

Today’s day trip was to Evansville. We began by visiting another new playground at Sunset Park located downtown. After we were good and sweaty, we retreated into the air conditioned comfort of the nearby EMTRAC (Evansville Museum Transportation Center). We had visited this train museum earlier in the year, and we were eager to see it all again. One of our favorite exhibits is the model train. Seeing it was exhilarating and the boys began chattering excitedly about each type of train car moving around. Just then two more male toddlers appeared with parents in tow, and our boys’ excitement became contagious. Soon all four boys were babbling on about the three model trains.

Trains in Libraries?

Today was mommy’s day with the boys. I took a day off with Dad and Uncle Gene Ray, and we went to Murfreesboro, Tennessee to visit relatives. Sandy took the boys’ to the Daviess County Public Library where the Owensboro Mothers of Multiples’ were holding a play date. This was their first time in this new library building, and they were very impressed with the facilities. They gathered all the children in the toddler room and read aloud several books. Guests were also encouraged to select books to check out. Once Sandy found a large assortment of train books, the boys’ were hooked. They sat right down on the floor in their Thomas the Train shirts and shoes and read Thomas the Train books. Who could have imagined the library could be so fun?

Trolley Bus Ride

It was actually a bus, not a train, but that didn’t dull the boys’ excitement over riding the trolley today. Mass transit in the form of mule-drawn streetcars, or trolleys, began in Owensboro in 1887. Six years later, the system was upgraded to electric power. In 1934, buses replaced the local trolley cars, and while buses provided much more efficient mass transportation they lacked the trolley’s flair. In 1989, Owensboro purchased their first bus built like a trolley. I worked at city hall then and remember the excitement it generated. People loved the natural wood and polished brass appointments. The boys loved it too, each time we saw the trolley they would call our attention to it. We thought they might enjoy a ride, although riding in a moving vehicle without being strapped into their car-seats seemed to unsettle them.

Can’t Curb their Enthusiasm

Today our day trip was to Bowling Green, Kentucky to visit The Historic Railpark and Train Museum. Located on a major north-south corridor between the large cities of Louisville and Nashville, Bowling Green was a natural stop for the L&N Railroad. The current depot was built in 1925 to replace an older station. At one time, over 20 trains per day departed the current site. In the museum we found a large model railroad that fascinated the boys. They also enjoyed the educational exhibits that told all about life on the railroad. Behind the museum lies 450 feet of track displaying the L&N President’s Office Car, a Pullman Sleeper, The Duncan Hines Diner, a Pullman diner, a Railroad Post Office Car and a caboose. It was difficult restraining their enthusiasm enough to hear the tour guide’s oral history. For the third day in a row, we enjoyed Mexican food for lunch.

Playgrounds, Trains and Mexican Food

We hope to see all of our region’s trains and playgrounds. This morning we started at Panther Creek Park and planned to be spontaneous from there. This county park had both plus a one room schoolhouse and a nature trail. After enjoying these, we ventured to Livermore to see a caboose. There we met a lady who referred to a nearby tank. We found a riverside park with the tank and an old train bridge pier with a great Green River view. On impulse we then traveled to Hartford to see another caboose and also found a log cabin, one-room school house, historic home and country store. After lunch at a Mexican restaurant, we traveled to the Fordsville Train Depot Museum. On the ride home we thought the boys were sleeping until Benji yelled caboose. He had spotted it in a Whitesville roadside park. There we also discovered another tank.

Day Tripping

Yesterday, we began our vacation from home. The idea was to do normal vacation activities like spending family time together, discovering new attractions and visiting friends, only based from home rather than a far away hotel. We didn’t work in the yard, reorganize closets or clean the garage like ordinary stay-at-home vacations. We traveled somewhere everyday. Saturday morning we found some real treasures at a couple of garage sales and then played at Legion Park. After naptime we drove to Newburgh to have dinner with our friend Dawn, and then she showed us a new walking trail near the Ohio River. It was a great space to burn off our dinner calories.

Happy Birthday Uncle Stephen

While Uncle Steven may be the youngest of his Edds generation, he is no longer the baby of the family. Echo boomers have popped up everywhere, and he has happily assumed an elder statesman status. A visible change has clearly come over my baby brother, and he seems happier than I ever remember him. Clearly, marriage; fatherhood and becoming an uncle suit him. After starting with fits and jerks, he appears to have found a career writing that fits his talents and may well position him for runaway success. Once that happens, imagine the stories he can write for those younger Edds boys to encourage them through the bumps of life.

Reflections on Exercise

Our babysitter, Carol, took two weeks off to vacation in California. Sandy booked time off next week, and we plan a family vacation together from home. This week, however, the twins are spending all day with just dad. One of my goals for us this week is one hour of vigorous exercise per day. While this sounds easy, the weather, naps and insects aren’t cooperating. The spring showers are keeping the ground wet and the mosquitoes plentiful. Because afternoons are for napping, and the bugs feed in the late afternoon, this only leaves morning for exercise. Rather than fight the elements, we visited the gym at First Baptist Church’s Christian Life Center each morning this week. With school in session, we had the gym and toddler room to ourselves. We even timed it so we could watch our favorite morning show “Chuggington” during our cool down.

Everybody’s doing the Locomotion!

Our Geotrax set continues to dominate our interest and will soon consume our family room. It is the first thing the boys’ play with every morning and the activity we must pull them away from every night at bedtime. When we travel to dinner or church, each boy takes their black Geotrax steam engine to play with, and we find their inclusion occupies and comforts the twins. Mommy and Daddy continue to pick through garage sales for more pieces to add to our collection. We store extras in the basement and introduce new pieces on special occasions. Sandy says she continues to redesign the track layout every couple of days in order to keep the boys’ experience fresh and exciting, but we know she really just enjoys playing with the toy too.

A Moment of Silence Please

Today we lost an old friend, my first laptop computer. Sandy and I picked out my little friend way back in 2003 while we were still dating. Once it entered my life, my laptop became a constant companion. It traveled with me to work, on all my vacations and business trips. I finished writing one book on this laptop and started two more. We created this blog and wrote almost every entry on it. That machine stayed up all night with me every night for eight months keeping me company in-between baby feedings. Our genealogy research produced 4,000 entries and cataloged over fifty thousand. Together, we have documented the boys first thirty months of life. This morning it just died, probably from exhaustion. Efforts to resuscitate it failed, but the data was saved. After a month, I finally was back up and running on a new machine, but I’ll never forget my first laptop.

Spring Training

Our next door neighbor, Jacob Roberts, is a very good baseball player. In his last year of little league he hit 25 home runs. That team came very close to going to the little league world series. From there, he went directly to the high school team becoming the starting short stop as an eight grader. Last year his high school team went to the state tournament, where he had one of the competition’s highest batting averages as a freshman. This year he leads the team in batting and has several college scouts interested in him. We joined his family at a game recently, and the boys seemed very interested for a few minutes, then they wandered under the bleachers to play with their trains. Maybe before Jacob leaves for a major college or pro baseball career, he will teach our boys how to swing.

Time Machine

Grandpa David loves to watch his grandsons have fun, and the only thing better than watching their pleasure is sharing it. Few rides accommodate multiple generation amusement better than the Merry-Go-Round. On our visit to the Bar-B-Q Festival last weekend, both Pa and Granny rode the carousel with the twins. Casey’s Rides has been the premier carnival ride provider in our area for decades. It is entirely likely Pa and Granny rode this very same Merry-Go-Round with me and my brother when we were toddlers, and certainly one just like this carried them and their parents when they were toddlers. This common reference point unlocks long forgotten reminiscences and carries passengers back to fond memories of yesterdays. No wonder he has a smile on his face.

Yakety yak (don’t talk back)

Fifty years before the twins were born; Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote, produced and arranged the song “Yakety Yak” for the Coasters. It was a number one hit in 1958. The timeless lyrics describe the listing of a kid’s household chores, the youngster’s response (yakety yak) and the parent's retort (don't talk back). The threatened punishment for not taking out the garbage and sweeping the floor in the song's humorous lyrics was "You ain't gonna rock and roll no more." Recently, we have begun grooming the boys to do chores. We have been asking them to help us pick up their toys and put them away, and their response has been surprisingly cooperative. When Benji volunteered to “take out the papers and the trash,” without being asked, we made a photo to capture this once in a lifetime occurrence.

Whatever Flies Your Boat

As bigger boys, the twin’s interest in carnival rides has greatly increased, and at this year’s International Bar-B-Q Festival they sampled several more rides. Benji pointed to this machine and said “hebacopter”, but after we paid our tickets they inexplicitly chose a speedboat. Maybe having ridden in Granddaddy Roe’s boat made this selection feel more comfortable. We wondered if they were ready for a flying ride, but it didn’t seem to bother them at all. In fact they were energized each time their boat crested about ten feet off the ground. At this thrill ride advancement rate, they’ll be mastering roller coasters by Kindergarten.

Mexican Dining Caboose

Wednesday night, we drove to nearby Rockport, Indiana for a special dinner. For many years when passing the intersection of Highways 66 and 231, I have noted this restaurant caboose and vowed to return. It always looked like a festive place with lots of customer cars parked around. Over the years, it has served as a home for a variety of restaurants. Currently it accommodates a very good Mexican eatery. The moment we arrived the boys went wild with excitement. We asked to be seated in the Caboose even though it was the smoking section. As no smokers were there, it wasn’t a problem. The Latin staff was amused by our apparent train enthusiasm. The boys each had on train t-shirts, train shoes and held steam engines. I suspect we will be ordering Chimis on the Choo Choo again very soon.

Still clueless after a year

It was not without reservations that I attended the Bar-B-Q Festival this year. That whole episode with us and the pink Barbie dune buggy last year was SO embarrassing. I could have easily skipped this festival, but since Trey Davey lives for these carnivals events, I agreed to go along. However, I did insist on picking the car this time. Since blue is my color, this more masculine dune buggy was an easy choice. Davey doesn’t care. In fact, he thinks we’re actually steering the car when we are really on a left-turning circular track. Look, I’m steering right and we’re still going left. He is still blissfully clueless. By next year we should be big enough for bumper cars, and then I’ll show him driving.

A Pair of Jokers

Every day the twins’ capacity for foolishness grows exponentially. With each new word that they learn, with each new mechanical skill they master and with each new concept they comprehend their joviality tool bag grows. They are very observant and have begun to enjoy mocking our behavior. On Sunday morning while Sandy was preparing our breakfast, I prepared the boys’ bath. When it was ready, I opened the baby gate and followed them down the hallway. Rather than turning towards the bathroom, they climbed up in our bed, slid under the covers and began mock snoring. Both considered this the cleverest prank ever and erupted in laughter. I can only imagine the ridicule we’ll receive when they are teenagers.

A Petting Party

Last year’s visit to the petting zoo at the First Baptist Church’s Family Pavilion section of the International Bar-B-Q Festival was very different. Twelve months ago the boys marched into the pen and fearlessly attempted to pet each animal. Our challenge then was to encourage a gentle touch. Over the last year, unfortunately, they have encountered a hissing kitty cat and a kicking Billy goat who didn’t appreciate being whacked smartly by toddlers. While these events have given the boys pause when approaching living creatures, it hasn’t prevented them from learning all the animal names and sounds. So this year’s date with the animals involved more talking than touching. I think they’re ready for girls now.

Mr. Choo Choo Rider

It is a cliché to say they grow up so fast, but clichés evolve from common truths. We first encountered carnival rides at last years’ International Bar-B-Q Festival. The boys were just 17 months old then and hesitant to leave our side to ride the attractions. Their favorite ride last year was a little oval with 1950’s mini-cars. They were resistant to ride many of the other larger pre-school rides. On Saturday, the moment Trey Davey saw the Choo Choo trains, he wanted to ride them. In fact, he nearly dislocated my arm leading me to the ride. Afterwards, we rode a number of other rides, but he wanted to return to the trains. When they rode the mini 1950’s cars, he looked bored, like it was too immature for him now. Once we made the rounds, we returned to the trains for another go.

Getting Mother’s Day on Track

For the last three Mother’s Days I bought Sandy cards and gifts on the boy’s behalf, but this year I wanted the boys to begin participating in this mother honoring holiday. From their prospective, I imagined what they would select to give her if they more fully understood the holiday and its meaning. The activity they share most with Mommy at this stage is building train layouts, so they would probably choose to give her more GeoTrax to increase her design options. I searched the city for extra track pieces with no success, so on Thursday evening when she left for an OMOM’s meeting, the boys and I sneaked off for Evansville. We found just what we were looking for at Toys-R-Us and raced back to town just as she returned home. Sure, flowers and jewelry would have been more traditional, but she couldn’t have enjoyed those with her boys.

Giddy Up Little Partners

Pa and Granny’s first heroes were cowboys. In their childhoods, cowboys were the super heroes and their horses were their trusted sidekicks. Roy Rogers and Trigger, Dale Evans and Buttermilk, and Gene Autry and Champion were famous cinema cowboys and horses. Children of their era wanted to ride, shoot and dress just like their favorite western stars. While the role models for children today have greatly expanded and the cowboy’s influence has diminished, their appeal has not become obsolete, and children still enjoy pony rides. The Grands were excited about again sharing this equine pleasure with the twins at this year’s International Bar-B-Q Festival. Neither boy was timid about climbing on and taking a ride, which delighted their grandparents.

Making New Friends

Our backyard has started to become a gathering spot for the local pre-school set. Where last year we were a little young to engage in play with others, this year we have begun to discover the joy of other children including the fairer set. Recently sisters Jules and Annie Rose visited our backyard for the first time. They live across the street and often come over with their mother to play with AnaKaye next door. On this day, AnaKaye was playing with us in our backyard, so the sisters joined us. Jules is three months younger than the twins and has just turned two. Annie Rose will soon turn four years old. While AnaKeye is six, she still enjoys playing with our boys and is very gentle with them. Nothing makes a neighborhood feel alive like small children playing.

The Neighborhood Cat

They call me Socks. I adopted several families here on McCreary Avenue a few winters ago when times were tough and I was thin as a rail. Unbeknownst to one another, the Edds, Roberts and Burton families all took pity on me and set out food. With three large meals a day, I was fat and healthy by Spring. Once the families ventured outside and began exchanging neighborhood news my secret was out, but they didn’t mind. All were happy to feed me for a little of my attention. I’ve watched my families grow with the addition of the Burton’s boy, the Edds’ twin boys, and the two Helwig girls across the street. Children can be wild and unpredictable, but they don’t bother me. As long as they give me my space and pet me gently, I’ll stick around and allow them to feed me.

Birthday Benchmark Photo – 2 Years 5 Months

Tonight we enjoyed dinner at Cracker Barrel Restaurant. Making this selection gave us pause as the last time we visited this eatery I spent most of our visit in the car disciplining Trey Davey. The boys have been disruptive at restaurants before, that’s why we choose family-friendly places like Cracker Barrel, but on that night he was out of control. Benji, too, takes his opportunities to be loud and defiant in public. Some parents simply choose to stay home until their children are older and better behaved, and we have seriously considered this approach but want to teach our children to control their emotions and impulses and be respectful to themselves and others. Tonight, we felt like our efforts are beginning to take hold. While still active and curious, both boys behaved within reasonable two-year old limits and charmed the staff and fellow patrons. We are so proud of them.

The first sign of summer

We have been confined inside for the last several days by severe storms that pounded much of the southern United States. Tornados swept through Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and Nashville is experiencing their worst flood in history. By comparison, we got off easy with a week of thunderstorms and a bad case of cabin fever. The sun came out yesterday, dried the grass and allowed us to venture outside to play. We weren’t in the yard 30 minutes before Benji was bitten above the right eye by a hungry mosquito. This morning his eye is almost swollen shut. I guess you know its summertime when Benji begins looking like a prize fighter.

Thomas, Percy, Harvey…..

Carol knows how train crazy the boys are and surprised them last Monday with a new Thomas the Train movie. One unexpected bonus was a product catalog packaged with the DVD. This pamphlet featured a large number of Thomas the Train characters and captivated Trey Davey. He sat on the couch surrounded by several of his toy trains and identified nearly everything on each page. After hearing several minutes of this, Benji crawled up on the couch to investigate. On the back of the publication was an ad for the Thomas the Train Tour. Imagine their excitement when we actually see Thomas next month on their half-birthday.

Testing Their Boundaries

Trey Davey and Benji are good little boys most of the time. Lately they have been suffering from a bad case of the twos. They are maturing and testing the limits of their liberties and our patience. Both are independent and have grown fond of the words “Mine” and “No” and “I do it!” Each seems to ride an emotional roller coaster going from anger to laughter within a few minutes. They have slimmed down and become stronger than they realize. Now a hug sometimes becomes a tackle and a pat becomes a whack. We can patiently work with them on how to be gentle and loving to one another, but the recent outbreak of willful disobedience has really pushed our buttons. When they want to test those boundaries, we give them a 30 inch by 50 inch timeout space to think about their transgressions.

Derby Dismissal

The Derby is a big deal in Kentucky. For many of us, it’s the only horse race we watch annually, and for one entire afternoon once a year, Kentucky is spotlighted in a very positive way, making the citizens very proud. As a boy, I can remember being over at my Grandmother Embry’s house every year during “The Run for the Roses.” Like our boys did today, my brother Steve and I would play cars on the floor as the pageantry played out on the television behind us. I really didn’t appreciate the Derby’s beauty and tradition then. It was something I took for granted. Today, I tried to encourage the boy’s interest in the Derby, by pointing out the horses, colors, hats, roses, numbers and mud at the event. At this age, unfortunately, toy trains trump horses.