taking mental pictures

for fathers' day we surprised Christian and Kyren with their first train ride on our own local West Chester Railroad, with Daddy. it was a photo opp if ever there was one-- but alas, our camera forgot to come with us! the looks on the boys' faces were priceless-- one wide-eyed and the other closed-eyed at the chugga-chugga movement of the train car. i made a point of capturing as much of the wonder and magic of a little boy's first train ride as i could in my mind's eye... and tried to soak up all of the father/son bonding moments that i could. i kept thinking how sweet a video of C's face would have been-- gazing, wide-mouthed, out the open window at every railroad crossing, river, and truck we passed. but there was also something special about it just being a memory for our little family, tucked away in our hearts. we shared smiles, laughter, and simple conversation. there was no posing, no 'do it again for the camera' moments. just a little family adventure. and while we don't have anything to show for it here, we have the mental snapshots, which we will do our best to preserve as the years pass by.
and while it was a fun family outing, it was also extremely hot and humid, and we were glad the ride was only an hour total. Kyren did finally wake up for the return trip, and seemed to enjoy most of it. as much as you can when you're a little ball of sweat.
looking forward to next time, when we'll hopefully have something to capture those sweet and sweaty faces... until then, we are thankful for our minds' eyes. AND for our wonderful Daddy!!!