Trucks, Trains and FORTS!

When I started back to school this past August, the one thing that I was most worried about was how Tommy would react to being left with a babysitter. Little did I know that our sweet little guy would take so well to staying with his new friends (although I'm not sure why I was worried since we do have the best babysitters ever). I remember one night I came home and asked Will how Tommy reacted when he left. He said, "Well, he came over, gave me a kiss and ran off to play!" I think Tommy enjoys his few nights a month without us - he gets to run around and show off his toys and get 100% of the attention (compared to the 99% we give him normally).

Since none of our wonderful friends will accept any type of payment from us, we try to spread it out a little bit and call different people. But not only do they watch Tommy for nothing (and take fantastic care of him), they also bring him gifts. If you read this blog regularly, you'll remember the pictures I posted of Tommy's new John Deere fleet that one of the sweet couples brought him when they came to babysit one night. Recently, Tommy added another exciting toy to his collection - a train!! You can see by the picture below that he loves pushing it around the living room and listening to it sound the whistle and play a tune. Another one of Tommy's new favorites is building forts! I came home from class last week and followed the whispers into the livingroom where I found a pair of cave dwellers! They had constructed a fairly sound structure (the blanket was falling down a little on one corner, but other than that it was a masterpiece!) complete with walls (pillows), a roof (blanket) and a guard dog (Tommy's stuffed St. Bernard Bernie - probably the closest we will ever come to owning a pet). He was so happy in his fort that I had to follow him in to get a hug and kiss. Since it was time for bed pretty quickly after I got home, we didn't take a picture of the original. Much to Tommy's delight (and my own), we reconstructed it the next day to take a few pictures and relive the magic from the night before. Here he is looking a little shocked at the thought of me taking a picture of his secret hiding place.

Here's a good view of the whole thing, including good ole Bernie keeping watch. That's the most reliable dog I've ever seen! In all the commotion of building and rebuilding (we had an accident with one of the walls), Bernie never even blinked an eye.
So how does Tommy repay Bernie for his services? Well, naturally, he sneaks up behind him and tackles him . . .

. . . and then gives him a bear hug!

*Special thanks to GG and GB for giving me the awesome butterfly couch (most comfortable sleeping couch, ever) that so far has made it through two years of college, four moves, six months of storage and one bouncy little boy! I bet you had no idea that couch would have such an accomplished life after your livingroom. And the best part of all?? It still smells like your house :)