My love affair with....

I recently spent a week visiting my brother and sister-in-law. The one with the boys. (I won't be able to say that much longer!!!) These boys are in love with trains, and since it has been way too long since my last visit to their house, they have gotten these motorized trains called Geotrax. This has improved my life immensly, now instead of endlessly pushing the trains around the tracks I only have to fix my train when it derails and one of the boys are usually happy to help when that happens. So basically I just have to start and stop the train and watch it go round and round. During my visit, I learned a few new things about trains:
1. When one train gets tired, it has to chug up the hill and park itself at the top of that hill and all the other trains have to stop while the tired train recooperates.
2. As the batteries wear down, the trains go slower. When trains are assigned if you get the fast train you will have to stop when your train over takes the others. If you get the slow train then you have to stop when the faster trains catch up to you. And if you get the middle train (there were three of us) you have to stop every time the other trains stop. So as you can see the majority of the afternoon has more to do with resting, stopping and starting then watching the trains on the tracks.
3. You have to get really excited and exclaim, "It's chugging!" almost evey time that you train starts again. Or if you are the aunt, you have to respond each time the boys get excited and exclaim that it's chugging. (Remember that number of times that the trains are going to start and stop...if I have to do the math for you I will!)
4. You have to be sure to use specific pieces each time that you build the track...and sometimes you will be asked to add more pieces after you finally get them to all match up.
5. You can build a track outside on the grass...even if you don't want to. You can play trains one more time...even if you don't want to. You can always switch cars and engines and cargo...even if you don't want to and more times then you can possibly want or need to.
6. After a week of endless train playing your emotions will verge on train loathing...However now that I have been away for almost a week I can honestly say...I wish I were playing trains!!