Brio

Since becoming a Mom, I have become a bit of a pack rat. Okay, a bit more of a pack rat.  I guess I've always loved saving things.  I have such a hard time getting rid of anything that belongs to Sydney, or reminds me of when she was a sweet little baby.  I never really understood why parents were like this before I had kids, thinking it was funny to save an ash tray that your now 30 year old kid made you twenty five years ago, when you've never smoked a cigarette in your life, but now, I understand.

Paul is quite sentimental when it comes to things from his son, Zach's, childhood.  For years, he has had a closet in the basement stuffed with Rubbermaid containers filled with old toys, books and artwork of Zach's that he just couldn't bear to part with.

Tonight after dinner, Paul and I were hanging out downstairs with Syd in her new playroom, and Paul decided to pull out a Rubbermaid container stuffed to the brim with wooden Brio train tracks, trains and accessories that Paul's Dad had bought for Zach when he was a little boy, some 25 years ago.  Paul spent the better part of an hour building an elaborate maze of tracks for Sydney.  She was absolutely thrilled!  She kept saying "More choo-choos!" as she pulled train after train out of the container.  Once it was all set up, she played with her new train set for the longest time.  I had no idea she was going to love it so much!

It was so neat to watch her with the trains, she totally got how the magnets worked to hook them together and loved sending the trains over the bridges, through the tunnel and working the drawbridge.  The look on Paul's face was so awesome while he was watching her play with it, you could tell that he and Zach had many good memories together playing with the trains that were still fresh in his mind.

I was so happy that Syd could make use of Zach's old toys, or at least borrow them until Zach has kids of his own and we pass them along for another generation to enjoy!