Punky’s fourth year was a significant one.

It was her last year at home with me and I did everything I could to make the most of it. Each day included a special activity, whether we went to the zoo, baked cookies, walked in the park or visited the playground. And when she started kindergarten the next year, I was sad — really, really sad, actually– but I knew that I had made the most of her time at home with me.

Now it is Bruiser’s fourth year, and I’m doing the same thing for him.

It’s our special year together. And on the week days when Bruiser is home and Punky is at school, the two of us set off on adventures geared specifically toward him and his interests.

Last week, it was Cheekwood’s Train exhibit….

…a wonderland of miniature trains on exhibit through December. Bruiser has been several times before, but this time we went on a week day when it wasn’t crowded, and he was allowed to stay as long as he wanted.

The kid was thrilled.

Seven trains run on tracks that have been carefully constructed to include trestles, tunnels, and a miniature waterfall.  It is a boy’s paradise.

But there’s one train that definitely steals the show with the smaller visitors…

THOMAS.

Always astute, Bruiser noticed that Percy was missing from Thomas’s train, and when he saw Cheekwood’s train manager, he ran to ask him about the omission.

That got us a behind-the-scenes tour as the manager located Percy and added him back to the line of cars. Bruiser was thrilled.

Once he’d gotten his fill of tiny trains, we headed down to the pond to throw rocks in the water.

A turtle surfaced, curious to find out what was causing all the ruckus.

Part of me is looking forward to next year, when both kids are in school and I can finally have real stretches of time every day to get things done. But the larger part of me knows that this time now is so precious.

And once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.

Here’s to the Year of Us.

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