Lake Junaluska (A Day Out with Thomas)

We did lots of fun things on our vacation but the Day out with Thomas was one of the best. It was a great outing. The focus of the trip was a 25 minute train ride aboard a train pulled by Thomas the Tank Engine. However, the true highlight was all the activities set up for the children. There was a bounce house, a bubble blower, a balloon animal station, a huge tent with train tables and lego stations, live music, and a scavenger hunt.



Here's Ella on the Lego Thomas.













Here's cousin Rybolt looking camera shy yet still handsome.














Ella loved the bubble blower.
















This short video shows Ella's first try at the bounce house. She wasn't sure if she liked it and climbed right back out. The second time she found her groove and bounced all around. To the left you can see a bouncy hill to climb with a bouncy slide on the other side. It took Ella a long time to figure out how to climb the hill without sliding back down. She watched a few older kids do it and finally figured it out. She was SO proud of herself that she just sat at the top of the slide smiling and smiling. Rob and I had to convince her to slide down by promising that she could go again and again.






Here's Ella, Baikal, and Rybolt getting their "official" picture taken with Thomas. You can barely see it but Ella is holding a cup of goldfish crackers. She was snacking on them while we waited in line and wouldn't give them up for the photo. That evening when we showed her the actual souvenier photo, Ella looked at it and excitedly said, "there's my goldfish crackers!!!!!"













Here's Grampa, Grammy Carole, and Ella aboard the train.












Here's Ella's signature "cheese" smile.














Here she is with her Thomas temporary tattoo and her purple doggy balloon animal.