James had his first GATES field trip today and a new GATES shirt to wear on it! He was one happy little dude to be getting out of school all day (while everyone else was stuck taking 9 Weeks tests, at that) to visit the Ag Museum and take a REAL train ride (on Amtrak - short ride, from Jackson down to Hazlehurst). And I think he kinda liked that I was right there with him all day, even on the bus. Our group (as a chaperone, I had to assign myself 3-4 kids, so I just grabbed the girls that were sitting next to James at the table where we gathered as school started) included James, Jessica, Lauren, and. The girls each had their own (very specific and extreme) personality, and I definitely enjoyed my day with them. Luckily, James was willing to share his Goosebumps book with Lauren (for the majority of the trip - note to self, next time pack 4 books), his personal space with Jessica (who insisted on being in almost all of his photos and was nearly attached to his hip walking around), and his mama with (who held my hand every chance she could get and was practically in my lap across the aisle in the bus). This is what annual leave is made for - special days with the ones I love - and I'm so grateful for a flexible job (and supervisor) that allows me to take time off with very little notice (the field trip wasn't planned until last week).
The one and only time he got to read his book (he wrote in his journal the rest of the time):
Posing for (many more than shown here) photos at the Ag Museum:
James and Jessica were very interested in the haunted house in one of the train displays:
Playing with very old (mostly iron) tools. The guy showing off the items won James over with the broad axe and his reference to MineCraft.
Next up was the train station, where I was far more thrilled that the kids (because we had a very long wait for a very late train, and hey, they had benches JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIES!)
(Lauren was pretending to nap at this point. She was not pleased with the wait for lunch.)
The whole GATES gang (including our little friends Kara and Alex, James M., Jamie, Kennedy, Will and Lauren, and Ms. Busby's daughter):
Finally boarding the train! His face upon seeing the train barreling down the tracks at us was priceless - he was SO EXCITED!
(That smile of wonder and awe... so fun to see him like that!)
(By this point I had started calling them my "fantastic four" and they loved it)
(Due to our unplanned, very delayed lunch, I bought my group some crackers and fruit snacks at the train station convenience store. Saved my sanity, for sure.)
(Yes, we traded seats a few times.)
We ended up getting to Hazlehurst so late (and it was so cold outside) that we scrapped the picnic plan and just ate our lunches on the bus. Watching James take tiny bite after tiny bite, it's a wonder he made it through that sandwich (and a wonder he made it back to school without falling asleep in my lap!)
James and I decided that we're for sure taking daddy and Cora on a train ride. Soon. Maybe up to Memphis for a weekend or down to NOLA. Seemed like a pretty awesome way to travel to us!
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