Visiting the Holiday Train Show at NYBG

Yesterday we made our annual trip to the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden, which is something we look forward to every time the Christmas season rolls around. And as Jameson gets older, he seems to become more and more mesmerized by this tradition.

The train show really is amazing, with the way the architects recreate different buildings and bridges from around New York using only natural materials – twigs, leaves, seeds, moss, acorns, etc.

As soon as we stepped inside the conservatory, Jameson’s mind was on fire. He started shouting, “chooo chooo!” and pointing to the trains as they zipped around him and overhead.This face says, “Look, Mommy! It’s a train!”

In comparison to our visit last year, the train show was every bit of amazing and quite awe-inspiring to imagine how people build such intricate replicas. I looked through our photos from last year, and thought, “what nice photos!”

This year, I have far fewer pretty photos, because we essentially chased Jameson through the exhibit. Smh.To say he was excited and interested would be an understatement.There was lots of pointing and looking out for trains to come by…There was also lots of angst, trying to figure out how he could get inside the displays.Yes, that is my child trying to climb into the train display. And yes, this photo is blurry because the camera was in motion and we lunged forward to stop him. Yes, we had to restrain him at least a dozen times.

In the midst of the chaos, there were some really sweet moments with Daddy.And with Jahma (Jameson’s name for my mom).Doesn’t he look so precious? Almost angelic as the light shines in on him. Ahh, but then…He fell into one of the displays. #Facepalm. For anyone out there thinking this whole outing is oh-so-perfect and picturesque, please let me reassure you that we were those parents with the child who was slowly but surely melting all the way down.

It was at this point we realized it was time to make our way through the final sections of the exhibit. They have one section of the exhibit that changes every year, and this year they had recreations of famous landmarks at Coney Island, like the Wonder Wheel and Luna. It was beautiful!After wiping away some tears, we managed to get one family photo before packing it up. Jordan and I are smiling, but definitely frazzled. And Jameson basically fell asleep before we left the parking lot. If you’re in the New York area, the train show is definitely worth checking out, and the exhibit is open until January 16, 2017. They even have special bar cart nights for adults, which make for a fun evening out.