Remember your Thomas the Train PJs?

Do you remember your Thomas the Train PJs? You had two sets of them - one red and the other blue - that you absolutley loved to wear!

The PJs certainly must have been comfortable and warm; the material had an almost felt-like feel. But I think you really liked to wear them because you loved Thomas the Train!

We had tons of Thomas the Train toys and Thomas the Trian DVDs. We went through a period when you were two or three years old of when treated to a toy you always wanted a Thomas the Train engine or car!

Above is a picture of you wearing the red PJ set on Christmas morning 2010!

Remember watching Sprout?

Sprout host Nina and Star.

About the only television programming I'd let you watch during the day when you were a preschooler was public television. Living in Los Angeles County, we got two PBS stations and on cable got their Sprout network.

You loved the Sprout network and its great commercial-free kids programs. There was "Kipper," about a dog who went on all kinds of adventures, and "Fireman Sam," a show about firemen who were always solving all kinds of non-fire problems. "Calliou" was among your favorites as well, especially when you both were four years old, or the same age!

You definite favorite show, though was "Thomas the Train," which always came on at 3:55 p.m. Monday through Friday. You had this internal clock that told you when 3:55 was approaching, and just before the show, you'd come and get me. We always sat in the recliner with you on my lap and watched the show together!

Remember all those fun bathtimes?

One of the thousands of great things about you as a preschooler was that I never had trouble getting you to take a bath. Of course, I made sure it was lots of fun!

First, we had lots of bubbles. Bubble bath always was on my list of items that had to stay in stock in the house. And I wasn't stingy with the bubble bath, either - we went through a bottle a week! We'd fill up the bathtub with water, and good couple of inches of it were bubbles!

Next, I made sure you had lots of bath toys to play with. There were foam letters and numbers that you could stick to the wall when they were wet. There also were plastic Star Wars characters that you you could have adventures with. And there were some Thomas the Train engines, a crocodile, and a Little Einsteins rocket ship that all were water-worthy.

In addition, though I'd ask you over and over not to do it, I let you splash water all across the bathroom floor. I was only really concerned if the water got onto hallway carpet, which is why I had to keep you from "oversplashing." Usually I just cleared the rugs out of the bathroom befor eyou got into the tub and let you splash to your heart's content - it was a good excuse for me to scrub the floor (actually, I was just drying it!).

Finally, I didn't waste a lot of time fussing over you with a good cleaning. We quickly washed your hair and then I'd have you close your eyes while I took care of your face. But you spent so long in the bubble-filled bathtub splashing around that the dirt just came off you all on your own accord!

How you used to love Thomas the Train!

Everywhere I go, Kieran, I'm constantly reminded of you and find myself fighting back tears. Last night while at Barnes & Noble in Palmdale, Calif., I saw a little boy playing with a Thomas the Train playset just like you had. The box came with a plastic mat of Sodor Island (compelte with railroad tracks) and small little pieces representing the various trains from the show - Thomas, Percy, Harold the Helicopter, James, Mavis and others - and a storybook as well.

By the age of 5, you'd long since outgrown Thomas the Train, but at one time you were utterly fascinated by it. In fact, though you didn't know how to tell time, you knew when it would be on the air just be memorising the shows that came on before it, and you were certain to let me know that Thomas was about to be on! At 3:55 every afternoon, you'd sit in my lap, and we'd cuddle as watching Thomas' latest adventure together. I'm so sorry that your mother forced you to leave behind all of your Thomas the Train stuff. Tonight I shall look through what toys I have of yours and see if there are any Thomas the Train pieces I can save for you. I love you, Kieran!