Choo Choo Train Birthday

So, we finally made it to June and the Choo Choo Train 3rd Birthday.  This will be the last BIG event until the after the baby comes.  I had fun putting it together and I love seeing my kids have a blast, but I really am glad our last planned weekend is over and now I can just rest and work on baby stuff!  As with the pirate ship I took photos step by step in the making of the train and some extras.

The train was a total of 3 cars: the engine, a boxcar, and the caboose.

The Engine:

 2 boxes

 the smaller one, I added a large piece of cardboard to the top to get a rounded shape

 

 cut out the door opening and some windows

 

 tape them together

I wrapped the train in wrapping paper because I don't have a big enough space or area that I wouldn't mind having paint everywhere as a result.

The Box Car:

 a box - cut an opening in the side...

...and wrapped it.  this was the easy one!

 

The Caboose:

 2 boxes

 closed the big one up at one end

 cute a semi-opening and some windows

 cut some windows out of the top window

 put one on top of the other with the openings facing the same way

 wrap it up

Other stuff:

The Cow pusher (snow plow)  I took a rectangular peice of cardboard and semi-cut two triangles and folded them together and taped them.  Then I fully cut two traingles from the remaining corners.  Then covered it in foil.

 The wheels: 

I have to admit this was my husband's genius.  I had decided to use black paper plates, however, i didn't know how i was going to attach them as well as the cow pusher.  He suggested pipe cleaners.  So I took a knife, and while holding the plate up against the box, i punctured 2 slits and then used half a pipe cleaner to secure it.  Slipping it through both sides and twisting it like a twist tie in the back.  The technique worked on the cow pusher as well.

Front walk - Just a train track on the sidewalk made with black duct tape.  Came up easily afterwords.

The cake:  Used mini loaf pans (5 in a pack at walmart) for the train cars.  Got a board from the garage and covered it in foil.  Then I used those astro-belts or sours strings, whatever your local store calls them, to make a track.  Just used a little icing to glue them down.  Then on each cake, i just iced the top, not the sides, then we put different candies on each on.  I put the "3" candle on the front car.  Each kid got to pick a car to have a slice from.  1/3 to 1/2 of each car is an adequate piece for a kid.