Today, I took Charlie and Chase to a birthday party for Grayson - a preschool friend who turned three recently. As soon as I got the invitation, I knew I would make the time to go, even if we were totally booked that day. Why? Because it was a Fire Truck-themed party that started with a tour of the local fire station. Uh, COUNT US IN!
At first, I was a little nervous because Charlie was very reluctant to enter the fire house. Yep, I kid you not! In spite of all of the cool fire trucks he could see, he was very nervous that a fireman was going to talk to him, so he was refusing to go inside. Not only did I have to CARRY Charlie into the fire station while I drug Chase by the arm, I had to convince Charlie that I would not let any fireman talk to him and I would make sure the fire alarm did not go off while we were there.
I could not have been any more wrong on both counts.
Once I finally got Charlie inside the fire station, he was much more relaxed. He saw all of his preschool buddies, they started running around acting like crazed monkeys and all was well.
The tour started off with an introduction by one of the firemen. (Oops! Sorry, Charlie.) We learned all about what we should do in case of a fire, how to stop drop and roll, and a few other things that I really didn't hear because I was running after Chase the entire time, trying to keep him wrangled in one place. I hope I didn't miss anything important!
Then, we were off to see some fire trucks. Hallelujah! Charlie was literally in heaven. In fact, he really made an impression on the firemen! Charlie was very astute and pointed out several features on the fire truck... a fire extinguisher, the hose, a pumper truck and several other things that I didn't quite hear because I was wrestling with Chase. Anyway, the fireman said, "Wow, he really knows a lot about fire trucks!"
Sir, you have no idea.
Charlie then got to climb into the fire truck which he absolutely loved. He even said to the fireman - and I quote - "When I get big and strong, like you, I will be able to drive this fire truck and you can drive that fire truck. Won't that be great?" Of course, the fireman really got a kick out of that.
Chase seemed to enjoy himself, too. He's almost as obsessed with trucks as Charlie is, believe it or not. He loved sitting in the fire truck, touching the wheels and patting the truck. He basically just circled the trucks over and over and over again, looking at them from all angles. He was definitely a challenge to keep up with!
Just as we were winding our tour up - and I could not make this up if I tried - the fire alarm went off, so the firemen had to rush off to a real emergency. Charlie did not freak out, so I was very happy about that. (The alarm was sort of muted, so I think that helped.) The kids got to watch the firemen jump into their fire suits and into the truck before they hit the sirens and raced out of the fire station. (I hope it wasn't a major emergency, but that was actually very cool to see.)
Charlie spent the rest of the day pretending there was a fire and racing off to help someone. "Mama, is your leg on fire? Do you need help? Chase, is your toy on fire? You need my help, don't you?!" How cute is that?
Here are photos from our field trip to the fire station...
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| Charlie looks thrilled, eh? |
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| Chase is also captivated. |
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| Make that dumb-founded... |
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| Hurry! Get the camera! Charlie and Chase are sitting TOGETHER! |
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| Really, Charlie. What's with the yawn? I promise you'll get to see fire trucks soon! |
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| Wasn't this a nice touch? All of the kids got personalized fire helmets. |
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| Charlie, sitting in the fire truck. |
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| "...and you can drive that truck!" |
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| I think Chase might have sat here all day. He loved it! |
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| I have a lot of pictures of Chase looking down, but I think they are so cute! |
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Thank goodness Charlie can't reach the pedals.
I think he might have taken the truck for a spin. |
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| In heaven! |
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| Wow. Twice in one day. It's a miracle. |
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| Chase takes his turn! |
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| In heaven! |
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| Basically, they're both saying, "Enough with the pictures!" |
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| "Seriously, Mom. No more!" |
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| Firemen, off to a real emergency! |
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| Away they go! |
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| There were police cars there, too! |
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| Who does this remind you of? |
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| This was at the party. Grayson's Mom has great taste! I loved all the decor! |
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| Goody bags... |
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| This was the start of, "Mama, is your shirt on fire? Do you need my help?" |
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| Cupcakes! |
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| Cute banner in the entry way... |
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| Chase with a "a-loon," which he LOVES! |
What can I say? We had a "smokin'" good time. (Sorry. Had to.)
