Fire Truck at the Park

Our Friday morning trips to the park have become a routine for us. Before hand we stop to get a breakfast bagel and then it's playgound time! We've met up a couple times with Ellie, my friend Clare's daughter who's just a little older than Jack & Malynn. That's been nice, because between living over 45 minutes apart and having babies over the last couple years it's been pretty impossible to see each other. But now, when Clare has a sitter for the baby, her son is at preschool, and our other kids just have the one nap in the afternoon, we end up with this window of about an hour and a half that we can meet in the middle at the park. :)

Today, the sitter brought Ellie, because Clare needed to stay home to take care of Grace, and unfortunately she missed something fabulous! A fire truck!!!

Here's dear little Ellie checking out the fireman's hat. So cool!

Malynn was the only one of our kiddos that was feeling brave enough to get up in the truck.

I couldn't get a clear picture of the fire engine until things cleared out. It was amazing when they first pulled up...the kids on the playground had been noticing the fire truck because they were in the area checking fire hydrants. Just as we thought they were leaving, the truck slowed down, turned on the lights, and opened the doors. As the firemen emerged and signaled us over, the playground CLEARED OUT. It had been FULL of children and they ALL went running across the grassy area like moths to a flame!

We've been lucky enough to explore around a fire engine a couple times now, and it really is a fantastic treat. Everything is BIG, and shiny, and just plain interesting. Best of all though is the firemen who make it happen. I have yet to meet a fireman who doesn't seem to be a great person through and through. It's so generous of them to open up a bit of their world to the curious minds of their biggest/little fans. These firemen said they didn't have this stop planned, they just did it because they know the kids love it. It's that kind of thoughtfulness and genuine care for the community that makes me so proud of and thankful for firemen. I'm always thinking about what I hope the kids do or do not do when they grow up, and I know that if either of them want to be a fire fighter, I'll be proud of that choice.