Fire Station Birthday Party

This morning, we attended a 5th birthday party for our friend and neighbor, J. J was just about Tiny and Buba’s age when T and I brought them home from the hospital. At that point, it was hard to see that they might all turn out to be playmates someday, but over the summer their friendship really blossomed. Tiny and Buba both seem to love having an older companion, someone who knows how to play with them, not just near them, and J is usually pretty good at playing on their level. They were all very excited that we would be able to attend J’s party.

As luck would have it, J’s father was chosen in a drawing back in September to have a birthday party at our town’s fire station. I had no idea what to expect, but the entire event was very well planned, keeping the kids engaged and entertained for the entire two hours. It started off with a tour of three vehicles- an ambulance, a hook and ladder truck, and a fire engine. All the kids (maybe 20 or so) got to take turns climbing up inside the vehicles while the fire fighters gave bits of information about the use for all the gear inside. Then we settled down for a delicious pizza lunch before returning for a group shot in front of all the vehicles. Next up was pinata time. Everyone got to take a few swings at the fire engine pinata before one of the men just ripped it apart and sent all the kids diving for the candy inside. Then we returned to the tables to sing Happy Birthday and enjoy cake and ice cream. Once Buba and Tiny had finished, it was time for us to leave. There was still about 20 minutes left of the party (during which the fire fighters demonstrated how they put on all the fire gear they wear), but I wanted to get our guys home in time for their nap.

Everything seemed to be going fine as far as our nap routine goes, but then Buba and Tiny started behaving poorly during book time, and T and I chose to cut that portion short. They were not happy. They protested, but we were sure they’d go down. With all the fun they’d had, they were bound to be exhausted. But 90 minutes later, with neither of them having napped much (if even at all), I declared that nap time was over. I entered the room to find Buba bopping around his crib with no clothing from the waist down. He had removed his sleep sack, his pants, and his diaper. I’m guessing the look on my face was not a pleasant one, but he just smiled at me and said, “I need to go potty.”

Tiny and Buba tend to be pretty good nappers, so I’m going to blame today’s nap failure on the excitement of the fire station birthday party. Perhaps there was something in the frosting…