The party was held before both boys' birthdays...but on April 20, Thomas turns 4 and shortly thereafter, on May 2, Parker turns 2! My how they have grown from the time when they were six months!
The museum provides a lovely little room for the party.
First the boys and their friends explored the museum. Mostly they spent time on the slide (this is one of Thomas' good buddies)...
And in the fire truck simulator...
But the part I was most anticipating was when the real fire trucks arrived! We had coordinated with the local fire department to come bring a truck for the children to see, but I was most pleased when they brought not one, but two trucks!
Thomas was most excited to check them out...
Parker hopped right up too...
What really cracked me up though was that while the boys in the group were eagerly checking out the trucks, the girls were perfectly content to watch from afar...
Good thing the firemen brought coloring books. The girls found those far more interesting!
The firemen took time to let the chilren try their hands with the fire hose:
It didn't take Thomas long to figure out how to make that work the way he wanted:
Parker wasn't quite sure what to make of it at first:
A few of the girls were willing to give it a try (here's a school friend of Thomas')!
Parker eventually gave it a try:
Though he was a little suspicious of the firefighter:
Then Thomas took a turn with the hose at full throttle. Notice how the one man has to hold down the other man!
Then the firefighters talked to the kids about fire safety and about the firefighter's uniform/protective gear.
They encouraged the children to not be afraid of the man in the mask; that he only wants to help people. He gave them all a high five.
I tried to take a picture of all the children by one truck and that went really, really well. :)
Then it was time for cake and ice cream! Thomas blew out his candle...
And then Parker attempted to blow out his...
The cake wasn't exactly wat I had in mind, but it turned out cute enough...
Parker loves cake! What a difference a year makes. On his first birthday we couldn't make him eat it!
After cake and ice cream, the firefighters offered to take the birthday boys for a quick ride in the fire truck. Parker declined, but Thomas was very much up for the challenge!
A little self-portrait from the front seat shows that Thomas was plenty happy with his ride!
It was a wonderful day and a good party shared with great family and friends. We were very thankful for those who came to celebrate it with us! I can't believe yet another year has passed and I hope maybe this next year will slow down just a little bit!
