A Firefighter, That's Me!

We talked a lot about going to the fire station last night- so it was no surprise when Davis asked about it upon waking up this morning. We got everyone packed up and headed out to the fire station to meet Captain Cosby- who had welcomed us to come any time when we talked over the phone on Friday.

It felt funny to not have an appointment- but I jumped out at the fire station and rang the bell. This hulky firefighter opened the door, looking sort of like he had just rolled out of bed. I told him I had talked to Cosby, mentioned that I had a little boy in the car, and asked if now was a good time. I wish the scene had been on candid camera. It was that awkward. He looked at me like I was from Mars and said "Captain who?" Wrong station. When I asked about getting a tour there- he awkwardly let me know that it wasn't a good time. They were about to have a shift change. Some heroes...

So I got back in the car and since Bennett and I both forgot our phones- we just drove to the next station in the area. On the way- we laughed so hard I cried because in some way- I was expecting the fire station experience to be like the Barney video. They welcome you in- fire station chili is cooking on the stove- the fire station dog is there to greet you- and the friendly captain makes you an honorary fire captain after breaking out in song. In reality- not so much. The second station was even more disappointing- and frankly- I wasn't so impressed with their level of physical fitness. To put it nicely, I'm not sure who they could have saved...

So, we almost went home. It was about to be nap time and Holden was due to eat any minute. But instead we tried one more station. It was a haul and I was sure it wasn't the right one. We pulled up- and it was the most legit station by far- but when I rang the doorbell, no one came. And it was pitch black inside. I turned around to head back to the car and a very disappointed aspiring firefighter. But right before I got in- a young guy popped his head out- and asked if he could help me. I told him the whole schpeel- expecting to get a crazy look- but this was Cosby's station!!! And the guy was more than happy to give us a tour.

We pulled around- and he and three other guys came out in uniform- excited to see the smallest fireman in his little fire helmet. They seriously could not have been nicer. They let us in and as we stood there and looked at Davis, with his jaw dropped to the floor, more guys came out to chat and show us around. They let him climb in the trucks- they turned on all the lights- he got to try on their helmets- and they even went and pulled out a jacket with the name "Davis" on the back so he could take a picture with it. As Baby Bop would say- these were REAL HEROES.

It was priceless- watching Davis look at them in such awe- making sure that he had his helmet on the whole time- just like them. It was everything I had hoped for and honestly- Bennett and I were pretty excited and impressed by the whole thing. Those trucks are HUGE. And they were sparkly clean, with all the pants and helmets lined up around them- ready to go- just like the movie. Such a fun morning.