The exact plans were up in the air all day so I didn't want to mention it to Sam. Once I was pretty sure we were going, I told him we were going to have fun and we were going to see Grandpa Mark but I didn't offer any more details. Sam, of course, assumed we were going to Grandpa Mark's house and was delighted.
Sam and I had our shoes on when Eric got home from work. Eric ate a quick dinner and then we zipped off to the fire house. We met Grandpa Mark and James in the parking lot and went inside.
We walked right into the huge garage where three fire trucks were parked. Several large men milled around in various stages of dress in uniform. We were greeted and one man offered Sam a red hat to wear and another gave him a sticker for his coat.
It all sounds fun, right? Well, my kid was so confused. He was tired, a bit overwhelmed, and a little shocked by this turn of events. He refused to go near the trucks and started to cry. Really cry! Eric had to hold him for several minutes as we both tried to explain to him what was going on. We asked him if he wanted to look at the trucks, and he said, "NO! Too big!" After looking around in bewilderment for another moment, he asked me, "Where's Tina?"
Overwhelmed or not, Sam is still Sam, and he was able to turn it around. Within minutes he was cheerfully going along for a tour of the fire house and climbing in and out of trucks. Once he understood what was going on, he had a blast. He loved the big tires on the trucks and watched the other kids try to spray the hose. He even waved and happily said good-bye to the firemen as we left.
Grandpa Mark took this picture of James and Sam. This is when Sam was feeling confident, and he still looks a little confused!
1 comment:
Yes, Sam still looks a little dazed in that picture (and James looks way too old!) Sounds like he bounced back pretty good from the initial surprise!
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