There is a certain fascination with large machines that make lots of noise when you're a child that dissipates at some point around early adulthood. My son is amazed by dump trucks, street cleaners, cranes, tractors, fire trucks and motorcycles. As an adult I observe these without much thought. The eyes of a child bring back the wonder of such great machines. It's not uncommon to see Alex run to the window when the trucks arrive. He's especially fortunate to live across the street from a truck that has lights and beeps and makes all sorts of noises. When we see fire trucks while driving or parked we always talk about them.

For his third birthday it seemed appropriate to give him a more up close and personal look at a fire truck and the station where it stays. So we scheduled him for a visit. This was the most exciting 45 minutes for him. He loved seeing the trucks and talking to the captain and other firemen. He was even able to try on a suit and get in the truck. Alex loved his trip so much that every day he's asked to look at pictures and watch videos from his time at the fire station. It was really fun to see him SOOOooooooo excited. Happy birthday big boy!