4 birthday parties this weekend

There are 4 birthday parties this weekend between all of my children.  One was Friday night for Lars, one was Saturday for Brita and Leif (separate).  Lars also attended Brita’s because he knows the daughter’s big brother.  And Brita has another party today.

Luckily for me, I only had to attend one of them.  I was put on Leif duty, which meant a trip to the Minneapolis Fire Hall and Museum.  What we found there was that the guys who run it prefer the ‘hall’ and not so much the ‘museum’. The museum features several interactive displays including a full size fire truck for the kids to play on.  Everyone was very excited to get started.

But first…we were treated to a Homer-Simpson quality tour that lasted 1/2 hour - much longer than a pack of 4 year olds would have wanted.  In the picture above, the man is pointing to a bucket from the past and saying something like, “Here’s a bucket from the 1800’s.  Here’s another bucket from the 1850’s, but they (presumably firemen) don’t use buckets any more.”

After 10 minutes of this, the mom politely asked, “Can we please go play on the fire truck?  The kids just don’t care about all this.”  To which the guide said (inexplicably), “No.”  If any kids strayed from the tour, they were rounded up by another fireman and put back in the pack.

Another time during the tour, we were shown a giant, shiny fire truck that gave rides to kids!  “But it ain’t working right now.  We don’t start givin’ rides until April.  Come back then, kids.”  At this point, the mom hosting the party wondered out loud (really loud), “Why would someone say that to kids?”

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the kids were let loose on the fire trucks and ladder displays.  This was the reason we came in the first place - and they had a great time steering, turning on the sirens, climbing in the back, and experiencing the fire truck.

And what will Leif remember from this party?  The great times on the truck, opening presents, and playing at the museum.  In the end, everyone had their turn on the trucks, poles and ladders.  And the parents will have memories of how to have a party (or tour) there while avoiding the staff.