Firemen and Ben & Jerry's

I considered titling this post "Two Delicious Treats". Seriously, I've never met an unattractive fireman. Anyway...

Our mom's group went on a field trip to a fire station. This particular fire station was especially fun because it had a pole to slide down, huge ladder firetrucks, a firetruck used during WWII, and an exceptional tour guide. 

Our time began with a basic tour of the equipment on one of the firetrucks. We've been to multiple fire stations, but this was the first time I let the trio out to walk around. 

All of the kids were allowed to sit inside the firetrucks. All seven kids easily fit inside the cabin of the ladder truck. I had to climb inside to retrieve James because he refused to exit like everyone else. The kids took individual turns sitting in the vintage firetruck.

The highlight of the tour was watching the fireman slide down the pole. The kids weren't allowed to slide down, but they were so excited to watch.

The moms were pretty excited, too. I was kind of waiting for the striptease to begin after he struck this pose!

The firefighter took the time to go get fully dressed in all his gear. He explained each piece and passed things around for the kids to feel the texture and weight of the material. James was totally mesmerized.

Unfortunately, by the time the fireman was fully suited with his mask, the girls were screaming in terror!

At least the older boys weren't scared.

I think this was the first tour where we were able to stay as long as we wanted without being interrupted by an emergency. Amelia became especially fond of the fireman.

The second part of our "field trip" was to take advantage of Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's. We all drove five minutes to the ice cream shop, but I was a few minutes later because I changed the trio's diapers in the van. James and Amelia were buckled in the stroller while I changed Maddie. All of a sudden there was a torrential downpour.

James, Amelia, and I were soaked. Just as I decided to go ahead and go home, the rain stopped and the sun came out again.

Thankfully we forged ahead and enjoyed our free ice cream. I was surprised that there was no wait at all. The trio and I shared a cone of Phish Food while Jackson indulged in his own cone of cookies and cream.

After I loaded the girls, James and I got caught in another downpour. Despite the rain, it was such a fun afternoon. The best part about it was it didn't cost a thing!