Our Five Ring Circus: Dream Night at the Zoo

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Dream Night at the Zoo

On Sunday evening, we attended Dream Night at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium.

It was an invitation-only event, and we received the tickets through Liam's Down Syndrome Clinic.  Grant wasn't feeling well, but the kids were excited to go, so I decided to conquer the zoo with 4 kids by myself.  It was pouring down rain as I drove into the city, but I kept my fingers crossed.  Sure enough, the skies cleared just as we arrived!

I put Liam in the Ergo, shoved Lily and our ridiculous amount of gear into the stroller, made sure the big kids were holding on to the stroller, and we headed into the zoo for our adventure. 

It was Liam's first visit and he really was interested in everything that was going on around him! Several of the animals caught his attention. He didn't get to participate in any of the activities, but I'm sure he will enjoy it next year!  It was also our first visit to the zoo this year!

We ran into a sweet family we knew and enjoyed talking to them.  I also observed the sweetest moment between a mom and her adult son, who had Down Syndrome.  She told her group to find their buddies.  The man wrapped his arm around her shoulders, hugged her and said, "You will always be my buddy, mom. Always and forever."  Let me just say, I had to wipe tears away.

Dylan, Lexie, and Lily had a great time!  Although we skipped the behind the scenes tour and pictures with a giraffe due to long lines, there was plenty to do.  They got to make animal masks, listen to bands, dance with radio disney, play on the playgrounds, and ride the log ride and carousel. 

It was fun to be at the zoo in the evening. We have never done that before!  I have to admit, I was proud of myself and the kids.  We managed to have a stress free visit to the zoo, even though they outnumbered me 4 to 1!

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We had so much fun! The kids left the zoo with smiles on their faces and lots of goodies.  It was such a special night for so many special kids!  I'm sure Liam is going to love it next year!

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10 comments:

  1. What a fun night! The zoo looks awesome! I've done the zoo solo with my 4 kiddos too. It ended up being great.

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  2. What a fun time!! We just went to the zoo the first time last week. Em was in awe the whole trip!

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  3. That lion Looks so big and scary!! so brave of you to take all the 4 with you!! SuperMom!!

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    1. Aww, thank you! It turned out to be a lot easier than I expected!

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  4. I love that the zoo hosts special events like this and the NICU reunion. It is great to get together with people that have a common bond, even if you don't know them personally, I just like being around others that "know".

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