Life with Down syndrome: Dream Night At The Zoo Drive Thru

 

On May 2nd, our entire family headed to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium for Dream Night at the Zoo. We have been attending this awesome event for years with our sweet Liam, and it's one of our favorite ways to meet up with our Down syndrome community! They didn't have it last year due to the shutdown, but this year, they had a drive thru.

Although we definitely prefer the in-person event, we still had a great time! They made it so special for all of the amazing kids, and there were so many animals to see. Our kids had so much fun, and their only complaint was that it didn't last longer!

Coen had only been to the zoo once before he turned a year old, and he slept through it, and then the world shut down. We went to the Christmas Lights Drive Thru at the zoo, but he didn't really see any animals. This time he was mesmerized by all of the animals! It was his first real zoo experience that he was awake for, and we can't wait to take him back to see everything. As for Liam? He was grinning the ENTIRE time!

Weekending ~ Mad Science, Pony Rides and Dream Night at the Zoo

I think I need a day off to recover from my weekend! Is anyone with me?!?

We had one of those weekends where every single moment was scheduled. It wasn't the least bit relaxing, but thankfully, it was a lot of fun!

Our Saturday started off early. I wasn't in the best mood because there was construction directly in front of our house from midnight until 5 AM.  I was not a happy camper after only 3 hours of sleep, but at least one of us was smiling!

Grant had to put in a few hours at the office (bummer) while I loaded the kids into the SUV and made the trek into the city for a morning birthday party at Mad Science of Pittsburgh. The kids had a great time!

Although the experiments were a lot of fun, I think their favorite part was the cotton candy!

Liam THOROUGHLY enjoyed his first cotton candy! I had to pry the empty paper cone out of his hand!

After the birthday party, we met up with Grant and headed to a graduation party!  My dad's cousin's son just graduated from high school. It was basically a family reunion where I grew up!

I always get nostalgic when I visit my childhood home.  The house is now gone, my grandma's home is completely remodeled, the pond is drained and everything is overgrown. The only thing that still exists is the creek where I spent countless hours of my childhood.

My three older kids joined our amazing cousin, Alex, for a stroll through that creek.

We had a great time with our family!

No weekend is complete without a visit with our horse!  As soon as we got there, Lexie tried again to convince me to take home a kitten (it still isn't working)!

The more time we spend with our horse, the more I want to buy a house with some property so we can keep a horse or two at our home.  I spent much of my childhood years at the stable and I love watching my kids get the same thrill. I always said I wanted to have my own little barn one day, and I REALLY hope it comes true! (Besides, boarding a horse is expensive!!! $250-$300 each month for 24 years? You do the math!)

Dylan and Lexie don't really feel comfortable on horseback, but Lily is a natural. She really is my mini-me! 

The kids love visiting our horse!

See? Mini-me!

On Sunday, we attended the annual Dream Night at the Zoo.  This was our third year attending the invitation-only event at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. It's an event for people with chronic illnesses or disabilities and their families.

This year, Grant stayed home because he wasn't feeling well and Dylan had a sleepover to attend, so I took my great niece, Aubrey, with us.

As soon as we got there, we walked the "red carpet" with our favorite homie with an extra chromie.

Lily was thrilled to meet Rapunzel!

And Tinkerbell!

We all got to pet a giraffe.

We played at the Islands.

We hung out with a crocodile.

 

The girls had so much fun exploring the zoo while Liam enjoyed the view (and the snacks) from his stroller!

We had a great night with our guest of honor! 

Our weekend ended with a great episode of Game of Thrones AND with the Pittsburgh Penguins bringing home the Stanley Cup!

How was your weekend?

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Dream Night at the Zoo

Once you have a child who has special needs, you enter a whole new world.

That world includes many special events!  One of those events is Dream Night at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium.

We have a membership to the Pittsburgh Zoo, and we go several times a year.  I was just there with Lexie's class 2 1/2 weeks ago!  Dream Night, however, is an invitation only event for people with special needs and their families. It's so much fun!

We went to Dream Night last year when Liam was just 9 months old.  He slept almost the entire time!  This year, he was awake, and ready to roll!  Snacks, of course, were a necessity.



As soon as we got to the top of the escalator, we were greeted by this sight:



Around the corner was Make-A-Wish!  We finally made our way down the hill and started to check out the animals.  Almost immediately, the hands-on experiences began!



We caught a glimpse of these magnificent creatures...



...then decided to wait in line for something extra special!



Trust me, it was WELL worth the wait!!!





It was an incredible, unforgettable experience!  She was such a gentle, beautiful animal, and petting her was one of the coolest things ever!



For the first time ever, we decided to skip the Tropical Forest, AKA the "Monkey House."  We had enough monkeys to deal with!



On our walk to the aquarium, we got a close look at the giraffes!



The aquarium was where the real party started!  A Polynesian band was playing and teaching the kids how to hula at the entrance.  We watched for a few minutes, then headed into the aquarium.  We were on a tight schedule!

Liam LOVED the aquarium!   I don't blame him.  It's beautiful and mesmerizing!  I truly could spend the entire day inside.




Right before we left the aquarium, we ran into Liam's little buddy!  For those of you who read my blog regularly, Kyron and Liam were the matching pirates at the World Down Syndrome Day Tea Party!



As we left the aquarium, they were handing out ice cream bars.  The kids were pretty excited about that! We ate as we talked to friends and checked out the outdoor aquarium exhibits.

As we entered Kids Kingdom, a big dance party was happening, an artist was painting, and characters were walking around to greet the kids.  Lily didn't want to get out of the stroller, but Lexie and Dylan had a great time!





By the time we left that area, it was completely dark.



Unfortunately, we just missed the cutoff for the free log rides, but there was still time for the carousel ride, which the kids had been waiting for!  Dylan, Lexie, and Lily loved it!  Liam?  Not so much!  Grant tried to take pictures, but poor Lily was hidden!




When the kids got off the carousel, it was time to leave.  Grant had to wait in the long elevator line with Liam and our stroller, so I took Dylan, Lexie, and Lily down the escalator.  We grabbed our goody bags, and waited at the bottom of the elevator.  The kids were tired, but happy, after a fun night!



The wait for Grant and Liam was long, but we got to talk to many friends as they got off the elevators.  It was such a great night!  We ran into many families we knew, and we got to meet a few new ones.  I love the Down syndrome community!

Our family had a great time at Dream Night!  A huge thank you to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG aquarium for hosting this wonderful event. We can't wait to go back next year!!!