Ok, so it's not the #1 zoo in the world like we are used to but the time with my family was worth it. We couldn't decide what to do today so we checked one more thing off our list while we are still forced to be here! Wildlife World is just a couple miles from our house and we've been meaning to go for a while. Dalan was here a couple weeks ago with his class, so he was our guide and showed us all the cool exhibits. I think the highlights were the white peacock, the parrot that said "Hello", and feeding the giraffes. Ok, well maybe the kids didn't like it as much as we thought they would. They actually all freaked out when that gigantic, long tongue came within a foot of them. It was pretty neat and I hope we can try it again.
We had to leave the zoo somewhat early so we could squeeze naps in before we had to leave for the hockey game. We were able to score private suite tickets for the Coyote game. The kids had such a great time the last time we went. The tickets suite was donated to HOPE KIDS. Jayen recently became a HOPE kid due to his diagnoses. This was our first event and we weren't sure how it was going to go, but we were so excited. I think hockey is a place where Jayen can be free. I don't have to tell him to sit down or be quiet. He gets to be himself and no one cares! We met so many great people at the event. It was nice to connect with other families going through similar struggles. We even met one family who went through brain surgery twice then just recently received a VNS. I hope I can connect with that mom again.
Our private suite. We had to get super secret hand stamps in order to get on this level. The kids kept asking if they could go check their stamps. I think Dalan went to the bathroom twice as often as he needed just to check it out under the black light!
Wayne freaking Gretzky jersey in the suite. Holy cow! Even I know who that is!
This was the whole group of HOPE KIDS that attended the hockey game. Thanks for sharing the evening with us.
After the game was over we stood in line for over an hour so the kids could go on the ice and shoot one puck.
A little more muscle on that stick and she would have had it!
Jayen was so close. A little more heat and his would have gone in too. He was pretty proud of himself!
Dalan had no problem getting it in. What a pro!
After they shot, the kids were all presented with their own Arizona Coyote puck! I'm pretty sure they all slept with their pucks. What a great night it was. I later learned that the suite was donated by Cindy and John McCain. I can't wait to write that thank you letter!
We were all very excited about the day we had and tried to sleep a little before we were off to our next adventure. We woke up Sunday morning, went to church then got our gloves ready. YEP, GLOVES! Ok, baseball gloves. Jayen's therapy center posted on their Facebook page the other day about a big surprise happening at the baseball game and hoped people could be there wearing their shirts and supporting them. I wrote back that I wish we could be there to support them but tickets for the whole family are out of our price range. So they should let us know what the surprise was when they returned. I was in shock when the owner sent me a text message asking how many people were in my family. He wanted to send us to the game. I was so grateful! When we go to baseball games we have to buy the cheap seats in the grass. We weren't prepared for what he treated us to. Once again we were in a section that required the super secret stamp! The kids couldn't believe they got to do this again. And yes the stamp was as big of a hit as it was yesterday! Our seats were so amazing. I think we all giggled and cried a bit. We were treated to Diamond Level, All you can eat seats. This was too amazing. I would never be able to provide my kids with this opportunity! I'm so thankful to Bob at Team 4 Kids for making a dream come true for us.
We learned the surprise was Bob's wife Lisa, who is Jayen's OT, was out on the field for the first pitch. Our friend, Connor from Buddy Baseball, was throwing out the first pitch and asked Ms. Lisa to be out there with him. This was a double surprise for us! We got to see Ms. Lisa and Connor on the field. Can't wait to see Connor on Thursday and ask him why he didn't tell us. Coach Matt could have practiced his pitching with him. We think he might have to replace Coach Kyle as all time pitcher!
Of course the kids couldn't pass up the opportunity to run the bases when they heard that announced! Again the wait was over an hour but to them it was totally worth it! Dalan was too fast for me to get a picture, Jayen was in the middle of a bunch of kids so this was the best I got for him, and Brilyn got to first then decided to go home. (Literally she ran back to first then off the field to find me! I thought she had watched enough baseball to know which way to go. Guess we'll work on that one!)
We sincerely thank Bob and Lisa from the bottom of our hearts for the most amazing time. Thank you for giving my family the gift of time together, amazing memories, and new experiences. Arizona doesn't feel like home, but you have made it a very special place for us!
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