Sky Kids

The one thing this kid prays for every night is that he gets to fly an airplane again. What better gift for your birthday than to make that wish come true! The day couldn't have come any sooner. Jayen woke up early and immediately went to put his flight suit on. He couldn't wait! Since he has done this before, he knew exactly what to expect! Our flight time was early this year, so we didn't have time to do much except grab a quick bite and head out the door. By the time we arrived at the airport, there was already a line at registration But Jayen waited patiently.

Once we got past registration and listened to the safety instructions we were ready for the fun to begin! We ran into some amazing therapy pets, which once again prompted the kids to begin begging for a dog. Brilyn found the princess and wouldn't stop bothering her. But Jayen wanted to fly and nothing else. Dad convinced him to play with some play dough and before long they found him and were ready to take him to the flight line.

Jayen's pilot came to introduce himself. We learned that he is a pilot with the University of North Dakota. We were all able to walk out to the plane, but Dad and Dalan were chosen to be Jayen's flying partners. We watched until they were all buckled in then walked back towards the hanger. We were able to stay near the flight line until they took off.

When we returned to the hanger we met up with our friends Conor, Kerrie, and Mandi. Conor was also chosen to be a sky kid. He tried last year and decided last minute that he didn't want to go up. But this year, mom wanted to try again with a few minor changes. One was not having mom walk with him to the plane. Ms. Kerrie was not going up in the aircraft and thought if she walked out with Conor but didn't get on the plane too. So she kept Brilyn and asked if I would walk out with Mandi and help get Conor on the plane.
Apparently Conor was more ready than any of us were. He walked out to that plane like he owned the place, crawled up the wing, sat in his seat and buckled his seatbelt. I was crying! The progress he made from last year was amazing. I couldn't wait to walk back and tell mom how it went and show her some of the pictures I snapped!

Just as I was walking away from Conor's plane, Mandi was signing to me from inside the plane. Thank goodness we both knew sign language or I might have missed Jayen landing. He was just getting out of the plane directly behind the one Conor just got in. I was able to be there for his wing pinning and certificate. One of my favorite things sky kids does is a red carpet walk for each of the kids when they return to the hanger. They announce the kids' names and have them sign a large banner.

Since they had already flown, they could now sit down and enjoy the hamburgers and hotdogs. All flyers are asked not to eat within 45 minutes of flight, JUST INCASE! We were able to steal enough chairs to sit with Kerrie before they called her back out to pick up Conor. While everyone waited, there was a dj playing music and making necessary announcements. He had learned that it was Jayen's birthday and attempted to play the happy birthday song for Jayen. The first time he played it, Jayen had just taken off on the airplane and I quickly informed them that he was not back yet. A little while later he announced that he had it under good authority that Jayen was back on the ground and this time they could play it. I once again ran over to the table to let them know that their informant was again incorrect. I promised him that I would let him know when Jayen was safely back on the ground and in the hanger. While sitting down to eat, the dj played the happy birthday song and we all sang to Jayen! What a special birthday this special boy is having.
After eating, we played around with the play dough and other games for a little while before heading to the static displays on the other side of the hanger. On our way out we were approached by one of the pilots asking if Jayen would be willing to take pictures with him and his plane. What an amazing opportunity to meet this pilot and learn about his program. He works for a program that helps give flights to veterans. After talking for a little bit, he learned that Matt is active duty and was telling us he qualifies for a ride. He gave us his card and is waiting for our call.

The static displays were just as amazing as always. The kids talked to the police officers, got a tour of the police car, talked to the national guard members, sat in a commercial plane, and watched the firetrucks take off.

Jayen had an amazing day and has already started praying for the next time he can fly again!