So this year, I was excited to see that the evening was free but after our week at the beach, I wasn't sure I wanted to attempt it. "Special needs" is such a broad term and doesn't necessarily mean that everyone is prepared for a disrupting raging meltdown. However, the two days prior to the event were relatively uneventful so we decided to try it.
As soon as he heard that there'd be fire trucks, that's really all he wanted. The only problem was that there was a thunder storm as we drove up so we had to try out some other activities first. Initially dismissing the idea of face paint or hair color, he decided to try when we caught up with Mariana and another director friend who convinced him it'd be cool.
And if you got it in the right light, it even showed up in that beautiful black hair!
He did finally get to his beloved fire trucks.
The show, with many cuts for the attention spans in attendance, was well done. Victor spent most of it sitting in Mariana's lap, getting his own private narration, interrupted by many questions, of course. But since there were multiple balloon pops, squeals, shouts, and unidentifiable noises throughout, no one complained or cared.
And when your sister is on the production team, you're even given a backstage pass to meet and greet the actors. I have to believe this is a learning experience for them, too.
Of course she would be standing next to Gertrude.
Seeing her as Gertrude many moons ago was a highlight for all of us
(minus Victor, who wasn't even born yet).
But he only had eyes for Maizie. And, as he told us when he was returned to us, "She even let me feel her feathers!"
Many, many thanks to the sponsors who make this event possible. The smiles and hugs were numerous.
Here's hoping it suits us next year as well!
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