Dear William: Milwaukee Bucks Date Night
3:13 PM
Will had a fall fundraiser at school and thanks to the generosity of our friends and family reached a sizable goal. Little did we know that in addition to all the little prizes he earned, he also had 2 tickets to a Milwaukee Bucks game coming his way.
The game was scheduled for Friday, March 24th and had the added bonus of watching the warm ups as well as being a part of the high five tunnel.
Erik and I asked him numerous times who should take him to the game. His response every time was Mommy. It worked out really well because had we purchased extra tickets for Erik and John to attend the game, Erik would have missed the Gamecocks making their way to the Elite 8! (which he would have gladly done to spend a night out with his wife and kids, right honey?)
I bought Will a tshirt while he was at school that day so he could wear it to the game that night. After a little rest time in his room that afternoon, and an early arrival from work for Erik, we got in the car and headed for the Bradley Center. Will was so excited that he kept asking how long it would be until we arrived and kept noting that it was "taking forever" to get there. 30 minutes in the car, with a little traffic, feels like forever to a 4 year old!
We got to the stadium and had to wait in line for a few minutes to get in, then checked in with the special events area. We headed "court side" (close enough, anyway) and watched warm ups for a few minutes. Will was so starving that we had to make our way for some chicken tenders and french fries after just a few minutes. We made our way back down and enjoyed our dinner together until it was time to head to the next part of the event... the high five tunnel!
I'll admit, Will was a little too young to really appreciate what this night was about. And he was tired, hungry and bored while we were waiting to go in to the high five tunnel. In hindsight, I should have bought him his much desired ice cream to eat while we waited to go into the tunnel. Unfortunately, I had no idea how long the wait would be and knew he'd be even more upset if we had to throw a treat away in order to go into the high five tunnel.
Here's my big boy walking into the tunnel... he sure looks little here!!
He was mesmerized by the lights and the court. His favorite was seeing the Bango blimp!
Still waiting...
His legs were so tired that he just had to sit down and rest.
The Bucks and Hawks came through the tunnel shortly after and I high fived everyone. Will was a little overwhelmed so he watched all the players run by.
Finally, it was time to be escorted out of the tunnel and time to go get the much awaited ice cream. I treated myself to a beer and we made the looonnnggggg walk up to section 411, Row W. I have never sat so high at an event in my life. It was quite the daunting walk up and I was even more glad that we didn't have John, aka Evel Knievel, to try and hold onto up there! Note to self, trying to carry a beer and ice cream while holding a 4 year old's hand was not a great idea! Oh, and next time, be sure to buy a bottle of water ahead of time so you don't have to walk all the way back down to get one when your 4 year old is "really really thirsty" after all the sweet ice cream! :)
Hey, Will... smile! Or just stare blankly into the distance. Silly boy!
We made it through the 1st quarter and a little into the 2nd quarter before Will's ice cream was gone and he was tired and ready to leave. I don't blame you, buddy. 7:00 PM is a late start time for a little boy!
We made our way back down to the main level and stopped in the gift shop for some stickers and a Milwaukee Bucks teddy bear. Here's my sweet little man posing with his new little buddy before we headed home.
We must've been good luck because the Bucks beat the Hawks that night 100-97! All in all it was a fun night out with my handsome date. Next time we'll have to take Erik and John with us... oh, and definitely sit a little closer to the action :)
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