Monday, March 7, 2011

Going to the circus!!

So, its been a minute since I really had anything to post.  Mostly we've just all been fighting off one virus, then another, then the flu, so there really hasn't been anything exciting going on here at the GFL.  Until this past Friday.  That's when Sandy, Gideon and I went with my sister and nephew to go see the circus!

We had a great time!  It's been 2 years since anyone got to go to the circus.  Last year no one ended up going because of everything that was going on with Atticus, and the year before that, I stayed home with Gideon, who was too young to go.  So not only was it Gideon's first trip to the circus, but my first trip with the kids as well!  We went early enough to get there for all the pre-show stuff.  We wandered around to find our seats, then we took the kids down to the floor (after searching for the entry way for about 10 minutes!) where they got to see some clowns, dance, and walk on a tightrope!  Then the kids decided that they were ready to sit down, so we headed back up to the mezzanine.  We took everyone potty, grabbed everyone a souvenir so that there would be no whining during the show, and headed to our seats.  While my sister sat with the kids, I headed back out to grab a few snacks to munch on during the show.  After all, what's a circus without some popcorn and cotton candy?!

The kids were great during the show.  They 'oo'ed and 'ahh'ed at the acrobats.  They laughed and giggled at the clowns.  They watched intently at the parade of elephants, dogs, cats, exotic birds, and lions as they went through their various tricks.  They marveled at the ringmaster's magic tricks.  (Though after each one, Sandy would turn to me and say, "That's not REAL magic, Mom.  It's just an illusion....but it was a pretty good trick!!"  LOL!  We had talked about "magic" in its various forms--from Harry Potter to street magicians--only a few weeks before, and she wanted to make sure that I knew she'd been listening.)  And during the intermission--while they got the ring ready for the lions--the kids chattered non-stop about what they'd just witnessed.

We snuck out in the last minute of the show, so that we could beat the crowd to the bathroom, swung by one last souvenir counter to grab a little something for Atticus, and headed outside.  We ran into some friends who were there with their children, so we chatted for a few minutes while we waited for the traffic to clear out of the parking lot.  They have a son and daughter that are the same age as Sandy and Gideon, and the five kids spent the time chasing each other, showing off their souvenirs, and talking about the circus.  Once the traffic had thinned out, we said good-bye to our friends, and headed back to the car.  My sister and nephew walked in front of us, and I asked Sandy and Gideon about their favorite moments as we made the short trip to where we had parked.  We set the various souvenirs in the truck of my sisters car, as the kids all sleepily crawled into their seats.  We made sure everyone was buckled up properly, then headed for home.  I think Gideon had passed out before we even left the parking lot.  Sandy and my nephew valiantly struggled to stay awake for a few more minutes, but eventually succumbed to slumber before we had even made it back to the highway.  It was only about 2 hours past their bedtime, after all.  We got back to my house, where my mom had been kind enough to stay with Atticus so that I could go with the kids.  We swapped quick pleasantries after getting Sandy and Gideon inside with their things, and then she got in the car with my sister to head back to their house.  All in all it was a great time with the kids, and we made some great memories that night.  :)

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