Back to the Circus

Tonight we wrapped up our Big Top series with a trip to the arena.  No, it wasn't really a big top.  But that's the way Ringling Brothers travels lately, so we were okay with that.  As you can see above, the whole family came today - that was ten of us.  Mommy and Daddy smuggled ten kilos of cotton candy, popcorn and lollipops into the building, and for the rest of the night, all ten of us were feeling the effects of one major sugar rush!

Madison had a wonderful time!  For her, the best part of it was the pre-show, where she got to interact with characters and see a few pre-show things, like these dogs below:

And also, our favorite, an elephant that did slam dunks with a basketball - but also showed a bit of an artistic side by creating paintings with his trunk.  Here's the artist below, creating yet another masterpiece:

Like I said, the pre-show was the best part for Madison.  Part of the reason was the timing:  it wasn't as late.  Once the rest of the family got there, it was a ton of fun for Madison, who of course loves to sit beside her cousin Hannah.  Along with the other contraband we smuggled in, you can see some disguises we wore to fool the authorities:  red noses!

Ten bags of cotton candy, ten bags of popcorn, ten circus lollipops, and ten red noses.  Sounds like a recipe for a fun night!  It really was a fun night, as everyone enjoyed the individual acts on horseback, way overhead on the tightrope, and in a cage with tigers and lions (oh my!).

The show was called "Dragons," as it featured a few hints of dragons, and a song about "having the spirit of the dragon in you" that was repeated quite a bit.  There were a few dragon props here and there, but the show was really about the circus acts - which had nothing to do with dragons.  Or, at least I don't think they did... anyway, it was fun for the whole family.  The individual acts were great, but the musical bits were a little... wait for it... draggin'.

CUE RIMSHOT HERE

Madison enjoyed being with the family, and again the pre-show was huge for her:  she was so focused on the dancing poodles, painting elephant, wacky clowns and all the other things there.  She dressed up with some circus clothing, and even hung out with a few clowns.  We pretty much got our money's worth there, all before the show even started.

The rest of the day was quiet by comparison.  It was part of Dr. Seuss week, so Madison had "Who Hair" today, which basically consisted of some different braids, and a few sparkly pipe cleaners in her hair.  This worked out perfectly for the circus, of course.

Daddy and Mommy did a bit of work today, cleaning out the "Big Top" display case, and beginning to pack up all the circus stuff.  It's been a fun series, all ending with an actual trip to the circus.  We've done this the last three years:  going to the circus with our family.  But next year we might try something a little different with the circus:  there are other circuses that tour around, some of which actually are under the Big Top.  We've got just a touch of nostalgia for that kind of experience, a less-polished and more old-fashioned circus.

But tonight was just what we needed - a good time at the circus for the whole family.  Madison loved it, and therefore so did we!