A Three-Ring Circus

Things here have felt a bit like a three-ring circus, between holiday activities, prior commitments, my new (kind of cool but very challenging) job and the drum of daily life. But the Friday after Thanksgiving we went to a real three-ring circus! Oma and Opa braved the experience with us -- we were so glad they could come along.

The circus began at 6:30, with "family-friendly activities" beginning at 5:30. We arrived early so we would have plenty of time to check it all out. Here are a few of the pre-show things we did:

Pre-Show Pose

This may be Oliver's first time meeting a clown

Before, during and after the show they offered animal rides. Here is Oliver on a camel.

Oma and Opa bought Oliver an elephant ride and he had a blast!

We finally sat down for the circus and our dinner. Oliver refused all food except cotton candy....and as it was a night for him, we said "sure" (though I cringed inside). He was in heaven! The show began and Oliver was eager to see what was going to happen. 

Dinner of champions...cotton candy!

The circus wasn't quite as I remembered it. There were a couple of questionable dance numbers with scantily-clad women, a rather lame attempt at humor by a clown, and I was sad to see the animals were still a part of the theatrics. 

A few parts were rather cool. The trapeze act was impressive -- and as they finished their part of the show, Oliver wisely said "I don't ever want to do that!" The motorcycles in the cage are always fun, and Oliver's favorite: the human cannonball!

What a great night. I don't know that the circus will become a yearly trip for us, but it was fun taking him this year. It was fun getting the opportunity to do something like this as a family. Something I think about a lot more these days as our family day is just a week away.