Monday, January 30, 2012

Clowning Around at the Circus!

There is nothing quite like creating memories with your family. This weekend, we had the opportunity to do just that. The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus was in town and were fortunate enough to attend. Not only was it Anna Claire and Molly's first circus, but mine too!

Let me tell you, they put on quite a show and when they say that it is the "Greatest Show on Earth" they don't disappoint! There were several times during the show that I turned to Mike and said, "this is amazing!" or "Wow, how do they do that?"

We arrived early to take advantage of the All Access Pre-Show which allows you to go down on the circus floor and mingle with the clowns, see some of the animals and get a glimpse of what is to come. They did a fabulous job of allowing children to take part in some of the activities and "Asia" the elephant came out and "drew" a picture that was later given to one lucky audience member.


During the Pre-Show you are really able to get up close to some of the circus acts, including the clowns. By far Anna Claire's favorite part!


There were jugglers, dancers, high wire acts, the double wheels of steel, acrobats and of course "Taba" the animal trainer that worked with the tigers.







Everyone had a chance to be a clown!


Ringling Brothers truly puts on a great show and there is something for everyone. Check out their website for upcoming dates. Their schedule includes upcoming stops in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Virgina and West Virginia.

Everything was well done and I don't think anyone left that night disappointed--I know Anna Claire didn't!


Many thanks to Feld Entertainment for giving us the chance to experience the Greatest Show on Earth! All opinions about the circus were my own.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

The next Disney princess

We have slowly been recuperating from Christmas; I know, we are a month out. We managed to pass around a cold, to the entire family, had Jessica come back to visit for a few days before heading off to Australia, got glasses for Anna Claire and made a trip to Atlanta for a long weekend with family.
In the midst of the busyness, while Jessica was here, we stole away a night to see Beauty and The Beast. It was Anna Claire's (and Molly too) first movie in the theater. Mike got her a bag of popcorn and we settled in to watch the movie. I'm not exaggerating when I say that her eyes were glued to the screen and her hand was in the popcorn bag--the entire show!


Anna Claire got glasses at the beginning of the month after being diagnosed with Esotropia--something that she will hopefully grow out of in the next several years. For right now she is wearing glasses to strengthen the muscles in her eyes. She doesn't mind wearing them and loves that they are pink and match her princess dresses.


It's been nice getting back into the routine of life after such a busy season and we are all looking forward to what 2012 holds!