Circus Mania

Saturday was Circus Day!! D had a meeting for most of Saturday, and we were invited to go to the circus with friends… couldn’t pass that upl! So, I went with my friend C and her little girl, also 2, O and our friend K and her 4 year old, A. Good Times! We packed all the gear, the kids and ourselves in K’s SUV for the trip down to ATL for circus fun. The car ride was as much fun as the actual circus! O and G were in the back in their car seats, gibbering away at each other in toddler-speak, as if they were an old married couple. Sweet little A was in the middle in her seat watching a movie on the DVD player. G kept trying to catch a glimpse of the movie around A’s seat. K & I saw more of C’s behind, than anything else…. She was constantly turned around trying to locate a lost pacifier, Sippy cup or recover one of G’s cars (one of which may still be lost in the depths of the SUV with a large population of goldfish, but more on that later). C and I were really hoping that our wee ones would nap on the way down, but they were having too much fun yelling at each other to nap. Sweet little A did though. Bless her.

We decided to take Marta to Phillips Arena; word on the street was that parking may be an issue. And although I was nervous about 3 Suburban moms with kiddos on the rail… it was actually a decent experience. O was a little frightened at first (she gets it honestly – from her mama!) but A & G thought it was cool. G kept trying to make friends with the other riders, especially four young guys with hats askew and low, low “drawers.” He also waved at some one that I believe was homeless as we slowed to enter one station. So friendly. We exited right at the Arena. Perfect delivery! Bought our 4 tickets, told a white lie about the ages of G & O. No tickets needed for 2 and under…. Missed it by days, but what do they know!!

When we entered the arena, G’s first word was “whoa!” …. Lots of vendors hocking their wares of spinning whirly-jigs, specialty cups, clown noses, popcorn, and cotton candy hats. It was a “whoa” moment. By the time we got to our seats, the show had already started but immediately G was transfixed (O was crying again). All the lights, all the music, all the people… It was great. Horses, motorcycles, elephants (skipping no less!), acrobatics, and more… But we lost him the second half of the show to his nap. So, for about an hour I held 32lbs of sleeping toddler, crammed into the seats of the near-nosebleed section. A somehow managed to get cotton candy in her hair, O was an angel. When we left the arena, G was still asleep but A & O wanted a spinning thing-a-ma-jig and $22 later, they got it. Our tickets in for the show were $22, so I was actually pleased that G was asleep so that we could miss out on that extravagant purchase! He woke up just as we were leaving. (But he did play with O & A’s spinning things in the car later… had to wear down those batteries for them)

So… the fun doesn’t stop there.. We get back on Marta, only we got on the wrong Westbound rail. Silly us, we got on the short line not the long one. (what?) But it was a quick solution, got back to the station with our car… G mooned some people in the parking lot and then back in the car. Goldfish for a snack all around. While G & O were in the back showering themselves with fish, A was in her seat, calm and sweet eating her fish like the angel she is. About half way home, we decided to stop for dinner since it was already late. A was hungry, and her favorite restaurant was close, McDonald’s! G ate nothing but did manage to drink all of his chocolate milk and some of O’s well. A, well, she was an angel again! She actually wanted to eat some of G’s apples that he was ignoring. At some point, the mistake was made to let the caged in G down… and let’s just say, the whole restaurant knew our every move. He was running, screaming, laughing, and encouraging O to misbehave. It was awful. Thought that we were about to get kicked out of a McDonald’s! Goodness.

Back in the car, O passed out ( I am sure from exhaustion) and G kept trying to wake her up. He probably left a thousand greasy fingerprints and circus grime footprints in the back of K’s SUV!! Sorry!! He was a glassey eyed zombie on the way home from K’s house, and actually fought sleep for a while, only an hour and a half past his bedtime!!

I woke up on Sunday with what can only be described as a circus hangover. I was battered and bruised. My left arm still aches from holding G for six plus hours!! But we had good time. I will try to post a picture later. ;)