Circus!!

Last Friday, we took the kids to see their first circus.  Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey were in Macon for the weekend, and thanks to a great reading program at the local library, the kids got free tickets.  To celebrate the occasion, Nathan and I had a circus-y morning that day in preschool.  We danced to some circus marches, we read "If I Ran the Circus" by Dr. Seuss, and Nathan made his very own clown hat.  He enjoyed decorating it and was very excited to wear it that night to the circus.

That is one seriously silly, little clown!!

Thanks to some of Cliff's students, we were tipped off to the fact that there was a pre-show an hour before the circus began.  We got to go right down to the ring on the floor and watch some of the performers up close.  We also got to see one of the elephants and one of the camels up close. 

Our other little clown, enjoying the pre-show.

The clown did some fun tricks during the pre-show.

Duchess the elephant came out to say hello during the pre-show.

The show was a lot of fun.  The circus is a little different than it used to be.  Rock music has replaced circus marches, the clowns were dressed in more contemporary street clothes, rather than in big, floppy clothes with red wigs, and there were no lions or tigers.  There were, however, meticulously trained elephants, horses, ponies, dogs and camels.  The tumblers, jugglers, tight rope walkers and stunt men were top notch, and their routines were timed perfectly to the music of the live band.  We all had a good time and were happy to have the night out.  My favorites were the elephants and the little dog who moonwalked to "Billie Jean". :)

He ALMOST lasted through the whole show!

Gina