The Circus and Resourceful Kids

Last night we went to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus.  We hadn't been since the kids were very small and unfortunately they couldn't remember it.  I'm hopeful that they are just old enough to remember a sliver of the fun we had last night.
Paul ended up in Adam's lap watching and observant Claire sat next to me and talked the entire time.  It was difficult to watch what was going on in front of me while simultaneously answering questions on everything from the type of cloth used in costumes to the reality of the exhibit in front of her.  Yes, that was distracting, but how can I argue with a girl who has such an appreciation for every detail of the show, right down to the clown's shoemaker?  I answered every question to the best of my ability.
Adam's parents had a long-standing tradition of taking us to the circus every year but due to health issues and other reasons, they haven't been able to go in years.  It didn't seem quite the same without our family parade of two wheelchairs, three children, and four walking adults.  We used to be like Moses parting the crowd like the Red Sea.
If you arrive early enough, you can always see a pre-show.  We used to go see all the animals beforehand but yesterday we voted on seeing the clowns first instead.  We were all so glad we did.
Below are some photos from our night.  Claire did a google image search at home before we left so she could see what the costumes looked like.  She dressed up as a close facsimile to one of the acrobats.  Paul wore his T-shirt cape.

Claire and Paul danced with a clown.

Yes, my children were the only ones I saw in costume.  Maybe that's why this clown loved them so.

Clown hug!

Claire wouldn't even take her eyes away from the stage long enough to smile at me.  Here she is wearing the hat that came with our $14 cotton candy.  

 We shared the hat.

Yes, this is my handsome husband.

Motorcycles!

As we walked through the concourse of course the kids saw all the toys and souvenirs for sale.  Needless to say, we spent $100 on tickets and $14 on one giant bag of cotton candy, so we opted not to buy anything else.  In come our resourceful children.  First, Paul found a spare clown nose on the ground and held it up with pride.  "Now I have two!" he shouted.  He was so proud of that nose.

After the show, Claire scoured the seats and came up with one clown mug, one tiger cup with moving lid and a crown.  We couldn't believe it.  Free souvenirs!  The kids and Adam kept scanning the seats until a security guard asked us to leave.

I was so proud of my children and their resourcefulness.  By the end of the night, the experience was worth every penny and then some.