Circus! Circus! Crazy Circus!

I had been wanting to take the boys to a circus and jumped at the chance when I heard the Shrine Circus was in town.  I have good memories of going to the circus when I was a little girl and I have a funny memory of my circus birthday party!  I had this really cool circus cake.  The top of the cake had a paper circus tent over it and animals under the "big top."  I'm not exactly sure how it happened but when my mom lit the candles, the paper cake top caught on fire!  Scary at the time, but really funny now!
Anyway, back to the present.  Sometimes you do things as a mom that seem like a really good idea, but in hindsight are absolutely crazy!  Well, I did it.  I took the boys to the Shrine Circus...by myself...without a stroller...right before nap time...on a really super cold almost rainy day.  I don't regret it, but I probably won't do it again!
We actually had a good time.  Wiley really enjoyed getting to see the tigers and the elephants.  He liked getting a really cool (cheaply made) light up sword.  He liked eating popcorn, drinking a huge soda and running away from me as I tried to feed Van in the darkly lit arena!  He liked petting the snake and getting his hand buzzed by the clown.  The boys overall were really great!  The insanity was when I had to carry both boys to the truck because Wiley was exhausted and I had parked WAY to far away.  It was freezing and I was trying to keep Van covered up with the blanket.  Hear me now Justin Gulledge...you are coming next time...a little excuse like keeping people alive during surgery isn't going to be acceptable!:)

Wiley with his cool light up sword, that the batteries continue to fall out of!

The 4 year old elephant doing some tricks!

Van just chillin!

Weird picture because of the flash!

Wiley engrossed in the show!

A picture of the three of us in front of the elephants.  Now picture me speed walking 400 yards back to the truck trying to hold a blanket over Van and keep Wiley's hood up!  I was praying some stranger would offer me a ride!



Picture with the snake.  They wouldn't let Wiley hold the snake because he was too little and they wouldn't let me because I was holding Van...hence the stranger in our picture.  Also this is a picture of the picture and therefore poor quality.



Wiley with the shrine clowns!