We're Off to the Circus!

The Al Amin Shriners circus comes to town a couple of times a year and we thought it was the right time for the girls to experience this great show.  We got tickets from Valero who sponsors the event, we would like to thank Apa for getting them for us.  We went prepared with ear plugs for both girls and an extra pair just in case.  After the movie theater incident with Emily I wanted to make sure we didn't have to leave early because of the noise.

As we were arriving Emily was greeted by her friend Macy from school who just so happened to be going to the same show.  They gave each other a hug and we went our separate ways only to later coincidentally find each other when taking our seats, so both girls got to sit next to each other.

The show first began with the Royal Bengal Tigers doing tricks in their cage.  We were all amazed at how beautiful and how big these tigers actually are in size.  They even had white tigers among the normal orange coated ones.  Next came the aerial trapeze performers and then the clown who made the audience interact with him, he was the funniest clown.  I missed the camel performances because the girls needed to go to the bathroom, but we made it back just in time to see the elephant performance.  There was an intermission during which you could ride the elephants, horses, or camels.  The girls weren't interested in riding the animals, which was great because the line for the rides were too long.  What they were interested in were the huge balloons and the glow wands.  We all snacked on popcorn and cotton candy, thanks to daddy and Apa who couldn't help but buy their babies anything they wanted.  By the end of the show we all ran out of money.

After intermission Avery was tired and wanted to go home.  She was a trooper and let us stay to finish the show.  I am so happy we stayed because we were able to see the motorcycle team perform flips in the air and the best part of the show which was the human cannonball.  Although this part was really loud, Emily didn't seem to mind and she was having a great time.

The girls loved the show and are ready to go back for another one.  I think next time we will wait for the Barnum and Bailey's circus.  One hilarious moment we have to remember is when one of the Al Amin members who was dressed as a clown stopped by to say hello to friends who were sitting behind us.  Emily suddenly looked fear stricken and turned to tell her daddy, "Don't let him take me!"  Don't we all feel that way when we see clowns?!?  So funny!

Texas Bluebonnets in the Spring!

Every March the bluebonnets and wild flowers bloom in Texas bringing a wonderful violet color to the landscape.  We decided to stop alongside the highway and show the girls what those wonderful flowers were and take a couple of pictures.  Stopping along the highway to take pictures with the bluebonnets is a tradition among most Texans and now that the girls are older, I thought it would be great to start this tradition with them.  Some people think that picking bluebonnets is against the law, but I recently found out that it is not.  What is against the law is tying up traffic so you can pick the flowers, so watch where you stop and make sure it is a safe place away from traffic.