Under the Big Top

After Friday's horrible news, it was easy to forget what a magical evening we had the night before at the Big Apple Circus.  But since I need some cheering up this weekend, here are some photos from our second annual playgroup outing.  A few of us made it into the city around 5 p.m. to meet up at the Holiday Market at Columbus Circle where we grabbed a light bite before the show. The kids enjoyed running around a huge tree just there on the outskirts of Central Park, while we noshed and sipped warm cider.  It was a pretty comfortable evening for mid-December and I was happy to be out enjoying the city's festive mood again.  Once we were ready to walk over, the kids could barely contain their excitement.  We snapped a few quick pics outside by the Lincoln Center fountain before heading in to grab our seats.  Of course at the circus you have to get some popcorn and nearly every kid had a cotton candy spool to himself.  Our friend Monica did an awesome job once again wrangling us discounted tickets and a whole section to ourselves close to the ring.  As for the show itself, I think it was every bit as much fun as our first time.  The theme of this year's circus was probably even more suited to our target audience. It was less of a contrived storyline and more about the history of the circus. The animals came out first along with a trapeze artist and the kids were transfixed.      

Elisa had taken a good nap that afternoon in preparation so the evening went pretty smoothly.  She started to get tired about midway through the second act and ended up on my lap for the last 5 minutes.  Unlike last year when some of the kids were way too exhausted or overwhelmed to enjoy the whole show, I think everyone stuck it out this time.  It's so fun to see how the kids relate to one another and how much they love sharing these activities with friends.  Having our playgroup peeps to celebrate the holidays like this is very special and I hope it's a tradition we'll have for many years to come.  Hopefully next year we can bring Carolina along for the thrills since this year would have meant chasing her around and missing half the show.  All in all, the circus was a great night out on the town and a chance to see the brilliance of these performers in their element. We laughed and clapped and gasped together. And just thinking about the spectacle of it all brings a smile back to my face. Elisa shouting, "Oh my God! I never seen those before!" about the white ponies circling the ring.  It doesn't take much to impress these kids and they delight in all of it.  Childhood at its best.