Road Trip and Circus Fun!!

Napping Lili

A couple weekends ago, the kids and I took off for Nana and Bapa's! You may think I am absolutely crazy for road tripping by myself with 3 children, but actually, it isn't all that bad. Cadence is a huge help in the van. She likes playing "mama" since I am busy driving. She helps Lili reach things, she soothes and entertains Drake, or she sits up front with me and keeps me company. I am always so impressed by the way she acts on a long car ride. Love that girl! I was also impressed with her ability to tell time, subtract time and figure out exactly what time it would be when we would arrive. If I told her, yes, we will stop for a potty break in a few minutes. She took that literally and would say- "So at 2:33, since a few is 2 or 3 minutes, we will stop?"
I noticed a pattern as we drove. The girls and Drake did great. They hung out in the back. Didn't fuss for a snack or drink. Watched the DVD player (must have, in my opinion). Giggled. Lili even napped (see picture)! But, it felt like Speed. There was a magic speed minimum in their heads and if I ever dropped below that, it triggered their enthusiasm..... "Are we there???! Where's Nana's?" Needless to say, they were excited to finally GET THERE! And get out of the car to tackle them with lovies. 

Cadee reading about salamanders

Every year, my sister gets us circus tickets through her work. It's a special thing for her to take the girls and I (and maybe Drakey next year) to the circus each spring. The girls look forward to it almost as much as Sares and I. Aunt Sares really spoils us at the circus. Treats, soda, a toy or two, and the girls each get to pick one thing to do at intermission (ride an elephant, a horse or a camel, jump in a bouncy house, hold a snake or have your face painted). This year, Cadee had her heart set on cotton candy annnnd.... Riding an elephant! We tried to get her to last year, but it was still scary then. She was brave and marched right up there and got on. Nevermind the fact that she held on for dear life the first couple laps! :) After that, she started to loosen up and actually lift her hand to wave at me. She thought it was pretty neat riding such a huge animal!

Liliana thought the clowns were fantastic. Of course she would, they have every color of the rainbow- and that's just on their head! As we walked around getting our treats, she wanted to stop and take a picture with each one. She chose to have her face painted. It was the least scary thing available. 

We had a great night with Aunt Sares! Some of our favorites were: Bo, the elephant. Always amazed at that. The girls that twirl on the ropes and scarf things, and later they twirl by their hair! We love the skit that the clown does where he winds up what appears to be a little stuffed elephant. It walks along and follows him and then falls over. In the end, the clown pulls a little dog out of the elephant costume. We laugh every time! And Lili was uber excited to see the man shoot out of the cannon! Thank you, Sares, for another memorable night. Looking forward to next year and seeing Drake's reaction to the sights, smells and sounds of the circus!