Circus-Saurus!

Amarillo is not a hot spot for entertainment, but we do get a few interesting things that pass through our city every now and then. The latest was "Circus Saurus, where the big top is transformed into a time machine for the adventure of a lifetime!" It didn't look like anything spectacular, but we thought the kids would have fun, so we got tickets through a Groupon.

We've been to a few lower-level circuses before, and figured this would be just like the others, but with dinosaurs, and we were mostly right. The real surprise of the night was the venue. We were expecting it would be in the air conditioned exhibition center like before, but instead we were in an actual tent in the exhibition center parking lot. It was a hot day (high-80s) and we all got pretty sweaty, but the kids handled it well and the intimacy made it more fun. We got seats on the front row bleachers so we were super close to the action, and the dinosaurs!

Our circus crew. It was a surprise for the kids and they had a great time. Charlie slept through most of the show, although when he did wake up, he was pretty surprised by everything happening around him. 

From previous experience, we've learned to get our own glow wands at the Dollar Store beforehand. They are just as fun as the ones vendors try to sell for much, much more.

The dinosaurs were hilarious. In the dark they looked pretty good, but when the lights came on you could clearly see the performers legs walking around. Sophie is old enough to know dinosaurs are extinct, but Davey was pretty mesmerized and thought they were the real deal. 

They also had an elephant dressed up like a mammoth, and some cavemen who came out to juggle flaming torches. It was all a bit cheesy, but fun. 

In addition to the dinosaurs, they had several traditional acts like aerialists, clowns, animals, and more. 

Video: The dinosaurs and the elephants

Other November Adventures

NATURE CENTER: We found out that the Nature Center near us has a program for little kids on the first Friday of every month. For November the activity was making bird feeders from apples, followed by a walk and then time in the dig pit. Sophie accidentally poured in a little too much bird seed in the bowl when we were making ours so we had enough filling to make, not one, but six bird feeders! We left four there and brought two home to tie on our trees. 

CARDEN SPECTACULAR CIRCUS: We discovered 2-for-1 admission tickets to the circus while picking up our pizza one night, and decided to go! It wasn't all that spectacular, but still a fun night out. We last went to the circus about a year ago when Sophie was three, and this time came prepared with our own popcorn, cotton candy, drinks, and glow wands for the kids, which really helped to lessen the impact of saying "no" to everything the vendors were selling. 

Some of the highlights included elephants, dogs, tigers (Sophie's favorite), a trapeze group, jugglers, and the human cannonball. We were planning to leave at intermission because it was already past bedtime, but the cannon didn't come until the very end and Sophie desperately wanted to see that part and convinced us to stick around. When the big moment finally happened, she was so tired and emotionally fragile that the whole thing scared her and made her cry. 

Video: Sophie's reaction to the Human Cannonball

AMARILLO ZOO: The zoo used to have free admission on Mondays, but they finally decided to start charging so we ended up buying a family pass for only $35, and now we can visit any day we want! We went this last Friday, on what turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day. It was cool in the morning when we arrived, but warmed up nicely and we were able to ditch our coats and just play in t-shirts by the end. 

The kids normally spend about half the time looking at animals, and the other half playing in the sand pit. As a bonus, this time they were in the process of setting up "Zoo Lights" while we were there and Sophie loved seeing all the decorations spread out, waiting to be placed. We will have to go back once the event begins to see everything all lit up. 

This lion stands up and roars about once every 30 minutes, but we always seem to miss it. This time we waited and watched for awhile, and then of course we heard him from the other side of the zoo about 3 minutes after we left. 

Not quite Barnum and Bailey, but still good

Normally on weekdays we are kind of homebodies - after a full day of work and school we come home to eat, relax, and then go to bed before doing it all again the next day. This week we livened things up by not only going to the big game, but also to the circus!

It was kind of a spur of the moment decision to go after I got a coupon for work, but it was really fun and we're glad we went. Part of what made this circus so awesome was that it really wasn't that awesome. At times I was actually afraid the "death defying" acts really would end in death. The tight rope walker slipped, the trapeze net was set up incorrectly, the blind-folded guy on the spinning wheel walked right into a bar, and the motorcycle cage was rocking like crazy before a couple guys ran out to stabilize the supports. Good times!

This guy built a tower of chairs one at a time - adding a chair, then climbing up on top. After the last chair he froze for at least a couple minutes trying to get his balance back before the final pose. TA-DA!!

The spinning wheels of death - this part was crazy and one of Dave's favorite acts

At intermission by the bear in the chair - we weren't going to pay $$$$ for their photo and took our own

The very talented elephants

Motorcycles in the cage (of death) - I thought it looked small for one bike, and then they threw three more in and it really started rocking!