Happy

A few minutes ago, while Elise was eating a cheese stick and sitting on my lap, she told me twice that she was happy. And that made me very happy, too.

I love this cheerful, wonderful little girl, and I love how easy she is to please. It's hard not to be happy when she is happy.

Life is but a Dream

I have tons of pictures I want to post to update our blog, from the last month or so, including pictures from the Fourth of July and more from our trip to the South to visit family. The task seems a little daunting, but here's a little something from yesterday, just for fun.

Sorry you have to hear me sing. Elise sings this song pretty well, but she rarely almost never performs for the camera.

Lions and Tigers and Elephants, Oh My!

We went to the circus on opening night last week, and we had so much fun. We got there a little early and got to see the preshow (free to all ticket holders), which included elephants, clowns, and a bounce house. Elise was a little too young for the busy bounce house, but she loved seeing the elephants and dancing with the "silly clowns."

an elephant painting a picture

Matt and Elise at the preshow

 The show was excellent. We had a lot of fun watching together. I loved the trapeze acts and the and the horse riding.

These riders reminded me of something from Bears on Wheels. So crazy!

Elise was a big fan of the animals. She loved the elephants, and she also got excited about the lions and tigers. There were all kinds of other animals, from cats and dogs to goats and horses, all doing really cool tricks.

the lion/tiger tamer

She was pretty excited...

...and there were much cooler things to look at than the camera.

Matt and Elise enjoying the show

The elephants were pretty amazing. 

Another of Elise's favorite parts of the show was all the motorcycles. I can't believe these drivers. They got up to eight motorcycles going at once in that ball!

It was a really fun time, and I'm so glad we were able to go!

I am a Feld Family Ambassador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided me with complimentary tickets to Feld shows and opportunities to attend private Feld pre-Show events. Even though I receive these benefits, I always give an opinion that is 100% mine. 

Circus Tomorrow!

We're going to the circus tomorrow! I can't wait to see Elise's face. I haven't been to the circus since I was a little kid, and I'm pretty excited. If you're interested in show times, a coupon code, or other important details, be sure to check out my previous post. You can also visit ringling.com for info.

© 2012 Feld Entertainment

I am a Feld Family Ambassador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided me with complimentary tickets to Feld shows and opportunities to attend private Feld pre-Show events. Even though I receive these benefits, I always give an opinion that is 100% mine.

Circus!

We're so excited to be taking Elise to the circus for the first time ever! This show looks amazing! If you're in the Phoenix area and are interested in going, keep reading for a special coupon code.

© [2012] Feld Entertainment

Legendary Once-in-a-Millennium Event Celebrating The Year of the Dragon!

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents DRAGONS

Coming To Phoenix June 27 – July 2, 2012

WHAT: Let The Dragon Games Begin! Searching the farthest reaches of the globe, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey has gathered the best of the best circus performers to honor the Spirit of the Dragon! Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson presides over this fantastical tournament of champions that brings together mystic dragon lore with astounding circus feats of bravery and athleticism that will take you on a wondrous journey to discover what it takes to believe in your dreams. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents DRAGONS is a never-before-seen circus adventure of legend and spectacle coming to US Airways Center from June 27–July 2.

Representing mighty “Dragon Tribes” that possess the Strength, Courage, Wisdom and Heart of the great mythic beast, some of the extraordinary performers in The Greatest Show On Earth include:

•  Famed Shaolin Warriors display ancient Kung Fu martial arts and unbelievable strength

• Making his American debut is Alexander Lacey presenting the only mixed-cat act of its kind in the United States featuring both tigers and lions together

• Cossack Riders charge the arena floor with unrivaled equestrian acrobatics

• Like the mighty winged Sky Dragons, the Flying Caceres amaze with their aerial bravado on the only double-decker trapeze in the world

• Plus even more remarkable displays that pay tribute to the dragon including the frenzied daredevil motorcyclists in the Globe of Steel, high-flying thrills from the Russian Bar and Teeterboard troupes, exciting double motorcycle high-wire stunts, and of course the majestic Asian elephants.

Be sure to come out one hour early to each performance to meet our performers and animals on the show floor at the interactive All Access Pre-Show, FREE admission to all ticket holders.


WHEN: Wednesday, June 27 – Monday, July 2

Wednesday, June 27 7:00 PM

Thursday, June 28 11:00 AM & 7:00 PM

Friday, June 29 11:00 AM & 7:00 PM

Saturday, June 30 11:00 AM, 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM

Sunday, July 1 1:00 PM & 5:00 PM

Monday, July 2 11:00 AM

WHERE: US Airways Center – 201 E. Jefferson Street Phoenix, AZ 85004

TICKETS: Ticket prices are $15, $25, $40 (VIP), $60 (Front Row) and $90 (Circus Celebrity)

Kids tickets (under 12 years) are only $10 each (restrictions apply to price levels and performances)

Save 50% on Opening Night tickets with special Half Off discount (not valid for VIP or premium tickets)

All seats are reserved; tickets available thru Ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at 800-745-3000 or visit the US Airways Center Box Office.

Discount offer – $5 off tickets in the $15 and $25 price levels.

$5 Off with code MOM5
· P5 & P6 only
· No double discounts

Valid on all show days and times EXCEPT Opening Night (Opening Night tickets are 50% off, excluding front row and VIP seating)


Tickets can be found at http://www.ticketmaster.com/.

Come join us for a night of fun with the family!

For more information, visit www.Ringling.com or visit us on Facebook and YouTube.

I am a Feld Family Ambassador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided me with complimentary tickets to Feld shows and opportunities to attend private Feld pre-Show events. Even though I receive these benefits, I always give an opinion that is 100% mine.

Headbands

Elise put a headband on herself once, and I told her it was cute. Now she's obsessed with headbands. She likes to wear multiples at a time. She put both of these on herself (one's around her neck).

And, yes, her pajamas are on backwards. If you are wondering why, I explained in this blog post. And by the way, she can get the duct taped diapers off now. I've found her completely naked on two separate occasions even though I had duct taped her diaper on. We also had a poop smearing incident a couple of days ago, but thankfully I was gone to the dentist. But I guess that really has nothing to do with headbands, so I'll spare you the details.

Ummm...YES!

Elise's new favorite word is YES! She just figured out the concept of answering questions with yes instead of just repeating what we said. For example, if we ask her if she wants a drink, she now responds with a resounding "YES!" instead of repeating drink back to us. She is so proud of her new accomplishment. It makes me laugh every time because I always forget to expect it. Kind of like when she suddenly gets really loud when saying prayers. (It's okay; I think the Lord understands, and probably laughs a little too.) It also makes me laugh when she says this because she always has to pause for a minute to think about it first. Our conversations often follow a question-pause-YES! pattern.

So today, I guess I really should have seen this coming, but I was still surprised. Elise and I were talking about showing your muscles, as in flexing your biceps (a concept she learned from Froggy Goes to the Doctor). Lately, she likes to talk about being fast and strong and takes great pride in being a "fast runner" and lifting things she deems "heavy" (like a piggy bank). Then, kind of out of the blue, she says, "Mama big." "Mama's big?" I clarified. Pause. "YES!" was her resounding answer. As if, in the start of my third trimester, I need to be reminded of how big I am.

Another favorite response to questions, when the answer is no, is nope or not. Nope also came from the Froggy books, specifically Froggy Goes to Bed (We literally have a dozen Froggy books by Jonathan London checked out from the library right now. Elise loves them, but they're not all favorites of mine. I do like Froggy Plays Soccer, though; Elise sometimes randomly chants some version of, "Head it! Boot it! Knee it! Shoot it! But don't use your hands!") Her use of not, though, doesn't always make sense. I sometimes ask her, "Do you want this or not?" to which "not" is an appropriate answer. But now if I ask only, "Do you want this?" she sometimes still answers with "not."

One day she'll figure out this whole question thing. In the meantime, Mama grows bigger and bigger.