*elamomma

Our neighborhood keeps getting better and better. We moved into our new home December of last year. So we have almost been here for a year. We are 5 minutes or less from down town, thus the girls and I have been able to go to the shows downtown and be back home in 5 minutes, when other families have traveled from the suburbs or tourist have to go back to their hotel room. Over the holidays we are so close to downtown we can go down to Michigan Ave to see the lights and The Christkindl Market. Then over the 4th of July we discovered that there is an AMAZING firework show in the park across the street from our house that has been put on by a local guy for over 50 years! Then this week we were driving home down Chicago Ave. and saw a circus looking tent and carnival games going up! We did some online research and discovered it was Brilliant Colors. We decided to go check it out today- and OH MY!!! It was so fun!! Not only was it an amazing set up with about 6 rides, a fun house, about 10 carnival games and yummy food! But there was also a gathering of some of the most fantastic families and groups of our local hipster singles. I over heard one guy dressed in his bright blue skinny jeans, black shirt and ray ban glasses said, "This is the best day of my life!" And I saw some of the cutest couples with their little toddlers. I saw a hipster mom dressed in her knee length red skirt and bright blue top, with her son in his spiderman shirt and jeans. I am still learning about ISO and this new lens, so I had taken an amazing shot of this cute mom with her son getting tickets from the ticket booth and it was totally blown out. The only picture I salvaged from my first couple shots was this on of these three guys sitting at a carnival game in their pastel suits under the bright yellow bananas, it is still painful for me to look at but I had to at least share this photo to give you an idea of some of the amazing people I saw there!

As I got adjusted to the many different types of light I was dealing with I started to get much better shots!

Atticus has been totally addicted to wearing these goggles since yesterday. They have NOT come off! He is still wearing them as I am typing this...it is 7pm.

This boy is to much!

This summer the girls rode their first roller coasters! I was so proud, they were so brave! Although Elly rode the swinging boat this summer, her reaction to the swinging boat at this carnival was THIS...

Atticus' rode his first carnival ride with Lucy!

He had to get the motorcycle.

After he rode the motorcycle he decided he wanted to do the planes too:)

He had fun with his big sister:)

Just to add to the fun RENEGADE had a few tents set up with their Renegade Crafts. We came across a tent that had some of the most amazing pocket watches!! I really wanted to get one for Lucy, but the price was a bit to much for today. Maybe Christmas;)

A Compass Ring!!! Love it!

Then we found a mini TELESCOPE!!! To fun!

Contemplating.

As we were walking away from the Renegade set-up we walked toward the swinging boat and saw one of Elly's school mates on the ride!! It was so awesome because Elly totally wanted to ride with her when she saw her friend on it!

So they did!! They are on the very back row! Oh my goodness, Josh and I were laughing so hard watching their faces of excitement and total panic!

There was a huge Circus tent that I took pictures of in the beginning- so they are totally blown out:(
But I did get some shots of these real life Carni's:)