Life with Lauren: Carnival of the Animals

Following the show and presentation, Lauren's school held a carnival on the weekend entitled "Carnival of the Animals", where existing and prospective kindergarteners could visit and get a feel for the magic of the campus and environment. Lauren was asked to attend to give an encore performance, this time on stage in the multi-purpose room. All of their animal projects were also displayed throughout the theater, which made all the kids feel pretty special.

As part of the morning activities, kids got their faces painted, did crafts, watched a puppet show put on by the teachers, and had tons of fun with a petting zoo. Lauren was so happy to participate and hang out with her friends. My mom and Norm were there also to share in the experience. Since they both had not seen the animal displays or musical performance during the week before, their attendance was extra special for Lauren.

At the end of the festivities, everyone gathered around for the raffle. The prizes included a picture and 2 giant stuffed animals, including a giraffe, and the grand prize, a lion (which is the school's mascot). I prepared Lauren not to get her hopes up too high as there were over 150 entries and only 3 prizes. We talked about being a good sport, and feeling pleased for whomever won the prizes.

First up was the animal drawing. It went to another family that had already left (you didn't need to be present to win). Standing right up front, Lauren looked over to me and shrugged her shoulders with a forced smile. Oh, how I know she wanted to win something, but she was really doing her best not to act disappointed.

Second up was the giraffe. Again, to another family that was no longer there. Her smile after this was a little more sad when she caught my eye.

Last up was the lion. I could tell exactly what she was thinking as they prepared to dig into the bag for the winning ticket.