One of our favorite bands, Heligoats (pronounced Hell-E-Goats) played a residency this past week at Al's Den at the Crystal Hotel downtown.  I posted this past March/April how we went to see the Heligoats at a tiny dive bar on Alberta Street. When Heligoats come to town, we always arrange for a babysitter so we can go out and support the band!

Last night was the last night of the residency.  Chris, songwriter and singer/founder of the group on the left below, didn't disappoint, per usual. We were right up front to enjoy every minute and then when they were done, we bought merch and got to chat with Chris. What a treat!

Before we left, I found Eddie at the bar before you enter the "den" closing out our tab but not before he bought drinks for the drummer, Dylan, and the guitar player, Steve, in the band. We chatted with Dylan at the bar a bit and then said our goodbyes and wished them a safe drive back to Chicago. (They were leaving later in the night.)

I was thrilled that Eddie brought Dylan and Steve a drink, and Dylan was so touched by the gesture, too. We can't wait to catch their show again the next time they come round!

Since their set started and ended early, we headed out for a drink closer to home and play some pinball before taking the babysitter home. FUN!!!

When you get one of these for the week...

You get to go and do this with mom...

So stinking cute! It's Twilight Sparkle from My Little  Pony, of course.

Lulu and Eddie went to PDX Comic Con yesterday. I got started on the clients costume request two weeks earlier. She wanted to be Stampycat Longnose, a popular Minecraft vlogger on YouTube.

This is Mr. Stampycat that I was request to copy for her costume.

Luckily I didn't got to the fabric store without the client. I would have definitely screwed up and bough the wrong color of fabric. Crisis-averted! as we say often, at La Casa de Camarillo!

This is the BEST dining room table in the world with its stainless steel top...

My pattern for the face for Lulu's hood (she was very specific on how the costume should look like)...

Not too shabby if I don't say so, myself!

Eddie and Lulu pose by the door before leaving for Comic Con. Everyone looks great!!!

Eddie wore his Father's Day presents, the perfect Comic Con costume: his Adventure Time shirt and boot of Jake.

Lulu shows off her tail. She was very specific that it had a white tip sewn on it.

The highlight of Comic Con for Lulu (and one of the highlights for Eddie) was meeting the actress who does the voice of Marceline the Vampire Queen on Adventure Time, Olivia Olson. Lulu actually didn't say anything, Eddie had to do the talking for her, she was too star-struck.

Lulu got an autograph from Olivia and Olivia told Eddie she'd spotted him across the convention floor earlier due to his Adventure Time Jake Bacon Pancakes shirt and Jake boots!

Also, while they were waiting in line to meet Olivia, they got serenaded the Making Bacon Pancakes by three fan girls waiting for another actor in the line next to theirs.

Lulu and a very good Haggard from Harry Potter. (He looks just as tall as the movie version!)

Lulu and Jack Skellington from a Nightmare Before Christmas and Zero the Dog!

Five Nights at Freddy's with Lulu. Lulu tells me this is a very scary video game. She also claims she doesn't play it, but she watches other people play it in animation form on YouTube.

Google says this is an indie point and click survival horror video game. Its also getting turned into a movie. 

(Lulu and I have just come to an understanding that she is not to play or watch other people playing it. We have enough problems with her having scary dreams, don't need to perpetuate them.)

Grandma Louise took all of us to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey circus yesterday. She wanted us to see the circus while there were still elephants in the show. You may feel strongly that elephants shouldn't be used in the circus, but there is no denying that seeing elephants up close like that is an amazing thing and seeing the circus without elephants, wouldn't be a circus, really.  The show really pushes that the elephants live good lives on their conservatory in Florida throughout the show, I'm sure to combat the negative press from the folks who were protesting outside when we came in. I guess they elephants will no longer be a part of the circus show in 2017, I think.

Did you know that an elephants favorite food is not peanuts? Nope, its a freshly baked loaf of bread! We learned that not only in the pre-show but during the show.

Below, Lulu joins in the kid-interactive activities they provide the hour before the show starts, which is pretty cool. ..

(I  should mention Lulu is fairly tall for her age. She's all arms, legs and feet at this point. She outgrew her clothes from last year (except for these that she has on) and it is in the 11-12 year old size range, now. She just started 4th grade and is only 9.5 years old. She's a "young" 9.5 in that while she's reading and understanding young adult books with me at night and has an amazing vocabulary, she's still my sweet and innocent little girl inside this gangly pre-teen body.  Hard to remember and reconcile sometimes as a parent.)

We are convinced Lulu will be taller then either myself or Eddie!

We got to meet the two elephants who are the stars of the show during the pre-show portion. One did some tricks and the other did an original painting.

Bean was just in awe of everything she saw, and this was just the pre-show portion!

Bean was especially excited when they horses came out and there were tricks done on them. Ringling Brothers theme was "built to amaze" and boy, did they deliver. So many unbelievable tricks and acts. I'm confident I lost a few years off my life from holding my breath, gasping in disbelief and hoping no one got injured! 

I didn't realize the potential for things to go horribly wrong during the circus and in front of little kids.

At one point, there was an act with a guy driving a special motorcycle on a wire with two female acrobats suspended from this contraption attached to the bike. The literally were RIGHT OVER OUR HEADS in the audience. The guy driving the motorcycle is also the elephant trainer. He does acrobatic stunts, too. [The circus is a tightly run shop, everyone has multiple responsibilities: you might be doing death-defying acrobatic routines for the audience one minute, the next, you're cleaning up from the last act and setting up equipment for the next stunt.)

Here is a picture from a different show (I was too scare to take a picture myself!):

The guy driving the motorcycle actually does a 360 with the bike on the wire (so, he and the bike and the girls attached to it, roll all the way around the wire.) 

I'm not religious, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was saying a prayer while they did this whole routine.

Bean LOVED the routines with the horses, "ponies" she'd say later, were her favorite part!

This was from the opening act. This women rode around the ring as the Star Spangled Banner played.

The circus has really changed over the years. My  mom and I both remember the circus being a bigger production than this (this one only used 3/4 of the arena where in the past, it took up the entire arena).  Also, the animal acts have changed. Now, there are the two elephants (in the past, there used to be a lot more) and then only horses and dogs. No more lions. No more tigers. I get the downsizing of the animals, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I waxed nostalgic for the circus of my youth. (The girls were in awe of seeing the elephants close-up during the pre-show!)

Last night was Lulu's back to school night at school. We got to check out what she's been doing so far in school. 

Here is Lulu's "I Am" project from the beginning of the year. 

We love that she doesn't wonder or worry about anything, knows 'everything', and wants to 'be good' and 'be kind'...

Here is Lulu's locker. She shares it with her classmate, Jayden. They both love animals. Lulu raided our refrigerator magnets and pictures from home to decorate the inside which is how the picture of Seamus ended up there.

One of the first art projects of the school year, I already told Lulu that I want to frame this for the house once she gets to take it home.