magic!

This time last year we sort of happened upon the Rehoboth Fair. See my iphone photo rundown at the second half of this post.  This year we almost didn't make it there after a nice afternoon at a housewarming party for a friend of mine.  My bait was the fireworks show, which we heard last year from our house and it's a bummer missing a good fireworks show when you can hear it right over the tree line.

We made it in time to check out all the animals and even catch another year of Lance Gifford's magic show!  Last year we were crying from laughter when the bunny peed on a little boy, and this year was beyond belief.  Let's just say that J almost lost his contacts he was laughing/crying so hard.

We had somehow ended up with seats in the front center, so when he asked if anyone wanted to come up to pet the bunny kid's swarmed up to the stage.  J paused (because we know what can happen with this bunny from last year's debacle) but he was a sweet daddy and helped Aiden reach up on the stage.  As the magician lifted the bunny up it sprayed a line of pee everywhere!  It looked like it was shooting out of a water gun and it mostly got right on J's arms.  He was in denial for a few seconds thinking it was a prank, but oh no, it was real bunny pee all over him. Everyone was laughing already, but the story gets better.

After we had sorta recovered from the bunny pee and it only faintly smelled, they asked for a volunteer to come up on stage.  They wanted a little kid "say, yay, tall" (tinier than expected) and a big strong man.  There were tons of kids standing tall raising their hands high in the air.  Aiden just stood calmly with his arm half up, and all of a sudden the magician was asking J how old he was... I assumed that when we yelled out that he was only two he would be disqualified, because you'd never believe a two year old could be mature enough to handle standing in one place on stage, right?

Flash forward a few seconds and Aiden was hiking it up the stairs onto the big stage.  I could hardly believe how little and big he looked under those lights.  Is it possible to seem so little and so big at the same time?
The magician asked him his name, and he replied, "Ainen!"
The magician asked him how old he was, he held up two fingers and said "Two!"
The magician asked him where he lived, he quickly answered, "My house!"
The crowd laughed.

He continued to make people giggle (and me and J cry from laughing so hard - Was it nervous laughter too?  Possibly, for good reason as you will see later in this story)
"What do you think of the show so far?"  Aiden said into the mic, "Cool!"
Then the magician went looking for a big and strong guy to also come up on stage.
Aiden pretended to flex his muscles and held up his fists.
It was a strange feeling to hear people say "Look at that kid, hilarious!"   That was my kid!  My two year old.

Eventually they got another poor guy up on stage (J didn't want to go up so that he could watch Aiden).  They bring out a big box with straps, and ask the strong guy and Aiden to check it out.  Aiden turns and lunges towards the box trying to push it with all his might.  The magician jokes that Aiden is doing his evening stretches.  Then he makes a joke about locking Aiden in the box, which halted my amusement for a second because that wasn't what we agreed to when we let our baby up on stage under those big lights.

Then they ask Aiden and the other guy to stand over at the side and smile.  Aiden gives them his chinny, squinty fake smile.  They help test out the strong chain for what was called a Houdini Metamorphosis trick where two magician guys switch spots in the locked up box.  They asked Aiden and the strong guy to hold their hands up and I kept thinking that some bird was going to come flying out of the box and land on his arm.  I had visions of comforting him from some horrible bird nightmares  - Ug, my imagination is horrible.  Luckily it all ended smoothly with a cheer, when the magicians switched spots and the main guy popped out of the box in the chain. Aiden looked unimpressed and just kept shaking his hips to the loud dramatic music.  I really thought he was going to start break dancing up there, but he carefully followed directions and stayed in his spot.

After the trick was complete, he invited Aiden to come over to center stage.  Aiden walked over and kept his distance, the magician pressed him to come closer, and he shimmied a tiny teeny bit, then a little more, and finally close to the microphone.  The magician asked Aiden if he would like a big prize or the small prize?  Aiden paused, and then with a half smile, said "Both!" The magician said, " Ooh, aren't you smart!" and presented him with a magic coloring book, magic coin trick, crayons, and a pass to the vortex ride (which happened to be a big advertisement message to buy "everything you see here for your little magician!").

Then the magician said he had one more surprise and a question for Aiden, "What do you think every good magician needs to make magic?"  Aiden mumbles, "a gurlfend!" - The magician asks, ""What did you say you need for magic to happen?" - Aiden replies with a question in his voice "a girl friend!? - "I thought that is what you said!  He's two years old, ladies and gentlemen!  Who are his parents?"  I was still crying from laughing so hard and now from embarrassment. The magician continued, "Well,  here's your magic wand and if you get good enough at it maybe it will help you find a girlfriend!"  

Aiden took a bow, waved from the stage with his magician loot as the show ended, and then hopped down to greet a bunch of people still laughing about his girlfriend comment.  Even in line to get an ice cream pop everyone already knew his name.  He was then running around with his pop up magic wand saying "Remember I went up on stage and made magic!"

It was beyond belief how he actually responded to those questions with a sense of humor.  I have a sneaky suspicion that the girlfriend comment came from his love of the bunny magic trick his great poppie does, since the bunnies have a girlfriend which leads to a handful of little bunnies.  I never would have guessed it would pop into his mind like this though!  What a strange feeling to be so amused and embarrassed!  I'm just glad that he felt so good about his first trip on stage.  I have a feeling it won't be his last.

p.s. Sorry no film was allowed - but I guess some memories are meant to be lived instead of recorded.... although I really, really wish I had this to share with you all....and especially with Aiden at age 16.  ha!
I do have some photos from the rest of the day I will post later...