Pioneer Park

There's a historic park not too far from our house that we hadn't visited before. So, for something different to do, we went there today. It's build around a house that was built in the 1860s. At that time, there was nothing anywhere near it, so it was a stopping place for stagecoaches. We went on a guided tour of the house which included a tiny tavern, a ladies parlor and a tiny bedroom. An addition was built on in the 1880's which included a formal parlor and bedroom. In the basement was a kitchen and formal dining room. Every room contained antique furniture and a wood burning stove. Marina was fascinated by it.

After our tour, we looked around the grounds and saw horses, a root cellar, a tipi and several horse drawn vehicles (a stagecoach and covered wagons). It was fun to look at these artifacts. Marina is learning about the Mayflower and the founding of America, so she hasn't quite gotten this far into history yet. But we were able to compare the difficulty of the pioneers against the pilgrims.

Family Game Night

Marina's school had a family game night and chili cook off. We hadn't been to one before and decided to go this time. There were tons of chilis to chose from for dinner - Marina had a hot dog. We sat with another family we didn't know and had a lovely time with them. Marina wanted to enter the raffle, so I gave her some money to do that. On her way, she tripped and cut her lip. It bled quite a bit and she was fairly miserable after that. We stayed to play Bingo but neither of us came close to winning. She was pretty upset, so we left quickly. It had been a rough night for her. But I cheered her up with some homemade pudding at home.

Tale as Old as Time ...

Marina and I were very excited when we heard that Beauty and the Beast was coming to theaters in 3D. Marina is a huge fan of 3D, so we made plans to go. Marina brought her American Girl doll, Julie, along.

Marian was so funny during the movie. She sang along with many of the songs and hid her face before the scary parts. She seemed very happy throughout. When it was over, we saw another girl leaving the theater with her American Girl doll. Of course, they had to talk about their dolls for a few minutes.

Marina was just as excited that she got to keep the 3D glasses. She checked with several of the people at the theater to make sure she really got to take them home. They were a nice souvenir for our day.