Cleaning Queen

I needed to clean the carpet in the basement today. Marina wanted to help. So, I showed her how the vacuum cleaner worked and she started cleaning the carpet. When I showed her the attachment hose, she got really excited and she used that everywhere.

Once the basement was done, she wanted to do the stairs. I had to help her move the cleaner up the stairs. Then she vacuumed the living room. But she wasn't satisfied with that. So I moved all the furniture so she could clean there as well. It's been a while since my carpets have been so clean! She says she wants to vacuum all the time. I have no problem with that.

Wild, Wild Life

We made plans with Mr. Chuck and Miss Judy to visit someplace new, a Wildlife Sanctuary not too far from home. We'd all heard of it, but hadn't been there. We had a bit of a drive on our way there, Marina listened to music on headphones while we drove, so she was pretty content on the ride in.

As we entered the parking lot, we could see some of the animals. There were bears, wolves and tigers checking us out as we drove in. Marina and Miss Judy were already excited.

The first enclosure we saw had two Grizzly bears inside. They wrestled for a while as we watched, then one got into the water tank and relaxed. Next we saw a group of tigers. Most of them were lying in the sun, but one was running around trying to play with the others.

The next area was filled with lions. We saw two lions walking in the distance and several lionesses were sleeping inside. Then we saw wolves. Several of the pack started running around and barking at each other. It was fun to see them playing. The black bear enclosure was bustling with activity. Two babies were wrestling around while most of the adults ate.

Further down were several prides of lions. A volunteer showed Marina how to find the pride's leader. (We all learned it's the lion with the darkest mane!) We saw a new tiger habitat with a fancy pool and waterfall and the tigers who will soon play there. Marina was especially excited by the white one.

By the time we reached the end of the sanctuary, we were all tired and hungry. So, we stopped for a picnic lunch Miss Judy packed. As we headed back to the car, we watched the tigers and Grizzly bears a little longer. As we went back to the car, Marina said, "We should come here more often."

Carnival

With Marina's first full week of school behind her, we celebrated by attending the Back to School Carnival. She was very excited to go. When we arrived, Marina immediately wanted to take a hay ride. She climbed onto the wagon with some middle school girls and sat next to the dog who was riding along. She looked so happy!

The next thing she wanted to do was have her face painted. We were in line behind her third grade teacher, so we got to visit with her while we waited. Marina got a "rainbow butterfly" on her face with lots of sparkles.

Once that was done, we went to play games. Marina tried everything from golf to throwing darts to ring toss. She took a turn in the bounce house and explored a real fire truck.
 
 We ended evening with another wagon ride and Marina picked out some prizes with the points she had earned. Marina was pretty happy at the end of the Carnival. We'd had fun.

The Start of Third Grade

Today was the first day of third grade for Marina. She was pretty excited. She wore a new dress and we stopped for donuts on the way to school. When we arrived at school, lots of kids and families were milling around. As we approached the door, Marina asked me if I could give her a hug and kiss and say goodbye there and let her go alone to her class. Is she at that stage already? I told her I wanted to go with her because it was the first day and pointed out all the other parents going with their kids. She consented to let me go with her.

A line had already formed for her class. Her teacher was greeting all the kids. Marina was happy to see her. As we waited for the bell to ring, We saw Marina's best friend approaching, Marina ran to meet her. Some of her other friends are in the other classes. At least they’ll get to see them at lunch. When the bell rang, Marina happily went with her class into the building. I can't believe she's in third grade already!

Mermaid Breakfast

The aquarium had a mermaid breakfast this morning. Of course, I knew Marina would love that. So I made a reservation right away. Marina was very excited.

We had to leave the house fairly early this morning, it was a breakfast after all! Marina naturally wore her Ariel costume - she wanted to fit in with the mermaids! We arrived before the restaurant opened, but were seated after a short wait. On the way in, we had Marina's picture taken with three mermaids. Then we were seated right by one of the tanks. We've never had one of those seats before! Both of us were very excited.

Breakfast was a huge buffet. We loaded our plates up and sat down to watch the fish. Marina was happy to spend time with the other little mermaids at the restaurant. During breakfast, the mermaids swam in the tanks three different times. Each time, the kids gathered around the tanks to watch the show.

After breakfast, we met with the mermaids again as we left the restaurant. Then we went into the Aquarium. There were divers in some of the tanks feeding the fish and we saw all our favorite exhibits. Part way through, Marina heard the music for the mermaid show, so she ran ahead to make sure she saw it.

After going through the aquarium once, we went to the mermaid meet and greet. The mermaids remembered her from the breakfast. So they all had a nice chat. Marina had her face painted, she had them put a crown on her forehead. We had a snack and then went back into the Aquarium.

The sea otters were quite active when we arrived at their exhibit. Marina loved watching them play. One of them took an interest in her mermaid shoes. She just loved teasing them with it. When she'd finally had enough, we moved on. We caught another mermaid show and saw the tigers and baby fish being fed. Marina even got to pet a sting ray.

Before we left, Marina wanted to see the otters and mermaids again. Of course, that took longer than I expected. Marina couldn't seem to get enough time with the mermaids today. They seemed so happy to see how much she admired them.

On the way home, Marina told me she wants to be one of the mermaids when she grows up. I can actually see that happening!

Brave (and Sick) Little Princess

I took today off so Marina and I could have a fun day. Unfortunately, Marina woke up with a cold. She had a fever and a very stuffy nose. We spent most of the morning in our pajamas and watching the American Girl movie, Mckenna  Reaches For the Stars.

By lunch time, Marina was feeling better, so we decided to see a movie. Marina chose to see Brave again. She brought her Merida Barbie doll with her. The theater was pretty empty, just a few parents and daughters. Marina was happy to chat with them before and after the movie.

After the movie, we went back home. Marina was still pretty tired, but she played and we watched the Olympic gymnastics together. It wasn’t the day I had planned, but it was good all the same.

An Evening With Cinderella

We arrived early for this evening’s performance of Cinderella. Once again we saw many little Cinderellas and other assorted princesses. It was so fun to visit with them as we waited for our seats.

Marina had never been to a dinner theater before, so I had to explain the whole concept of eating at the table before the show and having dessert at intermission. We also had members of the cast as our servers. The stepmother was one of ours. She ate her macaroni and cheese excitedly (she really loved that there were goldfish on top!).We had a nice couple sharing our table who  really love this show, so it was fun to discuss that with them.

Once the show started, Marina was enthralled. She hasn’t seen theater where the actors use the audience for exits and entrances. At one point, the prince stood in front of us for part of a scene. She was so excited!

Marina loved the show. Afterward we caught up with some of the actors. We had to track down the prince, but he was very gracious and allowed us to get a picture of him. Cinderella was posing onstage as well. Marina had to go up there again. This time, she took her scrapbook to show Cinderella. After looking at it, she told Marina, “You are a true princess.” She loved hearing that!

On the way home, Marina fell asleep quickly. It has been a very full day!

Butterflies, Spiders and Beetles - oh my!

After lunch, we drove to the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster. It’s billed as an invertebrate zoo. We haven't been thre before, but we wre looking forward to checking it out.
The first room contained  lots of different bugs. We saw bees, beetles and cockroaches. They also had quite a selection of spiders. Marina had a chance to hold a tarantula. At first she was to afraid, but ultimately she changed her mind and held Rosie for a moment. She said her legs felt like pipe cleaners.

The next room had sea life in it. We’d never seen such large starfish! Marina gentle touched a horseshoe crab and two starfish. We also saw clownfish, lobsters and jellyfish.

The next room was made to look and feel like a tropical rainforest. Inside were beautiful plants and flowers. Most exciting, there were butterflies fluttering all over the place. It wasn’t unusual to have them fly right in front of us. Marina had one land on her hand. She was so excited to have it there. She gently guided it onto a plant leaf.

The last room had lots of kids activities including insects to crawl on and a spider web made out of rope. Marina had a great time climbing around and playing with the other kids.

Cinderella Tea Party

A few months ago, I learned that a local dinner theater was presenting Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella all summer. Naturally, this was something I knew Marina would enjoy. But before I could buy our tickets, I learned of a tea party with Cinderella scheduled for this afternoon at the theater. I knew we had to go. So, shortly after the announcement, I booked our tickets for the tea party and the show. Marina has been looking forward to it ever since.

Naturally, Marina chose to wear full Cinderella gear today, including her light up glass slippers. We had to leave the house quite early since the show was quite a ways from our house. We made good time on the highway and arrived quite a bit early for the tea party. We waited in the theater for a bit before they began seating. There were quite a few Cinderellas there for the party. Other girls wore party dresses or tiaras. It was so fun!

When we were seated, we found a pot of hot tea and a plate with finger food waiting for us. Marina got a paper crown to color and decorate with stickers. She immediately started on that. As she did, the Fairy Godmother made her way to each table. She recognized Marina's gown as "one of hers." Marina was pleased to hear that!

Cinderella made her entrace after that. The girls loved her ball gown. She spent quite a while at each table. They compared dresses and Cinderella remarked at how they both had glass slippers. Marina asked about her prince (naturally), but this tea party was mostly for girls. Well, mostly ...

After Cinderella, the two stepsisters came in. It became clear before they arrived at our table that they were played by male actors. The other girl at our table let Marina in on that before they arrived at our table. I think she was a bit bewildered by that. At first she didn't want them to come to our table. But once they arrived, her concern seemed to vanish. The stepsisters helped her with a princess word puzzle she was working on and they fussed over her slippers. Pretty soon, she was laughing along with them.

After visiting with the stepsisters, each girl had her picture taken with Cinderella on the stage in front of the pumpkin coach. Marina was quite thrilled to do that! Naturally, she gave us a lovely princess pose. After the tea party we were very excited to see the show!