Christmas Eve at The Nutcracker

We've seen The Nutcracker the past few years at Christmas time and Marina was anxious to see it again this year. We've been so busy all month that we were not able to fit it into our schedule before tonight. But it seemed like a fun thing to do on Christmas Eve.

Marina wore her Christmas dress to the show today. She also brought along Kailey, an early Christmas present. They dressed in matching dresses and looked so cute together!

We were running a bit late for the show but were in our seats when the show started. Marina paid particular attention to the party scene at the beginning. Her ballet teacher had taught the class some choreography for this scene. Marina pointed out to me that what the dancing they did on stage was "wrong."

The scenes with the mice and the rat king were pretty silly this year. Marina said they were all "ridiculous." But I think she enjoyed them.

At intermission we had a snack and sat in the lobby for a while. Marina also looked around at the items they had for sale. It actually took some convincing to get her back to her seat for the second act.

Marina was looking forward to "The Waltz of the Flowers" and "The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy." When she and her partner took the stage, Marina noted that the music was wrong. She was pleased when she heard the familiar music for "The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy."

When the show was over Marina was ready to head out. I think she was tired from all the Christmasing we've been doing lately.

Santa Hike

After going on the Santa hike last year at the Wildlife Museum, Marina was anxious to go again this year. So we were both disappointed when the only one we could attend was sold out. We got on the waiting list and were delighted that we were able to go after all. Marina decided to bring Saige with her, although she carried her in a tote bag this time.

We were treated to hot chocolate and the chance to toast marshmallows as we waited for Santa. Marina made a s'more and toasted a marshmallow for me. I thinks she liked toasting them better than eating them.

When Santa made his appearance, all the kids got excited. Before the hike started, he handed out Santa hats to the kids. Again this year, he took us on a tour of the animal statues around the building. Each child got a chance to hold his walking staff and sleigh bells. We learned about eagles, moose, elk, bears and many other wild animals

Once the hike was over, Santa graciously posed for pictures with each child. Marina volunteered to go first and was happy to sit on his lap for a picture.

After the hike, we went into the Museum to look around. It's been quite a while since we've been there. We saw a demonstration with live sugar gliders. Then we checked out the temporary exhibit on glowing animals. Marina particularly liked an example of how lightning bugs talk to each other.

Next we went into the regular exhibits. Marina decided to do the scavenger hunt. She picked the beginner level. Clearly this is too easy for her because she breezed through it. I'll have to encourage her to try intermediate next time.

We ended the day in the play area. Marina found several kids to do the activities with. It was quite a job to drag her away!

I'll Have Zoo Christmas

We always have so much we want to do in the Christmas season. We had wanted to go to Zoo Lights a few weeks ago, but the weather was frigid cold. So we decided to go this evening. Marina debated on what to wear, but she finally settled on a generic princess dress over her regular clothes.

It was pretty crowded at the zoo when we arrived. We grabbed a parking spot that was a bit of a walk from the entrance, but we were grateful that we were able to find one quickly. We were also able to avoid the huge lines for the tickets by buying them at the membership desk.

It was a chilly night, unlike the gorgeous weather we had at the Blossoms of Light last week. We stopped for hot chocolate pretty early on. The lights were spectacular this year. Marina actually posed in front of many of the displays, something she doesn't always like to do.

When we reached the "North Pole" area Marina insisted we see Santa. The line wasn't too long and it moved fairly quickly (plus much of the line was in a heated tent), so we decided to wait. Marina had quite the conversation with Santa when it was her turn.

Once our visit with Santa was over, we went on to see the rest of the lights around the zoo. It was pretty crowded, so we couldn't see as many animal exhibits as we wanted to. We did go into the tropical animals exhibit. It was nice and warm inside there!

By the time we made it all the way through the zoo we were ready to go home. It was cold and we had done a lot of walking. 

Christmas Fishes

After a wonderful Breakfast with Santa at the Aquarium last year, we had to go again this year.We invited our friends Chuck and Judy to come with us. We were all looking forward to it.Marina, as usual, chose to wear her Ariel costume. We even added body glitter and sparkly eye make up to her ensemble. She topped it off with her pink princess Santa hat. She brought Saige along in her mermaid costume as well.

We arrived a bit early so we all had settled into eating our delicious breakfasts before Santa arrived. We were all amazed at how much Marina ate. First he made the rounds to all the tables. Just like last year, when he arrived at our table the mermaids showed up in the tank behind us. We had a wonderful view of them swimming. Chuck and Judy were especially thrilled.

After visiting each table, Santa and one of his elves took a dip in the tank as well. We had a huge group of kids around our table for quite a while. But it was fun!

After breakfast, we went on a trip through the Aquarium. We missed the first mermaid show, but halfway through we saw the mermaids being wheeled out to their meet and greet location. At that point, Marina didn't want to do anything but see them. So, we quickly went through the rest of the exhibits to their spot.

When she got her turn to pose with the mermaids, they all loved Marina's costume and looked Saige's outfit over closely.

We had tickets for the 4D theater, so we headed to see the shows. They were showing short films based on Ice Age and The Polar Express. Marina loved them.

We went back into he Aquarium. The sea otters and the tigers were quite active, so we watched them for a while. Marina took video of several of the exhibits. We also got to see the mermaids' holiday show.

After we finished our second trip through the Aquarium, we were tired and ready to go home. It was a great start to her Christmas break!

Belle and Blossoms of Light

Marina and I have never been to the Botanic Gardens "Blossoms of Light" during the Christmas season. This year, we were determined to see it. We've both been struggling a bit lately, so I thought taking some time today after school and work would be good for both of us.

It took a while for us to get there and when we arrived, the parking lot was labeled as full. We decided to try anyway and were rewarded with a spot that a car was just backing out of. We were so lucky!

Marina dressed up for the occasion by wearing her Belle Enchanted Christmas costume with a cape. She looked beautiful and got many compliments throughout the evening. She was clearly thrilled with them.

The lights were beautiful. We followed the designated walkway through the gardens that we're very familiar with, yet they looked more magical. And they had wonderful names like the Enchanted Forest and the Twinkling Passage. Marina skipped from place to place and gave a pretty spin every once in a while. She enjoyed posing for pictures, so we took lots of them.

 

On the way home, we stopped for hot chocolate and a snack. We still had some homework and other things to do, but it was wonderful to get out and have fun for a while.

Piano Party

Marina's piano teacher arranged a Christmas party for her students where they could have cookies and play the Christmas songs they have learned in an informal setting. Marina was looking forward to it. She’s been working on “Silent Night” for a couple of weeks. Recently she added “Away in a Manger” as well.

When we arrived she was in a bit of a bad mood. She had a couple of cookies, and checked out the piano. Her teacher called the kids around the piano and they all sang Christmas carols together before the recital began.

Once the kids started playing, Marina was excited. As she waited her turn, I could see her practicing the fingering of her songs. She volunteered to go early. She did very well on “Silent Night.” At one point she got stuck and it took her a moment to figure out the next note. Once she did, she finished quickly. I was even more impressed with “Away in a Manger.” She hasn’t been playing it as long, so she pretty much just sight read it.

After the recital was over, Marina had more cookies and a candy cane. She was pretty happy with that as well.

Rockin' Ever After

After a very tiring week, Marina and I slept in this morning. We had a good breakfast before heading out. We had tickets for Disney on Ice, so Marina wore her Merida costume. She brought Saige along as well. We don’t have a Merida costume for the American Girl dolls, so Marina chose to dress her as Ariel.

Our church was having a craft fair, so we went there. One table had crocheted outfits for American Girl dolls and naturally Marina was drawn to those. She found a Little Mermaid outfit which she set her heart on. So, we bought that and Marina changed Saige into it. Next we went to lunch Marina spent more time playing with Saige than eating though.

Next we headed to the Disney on Ice show: Rockin’ Ever After. Marina has been very excited to see it, especially since it featured Merida from Brave. Before we went to our seats we took a look at all the souvenirs. Surprisingly, Marina didn’t ask for any. Instead she wanted food. She ate a bag of pistachios and later ate most of a huge bag of cotton candy which came with a pink crown. As usual, Marina loved the show. She was especially excited for the segment from

It was dark and cold when we left the show. So we hurried home and had hot chocolate while we watched Monsters University.

Frozen

Marina and I have made it a tradition to see the new Disney movie on the day before Thanksgiving (when  there is one!) We've been seeing lots of ads for this year's feature Frozen. Marina has been dying to see it. McKenna came with us today, apparently Saige needed a break from her busy schedule!

We started the day by getting Marina's hair cut. She loves playing video games while her hair is being done. After the cut, we had it styled in a french braid - just like Elsa in Frozen. Marina even requested light blue and dark blue ribbons.

We went to the mall for a bit and found the American Girl store has a special Merry and Bright outfit which looks much like the snow queen costume in Frozen. We just couldn't resist it. We headed for the Disney Store next where Marina got her own Elsa costume and crown. She was so excited.

 

As we ate lunch, Marina changed McKenna into her new outfit. She tried on her crown as well. We had a nice lunch and Marina got a special dessert for bringing in her doll.

After lunch, Marina changed into the Elsa costume. She loved it, especially the train  in the back. We were ready to see the movie.As we walked in, many of the other children pointed out Marina's costume. She seemed to revel in being their attention, although she pointed out there was no way anyone would think she was the real Snow Queen.

Frozen had lots of music and a few humorous characters. I noticed at one of the scarier moments Marina was watching intently, but she was covering McKenna's eyes. Apparently it was too intense for her!

Marina loved the movie. Afterward, she told me she wished the crown we bought had real power. That makes me wonder what she'd do with it!

Oliver!

Earlier this year, Marina and I were fortunate to meet and become friends with an actress named Carolyn. She has been playing Nancy in a local production of Oliver! I thought Marina might enjoy it and when I told her Carolyn was in it, she was very excited to go.

Unfortunately, Marina woke up feeling sick this morning. After church she looked completely miserable. I asked her if she felt well enough to see the show and she insisted she really wanted to go. She was going to bring Saige along. When I mentioned she's been bringing Saige a lot and maybe another doll would like to go, she looked and me and says "Great, now McKenna wants to go!" Ultimately it was McKenna who came with us since Saige had gone to see Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

On the drive to the theater, I explained the storyline of Oliver! (It is based on Charles Dickens after all!) She seemed interested. We hadn't been to this theater before and it turned out to be very small. "The most intimate theater in Denver," I was told.

Once the show started, Marina was engrossed. She asked me the name of every song and seemed to follow along easily. When Nancy finally made her first entrance, Marina's face lit up.

At intermission we had a snack and a drink of water. We talked with another little girl and her mother. Both girls were enjoying the show.

Act two was darker and more intense, the actor playing Bill Sykes was downright scary in the part. Marina didn't seem to enjoy it quite as much. And in Nancy's death scene, Marina looked a bit confused. But I think she understood that Carolyn was okay.

After the show was over, the cast had a meet and greet. We had to wait in a bit of a line, but as soon as Marina spotted Carolyn, she ran right to her. We had a nice chat with her. The only other actor Marina was interested in meeting was the young man playing Oliver. He was gracious enough to pose for a picture with her.

As we headed home, Marina seemed to be feeling better. I'm glad we were able to see the show.

Trampoline Time

Marina has been wanting to go to the trampoline park near our house for quite a while. Since we didn't have prearranged plans for today, I decided it would be a good day to go. Marina was excited and decided to bring Saige.

It was pretty busy when we arrived but that didn't deter Marina. She headed for the largest trampoline and immediately started running and jumping. She tried jumping with Saige, but ultimately decided that was too difficult and had her sit with me.

As she so often does, Marina made several new "friends" as she played on the trampoline. As those girls left, she found a new group to hang around. It was fun to see the different ways the girls bounced around, ran and slid when they played together.

After a little over a hour, she was wiped out. So we headed out for lunch.

More Mythbusting

Marina had yet another day off, so we decided to go to the Nature and Science Museum and see the Mythbuster exhibit again. We both slept in, so we decided to have brunch first. We were both pretty giggly at the restaurant as we ate. But we had a good meal before heading to the museum.

It was a pretty busy day at the Museum, apparently other families from the school district decided to go as well. We got tickets for Mythbusters, but had to wait more than an hour before we went in. So, we decided to check out other parts of the Museum.

We hadn't been in the rocks and minerals exhibit in a long time, so we started there. Marina wasn't too interested until we reached the gemstones. Then she pulled out her camera and took pictures of her favorites.

Next we went to the kid's activity area. Most of the kids there were younger than she is, but she seemed to enjoy that. She spent time uncovering dinosaur bones, colored a digital picture, and used a magnifying glass to look at Saige's clothes. We also built an arch out of foam blocks, my favorite part was when Marina used her head to hold the place of the keystone.

I had a hard time pulling Marina away from that area, even when it was time for us to go into Mythbusters. She had fun building a house out of straw, sticks and brick since last time she tried one of each medium. It held up rather well in the wind. With help from some smart volunteers, Marina learned how to pull a tablecloth off a table without upsetting the dishes on it. She experimented with dropping buttered toast and changing clothes in a phone booth. She even tried driving blind.

Next we headed into health exhibit. It was pretty empty, so Marina was able to try every station she wanted. We completed an experiment about the amount of sugar in breakfast cereal and went to the pirate show before heading home.

Doll Day

We go an early start today at the American Girl Store. Marina was signed up for another hairstyling class - this one for fancy hairdos. Marina brought Saige and, of course, they dressed alike.

We arrived a bit early so we waited outside with other girls in the class. They were all so excited. It was fun to see which dolls each one brought and how they were dressed. Once the store opened, the girls dashed inside. There was a name tag prepared for each girl and they picked a styling chair to put their dolls in.

This class had a slower pace than the previous one Marina took. Still, she got a bit frustrated at times. Fortunately, she got a lot of help from Brittany and Nancy who were teaching the class. They tried several twists and buns on the dolls. The class ended with a formal bun. Marina was pleased with that and she left Saige's hair in that style for the rest of the day.

After the class, we shopped around the store for a little while. Then we went to lunch. Marina changed Saige into a gymnastics outfit. During lunch, Saige was demonstrating some of her best gymnast moves. Mom wasn't really happy about that!

After lunch, we went to the Annual Salvation Army Doll Tea. Miss Judy wasn't able to go this year, so we went on our own. It was in a new location this year, so we had to adjust a bit. They had a scavenger hunt game where you needed a stamp from every section. I put Marina in charge of that and she loved it!

As soon as Marina saw the face painting station, she insisted we do that right away. She got a butterfly mask on her face.We visited all the different areas of the event. In one room I found a doll that I had when I was a little girl. I decide to buy her for nostalgia. Marina fell in love with her. We also picked up a hat and a tiara for Saige. On the way out, we saw Santa. She had a little chat with him before posing for a picture. He also gave her a book of Christmas poetry. In the car, she ate a candy cane he had given her. I think Marina is ready for Christmas!

Monster Pumpkins

In honor of Monsters University, Marina and I decided to carve our pumpkins this year to look like James P. Sullivan and Mike Wazowski. This year, Marina said she wanted to help and she meant it. Not only did she help me scoop out the insides of the pumpkins, but she helped with the actual carving. We used paper templates to mark the pumpkins and then cut out the designs. Marina stared with Mike but soon handed that one over to me and worked on Sully. She succeeded in carving half of Sully's face before giving up. So I finished it for her.

 We were pretty pleased with the finished products.

Passport to Paris

Marina and I went to the art museum today to check out a new exhibit. "A Passport to Paris" is a collection of French art. We've had mixed results with art exhibitions, but it sounded interesting, so we gave it a try. As usual, Saige came along in a matching outfit.

When we arrived, Marina was immediately was interested in the activity center. Several art stations were set up in the room. After looking around, she went over to an easel and started drawing. Her American Girl doll. Saige, is an artist. So Marina was very excited to draw at an easel like Saige does.

After two drawings, it was time for us to go through the Passport to Paris exhibit. The artwork was set up chronologically from the Louis XIII through the beginning of the twentieth century. At first, Marina was interested in the artwork. She used the audio tour quite often to learn more about the piece. But as the exhibit went on, she got bored.

Once we got through, we went though a room of sketches, which Marina didn't care for at all. Then we went back to the activity room, where she tried out several other types of art. She used tops to spin a design, tried several different media to create a picture and even got to draw on a wall. But eventually she ended up back at an easel for two more drawings. She even "helped" Saige with her drawing. 

I had hoped to see some of the other art galleries in the museum, but we were both tired. We agreed to come back in the near future to see other exhibits. Hopefully more trips will extend her attention span when it comes to visual art.