Day Off

Marina had the day off for President’s Day, so we planned to spend today together. I asked Marina what she wanted to do. She wanted to see the movie Escape From Planet Earth. I hadn’t even heard of it, but since we didn’t have any other plans we decided to do it.

We got to the theater later than we planned and there was a huge line for tickets. So we quickly changed plans and bought tickets for a later show. Since we had extra time, we had an early lunch. We went to Tokyo Joe’s which was right next to the theater. At first Marina ordered macaroni and cheese, but I convinced her to try the chicken teriyaki. She even attempted to use chopsticks! The chopsticks were a bit too much, but she did enjoy the food.

After lunch we headed back to the movie theater. It wasn’t nearly as crowded. We were early, so we got a good seat. The movie was cute – Marina really enjoyed it.

For dinner, we went to Old Chicago. It is her teacher’s favorite restaurant and Marina wanted to try it. She’s never liked pizza much, but she ordered one anyway. Turns out, she liked it.

We went home and watched Disney’s Robin Hood together. It was a fun day even without a plan!

Girls' Day

This weekend was not one we had planned out as many have been recently. When I asked Marina what she's like to do today, she said, "get a manicure." We hadn't done that in a while, so I scheduled an appointment for us to get manicures and pedicures.We also discussed going shopping and having lunch. This morning after breakfast, Marina asked me when "girls' day" was going to start.

First we went out to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. It's near the American Girl store and they supply travel chairs for dolls that girls bring with them. Marina was delighted that McKenna was able to sit at the table with us. She really liked the restaurant, she kept saying how nice it was. She liked the quesadilla she ordered, but she only ate half of it to save room for dessert.

Marina said she's never had cheesecake before, so I took care of that today. We shared the chocolate mousse cheesecake for dessert. Marina loved it! She kept cutting off huge chunks and gobbling it down.

After lunch, we went to the Disney Store. Marina had wanted the amulet from Sophia the First. I'd had one put on hold for us, it was a good thing too, because they were sold out by the time we arrived. We were drawn to the display for the new movie, Oz the Great and Powerful. Marina loved the Glinda costume, so we decided she'd be Glinda for Halloween and took advantage of the Friends and Family sale going on. She was pretty excited.

Next, we went to the American Girl store. Marina wanted McKenna to have a manicure too, so we got a nail kit for her. Of course, she found plenty of other things she liked as well.

We still had a little time, we went to the Lego store. I hadn't been there before, but Marina had. She had fun with the computers and interactive displays.

After shopping, we headed for our manicure and pedicure appointment. Marina has had one before, but she still exclaimed over everything. During her pedicure, she noticed a lemon slice floating in her foot bath. She entertained herself by trying to catch it. Eventually the nail technician had to remove it because she was moving around too much.

While she was getting her manicure, she chatted happily with the technician and the women around her. They were all so kind to her as they talked to her about McKenna and her Glinda costume.

To finish our day, we came home and relaxed by watching The Wizard of Oz. It was a good way to end the day.

I Know What We're Going to Do Today!

Last year, we went to the Phineas and Ferb Concert, The Best Live Show Ever. Marina liked it so much that she wanted to go again this year.

We started our day by having brunch, which took a little longer than planned, so we had to hurry downtown to the theater. We parked at the Convention Center but we still had a bit of a walk to the theater. Fortunately we made it to our seats with a few minutes to spare for the performance.

The show was the same as last year, but Marina still loved it. At intermission we got some snacks and hurried back to our seats. And just like last time, some of the dancers came out into the audience. Marina was happy to go to meet one.

Marina loved the second act of the show. She got up and danced when prompted and cheered for the song, “Squirrels in My Pants.” After the show we got to the car quickly. But we had a nice look at Downtown Denver as we went. I pointed out some of the other places we've been in the past. She liked that.