Tiana's Garden

We had a great time last year when we went to the Botanic Gardens, so we were looking forward to going back. Marina decided that she wanted to dress in a princess costume. She spent some time deciding last night before picking out the Tiana costume. I think the decorative leaves on it were the reason she chose that one.

We started our day in the Children' Garden. Marina enjoyed looking at the colorful flower displays. When we came on the wading creek, she was happy to take off her shoes and splash around. She played until we were ready for lunch. So we walked over to the main garden.

Once we got to the cafe, Marina was so engrossed in the map of all the gardens that I had to remind her to eat. She planned out which gardens we would go to after we ate.

We both love lilacs, so we went to the lilac garden first. It's been a tough year for lilacs because of a late freeze, so we were happy to see that many of the bushes has flowers on them. We took a while to smell the flowers before moving on.

Since Marina was wearing her Tiana costume, we make sure to take her picture near all the lily pads we saw.

The rose gardens were not blooming yet, so we headed over to the greenhouse. It was very warm in there, but Marina was too happy to see the treehouse in there to notice. She took the elevator rather than climb the stairs, so I think she missed out on some of the best scenery.

We walked through the romantic gardens and as we were headed out, we ran into a little girl dressed as Snow White. Of course, Marina had to go over and meet her. They had run running around the amphitheater grass and chasing geese.

Her new friend's family was leaving, so Marina decided she was ready to go home as well.

Epic Fairy Movie

Marina has wanted to see the movie Epic for a couple of months now. When we first saw the previews she asked to see it. She was pretty unhappy when she heard it was not opening until May. Recently she saw commercials for it on TV and let me know she still wanted to see it.

We finally got the chance to see it today. Of course, we had to see the 3D version. Marina was very excited. We arrived early and ate most of our popcorn before the movie even started.

After it was over, Marina told me she really liked it, "Even though there were some scary parts."

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

After our first experience with archery class, Marina and I were anxious to try it again. We took Archery II today at the wildlife museum. We found out that today at Disney World, Merida had her coronation as the thirteenth Disney Princess. Archery class was the perfect was to celebrate that occasion!

Marina wore a Merida t-shirt today as well as a flowery skirt. She also brought her American Girl doll Julie with us. Since the weather was beautiful, the class was held outside.

We started off with a few practice rounds. Marina still has a tendency to rush, but when she took her time, she did pretty well. My first two arrows almost hit the bullseye. Marina was so excited she insisted on taking a picture of the target.

We learned more about aiming and the targets were moved from 7 yards away to 10. That made it much harder. We got a chance to aim at balloons on the target.Marina was disappointed she didn't pop any of the balloons, but she was happy that she got to pop them after class.

Marina was a bit grumpy, so we had lunch at the museum cafe. Then we went into the Museum. We went through the GPS exhibit first. While figuring out the different stations, Marina met a boy and they helped each other. From there they went together to the animal habitats.They played together for awhile before he and his dad went home. We checked out a couple of other temporary exhibits before heading home. 

Historic Day

Marina had the day off from school, so we spent it together. We had dentist appointments first thing this morning. After we were done, we went to have some fun. It had been a while since we'd visited the historic park near home, so we went today. Marina brought her American Girl doll McKenna with us. It seems one of them always tags along lately!

It was a free day, so there were activities set up for everyone. Marina was immediately drawn to the chicken coop. It seemed the chickens were equally drawn to her. All of them came over to the fence when she called them. After playing with them for a while, we headed over to the teepee. Marina had fun checking out the inside.

Marina was excited to try panning for gold again. Not only did she enjoy looking for it, she took the time to teach other children how to do it.

We moved on to check out the wagons on display and Marina took the time to walk with a little toddler. Her mother was so impressed with how well Marina related to the little girl.

We looked at the covered wagons and the little schoolroom on the property. Once we looked around the whole park, Marina decided she was ready to go.

For her birthday, Marina got a gift card to the American Girl store. She really wanted to spend it today. She had her heart set on buying glasses and braces for McKenna. She picked them out and bought them in the first few minutes. Then she started looking around at other things.

She has decided that McKenna has broken her leg too many times doing gymnastics (probably due to getting the feel better kit for her birthday) and she needs to take up a new hobby. She was thinking of either the flute or violin. We met a wonderful associate who showed her both sets. Then we looked at the guitar set which actually played music. Marina was set on that one. So we picked that up as well.

We stopped for a snack of Oreo cheesecake. McKenna got to sit at the table as well. After that, we spent a bit of time at the Disney Store. Marina mostly watched cartoons while we were there. It was a fun way to spend a day off.

Jolly Holiday

Marina and I saw the Broadway musical Mary Poppins two years ago the first time it came through town. I asked Marina if she'd like to see it again and she enthusiastially said, "Yes." Usually we opt for Saturday matinees, but since Marina has the day off tomorrow, we saw it this evening.

We arrived at the theater a bit early, so we took some pictures outside. When we went inside, Marina suggested we check our coats.  That's something I never do, but it turned out to be quite convenient. As we were waiting to be seated, we ran into a young lady Marina knew from school. Marina was so excited to see someone she knew.

We were in our seats early and Marina got a bit restless for the show to begin. She was especially looking forward to the song, "A Spoonful of Sugar." She also enjoyed the performance of "Supercalifragelistiexpialidocious." During the first act, she was a bit restless. She talked to me quite often and told me she was tired.

At intermission, we stood up to stretch, we saw that two rows behind us was one of Marina's best friends with her mother. They were both elated. So, the girls spent the intermission excitedly talking to each other. It turned out that the seat next to Marina had been occupied by a member of her friend's family. So they got the sit next to each other for Act Two. So, instead of talking to me through the show, the girls talked to each other.

Once the show was over, we took our time leaving the theater so we wouldn't get caught in traffic. That worked out fine, but it was pretty late when we arrived at home. Surprisingly, Marina wanted to watch the movie Mary Poppins. I told it it would have to wait and got her ready for bed. We were both exhausted by then.