Christmas in the Ocean

One of our favorite Christmas activities is the Breakfast with Santa at the aquarium. We haven’t been to the aquarium in a while, so it was an even bigger treat.

Marina surprised me by wanting to wear her Ariel costume today. The last time we went she didn’t wear it. It was a chilly day, so Marina wore layers underneath but she still looked like a mermaid! She also brought her Marina mermaid doll.

Once we were seated in the restaurant, we immediate went to the buffet line – we were both ready to eat! While we were enjoying our food, the mermaids made their appearance in the restaurant tanks. As usual, Marina was delighted to see them.

Shortly after the mermaids showed up, Santa made his appearance. He made time to stop at every table and visit with the children. Once his rounds were over, he and one of his elves took a swim in the tanks. Marina even gave him a high-five.

Once we were finished with breakfast, we headed into the Aquarium. We visited all of our favorite exhibit but made sure we were on time for the mermaid show. After the mermaid show, we saw a swimming tiger demonstration. Once we saw all the exhibits, we stopped for a meet and greet with the mermaids.

Once we finished our tour of the aquarium we headed home. 

American Girls at the Nutcracker

 The American Girl Doll of the Year this year is Isabelle, a ballet dancer. And The Nutcracker plays a large part in her story. So it was natural that the American Girl store arranged a group trip to the local production of The Nutcracker this year. Naturally, Marina wanted to go.

Marina wanted to take a doll that had not been to the ballet before. We looked through the scrapbooks and realized Mckenna hadn't been yet, so she was chosen to attend. Marina wore her red Christmas dress and Mckenna wore the matching outfit.

We arrived at the store for a bit of shopping time, then boarded the bus for the show. We ate lunch on the bus while watching the Isabelle movie.

We arrived a bit early, so Marina enjoyed a hot chocolate with a candy cane before we went to our seats. We had a wonderful view of the stage and the orchestra.

Marina really enjoyed the comedic parts of the performance: the Rat King, the Chinese dancer and Mother Ginger. But by far, her favorite part was the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Once it started she was very excited.

Once the show was over, Marina was clearly tired. We had spent all weekend taking in many of our Christmas traditions. I think she was at her limit of Christmas cheer!

Santa Takes A Hike

It has become tradition for Marina and I to take a hike with Santa at the Wildlife Museum every Christmas. This year we we lucky to snag the last two tickets for today's hike. Marina brought her Anna doll along since she is ready for a trek.

We arrived a bit early and checked out the newest traveling exhibit - the Lego Adventure. First we looked at some very impressive vehicles created out of Legos. Marina even had the chance to try out a Lego car. Then she got to create her own Lego masterpieces. She found a pink house someone had started and decided to complete it. She also created her own couch.

After lunch we got ready for the hike with Santa. We got hot chocolate and Marina roasted marshmallows as we waited for Santa to make his appearance. He showed up pretty early and mingled with all the families. This year, Santa had a high tech gadget on a smart phone which determined if each child was naughty or nice. Marina rated naughty the first time, but after giving me a hug she shifted to the nice category.

Once the hike began, each child got a chance to carry the jingle bells as they walked. We stopped at statues of wild animals and Santa gave the kids a lesson about each one. During one part, Marina even got to use Santa's cane for a while.

Once the hike was over, we went back into the museum to look through the animal environment exhibit. Marina got a scavenger hunt sheet - this time it was the intermediate level, the beginner level was much too easy for her.

After our hike we went to the Museum's movie theater to see The Polar Express. This movie came out the year Marina was born and she loves it. We enjoyed seeing it on the big screen again.

Christmas Lights at the Zoo

Every year it is a challenge to do all the Christmas activities we want to do. Marina and I love going to see the Zoo Lights, so I thought we'd try to go after school today.

It took longer for us to get there than I thought it would. I stopped to do an errand and a man I met suggested a deli near the zoo for dinner. So we decided to try it out. It turned out to be a tiny market. Our sandwiches were wonderful, so it was worth the trip!

We arrived just as the Zoo Lights opened up. It was not at all crowded which was surprising considering the weather was so warm. We got hot chocolate and headed out to see the lights. This year the lights were set an a pathway which was easy to follow, so we were sure to see our favorite animals.

Partway through we found the tent with Santa. The line wasn't long, so we decided to see him. The line moved quickly and Marina got her chance to tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas.

After seeing Santa, we went about the rest of the journey. We stopped to see the pachyderms and the tropical animals along the way.

Once we got through the entire zoo we saw that the crowds we had expected arrived later than we did. We felt so glad we got there early.

Frozen Ice Princesses

 Marina and I make it a habit to go to Disney on Ice whenever it comes to town. This time, Marina wanted to invite Ainsley to join us. So I bought an extra ticket. Ainsley was excited to come with us.

Ainsley's mom brought her to our house a few hours early. The girls disappeared upstairs and transformed into Anna and Elsa from Frozen. Both girls knew that Anna and Elsa were not characters in the show were we about to see, but they didn't let that effect them.

Once they were dressed, we sat down to a tea party. We had four kinds of sandwiches and three kinds of cake as well as tea. I even set out my blue china for the occasion. After lunch, the girls put the finishing touches on their costumes. I put a little sparkle makeup on them and they took turns spraying glitter in each other's hair. They also dressed two of Marina's American Girl dolls  for the day. Saige wore the Frozen inspired costume and Kailey dressed as Anna.

On the way to the show we stopped at a store which was having a "Princess Party." The girls made their own princess ornaments and played with some of the toys which were out for display. They especially loved posing with a large Olaf plush toy. As we drove to the show, Ainsley played Frozen songs on her phone and girls happily sang along.

It took a bit longer to get to there than I had planned and we didn't get to our seats until right before the show started. The girls had so much fun pointing out when their favorite characters appeared on the ice. At intermission I got popcorn and drinks for us all and we settled in for the rest of the show.

On the way home the girls played on Ainsley's phone. They seemed tired, we'd had a full princess day!

Bells Are Ringing

This year, Marina has been in a before school club learning to play hand chimes. She’s been enjoying it. A friend of mine is in a handbell group. Tonight they had a concert at our church, so we decided to go.

Marina was very excited when we arrived. We sat near the front and looked over the huge assortment of bells laid out in the table. Marina pointed out to me which ones were the handchimes.

Once the concert got started, we were both impressed by how amazing the bells sounded and the difficult choreography that the musicians had to use to play the right bells in time with each other. They played many Christmas carols that we knew. Marina particularly enjoyed “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” because the handchimes were used for it.

The program ended with all six ringers playing bell trees. The church was filled with the many bells harmonizing together. It was truly amazing!

After the show we talked with my friend for a little while. She and Marina discussed handchimes for a little while. The concert had been a great experience for both of us.

O Christmas Tree

This evening, Marina and I put up our Christmas tree. Once again, she and I decided to use the Disney Princess theme.

I put up the tree and strung the lights. Our kitten, Jasmine, was very interested in the whole process. Then we started hanging our princess ornaments. Marina paid special attention to our "puff puff skirt princesses" - the ornaments with fluffy skirts. This year we added Anna and Elsa to the set. Marina wanted to make sure they were properly "coronated."

When we were finished, we added the Tinkerbell star to the tree. We're just hopeful our furry Jasmine doesn't knock them all down!

Picture Perfect

This was the first year Marina seemed aware of Black Friday. Today we went to have her pictures taken to take advantage of a great deal.

Marina wore two outfits for her photo shoot. First she wore her Thanksgiving outfit which coordinates with her American Girl doll Kaya. The photographer captured some wonderful shots of them together.

Next, Marina wore her red Christmas dress. It is also an American Girl outfit. She brought last year's Christmas present Kailey in the matching dress. We got some pictures with Kailey and some without. Marina showed she was a real pro - we were done in less than 10 minutes.

After the photographs we did a little shopping and had lunch. We got to experience a bit of Black Friday without the craziness.

Whales and Weather and Silkworms - Oh My!

We’ve been planning to see the Whales exhibit at the Science Museum for some time but hadn’t actually made it. Marina had already gone but wanted to show it to me. Today we finally got a chance to go. Another temporary exhibit, Traveling the Silk Road opened yesterday, so we were excited to see that as well.

When we arrived we decided we would go to the Whale exhibit first and to the Silk Road after lunch. Marina was excited to see the whales again. She is doing a report for school about sperm whales so she had lots of information about them! We looked at the skeletons of many whales and saw demonstrations of how they eat. Marina had a chance to design a dolphin and nearly got it perfect on her first try! She also climbed around on a model of a whale’s heart. It was huge!

After we finished looked at the whales, we stopped at Marina’s favorite section – the health exhibit. She got to ride the bike and tried out all the activities she enjoys. Once she finished there, we were both hungry, so we stopped for lunch.

Marina and I both tried out new things for lunch and enjoyed them. We both felt much better. Since we still had time before the Silk Road, we went into the space exhibit. We saw a presentation of what storms, volcanoes and fires look like from space. It was very interesting. Then we looked at pictures of various parts of space on a computer.

When our time for the Traveling the Silk Road exhibit came up we headed to the third floor gallery to see it. It was a fascinating tour from Xi’an, China, to Constantinople, Turkey. We saw real silk worms and learned how silk is made. In the desert oasis of Turfan we met the governor dressed in a gorgeous silk robe. We opened large jars of oil and smelled all the exotic oils. Marina liked the rose oil and jasmine oil best. In Samarkand, Marina played a game of chance with one of the locals. She learned how to count with their unusual numbers. In the Baghdad exhibit we tried to read the stars as ancient astronomers did. We also saw fascinating examples of fancy glass. All along the way were learned about the luxuries which were traded and the people who created them. At the end was a bazaar where we found many other beautiful luxuries. That may have been Marina’s favorite part!

Night Lights

Marina and I have seen the Chihuly art exhibit several times, but that was during the day. This evening, we had tickets to the special night exhibition. Marina was very excited. It was a beautiful night, ideal for walking around outside.

The night exhibitions are all sold out, so we went early and were fortunate to find a parking place not too far away. As soon as we entered she was delighted with the beauty of the glass sculptures under the lights. She pulled out her own camera to photograph the artwork throughout the gardens.

Since we'd seen the sculptures before, we knew where they were which helped since the gardens were fairly dark in places. Marina had favorites she wanted to make sure we'd see and often we could see them in the distance due to the illumination.

Unlike many of our recent activities, Marina was more than happy to pose with the artwork in the background. Once we made it through the whole exhibition, we were ready to head home. The exhibition ends soon, but we were happy to see it.

Pretty soon the holiday lights will be going up. We'll definitely be making a return trip to see those as well!

Kittens, Dolls and Heros

We’ve only had Jasmine with us for a week and a half and she already feels like a member of the family. Today we took her to the vet for her first check up. Most of all, I wanted to make sure her respiratory infection has cleared up. Marina was happy to come along for the appointment, Jasmine wasn’t so sure about the whole thing she wandered around the exam room and Marina kept an eye on her.

Our appointment was with a doctor we hadn’t met before. She said the infection seems to be clearing up, so she wasn’t worried about it.  When she listened to Jasmine’s heartbeat she asked if we’d like to hear. Marina was thrilled to hear it. She also clipped Jasmine’s claws for us and showed me how to do it. That will be great since Marina and I are both a bit scratched up from her.

We dropped Jasmine off at home and we went off to the annual Salvation Army Doll Tea. Marina brought Kaya along with us. Marina got a scavenger hunt card, which she was very faithful in getting filled out. We looked around at the dolls. As usual, Marina fell in love with many of them. I found a Guinevere doll from the Franklin Mint that was worth much more than the $20 they were asking for it. Marina liked her as well. She picked out a stuffed unicorn that she wanted. She was also given teddy bears at two different places in the tea. At the end we were given more free stuff – cookbooks and boxes of Christmas cards. Marina also got her first chance to visit with Santa this year. I’m sure it won’t be the last!

Our next stop was our favorite movie theater. Marina has been anxious to the new Disney movie Big Hero 6. When we arrived we found that the movie is a hot ticket in town today. Fortunately, we arrived early enough to get tickets. We settled into our seats and ordered lunch which arrived shortly before the movie started.

We saw the 3D version of the movie. We both really enjoyed it. It had its sad moments but overall we liked it. After the movie we headed home and just relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Back Into the Woods

Earlier this year Marina and I saw a small production of Into the Woods.  Recently we posters for another group performing the show. Marina wanted to see it again. So I bought tickets for us to see it this evening. Marina brought her Rapunzel plush doll with her.

We arrived a bit early, so we had time to use the restroom and buy drinks before we settled into our seats. Even so, Marina was restless for it to start. Once the show started she was very engaged. Act One was long and she got a little restless toward the end. But she still enjoyed the show.

Act Two was tougher for her. The story is not as fun and Marina was tired. She leaned on my arm for quite a bit of it. But once the show was over she perked up and wanted to meet some of the cast members. She talked a bit with the young lady who played Little Red Riding Hood. She is just a year older than Marina and attends the middle school where Marina wants to go next year. Next she spoke with the actress playing Cinderella. She talked with Marina for a few moments and posed for a picture with her. Last we looked for the the actress who was Rapunzel. She took some time to speak with us. She will be in a local production of The Magic Flute, a show we are planning to see.

When we left the theater we found it was raining fairly hard. We got to the car as quickly as we could. We were both wet and tired, but we’d had a fun evening.

Pumpkin Pals

We've had a very busy week and we hadn't carved our pumpkins for Halloween. I went out early to buy pumpkins and found the stores near our house were sold out. So I called around and found a store which had some but didn't expect them to last long. I headed there right away. The pumpkins they had left were huge, so I picked the two smallest ones which were much larger than what we usually get. But I was happy just to have pumpkins to carve.

Marina was also surprised at the size of the pumpkins, but she was excited to carve them. As usual, we had Disney designs for our pumpkins. We chose the Cheshire Cat and Olaf from Frozen. Marina would have rather done Alice in Wonderland or Anna and Elsa, but we didn't have stencils for those.

Marina and I worked together to clean out the pumpkins. She started on Olaf and I worked on the Cheshire Cat. We switched and I ended up carving the eyes and Marina did the mouths. She also did a great job on Olaf's nose. Ultimately we were happy with our pumpkins!

Welcome to the Family!

After losing Melanie, our family cat, last month Marina has been anxious to get a new pet. It took me a bit longer to be ready to move on. Today is National Cat Day, so our local shelter was offering a special on cat adoptions. So we went this afternoon to check it out.

I didn't tell Marina we were going until we were in the car. She was so excited she used the GPS on my phone to locate the shelter. Then she excitedly announced as we got closer.

When we arrived there weren't many kittens available. So we took a look at all the cats they had. As we were walking through, we saw a black kitten with green eyes staring at us. So we made a note to find out more about her. The shelter had named her Dance and she came from the home of a hoarder. She had a respiratory infection and was listed as not social. We decided to meet her.

Dance was brought into the room where we were waiting. She came immediately out and checked us out. She allowed both Marina and I to hold her and she purred in our arms. At one point she even climbed onto my shoulder and cuddled next to my face. We considered seeing additional cats, but we learned another family was interested in meeting Dance, so we quickly decided we couldn't risk losing her and decided to adopt her.

The kitten was surprisingly quiet in the car ride home. We discussed possible names for her. Marina suggested Evanora - one of the witches from Oz the Great and Powerful. Naming a black cat after a witch seemed logical. Later she said she liked Jasmine. We put them together to make Jasmine Evanora. I think that is what we are leaning towards now.

 Once we arrived and let her out and she immediately started to explore everywhere her tiny body would fit. Marina was dying to play with her and despite my cautions she got out the laser pointer and got her to chase it for a while.

Having a kitten around will be quite an adjustment, but we're looking forward to it!

The Book of Life

 Marina has wanted to see the movie The Book of Life since before it opened in theaters. October has been pretty busy for us so we finally were able to see it today, the first day of Marina's fall break.

Our friend Chantel had the day off from work, so we invited her along. We decided to see the movie at a theater where we could eat lunch as we watched. Marina brought her Anna doll along.

When we arrived at the theater we discovered it had undergone a renovation. The seats were much more comfortable and the view of the screen was better too. Marina and I ordered our favorite food and we settled in to watch the movie.

The storyline was based on Mexican mythology, something I don't know much about. Ultimately it was about family, love and good versus evil. The story revolved around the Day of the Dead holiday which is just a few days after Halloween. So we learned something about Mexican history and culture as well. We all enjoyed it.