Off to Neverland!

When I learned a local theater was presenting Peter Pan, I knew this was a show Marina would enjoy. From the time I told her about it she has been looking forward to it. Marina decide to wear her Tinkerbell costume. She brought Kailey along. We have a Tinkerbell costume for the dolls, but Marina decided she would dress Kailey as Belle for the show.

We've gotten a lot of snow over the past few days, so we left early to make sure we arrived on time. Marina was delighted with all the Peter Pan decorations around the theater. She also loved all the compliments she got on her outfit.

Our seats were in the second row and Marina took a long look into the orchestra pit before the show. Then she carefully read the program. She excitedly pointed out to me that the young woman playing Wendy had been Dorothy in the production of The Wizard of Oz we saw last summer.

The show was wonderful. Marina thought the pirates were "hilarious" and she was happy to clap her hands to ave Tinkerbell. Her only disappointment was that Tinkerbell was portrayed by a lighting effect, not by an actor. She mentioned that to an usher who suggested maybe Marina should have played Tinkerbell. She loved that idea!

After the show, we waited around to meet with Sarah, the actress playing Wendy. She remembered us from the summer and stayed around to talk for a while.

After talking with Sarah, we headed home. It was late and we were both really tired. But we were really glad we got to see this show.

Princess of the Stock Show

After going to the Stock Show last year, Marina made it very clear she wanted to return. She even wanted to see the Wild West Show again. Since this weekend is the only showing of the Wild West Show, it was clear when we needed to go. Marina had a couple of choices of what to wear. She decided on her Jessie costume and a pink cowgirl hat with a tiara.

The weather was beautiful today and I'm sure that was part of the reason why it was crowded today. It took over an hour for us to park and when we finally arrived at the complex, it was packed.

We started on the third level of the building, one we missed last year. Immediately Marina wanted to take a pony ride. The line was long, but it moved quickly. When it was her turn she seemed to enjoy herself. She spent some time on a playground and in an agricultural center. She really enjoyed grinding her own wheat! My alma mater had a large area and we were happy to have our picture taken with the mascot!

After lunch, we checked out the vendor floor. Marina remembered looking at horse trailers last year, so we spent a little time doing that. She also enjoyed getting into some of the tractors on display. We also watched a trained pig show.

We had heard about an area called Pony Trails which had an animal nursery. So we headed there. Marina loved the baby rabbits and even got to pet them. The piglets were the most active, so she spent the most time looking at them. She even got to see them eat!

Along the Pony Trails she got her picture taken with Buffalo Bill and some of the rodeo royalty.

When it was time for the Wild West Show, we headed to the Events Center. We found more royalty who were happy to pose for pictures with Marina. We had a snack while waiting for the show to start. Marina was particularly looking forward to the National Anthem so she could remove her hat.

The show was different than last year, but Marina loved it. Once it was over, we were ready to head home. We'd been at the Stock Show all day and we were exhausted!

Photo Finish

We finished off the Christmas season by doing what we usually do at the beginning, having Marina's Christmas pictures taken.

We were on time for our appointment, but the person before us was late, so we had a bit of a wait. Marina was a bit grumpy but after a candy bar she felt much better!

When it was our turn, Marina cooperated beautifully. We had her picture taken in her Christmas dress and since we had a matching American Girl dress, we had Saige in some of the pictures as well. Marina had fun with those.

After the Christmas dress was done, Marina quickly changed into her Glinda costume and we had some pictures in that as well. I think those were my favorite ones.

Once we were done, we went home and Marina played with her American Girl dolls for the rest of the evening. So glad we have been able to capture these moments before they are gone!

Meeting Isabelle

Marina has been anxious to see the new American Girl Doll of the Year. On New Year's Eve, we got the new catalog featuring Isabelle, a ballet dancer. That's when Marina got really excited.

Last year we went to the American Girl store on New Year's Day to check out Saige. There was a line out the door and we had to wait outside for a while before we could even get into the store. This year New Year's Day was cold and snowy, so we decided to wait a bit so it wouldn't be as crazy.

Marina decided to bring Kailey along. It was a beautiful day and they wore matching dresses. When we arrived at the store this afternoon, it was pretty busy in the store, but not packed. We enjoyed looking over Isabelle's collection - she has some very pretty clothes for girls to match their dolls. Marina was also happy to pose with the cut out they had as well.

As always, Marina loved looking around the store. She always finds plenty of things she likes.

After we left the American Girl store, we went into the mall to check out the Disney Store. I was surprised to see that all Frozen Elsa costumes are completely sold out. I was so grateful we bought Marina's costume when we did!

We ate lunch in the food court and looked in the Lego store before heading home. I'm sure we'll be back many times this year!

Frozen on the First

Since I had the day off, Marina and I decided to see the movie Frozen again. We invited her cousin Michelle who is in town for Christmas break and Uncle Mike. Their friend Jessica joined us as well.

Marina spent most of the day on her new tablet, so it took come convincing to get her dressed. She immediately decided to wear her Elsa costume. She also dressed Kailey in the Merry and Bright outfit so they looked alike.

We decided on a theater that also had a restaurant. So we arrived early and to have lunch. Apparently we were very early because we had to wait in line for the theater to open. When we went into the theater and found our seats, we were approached by a man who worked there. He was so excited by how she dressed that he offered to buy her dessert. Marina was thrilled!

Marina and I split a sampler platter and we were pretty full by the time the movie started. I think we both enjoyed it more the second time around. Michelle and Jessica, who hadn't seen it before, liked it as well.

As we left the theater, it was snowing outside. I asked Marina if she was making it snow, just as Elsa did in the movie. She thought that was silly. It seemed fitting.