New Year's Lights

Last year we didn’t get to the Blossoms of Light at the botanic gardens. So we made time this evening. It was a cold night, so we bundled up and bought hot chocolate before following the lighted path.

The lights were even prettier than we remembered. The trees were filled with color and the effects were breathtaking. Despite the cold, Marina was happy to pose with the pretty lights.

By the time we completed the path we were pretty cold and ready to go inside.

Star Wars Sunday

Marina has been looking forward to the release of the newest Star Wars movie, which was surprising since she hadn’t seen any of the previous movies. So over the past month we have been watching the movies to get her ready for the new one. She was even happier when I bought her a Princess Leia costume at Halloween.

We deiced to see The Force Awakens today. I bought tickets at our favorite theater. She dressed up in her Princess Leia costume, including the wig. We arrived early and ordered our usual. Our food arrived before the movie started.

Sitting next to Marina was another young lady. The two of them had fun talking before (and sometimes during) the movie. Once the movie started, Marina was completely engrossed. Some of the scenes surprised her and I could hear her react. After the movie was over, she said she liked it.

Little Woman

After relaxing at home for most of the day. Marina and I went out this evening to see a local production of Little Women. Marina wasn’t at all familiar with the story. She enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate before the show began.

Marina was completely drawn into the story. She had a bit of trouble keeping the sister straight, but she clearly enjoyed their stories. During the scene where Beth died, Marina started to cry. She often accuses me of being “weepy” during shows, but she has never cried. Clearly this story moved her.

After the performance was over, Marina wanted to meet the cast. We had a chance to speak with the actress playing Jo who was very kind to Marina. We waited a few minutes to speak with the actress playing Beth who we had seen several times before. She also spoke with Marina for a few minutes before joining her family. The performance was a long one, so we were ready to go home.

Angels We Have Heard On High

Rehearsals for this year’s Christmas pageant started at the beginning of December. Marina was pleased to get the “third biggest part.” She played Gabriel and all the other speaking angels, which was exactly what she wanted.

The kids gathered to rehearse before the service. Marina was very happy with the giant angel wings she got to wear. I encouraged her to work on her lines all month, but she never wanted to, so she didn’t know them at all today. She ended up using her script through most of the pageant. She also helped out with the younger kids to help them with their lines.

The script was meant to be funny and clearly everyone had a good time with it. The pageant was the highlight of the service.

Nutcracker Night

This afternoon we had plans for one of our holiday traditions, seeing  a performance of  The Nutcracker. I was concerned about traffic so we arrived early. Once the car was parked, we headed out to the theater. Outside we stopped to listen to some carolers and Marina got a cup of hot chocolate.

Inside the theater Marina picked out a gingerbread man for a snack. Our seats were near a four year old girl and her parents. She was at the ballet for the first time and Marina was happy to give her some pointers on what to expect.

By now, we’ve seen The Nutcracker so many times that we know what to expect. Marina said her favorite part was the snowflake ballerinas. But she clearly enjoyed the Russian dancers and Mother Ginger.

After the show, we came upon a band playing Christmas songs on the street. It sounded wonderful and we stopped to listen for a while before going back to the car.

Anna Adventures

We had a full slate of activities scheduled at the wildlife museum today. First we had the annual Hike with Santa followed by a Frozen Ball. So, Marina decided to dress up as Anna all day. She started off on the trekking outfit.

We arrived at the museum shortly before the hike began.We joined the group at the fire pit to enjoy hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows. Marina made a s'more for each of us. After our snack, Santa made his appearance. He spent a few minutes with every child. Marina gave him a small photo album we made for him with pictures of every hike we have done. He loved it!

Once the greetings were over, the hike began. They discussed eagles, bison, brown bears, cougars, deer and elk. And, as always, each child got a chance to hold the sleigh bells and walk next to Santa. At the end of the hike every family got photos with Santa.

After the hike, we stopped for lunch and then went through the museum. Marina knows the exhibits by hart, but she still enjoys them and trying out the games throughout.

Before long, it was time to prepare for the Frozen Ball. Marina changed into Anna's coronation dress and I put on my Elsa costume. We checked into the ballroom and were able to get a photo with Princess Anna right away. Next we waited our turn to meet Queen Elsa. We were fortunate to get quite a few pictures with them throughout the ball.

Marina got a chance to play with balloons, sword fight and make a crown and wand. She also enjoyed marshmallows and hot chocolate. Once the ball was over, we went to the movie theater to watch Frozen.

When the movie ended we headed home. It was a full day of fun!

Holiday Princess Tea Party

After enjoying the Thankful Tea last month, Marina and I were looking forward to this month's tea party with princesses and Santa. Marina decided to wear her Belle Enchanted Christmas dress, even though she knew Belle was not one of the princesses at the tea party. She also decided to bring her baby Anna and Elsa dolls.

We ran into traffic on our way to the party. We were the last to arrive but we did show up before the princesses did. We joined a mother and her two daughters who were somewhat shy. But the three girls were friends by the end of the tea party.

While we were enjoying our peppermint tea, Ariel, Rapunzel, Anna and Elsa arrived. The girls excitement was audible. After greeting everyone, the princesses began a concert of Christmas carols and songs from their movies. They began with "Carol of the Bells" - one of Marina's favorites. They also sang song more familiar to the girls, like "Frosty the Snowman," Let It Snow" and "Jingle Bells" and encouraged everyone to sing along.

After the concert, Santa made an appearance. The girls took turns having their photos taken with the princesses and Santa. We were the last group to go, but that worked out wonderfully for us. Since everyone left after their pictures, we had the princesses and Santa all to ourselves. So Marina was able to talk with the princesses, as she had been dying to throughout the concert. When Marina showed her dolls to Anna and Elsa, they each took their doll and broke into "Do You Want to Build A Snowman?" The whole group even sang "Jingle Bells" with her! We got some great pictures.

It took some convincing to get Marina to leave. She was having so much fun!

Santa and Lights at the Zoo

The weather was beautiful so it seemed like a great night for Zoo Lights. I promised Marina we could go today after dinner. We didn’t get off to as early a start as I wanted and when we got there we found more traffic than we expected. Fortunately we found a parking space in the garage and headed inside.

Even though it was a warm night, Marina still wanted hot chocolate. So we picked that up early. She drank all of hers and most of mine as well.

Every year the animal sculptures seem to be in new places, so it was fun to see the set up this year. When we reached “The North Pole,” Marina wanted to see Santa. The line was long, but she didn’t seem to mind it. When it was her turn, she mostly asked for gifts for all her pets, but she did ask for a plush black cat.


After our visit with Santa, we walked through the rest of the zoo. The weather was still nice and we made sure to take pictures with our favorite animal sculptures. We spent longer than we expected, but it was worth it!

Frozen on Ice

We have been looking forward to Frozen on Ice for nearly a year. Ainsley dressed as Anna while Marina was Elsa. Ainsley braided both of their hair on the drive to the Pepsi Center.

The parking lot was crazy, but we managed to find a spot. Then we headed right into the show. We settled into our seats before it began and even saw the pre-show skit.

Naturally, the main event was Frozen. Both girls were completely engrossed in the show and even sang along with the songs. At intermission I bought kettle corn and drinks and we took pictures close to the ice.

Marina and Ainsley loved the show. As we left, they were both surprised that it was already dark outside. We got to the car quickly and managed to avoid all the traffic going out.

Friends, Fish and Festivities

Marina and Ainsley woke up fairly early this morning. That was a good thing because we had reservations for Breakfast with Santa at the aquarium. The girls decided to wear Ariel dresses for the occasion. I also put sparkly makeup on them.

At the aquarium, we met Mr. Chuck and Miss Judy. Our table was near one of the fish tanks and the food buffet. We quickly got into line for food. Sharkey, the Aquarium mascot, came up behind the girls as they settled in and scared them. Then he stayed for photographs.

While we ate our breakfast, the mermaids started swimming in the tanks. Both girls got up to get a better look. Once they were done, Santa came by our table for a short visit. A little while later, Santa and one of his elves went swimming in the tank. Marina and Ainsley didn’t watch that for very long. They were more interested in finishing their breakfast.

Next, we all went into the Aquarium. Ainsley was taking pictures of nearly every animal she saw. We had missed the mermaid show but arrived in time for the meet and greet. We also spent a while at the stingray pool. The stingrays were acting friendly and the girls were able to touch quite a few of them.

We went back through the exhibit mainly to see the mermaid show. Ainsley didn’t seem too excited until it started. The girls were right up by the glass and had a terrific view of the show. Ainsley was quite impressed. Once our second trip through the aquarium was done we headed out for our next adventure.

The Lion King Has Returned

Marina and I really enjoyed The Lion King when we saw it four years ago. So we were excited to see it again at the when it returned. The first time we saw it we arrived a bit late and missed the opening song “The Circle of Life.” So I made sure we had plenty of time today.

Marina decided she wanted to dress like a cat for the show. She didn’t have any animal print dresses, so we tried a shirt of mine. It worked pretty well with leggings. Then she added her headband with cat ears to complete the look. She also brought her baby Simba toy we got at Disney World.

We were a bit early for the show, so we settled into our seats to wait. A family with kids about Marina’s age were next to us, so she was happy to chat with them.

The show didn’t disappoint us. Marina was particularly interested in the lionesses, especially Nala. She was also fascinated by the puppets used throughout the show.

At the end, we had the opportunity for her to have her picture taken with one of the lionesses. Of course she wanted to do that! The actress loved Marina’s outfit and told her she looked ready to be in the show. I think that was exactly the reaction she wanted.

Thankful Tea

In honor of Thanksgiving, Marina and I attended a "Thankful Tea" this evening featuring Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Marina was excited to go. Apparently growing up has not changed her love of princesses! She wore her Belle costume, however, the weather was cold, so she had to put warmer clothing underneath.

We arrived just on time and joined two young girls with their mothers at a table. Marina was the oldest girl there, but that didn't bother her at all. Shortly after we arrived, Belle came in. She quickly greeted Marina and gave her a warm hug.

Once the tea party started, Belle gave each girl a book to create. Marina got right to work, drawing Belle's different dresses inside. We enjoyed cookies and apple spice tea. Later, Belle read stories to the girls and passed around mementos from the Beast's castle.

At the end of the tea party, each girl posed for photos with Belle and she signed their books. Then we all bundled up to leave. We'd gotten quite a bit of snow during the party.

When we came home, Marina made herself another cup of tea and settled in to watch Beauty and the Beast.  It was the perfect way to end a sweet day.

Return to the West Side

Marina was sick yesterday, so I wasn’t sure we would be able to go to West Side Story at the as planned. Marina didn’t feel well this morning, but she wanted to see the show, so we decided to try.

We had a long drive to the theater. Marina was quiet, probably because she was texting her friends. As we walked in the door, she said her stomach was bothering her again. When we arrived at our table we found we were sharing with a family that had two children right around Marina’s age. That immediately made her feel better and the three of them happily talked during lunch.

I had warned Marina to take it easy with food. However, when the salads arrived she dug in. She also ate a bit of her chicken. After eating, she said she felt fine.

She was excited when the show began. At times she seemed a bit restless and occasionally she and her new friends talked a bit. During intermission we ate dessert and talked more. Marina also warned them about the gunshot effect coming up in Act 2. They seemed nervous about it.

Act 2 was shorter and even though the show ends in tragedy, everyone enjoyed it. We took pictures of the kids with our server. We also looked around to meet more actors, but there weren’t as many as we usually see. We met the actors playing Tony, Anita and some of the gang members.

Our trip home took longer than usual, so we were tired when we got home. We spent the evening relaxing, grateful that Marina was feeling better.

Spooktacular

This year, Marina wanted to trick or treat with Ainsley. We made the arrangements to do go with her and her mother, but first we decided to go to the Halloween Spooktacular at the symphony. Marina wore her Harley Quinn costume. Ainsley was dressed as Vanellope Von Sweetz from Wreck It Ralph. We arrived early for the symphony and the girls enjoyed looking at the costumes of all the other kids. We also had fun looking at the costumes of the musicians as they walked on stage.

The concert began with “The Imperial March” from Star Wars and the conducted entered dressed as Darth Vader. W also heard a selection from the ballet Romeo and Juliet and A Night on Bald Mountain, Marina was excited because she knew this piece. After the main theme from Star Wars, the orchestra played the Superman March. During the music, the conductor raced off stage and returned dressed as Superman. The concert ended with Danse Macabre and music from the Harry Potter movies.

Once the show had ended, both Marina and Ainsley said they’d had a good time. It got even better when each was handed a bag of Halloween candy on the way out.

We met Ainsley’s mother for dinner and then went to their house for trick or treating. Ainsley has never gone in her neighborhood before and wanted to this year. The neighborhood is made up of winding streets so we ended up walking a lot. Many of the houses were not handing out candy, but several had scary displays set up. At one house the girls were startled by kids who crept up behind them as they got their candy.

We weren’t out long, yet both girls ended up with a huge amount of candy. We packed up Marina’s candy and went home.

Glow at the Gardens

This evening, Marina and I went to a new event, Glow at the Gardens. We both put on our Halloween costumes and went to the botanic gardens. Parking was crazy but we managed to find a space without too much trouble.

Inside the gardens were decorated with jack-o-lanterns everywhere. A path was lined with paper lanterns – without it the path was very dark! Along the way we found trick or treat booths and more jack-o-lanterns. Along the ways we checked out all the other costumes.

After we made our way along the path, we went into the pavilion. Marina colored a Halloween craft. She also entered the costume contest. She didn’t win, but she had fun with it.

After the contest, we went to hear a storyteller. Marina sat up front with other kids. The storyteller was dramatic and Marina loved listening to her.

After the stories, we walked back to the car. We had a fun time!

Elementary, My Dear

A new Sherlock Holmes exhibit just opened at the Museum and Marina has asked to see it. Since she is on fall break this week, it seemed like the perfect time to go.

When we arrived, we got our tickets for Sherlock Holmes and went directly to the exhibit. We were immediately cast into the 1800's.

First we learned a bit about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his inspirations for the character. Then we were introduced to the detective methods of the time: photography, ballistics, telegraphs, botany, optics and even cosmetics. From there we walked into a messy room and were charged with looking for clues. Some of them were not easy to find!

Next, we walked into a crime scene. We had to look at the clues and then search for the source. We looked through plants to match a seed pod, recreated footprint and dragging patterns, compared blood spatter and evaluated a broken statue. At the end we discovered the solution. It was a complex mystery, but we had fun looking into it.

We stopped for lunch next and then went to Marina's favorite exhibit, health. There weren't many people there so she got through everything quickly. Once we went through, we decided to see the dinosaurs, which we haven't seen in a while. After looking at the fossils, we decided it was time to go home.

Halloween at the Zoo

Boo at the Zoo is an annual tradition for Marina and I every Halloween. We've been so busy this month, but we made time to go this afternoon.

This year, Marina's costume is Harley Quinn, a villain in the Batman stories. She has had it for a while, but hasn't had an opportunity to wear it. My costume this year is Cinderella, from the live action movie that came out earlier this year.

The weather was beautiful today. We arrived after lunch and had a fairly easy time finding parking and getting into the zoo. Naturally, Marina was excited to collect candy. We did spend some time looking at animals. The big cats were very active while we were there. Marina got close up looks at a tiger and a serval. We also got to see a polar bear and the giraffes.

Our favorite activity was looking at all the costumes. We saw nearly every Disney princess and Marina gave all the Batmans an evil eye.We also enjoyed the families dressed in themes. And Marina loved the other Harley Quinns we ran into.

Once we made it to every booth, we were ready to go home. It was a perfect day.