A Spoonful of Sugar

This evening we had tickets to see Mary Poppins at a local theater. Marina dressed in a black and white dress with a black sweater, trying to look as much like Mary Poppins as possible. She also brought her Mary Poppins umbrella. And since it was snowing outside, the umbrella came in handy.

Marina sang “A Spoonful of Sugar” in the car on the way to the theater. We arrived a bit early and Marina wanted to find our seats as soon as possible. We both looked over the program while we waited. Once the show started, Marina paid close attention. She even got a bit giddy when “A Spoonful of Sugar” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

When the show was over, Marina looked forward to meeting the cast. There was a bit of a line to speak with Mary Poppins and Bert, but it moved quickly and we were able to get a picture of them. We also met Jane and Mr. and Mrs. Banks before we left.

Awesome Avengers

When I asked Marina if she was interested in seeing the Marvel Universe Live show, she was enthusiastic about it. She’s never spent much time on super heroes, but it was something different for us to try, so we went today.

Marina chose to wear her Harley Quinn costume. I let her know that Harley Quinn is a DC Comics character, not Marvel. But that didn’t bother her a bit. And throughout the day she was complimented on her outfit.

We arrived early for the show, so we spent a little time looking around. We took Marina’s picture at the Selfie Station, she get a temporary tattoo and she played a game before we went to our seats.

Once the show started, Marina was completely engrossed. It was an easy to follow story featuring the Avengers (some of whom she was familiar with and I had never heard of) and their most famous foes. The show featured motorcycle stunts, acrobatics, fireworks and explosions. Once the show was over, she yelled, “That was awesome!”

Family Day at the Opera

Today we went to Family Day at the Opera. We had tickets for two operas they were performing. Hansel and Gretel was the first show of the day.

When we arrived, we found craft tables with two projects. First Marina colored a gingerbread house. Then she decorated a paper gingerbread man. While she worked on the crafts, she met a girl around her age. The two of them spent a lot of time together during the event.

After the projects were complete, Marina found a trunk full of costume pieces that the kids were allowed to try on. She had fun creating different costumes and posing with props.

When it came time for Hansel and Gretel, we sat near her friend’s family. We were actually seated on the stage! Before the show began, the kids were invited to sit right at the edge of the performance area. Marina sat right up front.

Hansel and Gretel was a funny opera with a girl playing Hansel and a man was the Witch. After the show was over, the kids were allowed to ask questions. Then they were allowed to explore the set and props and meet the singers. Since most of the props were candy, Marina enjoyed looking at them. We also got pictures with Gretel and the Witch.

After the event was over, we left to have lunch then we went back for the second performance – Carmen. The kids at this event were older and the crafts a bit more challenging. The first project was to make a paper rose. We had difficulty with the directions, so we made one on our own. Marina was pleased with how it turned out. Next she made a paper fan. She chose to make a black one with red lace. It was a bit of a challenge, but ultimately we got it figured out.

Next, Marina played with a different costume trunk set out for Carmen. She tried on a variety of Spanish skirts and shawls. She also had a fan, tambourine and castanets to play with. It took some convincing to get her to leave the costumes and sit down for the performance..

We had seats in the front row for Carmen. Marina was pleased with them. This show was much more serious than Hansel and Gretel. Part of the score was even sung in the original French.

Despite a mature theme, Marina loved it. Once the show was over, she participated in the question and answer session. She really wanted to meet the singer playing Carmen. (She had also been Hansel in the earlier show.) She was very kind and even posed for a picture with Marina. We also got a photo with the bullfighter. After that, we were ready to go home.

Doorway to Magic

We had tickets to see Mickey and Minnie’s Doorway to Magic. I was a bit surprised that Marina wanted to go - apparently she is not too old for Disney. She decided to wear her Snow White costume. She even applied her own make up.

In the parking garage we met a little girl and her parents. As it turned out, their seats weren’t far from ours. So as we waited for the show to start the girls hung out together.

Once the show started, Marina was completely involved including the audience participation parts. The story was told through skits, dance, special effects, magic trick and even jumping rope. She was especially pleased when Snow White appeared.

After the show was over, Marina and her new friend met up again. They went over the where the confetti cannon had been. Marina stuffed some of the confetti in her pockets and threw some into the air. After a few minutes, we all walked to the parking garage together before saying goodbye to her new friend.

Stock Show and Super Dogs

Marina and I have made it an annual tradition to attend the Stock Show in January. This year we had tickets to see the Super Dog Show. Marina decided to wear her Jessie costume with her pink princess cowgirl hat. She brought her Jessie doll along as well, but she spent most of the day in my tote bag.

The dog show was scheduled for this afternoon, but we went in the late afternoon to walk around the grounds. We started off in the kids’ area. Marina loves the AG Adventure, so we went there first. She got a chance to play with the egg process and grind wheat. The area was very crowded, so after browsing the floor for a short while, we headed outside.

We saw a chainsaw carving demonstration and then went to the Super Dogs “Pat and Chat.” We got a chance to meet some of the dogs in the show and Marina pet them. One friendly dog even licked her face! She didn’t mind a bit.

We went back inside where the kids’ area was a bit less crowded. Then we wandered around the main show floor. Marina even got to press a couple of souvenir pennies. While we were here, we ran into some old friends of ours. We haven’t seen them in a while, so we spent a few minutes catching up.

It was getting close to Super Dogs show time, so we went into the Events Center. Before taking our seats, we looked in the paddock in the lower level. The corrals held many animal moms and babies. We saw baby alpacas, lambs, piglets and ponies.

As we went into the Events Center, we met many members of the Rodeo Royalty. We stopped for photos with every queen, princess and lady in waiting we met. Marina even got autographed pictures from some of them.

Marina loved the Super Dogs. She cheered loudly at every trick. She was particularly enthusiastic for the dogs she met earlier in the day. Once the show was over, she said she loved it. We were both tired by then and so we headed home.

Pixar in Concert

Marina and I have been to many of the symphony concerts where they feature music and animation. So when I saw Pixar in Concert on the schedule, I knew it was one we'd want to see.Marina dressed in her Merida costume, after all, she is the only Pixar princess. She also brought her Merida plush doll.

We arrived a bit early. Marina was pleased with our seats, which were in the first row of the section and directly behind the string section and in clear view of several of the giant screens they had set up.

The show featured a suite from fourteen films accompanied by a visual synopsis. Marina enjoyed watching the scenes from each movie, but her favorite was when they played the music from Brave.

When we came home, Marina picked out Brave to watch while still in her costume.

Arabian Night

Over the years, Marina's favorite princess has been Jasmine. So when a local theater announced The Arabian Nights on their schedule, she was immediately interested. Marina wore an "Arabian Princess" costume with a veil and even did her own make up. She brought along her Jasmine plush doll for good measure.

We arrived a bit early and Marina was immediately impressed with the lavish set. We took some pictures of her in front of it. Many other people complimented her outfit. She graciously accepted all the praise and chatted happily with those around us.

As it turned out, a friend I hadn't seen in many years was in the cast. His son, who is two years younger than Marina, was in the audience, so we spent a little time talking with him before the show. 

The show was a more mature take on the classic tale and the story of Aladdin was not included. I'm sure some of it was over Marina's head, but she still said she liked it.

After the show, we waited to speak with my friend. We took some photos of the kids on the set as well. Another actor also approached Marina to praise her costume. She was clearly pleased.

As we left the theater it was snowing lightly. Hardly the ending you would expect to an Arabian night!

Funny Girl

This afternoon, Marina and I checked out a new theater. Currently they are presenting Funny Girl. I had seen the movie a long time ago, so I thought we could check it out.

We were impressed by how the theater looked as we walked in. We picked up drinks at the bar and looked for seats since all tickets are general admission. Marina picked two seats in the front row.

At intermission, Marina wanted a snack. So I sent her with some money. She came back with cashews. When I returned from the restroom, she was happily chatting with the couple next to us.

The second act was shorter and Marina was more attentive. Once it was over she applauded loudly.

Return to Zoo Lights

After dinner, we bundled up and went to Zoo Lights with our friend Bethany, who is in town for the week. We had already seen it this season, but we used the time to spend more time with Bethany. One of Marina’s friends from church and her parents met us there.

The zoo was pretty crowded, but we managed to get a good parking space anyway. The night was chilly, but not unbearably cold. We got hot chocolate early to help with that.

Since our group was so large, we often were separated but we always managed to meet up again. We were in the zoo for over three hours, so by the time we returned to the main entrance, we were pretty tired and ready to go.

At home, Marina and I watched part of a movie together before going to bed.

Meet Lea Clark

With a new year always comes a new American Girl of the Year. For 2016 it is Lea Clark. Yesterday I showed Marina the website with her story and products. She was pretty excited to see it all. This morning we went to see it all in person. Marina brought her Christmas gift card and her Kailey doll with her.

The store was busy but not crazy. We got a change to see the new doll and catch up with the staff members we know. Marina decided to buy Lea’s cat. We also had Kailey’s hair styled. After we checked out, Marina worked on a craft they had set up.

Next we headed into the Disney Store and looked around for a while. Marina had fun playing at the magic mirror and looking at the
Good Dinosaur toys. After our shopping was done, we went home and got to work on our dinner plans.

The Good Dinosaur

To celebrate the new year, we slept in this morning. After a relaxing morning, we went out this afternoon to see the movie The Good Dinosaur. We arrived early and bought popcorn and drinks. By the time the movie started, we had polished off quite a bit of it. Marina also finished her drink, so I shared mine with her.

The movie was cute. Marina clearly enjoyed the story and the characters, even if parts of it were sad.

After the movie, we ran into one of Marina’s former ballet teachers. It was fun to catch up with her as well.