Alice at the Ballet

The Colorado Ballet’s production of Alice in Wonderland was a show Marina has looked forward to since the schedule came out. Our friend Angie was also interested in going, so we invited her to come with us to today’s matinee.

Angie picked us up in her new car which had four red heart balloons inside as a tribute to the Queen of Hearts. Marina was thrilled. She had fun playing with them on the ride to the theater. We arrived close to curtain time, so we hurried to the theater. Fortunately, we had time to get drinks and find our seats before the show began.

The show was crazy and whimsical, as Alice in Wonderland should be. Marina enjoyed the humor and bright colors. Of course, her favorite character was Alice. But she was also excited when the Cheshire Cat made his appearance. A corps of child dancers had recurring parts throughout the show. They were very cute.

At intermission we bought popcorn as a snack and stretched our legs in the lobby. Act Two was much shorter than Act One, but just as crazy. We especially liked the ballerinas with playing cards for tutus.

Once the show was over, Marina and Angie spent some time shopping in the little gift shop. We all went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. Marina ordered a grilled cheese sandwich that she ate quickly. By then it was late, so we went home.

The Addams Family

This evening, we had tickets to see The Addams Family with some of our friends. Marina decided to wear a black dress and keep her hair in braids – just like Wednesday.

It was another long drive to get there, but Marina and Sabrina kept themselves occupied for most of it. We arrived a little early, so we had plenty of time for photos in front of the poster outside. We had really good seats for the show and we were all excited.

Marina surprised me by ordering the Thai salad for dinner. When it arrived, she offered me the mangoes. I encouraged her to taste one. Once she did that, she started digging them out of her salad so she could eat all of them. She ate quite a bit of the salad – mostly leaving lettuce and noodles on her plate.

The Addams Family is not a show Marina was familiar with. But the show didn’t require and prior knowledge. Marina liked Wednesday, who was played by an actress who we have seen many times before. The story line was fun and the songs entertaining.

At intermission, Marina had a flourless chocolate cake which she clearly enjoyed. After she ate it, she was ready for Act 2. Both she and Sabrina liked the song “I’m Crazier Than You.” After the show, Sabrina joined us in meeting the cast members and taking photos. We started with the actor playing Lucas, who was our server. Then we found Wednesday, Gomez, Grandma and Morticia.

We made good time on the trip home, so we weren’t out as late this evening. We’d all had fun and made plans to see another show together.

Princesses and Polar Bears

Today is National Polar Bear Day and to celebrate the zoo was having a celebration which included having Anna and Elsa as special guests. So Marina dressed up in her Anna costume and brought along her baby Elsa doll. We went out late this morning.

It turned out, there were many other special events going on around the zoo and parking was a mess – it took over half an hour to find a parking space. We were fortunate to find one in the parking garage so we didn’t have too long a walk to get into the zoo.

When we finally made it inside the zoo, we headed right for the polar bear exhibit and the princesses. Anna and Elsa were easy to find. There was a line to see them, but we didn’t mind. As we waited, Marina watched the otters swim and a peacock who was nearby showed off his feathers. She also talked with the other girls in line.

When it was our turn, Anna gave Marina a big hug where she saw how she was dressed. Elsa also loved the doll Marina brought with her. They posed for a bunch of photos.

After meeting the princesses, we stopped for lunch. Marina chose to eat nachos rather than a kids’ meal. She liked the chicken on them but overall thought they were too spicy. Next we went through the zoo. We decided to ride the carousel. Once on board the carousel stalled, so we had to get off. Marina wanted to play on the covered wagon nearby and while we were there the carousel was fixed, so we took our ride after all.

By the end of the ride we were both tired, so we walked to the exit, checking out the animals on the way. Getting out wasn’t as dramatic as getting in!

Hello Dolly!

Marina was particularly excited to see Hello Dolly this evening. We didn’t have a lot of time between pickup after school and the time to leave for the theater. Marina chose a pretty purple dress and we added a pink bow with flowers in her hair and her pink faux fur caplet. She looked so pretty!

The drive to the theater took a while. It is far away and we got stuck in rush hour traffic as well. During the drive I told Marina the basics about the story. She also played on her phone.

We arrived later than planned. There were two women already at the table. They were also a mother and daughter! Marina surprised me by ordering the stuffed pork chop off the regular menu. I got her a drink with the light up ice cube which occupied her for much of the down time. Our food took a while and we were both hungry, so when it finally arrived we both dug in quickly. Marina didn’t like the potatoes but she loved the pork chop.

We didn’t have long between when we finished dinner and when the show started. Marina seemed drawn into the story quickly. The show had lots of high energy dance sequences and humor which she enjoyed. Our servers played Ermengarde and Ambrose, so it was fun to watch them.

At intermission, Marina and I split a huge cinnamon roll with vanilla ice cream. It was so big we needed a box to take most of it home. The second act was as fun as the first. Marina clearly enjoyed the dancing and colorful costumes.

When the show was over she wanted to meet the cast members. Of course, number one on her list was the actress playing Dolly. We found her still in her gorgeous costume and spent a few minutes with her before taking a photo. We also took photos with the actors playing Minnie and Barnaby. Marina also wanted to meet Irene, but she had already changed out of her costume when we finally met up with her.

We had stayed at the theater pretty late and still had a long drive home. Marina fell asleep on the way home. We arrived shortly before midnight. It didn’t take much to get her into bed tonight!

Marina the Mermaid

Since Marina got her mermaid tail for Christmas she has been dying to try it out. Since she had Presidents’ Day off, we decided to go swimming. Fortunately, Ainsley was able to join us.

We brought Marina’s mermaid tail as well as the fin she got the year before. When we arrived at the pool, Marina immediately put her mermaid tail on and got into the water. After trying it out for a few minutes she said, “This is awesome!” The whole time we were there she attracted interested people. Ainsley tried using the fin, which wasn’t as easy to swim with.

A little while later, a younger girl showed up with her own mermaid tail. The girls swam together and compared their tails. Eventually, Marina let Ainsley try to the mermaid tail on. She admitted it wasn’t as easy for her to swim in as it was for Marina.


The girls were starting to get tired when the pool had to be closed for cleaning. So we went back our house and the girls played dress up until it was time for Ainsley to go home.

Valentine Concert

When Marina was three, I took her to see pre Broadway tryout of The Little Mermaid. The actress playing the role of Ariel was Sierra Boggess. A few years later, we saw Sierra perform in the 25th anniversary of The Phantom of the Opera. When I saw Sierra was scheduled to sing with the Colorado Symphony, I thought she would enjoy the concert.

The concert was earlier than we are used to. We arrived just in time to find our seats before the show began. Our seats were in the front row, directly in front of Sierra. Marina was impressed. The show was filled with songs from musicals. Marina was most interested in the songs from Disney and The Phantom of the Opera. The rest of the concert didn’t seem as interesting to her.

Once the show was over, we headed home and had a special Valentine’s Day dinner at home. Then we shared a box of chocolates for dessert.

Over the Rainbow

This evening we had tickets to see the touring production of The Wizard of Oz. Marina wanted to dress as Dorothy, but she was most excited to wear a pair of red sparkle shoes I bought her recently. I can’t blame her - the shoes were gorgeous.

Many events were going on downtown this evening, so to avoid parking issues we decided to take the light rail to the theater. Marina thought it was fun. We arrived early for the show, so we picked up a snack and posed for pictures. Marina’s outfit attracted a lot of attention, but she didn’t mind a bit.

The show was based on The Wizard of Oz movie, but it contained many new songs. Marina seemed a bit distracted through much of the show - it might have been her new shoes! When the performance was over, she said she loved it though.

When we arrived at the light rail station, our train was already there. So we made a mad dash to make sure we got on it so we didn’t have to wait half an hour for the next one.

Valentine Tea Party

Princess tea parties have become must do events for Marina and I. So of course we attended the Valentine Tea Party this evening. The party was attended by Princesses Aurora and Tiana. Marina wore her Sleeping Beauty costume and brought her Princess Aurora plush doll.

We arrived a bit early and shared a table with two moms and their four small children. Marina was very helpful with the kids by pouring the hot water into their teacups for them.

When Aurora and Tiana arrived, they handed out colored paper for each child to make a Valentine card. One of the children discovered a tiny “fairy door” near the front window, so the princesses led the children in leaving some cookies for the fairies to find.

Since the kids were up, the princesses gathered them together and sand for them. Aurora sang “Once Upon A Dream” and Tiana performed “Almost There.” Then they sat down and read their stories out loud.

After the stories, each child was able to have their photo taken with them. Marina was patient and allowed the younger ones to go first. So, once again, there weren’t many others around when she finally got her turn. As a result we got quite a few pictures with both Aurora and Tiana. Aurora gave her a red rose and Tiana sprinkled glitter on her hand which they both blew on to make a wish.

We were the last to leave the party again, but we were all having so much fun no one seemed to mind.