Spring at the Zoo

Marina is on spring break this week. She didn’t sleep in this morning, which was a bit of a surprise. The weather was supposed to be nice today, so I suggested we go to the zoo. They have a new exhibit for tigers which I thought would be fun to check out.

We went early and I was surprised there were no crowds. Marina was mostly interested in checking out the big cats – she wore her cat ears, paw gloves and a leopard print shirt.

When we got to the zoo we saw that many animal babies were visible. Marina was excited to see them. The first one we spotted was the baby zebra. He was eating with his parents, Marina thought he was adorable. A large crowd was watching the giraffe exhibit where the baby was out with his mother. He was so cute among the tall adult giraffes.

The weather was perfect and the animals seemed to be enjoying it as much as we were. We saw a polar bear going for a swim. A bat-eared fox walked right over to the glass so Marina could take a photo.

When we made it to new exhibit, we saw that the tigers are able to sit in a walkway above the crowds. One was perched up there watching us as we walked in.

We went through the Asian animal exhibit and saw the elephants hanging out, the sea otters playing and the cranes preening for attention.

We stopped for an Asian-inspired lunch and then went through the rest of the zoo. We rode the carousel and Marina chose a black panther to ride on. She was disappointed that the cheetahs weren’t in their exhibit.

As we left we saw a huge number of people going into the zoo. We were glad we decided to go early!

Beauty and the Beast at the Movies

We’ve participated in quite a few activities around the new Beauty and the Beast movie lately. This afternoon we finally got to see it. We went to our favorite theater. Since we had lunch so recently, we thought about just ordering popcorn. But ultimately, Marina wanted to get our usual meal entree.

Our food arrived as the previews started, so we settled in to watch the movie. It was really good, we both really enjoyed it. Once it was over, we headed home and spent the rest of the day relaxing at home. We’d done so much this weekend we needed a break.

Mammoth Lacrosse

This evening we had tickets for the Colorado Mammoth lacrosse game. It’s been a few years since we’ve been to a Mammoth game. Fortunately, Marina’s jersey still fit her.

We arrived with plenty of time before the game. We were able to get snacks and take pictures before everything got started. We stood for “Oh, Canada” and sang along with the “Star Spangled Banner” before the game began.

We had good sightlines from our seats, so we could see the action quite well. Marina followed along with the action of the entire game, although I explained a few things along the way.

At intermission we went to meet Wooley – the Mammoth mascot. The line was short and moved very quickly. Then we went back to our seats for the second half.

The game was exciting and the Mammoth won 14-11. After such a busy day we were really tired, so we got to the car and went home.

Painting the Enchanted Rose

After lunch, Marina changed into her Belle dress. I signed us up for a painting class. The project was the Enchanted Rose from Beauty and the Beast. Since Marina loves art so much, I thought it might be fun. We showed up while they were still setting up so we each got a drink and talked with the staff about other Disney projects they have from time to time.

Creating our paintings was more difficult than we expected. Marina got a bit frustrated and complained my picture was better than hers. Despite her unhappiness, she kept at it. The colors she blended were really pretty and ultimately the picture came together.

When the class was over, Marina said, “Let’s do this again!” Next time I think we’ll try something a bit easier.

Tea Under the Sea

We started our day by attending a Princess Tea Party with Ariel. Marina dressed in her Ariel dress. The party was at a recreation Center, which she is very familiar with. When we arrived we saw lots of little princesses walking in so we knew we were in the right place!

We were a bit early, so we stood in line to go into the room. Once we went inside, we saw how pretty the room was. There were blue balloons everywhere and the plates were so cute with sea themed food.

Shortly after we arrived, Ariel made her appearance. Our table was the last she visited, so Marina busied herself by eating her plate of food (and some of mine!) and she worked on some crafts.

We had a brief visit from Ariel before she called all the kids on the stage for singing and story time. Marina had fun with some of the smaller children.

Before we left, we got some more photos with Ariel. Marina didn’t want to hang around. She was ready for lunch!

Comic Con at the Symphony

One of Marina’s birthday presents from me is tickets to Comic Con this summer. Tonight, the symphony had a salute to Comic Con concert. Marina was excited to check it out. She wore her sailor costume from Halloween but this time she was Sailor Moon.

We arrived early for the show. There was plenty to keep us occupied. We found a large group of cosplayers in Star Wars costumes. Of course, Marina wanted to have her picture taken with them. We found the Comic Con table where we each posed for a picture in front of their green screen and learned more about the show. Marina also spotted a group of people dressed at the Avengers. She quickly went over to compliment them on their costumes.

Our seats were very close to the stage and we were happy when we recognized the conductor. We had enjoyed watching him during Peter and the Wolf, so we were happy to see him again. He came out dressed as Jack Skellington. Later on in the show, she changed into a Tyrannosaurus Rex costume. He conducted the theme from Jurassic Park dressed that way. It was so funny! After intermission, the conductor came out dressed as Harry Potter and he changed into a Chewbacca costume for the final two pieces from Star Wars.

We were fortunate to catch our train quickly after the concert. We were both very tired on the trip home.

Lucky Thirteen

Marina has been taunting me for over a year that she would be a teenager soon. Today, she officially became one. She’s been gloating about it for a few weeks.

This morning, Marina dressed in her pink cat dress with black cat ears. I let her open one of her gifts before school so she could add it to her outfit – fingerless cat gloves. She loved them!

She a bunch of mini cupcakes to school and handed them out during first period. I bought extras so she could give them to her other teachers and friends. She did that during lunch. After I picked her up, we picked up a pizza for dinner. As we ate it, Marina opened the rest of her presents. She was especially excited about the craft kits which she wanted to open and use right away.

This evening, Marina had her dance class, so we took in brownies for her classmates. She shared those at the end of her class.

At home Marina worked on some of her crafts until it was time to get ready for bed. It was a fun start for her teen age years.

Cinderella Ballet

Three years ago, Marina and I saw the ballet Cinderella. This year, a different group was presenting it at a nearby theater. We were both excited to see it again. Marina wore her Cinderella inspired dress. She asked me to put her hair into a bun and she added a tiara-like comb. She looked lovely.

The presenting group is a school that works with professional dancers, so the lead roles were danced by professionals and there were scenes where the students performed. Marina liked the idea of it.

The show was very entertaining. The student portions were very cute. Marian loved the little frogs and doves. She was also impressed with the costumes for the fireflies and butterflies. The professional dancers were very good. It was fun to see them up close. The stepsisters were very funny and the dancing by the jester impressed us as well.

The ballet was presented in three acts, so we had two intermissions. During them, we talked to the mother and daughter sitting next to us. It was a fun evening, but didn’t stick around too long after the show. Marina has school tomorrow and we were both very tired.

An American In Paris

We had tickets for An American In Paris this afternoon. For the show she wore a white dress with pink polka dots and her pink beret – the same French inspired outfit she wore to Sabrina Fair.

We arrived early at the theater. We had time to take pictures and get snacks before seating began. It was nice to relax in our seats for a little while although, as usual, Marina was impatient for the show to begin.

When the show started, Marina really like it. She said it was “cute.” Much of the storyline was told through dance, which Marina enjoyed. At intermission, she didn’t want to leave our seats. Instead, she laid her head down and rested. When the lights went down for Act Two I nudged her. The way she looked up at me I could tell she had been asleep. She said she felt fine though.

The second act had even more big dance sequences which we enjoyed. I was surprised Marina hadn’t heard any of the Gershwin songs before, but she seemed to like them.

Once the show was over, Marina was ready to go home. She slept a bit in the car on the way home. Fortunately, we had an easy trip back.

Be Our Guest Tea Party

Our plans this morning included attending the Be Our Guest Tea with Belle today. Marina decided to wear her blue Belle dress since she’s always worn the yellow one. We arrived a bit early for the tea party, so we waited in the lobby until they were ready to seat us. One of the servers told Marina she was glad someone wore Belle’s blue dress!

The table was beautiful. We had a choice between Mrs. Potts Vanilla Tea and an Herbal Rose Tea. We both chose the rose tea. Marina liked it – with two lumps of sugar, of course!

As usual, Marina was very hungry and couldn’t wait for the food to arrive. We started off with scones. Marina has perfected the art of eating a scone with cream and jam. She even tried the lemon curd and discovered she liked it. As we finished our scones, the rest of the food came out. It was filled with sandwiches and pastries. Marina was a bit unsure about the spinach quiche, but she tried it and liked it. When we were both full we still had food left.

As we ate, we listened to a signer perform “Be Our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Then Belle joined the party. She visited every table and handed out cupcakes. After everyone finished their tea, the girls went to make a craft enchanted rose.

We took more pictures with Belle at the end of the party. But before we left, Marina played with a little baby who was there with his mother and sister. Clearly she had made a new friend!

Meeting Molly Brown

Marina and I had tea at the Molly Brown House about two years ago and we’ve wanted to go back. Today they offered a “Meet Molly Brown Tea.” It sounded like fun. Marina wore an old-fashioned dress made by a friend of ours.

We arrived just in time for the tour before the tea. This year they allowed me to take pictures without flash during the tour. So Marina posed in nearly every room. She enjoyed the stories about Margaret Brown as well as admiring the contents of the house.

By tea time, Marina was hungry. Margaret met us as we entered the tea room. Our plates were already set before us. We were given a short description of the food and tea was served. Marina tried nearly everything on her plate and said she liked it. She also liked the tea – she added two spoons of sugar.

We listened to Margaret speak while we ate. We got pictures with her before we left. Then we completed the tour in the kitchen. Marina browsed the gift shop for a little while and I bought her some candy sticks. Then we walked back to the car.

We spent a few hours at home before our friends picked us up. We went to a dinner theater for The Unsinkable Molly Brown. It was a long drive, but we all had fun talking during the trip.

Before the show began, one of the actors made a few announcements and asked if anyone was celebrating a birthday. Marina raised her hand to announce she will be turning 13. They gave her a free dessert to celebrate.

Marina was impatient for the show to start. Once it did, she watched with interest. Since we had just been at Molly Brown’s house, we noticed the historic inaccuracies in the story. But we still enjoyed it.

After the show was over, we got photos with our servers and the actress who played Molly. Then we left for the long trip home. It was pretty late and Marina fell asleep in the car.

One Hundred Years of Hockey

The NHL is celebrating its centennial and as part of the festivities a traveling exhibit arrived at the Pepsi Center this weekend. It sounded interesting, so I picked up Marina after school and we decided to check it out.

We arrived at the Pepsi Center and walked over to the tented area where everything was set up. Right away we met some of the Avalanche Ice Dancers. Marina happily posed for photos with them and got their autographs.

I really wanted to see the Stanley Cup, which was on display. The line was pretty short, so we didn’t have long to wait. Marina looked at the engraving from the Avalanche 2001 win before we had our pictures taken with it.

We went through the small museum they had in a trailer next. We got to see the evolution of hockey equipment like jerseys, sticks and ice skates. There was also an interactive screen which allowed us to look closely at the Stanley Cup. Marina also posed for a photo in front of a mock Avalanche locker. They actually were able to put her name above her! Finally, she signed a large plaque which will be given to the team after the exhibition is over.

I knew Marina would want to try the virtual reality Zamboni game, so we went there and waited in line. As it turned out, the man in front of us was the Avalanche TV announcer Mike Haynes. He was very nice and we talked to him and his son while we waited. As expected, Marina enjoyed the game!

Marina also played a game using a hockey stick to hit balls into a goal. Next we checked out the radio station booths which were set up there. Marina got some goodies, including a foam hockey puck and a soda cozy. She won a Taylor Swift calendar and even got to meet one of the DJs she listens to. She also got her hair sprayed red with lots of glitter.

We didn’t want to wait in the huge line to meet the players that were there and Marina didn’t want to try the ice skating, so we decided to go home. The trip home took a while but we both agreed it was a fun time.