Alice in Wonderland Circus

Alice in Wonderland has been a favorite character for Marina this year. So when I heard about the Alice in Wonderland Circus Adventure, I knew Marina would want to go. Angie made the suggestion and we all went together. Marina decided to wear a dress with Alice on it.

Angie met us at the theater. Marina had a cookie while we waited for her. The show was similar to Cirque du Soleil, filled with acrobats and stunt performers. Marina loved the Cheshire cars and Alice. The Queen of Hearts was hilarious. We all enjoyed the performance.  At intermission, Marina went with Angie who bought her M&Ms.

After the show was over, Marina was thrilled that the performers came into the lobby in their costumes. Our first photo was with the Cheshire cats. We also took pictures with the Mad Hatter and Alice. Alice loved Marina’s dress!

 

We were in high spirits after the show. It has been a wonderful visit to Wonderland!

Sunday in the Park with George

This evening we had tickets to see Sunday in the Park with George this evening. Marina was excited to go. Since she shares a birthday with the composer, Stephen Sondheim, she enjoys seeing the shows he has written.

We left early in case we ran into rush hour traffic. When we arrived, the parking lot was packed and we ended up having to park pretty far away. We picked up drinks and snacks before we went to our seats.

The show itself was a more mature theme than many we have attended. There wasn’t a lot of action in it. But Marina loved that it was about an artist. At times she appeared to be a bit bored, but she maintained her focus on the show despite that. After it ended, she told me she really liked it.

Our friend Heather was in the cast and I contacted her before the show so we’d get a chance to say hello. We talked with her for a few minutes. She was very tired after having auditions this morning followed by the show. We also talked with Jeremy, an actor we’ve seen in three Sondheim shows this year.

We had a long drive home so we didn’t get back until pretty late. Since Marina has school tomorrow, she got in bed quickly.

A Whole New World

We had tickets to see Aladdin this evening with one of Marina’s friends and her family. They invited us to meet them for dinner as well. So after we got dressed up for the show, we went to meet them. We parked at the theater and walked over to the restaurant. Our friends had just sat down. Marina’s allergies were bothering her and she was quite through dinner. She ordered a honey chicken salad but she only ate a little of it. She didn’t even want to try her friend’s chocolate cake.

After dinner we walked over to the theater and took a few photos outside before going in. Marina seemed to be feeling better. She ordered popcorn and a Shirley Temple for during the show. As we waited for it to start, the girls talked animatedly.

Aladdin was spectacular. Jasmine has always been Marina’s favorite princess and she was lovely. The Genie was hilarious and the sets and costumes were amazing. We all enjoyed the whole show. After the performance was over, several members of the ensemble were in the lobby taking donations for Broadway Cares. We all made donations and took photos with the actors. It was incredible to see their costumes up close. Marina fell in love with a bracelet at the merchandise counter, so she used some of her birthday money to buy one.

 

We said good night to her friends and then we went home. It was late and Marina has school tomorrow, so we got ready for bed right away.

Frozen Fairytale

Two weeks ago, I took Marina and Ainsley to the Fairytale Friday with Ariel. They liked it so much that they wanted to attend the party today with Anna and Elsa. I picked them up after school and we all had dinner before getting ready to go.

We knew Anna and Elsa would be wearing their spring dresses, so Marina and Ainsley wanted to wear those as well. However, both of them have grown and the dresses were pretty snug. Marina managed to get the Anna costume on and Ainsley was able to wear the Elsa dress.

We arrived and found there were a lot of other attendees, mostly little girls. The girls found seats in the back of the room. When Anna and Elsa arrived they didn’t join the rest of the princesses in the front of the room. They did, however, join in singing with the rest of the girls.

After the program, they waited patiently for their chance to have pictures. We visited with Anna and Elsa for a while before heading out. We dropped Ainsley off at her house before we went home.

Steerage Supper

This week was the anniversary of the maiden voyage of the Titanic. To mark the occasion, the Molly Brown House museum had a Titanic Steerage Shindig. I thought it sounded like fun and Marina was interested as well. We invited Mr. Chuck and Miss Judy to go with us.

We arrived early at the Museum and wandered through the gift shop until it was time to check in. We were labeled as English passengers, since they were the first to board. The second group were the Irish, who were picked up at the second port before the voyage to New York.

We started by hearing about third class boarding from a volunteer playing Violet Jessup. She told us about the exams third class passengers went through before boarding and on arrival at Ellis Island. Then we went inside where another third class passenger told us about the accommodations and meals on the Titanic for steerage passengers.
We got a chance to look around the house. Marina and I definitely smelled cigars in JJ Brown’s room – something we had been told happens from time to time.

We went to the third floor for dinner. We ate roast beef, potatoes, turnips, carrots and green beans. Marina didn’t like the vegetables but the ate the meat and potatoes. She did like the plum cake we had for dessert.

After dinner, we went to the basement, which was set up with information about the Titanic. A group of musicians were playing Irish music. Partway through, several women started dancing. Marina joined them. After about half an hour of music, the musicians moved upstairs but Marina was ready to go. So we went home.

Kiss Me, Kate

One of our favorite theaters is currently presenting Kiss Me, Kate and our friend Bob was playing a major part. And since it was based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, which we saw last summer, we made sure we got to see it.

We arrived just before the people who we shared our table with. We made sure to say hello to the actors we know before the show started. Marina was thrilled that fried chicken was on the menu. She also ordered chicken and rice soup which was really good.

After we ate our lunch, we ordered dessert and settled in to watch the show. It was really funny with great costumes. Marina didn’t seem to have any trouble following the action. At intermission she ate a rich chocolate cake.

After the show was over we took pictures with our friends as well as all the leads in the show. Then we took the drive home. Marina’s phone was dead, so she just followed along with the lyrics to Hamilton as we drove.

Frozen with Friends

After Marina's birthday party, we had tickets for Disney On Ice this afternoon. The show was Frozen, so I was surprised when they came down in the Ariel and Belle costumes they wore last night.

We ran into construction on our way but fortunately we arrived in time to buy popcorn and drinks before taking our seats. The girls enjoyed the show as well as looking at the costumes of the other kids there. They have been best friends for so long that they call each other sister, so the relationship of Anna and Elsa is special to them. At the end of the show Mickey and Minnie Mouse encouraged everyone to hug someone they love. Of course, they hugged each other.

Birthday in Wonderland

An escape room near our home offers a game called “Alice’s Magical Wonderland.” Marina wanted to try it for her birthday this year. Marina wore her Alice costume, of course, and Ainsley was the White Queen. We arrived early and looked around the place as we waited for Marina’s friends.

We were all excited for the game. We were searching for the crown of the Queen of Hearts. It took us a while to get our first clue unlocked. As the game went on, everyone contributed to moving us along. At times we got stuck and we asked for clues. With 15 minutes left, I was concerned we wouldn’t figure it out in time.

However, the last 10 minutes we made some good progress and I knew we were close to finding it but we were running out of time. When we were offered an additional five minutes we took it. And with two minutes left, we unlocked a trunk by the door and the girls screamed as Marina pulled the crown out. She wore it as the host took our photo.

After our adventure we went to a sandwich shop nearby for lunch. I had preordered a sandwich platter which was ready when we arrived. They had a semi private room in the back so we went there and I quickly set up for the party.

After lunch we sang “Happy Birthday” to Marina and had cupcakes. Then she opened her presents. Then everyone hugged and left.

Fairytale Friday

Today was  Fairytale Friday with Ariel today. I asked Marina and her friend Ainsley if they wanted to go to the party. They said they wanted to go. So while they got ready, I picked up a pizza for dinner. They came down for dinner dressed up. Marina wore her Ariel costume while Ainsley was dressed as Belle.

After we ate, we drove to the party. We arrived right on time and Ariel arrived shortly afterward. They started with story time. I was impressed that both girls waited for the younger kids to answer questions before they jumped in. Next, Ariel led the group singing “Part of Your World.” Both Marina and Ainsley happily sang along.

We hung around for pictures and chatted for a while before heading back to our house.

Lovely Easter Day

We celebrated Easter today. Marina wore the dress I bought for her. I was happy that she liked it and it fit!

When we arrived at church, we went over to help with the children’s Easter egg hunt. She got a basket full of goodies for her efforts. She also got to hold a baby for a little while. She was thrilled about that. When it was time to go back over to the church, Marina wasn’t quite so happy. She said she was tired and bored in church. Fortunately she was able to sit by her friends through the service.

When we arrived at home, Marina went in search of the hidden eggs and her baskets. In her baskets she found an LOL Surprise Doll and a Glitter series LOL doll as well. As usual, she opened those up right away.

We invited friends over for Easter dinner. I made a ham and au gratin potatoes. Marina was happy to drink sparkling apple juice with her meal.