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.

Sabrina Fair

We’ve been going to the theater with Adriana and Sabrina quite a bit lately. We’ve enjoyed checking out little theaters around town. When we found a small group putting on a play called Sabrina Fair, we knew we need to check it out! Marina wanted her clothes to reflect the French theme of the play, so she wore a pink and white polka dot dress with her pink beret.

We all had dinner together before we went to the theater. We were early but it was pretty crowded. We were fortunate to find four seats together. Marina and Sabrina sat together. Marina was so excited when the show started. It was a more mature play than she’d seen before, but she immediately liked Sabrina and she laughed at many of the jokes.

At intermission, she got a cookie with Sabrina and told me how much she liked the play so far. She was just as attentive during the second act.

After she show was over, the ushers let the girls pose on the set, which was very fun. As we were leaving, we saw one of the actors. We’d actually met him before so we chatted with him for a while and got a photo. Both girls wanted to meet the actress who played Sabrina, so one of the actors went and got her for us. We were able to get her photo as well. It was a fun end to our evening out.

Tea Time

Marina and I didn't have plans for lunch today, so I suggested we have high tea. She was very enthusiastic about that idea. I made reservations for us at a small British shoppe suggested by a friend. Marina dressed up, including a pretty hat. She also brought Grace along in a matching dress.

When we arrived we saw our table was reserved. We started by picking out our tea. I got butterscotch flavor and Marina picked chocolate orange. Marina enjoyed hers once enough sugar was added. We enjoyed all the British memorabilia around the store, including a cut out Queen Elizabeth.

We started our tea with a nice salad. Then we were brought cucumber sandwiches, egg salad and sausage rolls. It was a lot of food and despite eating as much as we could there was plenty left over. Then we each enjoyed a scone with clotted cream and jam. We finished off with French pastries. Marina happily devoured a rich chocolate one.

As we ate, we chatted with our server who was born in England. We asked her about traditional English tea and the royal family gossip. It was a lovely way to have lunch.

French Birthday Party

Since our schedule has been so busy lately, we weren’t able to have our family over to celebrate Marina’s birthday until today. Marina wanted to have a French theme for the party. So I made her an Eiffel Tower cake and served French breads, cheeses and mini quiches.

Marina was excited to see the family today. She particularly liked introducing them to Jasmine. Eventually she settled down and had a ham croissant and a little more food. Then we had her birthday cake. She was pleased with the top of her chocolate Eiffel Tower.

She decided she wanted to open her presents in the living room, so we all moved there. She was very pleased with the gifts she received. While I visited with the family, Marina moved upstairs to play with her new toys.

Passport to Paris

Marina and I went to the art museum today to check out a new exhibit. "A Passport to Paris" is a collection of French art. We've had mixed results with art exhibitions, but it sounded interesting, so we gave it a try. As usual, Saige came along in a matching outfit.

When we arrived, Marina was immediately was interested in the activity center. Several art stations were set up in the room. After looking around, she went over to an easel and started drawing. Her American Girl doll. Saige, is an artist. So Marina was very excited to draw at an easel like Saige does.

After two drawings, it was time for us to go through the Passport to Paris exhibit. The artwork was set up chronologically from the Louis XIII through the beginning of the twentieth century. At first, Marina was interested in the artwork. She used the audio tour quite often to learn more about the piece. But as the exhibit went on, she got bored.

Once we got through, we went though a room of sketches, which Marina didn't care for at all. Then we went back to the activity room, where she tried out several other types of art. She used tops to spin a design, tried several different media to create a picture and even got to draw on a wall. But eventually she ended up back at an easel for two more drawings. She even "helped" Saige with her drawing. 

I had hoped to see some of the other art galleries in the museum, but we were both tired. We agreed to come back in the near future to see other exhibits. Hopefully more trips will extend her attention span when it comes to visual art.

Monjer

A few days ago, Marina said, "Monjer," to me. She seemed very proud of herself.

"I don't know what that is," I replied.

"It's French," she said smiling.

Then the light bulb went off. "Bonjour?" I asked her.

"No, monjer. I learned in singing class."

"Do you mean 'hello' in French?"

"Yes, monjer!"

No matter how hard I tried, she would not accept that the correct pronunciation was not "monjer."

But I shouldn't complain. She has learned something!