Dolls and Disney

After a full day yesterday, Marina and I were looking forward to a quieter New Years Day. We decided to go to the American Girl Store to meet the 2013 Doll of the Year, Saige. Marina brought her new American Girl Doll, McKenna, the 2012 Doll of the Year. They even dressed alike!

We had no idea how popular this would be. When we arrived at the store, there was a huge line just waiting to get in. Since it was chilly this morning, we decided we didn't want to stand in the cold. So, we went inside to the Disney Store for a while.

In the Disney Store, we found many other girls holding with American Girl dolls. Some had braved the busy store, some had not. We browsed around for a long while, but ultimately I was able to coax Marina out of the store for lunch.

We passed the American Girl Store again. By this time the line was significantly shorter and the sun was shining so it felt much warmer. Marina was willing to wait in this line. It didn't take too long and Marina made some new friends while we waited our turn.

Once inside, Marina was able to complete two crafts relating to Saige and got a t-shirt for her dolls. We decided to have McKenna's ears pierced while we shopped. Marina was interested in many things, but ultimately decided to get another pet for her dolls.

When we finally left the store, we were starving. So we stopped and had sandwiches for lunch. Then we went to the movie theater to see Monsters Inc. in 3D. Marina had never seen it in the theater, so this gave us a chance to do that. Naturally, McKenna came with us. It was a good way to start a new year.

Girls Day Out

Marina is still on fall break, so today we decided to have a fun day. Marina took Julie, her American Girl doll, with her. They dressed in their matching dresses for our day out. We started with a trip to the dentist (she actually likes going!). We stopped for lunch then we went to her favorite salon for a haircut. Her bangs have been in her eyes so it was good to be able to see her face again.

Our next stop was the American Girl store. Marina has wanted to get Julie's ears pierced for a while. So we took her to the salon to have that done. While Julie was in the salon, Marina browsed the store. She really loves Julie's bed and car. Those items are pretty expensive though. She liked looking at Caroline, the newest historical doll, but she's dying for Mckenna, the doll of the year. When it was time to pick Julie up, Marina was thrilled with her earrings. We were told Julie was very brave. They also provided several new earrings for her as well as the ones already in her ears. We also picked up the McKenna movie which Marina watches all the time on the DVR at home.

After we left the American Girl store, we went to the Disney Store which isn't far from there. Marina had a great time playing in the castle and queuing up videos in the theater. We picked up a few orenaments for our Christmas tree. We're planning for a princess tree again this year.

Before heading home we made one more stop, Toys R Us. There Marina admired the Monster High dolls. I think she's now ready to create her Christmas wish list.

Rite of Passage

Marina finally decided she wanted her ears pierced. When given the choice, she wanted it done before her birthday. So we made a day of it.

First, Marina had her hair cut and styled. She decided to cut two inches off the bottom and I asked for layers. The stylist put it in a sassy ponytail which prominently showed off her ears. She also got a shot of glitter for her hair.


Then came time for the ears. Marina picked out pink jewel earrings. No surprise there. They had two stylists do the procedure, one on each ear. However it didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped. One ear was pierced several seconds before teh other. Marina said, "Ow!" and started to cry. I told her she was very brave but she denied that because she cried.


For about two hours, she was miserable. Her earlobes were bright red and she complained they hurt. She told me several times that she wished she hadn't gotten them pierced and she looked at me as though I'd done something terrible to her.


Finally after lunch and me spoiling her all morning long, she got over the pain and now seems very happy that she has earrings now. She proudly shows off her new earrings to everyone. She is eagerly looking forward to being able to wear all sorts of fancy earrings. I guess it was worth it after all.