Fall Fun

Marina had the day off today, so we decided to have a fun day. We didn’t really have much planned, but we ended up doing a lot.

School picture day is coming up, so our first stop was for a haircut – her bangs were too long again! She was happy to play on the X Box while her hair was done. The stylist the same one who cut and curled her hair before Brian and Emily’s wedding.  She remembered us and was happy to look at pictures of the wedding and her matching American Girl hairstyle.

We had lunch at and then we set out to have her picture taken. We never got pictures for her birthday and Easter, so we did them today. The studio near our house wasn’t available, so we tried one out further from home. We took along McKenna and Julie, so we could have pictures of Marina matching her favorite dolls. (We are saving Saige for the Christmas pictures.)

We were a bit late for our appointment, but otherwise it went well. Marina was happy to ham it up for the camera and even help out a bit with the poses. The pictures with the dolls turned out especially well.

The photo studio was not far from the Botanic Gardens at Chatfield. I had not been there before but it turned out to be a great place to visit. Marina enjoyed a wading pond with her dolls. We also had a chance to check out the playground and an old fashioned farm. Naturally, Marina was drawn to the animals on the farm.

Later in the afternoon, the Fall Corn Maze opened. We had a snack of kettle corn and checked out the activities. Marina tried out the giant jumping pillow. I could only convince her to stop with our chance to take a hay ride. It was a long ride and we got to see even more of the gardens. After the hayride, Marina went back to the jumping pillow. She met a few other girls who she played with. They also tried out the spider web.  We’d had a fun time, but we never even tried out the maze itself!

Family Flower Girl

Marina has been in need of a haircut and since she was the flower girl in Emily and Brian’s wedding, she wanted to look extra special. So we went to get her hair cut. We also had them style her hair. Marina was happy to play with the Xbox while her hair was done. First she got a haircut. Once that was done, the stylist created a “heart braid” in her hair and then curled the ends. She topped it all off with ribbons and glitter. It looked so pretty!

We went shopping with some of our Florida relatives and spent a bit of time at the American Girl store. We picked up a dress for Julie that was very similar to Marina's. Julie also had her hair done in a heart braid.

Shortly after we arrived at the clubhouse for the wedding, it started raining. Marina stayed with Emily and her bridesmaids while I waited with the rest of the guests. The wedding was supposed to be outside but after a half hour delay it was decided that the ceremony would be under the pavilion where the reception was scheduled.

Marina was very solemn as she processed in. She was taking her role very seriously. During the ceremony, she stayed up front with the wedding party. Occasionally she would get my attention and motion for me to take more pictures! At the end of the ceremony, she threw a handful of flower petals at Brian and Emily for a confetti effect. Everyone laughed.

Marina spent most of the reception with her Florida cousins. They ran around on the golf course until it was dark then they played with cards at the table for a while. Marina was very excited when we lit sparklers to send Brian and Emily off.

It was pretty late when we finally left. I was surprised Marina didn’t fall asleep in the car on our way home.

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.

Pampered Princess

Marina is on spring break this week, so we decided to have some fun today. She decided to wear the dress she got for her birthday which has a matching dress for her American Girl doll, Julie. So, Julie came along with us. We went to her favorite salon and she got a haircut. She's wanted bangs for a while so, even though I don't like them, she got them. She kept exclaiming that they make her look younger. I don't think she liked that, she insists she wants to be older. After the cut, they styled her hair in a ponytail and added some glitter.

Next, we went to the American Girl store. Marina hadn't been here before and she was so excited. She picked out a bathing suit for Julie. When she saw the hair styling station, she wanted to get Julie's hair done. We asked the stylist to make it just like Marina's hair. She did. Marina was thrilled.

After lunch, we went to have manicures together. Marina had gotten a gift certificate for them for her birthday. She was so excited. She had hers done first. She was patient and kept very still during the process. She was very pleased with the sparkling pink polish she picked out. While my nails were done, Marina chatted with the owner of the salon as well as some other customers. She was so cute!

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.