Wish Lantern New Year's Eve

One of our friends is in town for her Christmas break and Marina and I both were looking forward to seeing her. So we invited her to join us for their New Year’s Eve Dinner with Rapunzel. Marina didn’t want to wear a costume, but I convinced her to wear a Rapunzel inspired dress of mine. Our friends borrowed Rapunzel t shirts from me, so we were all dressed up!

We arrived and found we had the same table as last night. Since our friends hadn’t been there before they took some time figuring out what to order.

After we ordered, Rapunzel came by our table. We recognized the actress. She posed for pictures with all of us and loved our Rapunzel inspired clothes.

Our food took quite a long time. Fortunately we all had salads to keep us from getting too hungry. We were able to see the entertainment from our table which was fun since neither of the girls wanted to join the kids for it.

After the entertainment our food finally made it to our table. As usual, it was all really good and we all enjoyed the meal. We all had a fun evening.

Marina and I didn’t have any other plans for New Year’s Eve. We watched the ball drop in Times Square as it happened, but neither of us felt like going to bed. So we were both awake at midnight. So we had a toast and ate some grapes as we watched the downtown fireworks on TV. After that, Marina was ready for bed.

Coco Movie

During the busy holiday season, Marina and I didn’t have time to see the new Disney movie Coco. It seemed like a good idea to see it to start off the new year.

We were early for the movie and the theater was not crowded, so we were able to get our tickets and buy popcorn quickly. We picked out our seats and had a bit of a wait until the previews started.

The action of Coco took place around the Day of the Dead festivities. We have gone to the botanic gardens celebration the last two years so Marina loved that connection. It was a beautiful movie about family. I was a bit teary by the end. Rather than teasing me, Marina offered me a napkin to wipe my eyes.

At then end of the  movie, we agreed that we loved it.

Meet Lea Clark

With a new year always comes a new American Girl of the Year. For 2016 it is Lea Clark. Yesterday I showed Marina the website with her story and products. She was pretty excited to see it all. This morning we went to see it all in person. Marina brought her Christmas gift card and her Kailey doll with her.

The store was busy but not crazy. We got a change to see the new doll and catch up with the staff members we know. Marina decided to buy Lea’s cat. We also had Kailey’s hair styled. After we checked out, Marina worked on a craft they had set up.

Next we headed into the Disney Store and looked around for a while. Marina had fun playing at the magic mirror and looking at the
Good Dinosaur toys. After our shopping was done, we went home and got to work on our dinner plans.

New Year's Lights

Last year we didn’t get to the Blossoms of Light at the botanic gardens. So we made time this evening. It was a cold night, so we bundled up and bought hot chocolate before following the lighted path.

The lights were even prettier than we remembered. The trees were filled with color and the effects were breathtaking. Despite the cold, Marina was happy to pose with the pretty lights.

By the time we completed the path we were pretty cold and ready to go inside.

Meeting Isabelle

Marina has been anxious to see the new American Girl Doll of the Year. On New Year's Eve, we got the new catalog featuring Isabelle, a ballet dancer. That's when Marina got really excited.

Last year we went to the American Girl store on New Year's Day to check out Saige. There was a line out the door and we had to wait outside for a while before we could even get into the store. This year New Year's Day was cold and snowy, so we decided to wait a bit so it wouldn't be as crazy.

Marina decided to bring Kailey along. It was a beautiful day and they wore matching dresses. When we arrived at the store this afternoon, it was pretty busy in the store, but not packed. We enjoyed looking over Isabelle's collection - she has some very pretty clothes for girls to match their dolls. Marina was also happy to pose with the cut out they had as well.

As always, Marina loved looking around the store. She always finds plenty of things she likes.

After we left the American Girl store, we went into the mall to check out the Disney Store. I was surprised to see that all Frozen Elsa costumes are completely sold out. I was so grateful we bought Marina's costume when we did!

We ate lunch in the food court and looked in the Lego store before heading home. I'm sure we'll be back many times this year!

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.

Sea You Next Year!

Marina and I went to the New Year's Eve party at the Aquarium today. Marina wore her Ariel costume which is much like the one Ariel wears at Disneyland and Disney World. After all, what would Ariel wear to a New Year's Eve party?

When we arrived, she had a quick hello with the mermaids before we got our dinner. While we ate, there was entertainment. Marina was selected to help the MC with a juggling act. There were games like freeze dance and a limbo contest. Marina did pretty well in both.

Once the entertainment was over, the DJ started to play dance music and all the kids jammed the dance floor. Marina wanted me to join her for a while. I taught her how to do the YMCA arm movements correctly. I'm not sure she believed  that I learned when I was her age!

At the end of the party they had a countdown and balloon drop. Everyone got a glass of sparkling cider for a toast. A huge sheet of bubble wrap was laid on the floor and the kids had a field day stomping on it to the sounds of "Auld Lang Syne."

After the party, we went through the aquarium exhibit. Marina was very disappointed that we missed the last mermaid show. But we still enjoyed seeing our favorite parts of the Aquarium. The stingrays were particularly feisty, so Marina spent longer than usual checking them out.

After an hour, we were both tired, so we headed home for our usual CNN ball dropping party.

Dinosaur Day

Marina and I invited my brother and his girlfriend to go with us to the Museum today. It's been a while since we had been there, but we stayed with our usual routine – we started at the health exhibit. Marina breezed through many of the exhibits. When Marina found out the Super Food Heroes show was coming, she couldn't wait to do anything else. Once again, she was chosen to be Spinachiever. That made her happy.

We had lunch at the T-Rex Cafe before heading to the temporary You vs. Sue exhibit. We also saw the Sherlock Bones show. From there we went to Prehistoric Journey to see more dinosaurs. We went to the IMAX movie DinoMax to complete our dinosaur day. On the way out, we stopped by the space exhibit. By then, Marina was very tired and the cough she's had the last few days seemed to be getting worse.

By evening, Marina was wiped out. So we had a low key New Year's Eve. We watched The Great Muppet Caper in our pjs then we watched the ball drop in Times Square on TV. Marina fell asleep quickly after that.

Welcome 2011

We had a low key New Year's Eve. I made a ham and potatoes for dinner which Marina loved. We had sparkling apple juice in wine glasses to drink. And I had 2011 tiaras for Marina to wear. She was happy to do so. We stayed up to watch the ball drop at midnight in New York. Marina was disappointed in that. She wanted the ball to drop quickly – it was too slow for her taste. We went to bed shortly afterward.

Happy New Year!

Tonight we drank sparkling grape juice and watched the ball drop in NYC (live on CNN so we didn't have to wait). We do live a glamorous life!

Here's wishing you a happy and healthy 2010.