Merry Mascot

Last year Marina and I had a Christmas photo taken at the Broncos Training Facility with the Lombardi trophies. This year they offered the same opportunity or a photo with Miles the mascot and cheerleaders. Since the Broncos have not won another trophy since then, we chose Miles and the cheerleaders.

I asked Marina if she wanted to dress up for Christmas or in Broncos gear. She immediately responded, “Broncos!” So we put together an outfit of an orange Broncos shirt, a blue skirt and white leggings. I found a blue and white Santa hat to finish the outfit.

I picked Marina up after school and we drove to training facility We arrived right on time. After changing out clothes, we went to the practice field for the photo. Miles wasn’t there yet, so we waited in a short line. In front of us was a super fan who showed us photos of herself with many Bronco players.

While we waited, two Broncos cheerleaders socialized with everyone. They even gave Marina a signed picture. After a little while, Miles made his entrance wearing a Santa suit. He high fived and hugged the kids in line. Then he and the cheerleaders got in position for the photo.

We had a short wait before our photo. Marina sat in front of a sleigh where the cheerleaders were seated. I stood next to Miles. After our photos were taken, we headed out.

Super Christmas Picture

This afternoon we had an appointment at the Broncos Training Facility to have our picture taken with the Broncos three Lombardi trophies. Marina and I couldn’t agree on what we should wear. She wanted to wear Broncos gear and I wanted us to dress up for the holidays. We finally compromised and wore sweaters and dark pants.

We hadn’t ever been to the practice facility before. We checked in quickly and went down several levels to the field. It was huge. We got in a very short line for our pictures. When it was our turn, Miles the mascot had just walked in. The photographer called him over and her joined us in our photo. Since there was no one behind us, we got a chance to take a good look at the trophies. We also heard from a staff member that a teen club is in the works. We were both excited about that!

On the way out we took a few more photos with Miles and Marina talked to two cheerleaders who were there. They had their Super Bowl rings on, so we took a good look at those as well. Marina also got a cookie as we left. It was a fun adventure.

Pretty Pictures

Trevor, our neighbor, is a photographer and graphic designer who is working to build up his portfolio. He offered to take pictures of Marina to do that. Since we never got birthday or Easter pictures taken, we decided to have Trevor take them.

Marina wore her birthday dress and brought Grace along for some of the pictures. We walked a short way from our house to a park for the pictures.

Overall, Marina was cooperative, although she got a bit grumpy from time to time. Trevor made her laugh and I got her to complain several times. Despite her irritation with us, Trevor was able to take some very nice pictures.

We had planned to take pictures in her Easter dress as well, but Marina was tired, so we decided to try another time.

Picture Perfect

This was the first year Marina seemed aware of Black Friday. Today we went to have her pictures taken to take advantage of a great deal.

Marina wore two outfits for her photo shoot. First she wore her Thanksgiving outfit which coordinates with her American Girl doll Kaya. The photographer captured some wonderful shots of them together.

Next, Marina wore her red Christmas dress. It is also an American Girl outfit. She brought last year's Christmas present Kailey in the matching dress. We got some pictures with Kailey and some without. Marina showed she was a real pro - we were done in less than 10 minutes.

After the photographs we did a little shopping and had lunch. We got to experience a bit of Black Friday without the craziness.

Photo Finish

We finished off the Christmas season by doing what we usually do at the beginning, having Marina's Christmas pictures taken.

We were on time for our appointment, but the person before us was late, so we had a bit of a wait. Marina was a bit grumpy but after a candy bar she felt much better!

When it was our turn, Marina cooperated beautifully. We had her picture taken in her Christmas dress and since we had a matching American Girl dress, we had Saige in some of the pictures as well. Marina had fun with those.

After the Christmas dress was done, Marina quickly changed into her Glinda costume and we had some pictures in that as well. I think those were my favorite ones.

Once we were done, we went home and Marina played with her American Girl dolls for the rest of the evening. So glad we have been able to capture these moments before they are gone!

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!

Portraits of a Princess

We never got Marina's birthday and Easter pictures taken earlier this year. The studio we always used closed down after Christmas last year. So when we went in for Christmas pictures today, we had those taken as well.

We tried out a new photo studio today and had a great experience. The photographer, Tonya, was terrific. She was patient every time we changed outfits and really showed some creative flair. She especially enjoyed posing Marina in her Merida Halloween costume.

I was very pleased with the pictures and was especially happy with the package price. I think we'll use this studio again!

Pretty as a Picture

We finally got Marina's Christmas pictures taken today. As usual, she was a little ham. As soon as she stood in front of the backdrop, she struck a pose. First she wore her Christmas dress and then changed into her Elizabeth Swann costume from Halloween. She had such a good time!

Picture This!

Since Marina had her hair styled at her birthday party, I took that opportunity to have her birthday pictures taken. She was happy to pose and smile for them. I think we got some good results.