Suite Life with the Mammoth

Marina's school had another sports night, this time at the Colorado Mammoth, the professional lacrosse team. We had some friends with us and were excited to have assigned seats on the club level. We got there a little after the game started and were barely settled in our seats when my sister showed up. It turned out they had a suite on the same level for the game. So, we joined them in the suite. There was food and some of our friends and family there. It just made the whole experience more fun.

The Mammoth lost the game, but it had many stretches that were exciting. Marina really got into watching the game. She cheered loudly at each goal and danced to the music throughout the game. She had a great time!

Mermaid Marina

It was a cold day, so we decided to spend it inside at the Aquarium. Marina wanted to dress as Ariel today. It seemed like an appropriate choice. We invited Brian and Emily to join us again since they hadn't been there before.

Marina seemed to go quickly through many of the exhibits. We came across some divers in one of the large tanks and she watched them for a while. We were about halfway through when we heard the announcement that the mermaid show was about to start. So we made it over the tank to watch. Marina just loved it! We went through the rest of the Aquarium. Marina was particularly interested in the shark tank. She got her face painted with two dolphins to go with her costume. Then we stopped for lunch.

While we were eating at the Aquarium Restaurant, the mermaids made an appearance in the tanks there. Marina was so excited. She got to see them much closer than the show.

After lunch we went to the 4D show we had tickets for. Marina liked the Dora the Explorer show, but not the Bamboo Coaster. Once we finished that, we went back into the Aquarium. We got to see the tiger swimming demonstration and Marina got a chance to touch some starfish and horseshoe crabs. We saw the mermaid show again as well. What Marina looked forward to the most was meeting the mermaids. She was very happy to talk with them as long as she could. Later she told me, "I felt I was one of them!" She certainly looked like them.

Be A Ladybug

Marina's second grade show was this evening. She's been looking forward to it for a long time. At first, she agonized over what to be - a butterfly, a firefly or a ladybug. Finally, she decided to be a ladybug.

When Marina woke up this morning, her first words were, "My show is today!" She's been so excited. There were two performances, this afternoon for the school and this evening for parents. The show was fun, full of insects of all kinds: army ants, butterflies, crickets, fireflies, spiders, stinkbugs and, of course, ladybugs. And, naturally, my favorite performance was "Be A Lady." Where the ladybugs showed their "attitude" and did a sassy dance. It was a fun show.

A Night with Phineas and Ferb

Marina saw the ads for Phineas and Ferb Live on TV and she had been wanting to go. I bough the tickets before knowing we were in for record snowfall this week. Fortunately, the cities did an outstanding job of plowing the roads. So, not only were we able to get to the show, but we were glad to get out of the house.

We went out for dinner before heading to the show. We arrived at the theater in plenty of time. Marina got a light up toy and cotton candy that came with a Phineas hat. Before the show, a man came out and asked the audience a few questions about the TV show. Marina knew the answers to most of them.

When the show started, she was captivated. We sang along with the songs we knew and cheered for our favorite characters. We were especially excited when Perry the Platypus made his appearance.

During intermission, several of the "random dancers" walked through the audience. Marina was happy to have her picture taken with one of them. The show started up again with "Gitchy Gitchy Goo." Marina got up and danced along. Overall, it was a fun evening. Marina was very happy.

Pioneer Park

There's a historic park not too far from our house that we hadn't visited before. So, for something different to do, we went there today. It's build around a house that was built in the 1860s. At that time, there was nothing anywhere near it, so it was a stopping place for stagecoaches. We went on a guided tour of the house which included a tiny tavern, a ladies parlor and a tiny bedroom. An addition was built on in the 1880's which included a formal parlor and bedroom. In the basement was a kitchen and formal dining room. Every room contained antique furniture and a wood burning stove. Marina was fascinated by it.

After our tour, we looked around the grounds and saw horses, a root cellar, a tipi and several horse drawn vehicles (a stagecoach and covered wagons). It was fun to look at these artifacts. Marina is learning about the Mayflower and the founding of America, so she hasn't quite gotten this far into history yet. But we were able to compare the difficulty of the pioneers against the pilgrims.

Family Game Night

Marina's school had a family game night and chili cook off. We hadn't been to one before and decided to go this time. There were tons of chilis to chose from for dinner - Marina had a hot dog. We sat with another family we didn't know and had a lovely time with them. Marina wanted to enter the raffle, so I gave her some money to do that. On her way, she tripped and cut her lip. It bled quite a bit and she was fairly miserable after that. We stayed to play Bingo but neither of us came close to winning. She was pretty upset, so we left quickly. It had been a rough night for her. But I cheered her up with some homemade pudding at home.

Tale as Old as Time ...

Marina and I were very excited when we heard that Beauty and the Beast was coming to theaters in 3D. Marina is a huge fan of 3D, so we made plans to go. Marina brought her American Girl doll, Julie, along.

Marian was so funny during the movie. She sang along with many of the songs and hid her face before the scary parts. She seemed very happy throughout. When it was over, we saw another girl leaving the theater with her American Girl doll. Of course, they had to talk about their dolls for a few minutes.

Marina was just as excited that she got to keep the 3D glasses. She checked with several of the people at the theater to make sure she really got to take them home. They were a nice souvenir for our day.