Coppelia

Over the years, Marina and I have developed a love for ballet. One classic show we haven’t seen is Coppelia. We saw a local theater was presenting the show and we decided to go. Since we saw Swan Lake on a weekday and it went fine, we decided it would be okay to do again.

Marina decided she wanted to be very dressed up for the show, so she wore her black velvet dress. I was surprised that she didn’t want to bring an American Girl doll since the show is about a doll.

We’d never seen a performance by this group, it turns out they are an advanced dance academy. The youngest dancers were around Marina’s age and the principal roles were played by professional dancers

We both enjoyed the show. It’s not often we get to see a ballet from seats so close to the stage! The story was simple and many of the dance pieces did not advance the story. Marina loved the show. I think she particularly liked the idea of a doll coming to life.

Nuggets High Five Squad

Marina's school district had a special for the Denver Nuggets game this evening. Marina had never been to a Nuggets game before and she was looking forward to it. She brought Grace along in a Nuggets jersey!

To add to the excitement, Marina was one of 20 kids chosen to be part of the Nuggets High Five Squad. We met at the arena early and given a yellow t-shirt. Then they were led onto the court before the game. When the Nuggets team entered, the players gave each child a high five. After it was over, Marina had a huge smile on her face. "That was fun!" she gushed.

We bought some popcorn and drinks and went to our seats. We had a great view of the court and Marina seemed to enjoy watching the game. She cheered loudly throughout the game. A group of boys her age were sitting near us, so she joined in their antics. It got her on the big screen a few times.

The Nuggets won the game and ended up tossing quite a few freebies into the crowd. Marina was hopeful to catch something, but we were too far away. Despite that, she'd had a great time at her first professional basketball game!

Monster Birthday Party

Marina and I have been so busy lately we haven’t had time to have her birthday party before today. This year she was very clear how she wanted to celebrate – Monster Mini Golf. She has been excited all week for today.

We arrived at Monster Mini Golf early and they were ready for us. We had a lovely (albeit monstrous) party room. We had a short wait before her friends arrived.

First we sang “Happy Birthday.” Then our hostess led everyone in a game to see who knew Marina best. Every correct answer was awarded with a prize. Next they moved on to presents. Marina read every card before looking at the gift.

By then, the girls were ready for golf. They didn’t keep score, or use any rules, really. But clearly they were having fun. They got through the golf course quickly and headed for the arcade where each got credits to spend. Once they used those up, they shopped for prizes. That might have been the hardest part!

Return to the Woods

Over the past year, Into the Woods has become one of Marina's favorite musicals. She saw a local theater was performing it and wanted to see it again! This time, she dressed as her favorite character, Red Riding Hood. She brought Grace along, also dressed as Red Riding Hood.

We hadn't been to this theater before. It turned out to be a small experimental theater inside a very old schoolhouse. Before the show we looked around at the rooms and displays. As we did, several people asked Marina if she was Red Riding Hood in the show. She loved the attention!

When the show started we found it was a simple and suggestive staging, something Marina has never seen before. Despite that, she had no trouble getting into the show. Next to her sat two girls about her age who she helped talked to periodically through the show.

At intermission we got a snack and looked around the building a bit more. The girls next to Marina had left and she seemed tired. To be fair, Act Two has never been her favorite part.

After the show, the cast gathered in the lobby and Marina made a beeline for the actress playing Red Riding Hood. They seemed equally excited to meet each other. Apparently the cast had discussed the girl who came in costume backstage! Her name is Emily and she graciously posed for a picture with Marina. She even took a selfie with her own cell phone! She also visited with us for quite a while.

We visited with other cast members including Cinderella before heading home.

Beautiful Easter Day

Marina has been looking forward to Easter for some time now. We started our morning at the church Easter Egg Hunt. Marina brought Grace along with her since they had matching dresses. We were running a bit late, but there were still plenty of eggs to gather when we arrived. Marina got started right away.

After the egg hunt, Marina and her friends hung around outside – it was such a beautiful day. They came inside in time for the church service.

I was so impressed with Marina during the service. She didn’t have Sunday School today, so she sat with her friends. She followed along in the bulletin and even sang the songs.

After church, we went home where Marina got to look for more eggs. The Easter Bunny challenged Marina a bit this year, but she responded by saying, “He’s dealing with a pro here.” She found both of her baskets but there was one egg that eluded us.

A little while later, we had friends over for dinner. The girls immediately disappeared into the basement to play on the Wii. They also enjoyed playing with Marina’s American Girl dolls.

We all had a lovely ham dinner together and took a little break before dessert. But we all had a wonderful day together.

Birthday Blessing

Our church has a tradition of saying a public birthday blessing for every member. Last week Marina wasn't there, so she got her blessing today. She was quite excited about it. She wore her birthday dress and since she had a matching American Girl dress, she brought Grace along as well.

Today was Palm Sunday. Marina enjoyed helping to hand out palm leaves to everyone. Then she joined he procession with our friend Miss Judy.

Near the end of the service, Marina beamed as she received her birthday blessing. She didn't have to be prompted at all to go to the alter for her blessing.

After church, we went out to lunch with Mr. Chuck and Miss Judy. When our server asked if we were there for an occasion, Miss Judy let him know we were celebrating Marina's birthday. She was quite pleased.

Marina ordered for herself and even had a salad to start with. We were all impressed with how much she ate. She was the only one who wanted dessert. She ordered chocolate cake and ice cream. When it arrived, our servers had added two birthday candles to it. They lit them and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her. She graciously shared her cake with all of us.

After we finished lunch, Mr. Chuck and Miss Judy took Marina shopping for a birthday present. Marina clearly enjoyed that. Once she picked out her gift, she and I went out shopping for a bit. We bought some of our favorite lotions and a Cinderella movie inspired dress for Marina. She'd had a good day!

Ice Fairies

Marina and I are big fans of the Disney on Ice shows. The show playing this week was Worlds of Fantasy, featuring characters from Cars, The Little Mermaid, Toy Story and the Tinkerbell movies. We invited Marina's friend Ainsley. As it turned out, Ainsley's grandmother, aunt and cousin also joined us which only made it more fun.

Ainsley came over to our house a few hours early so the girls could get ready. Since the Tinkerbell stories were included they decided to dress as Tinkerbell and Silvermist. Both girls wore make up and we finished up the look with lots of glitter - gold for Ainsley and silver for Marina. The girls also brought Marina's Tinkerbell and Silvermist dolls from Disneyland.

We went out to lunch before heading to the arena. We were a bit early so we had time to get cotton candy before the show began.

We had really good seats for the show. Naturally the girls favorite part was the Tinkerbell story. The both really enjoyed helping Ainsley's much younger cousin understand the stories.

 After the show, the girls were in no hurry to leave. We took pictures near the ice and around the arena. Finally we were informed we needed to go so the arena could be prepared for the next show. I think the girls were having so much fun they just didn't want to leave.