Christmas in the Ocean

One of our favorite Christmas activities is the Breakfast with Santa at the aquarium. We haven’t been to the aquarium in a while, so it was an even bigger treat.

Marina surprised me by wanting to wear her Ariel costume today. The last time we went she didn’t wear it. It was a chilly day, so Marina wore layers underneath but she still looked like a mermaid! She also brought her Marina mermaid doll.

Once we were seated in the restaurant, we immediate went to the buffet line – we were both ready to eat! While we were enjoying our food, the mermaids made their appearance in the restaurant tanks. As usual, Marina was delighted to see them.

Shortly after the mermaids showed up, Santa made his appearance. He made time to stop at every table and visit with the children. Once his rounds were over, he and one of his elves took a swim in the tanks. Marina even gave him a high-five.

Once we were finished with breakfast, we headed into the Aquarium. We visited all of our favorite exhibit but made sure we were on time for the mermaid show. After the mermaid show, we saw a swimming tiger demonstration. Once we saw all the exhibits, we stopped for a meet and greet with the mermaids.

Once we finished our tour of the aquarium we headed home. 

American Girls at the Nutcracker

 The American Girl Doll of the Year this year is Isabelle, a ballet dancer. And The Nutcracker plays a large part in her story. So it was natural that the American Girl store arranged a group trip to the local production of The Nutcracker this year. Naturally, Marina wanted to go.

Marina wanted to take a doll that had not been to the ballet before. We looked through the scrapbooks and realized Mckenna hadn't been yet, so she was chosen to attend. Marina wore her red Christmas dress and Mckenna wore the matching outfit.

We arrived at the store for a bit of shopping time, then boarded the bus for the show. We ate lunch on the bus while watching the Isabelle movie.

We arrived a bit early, so Marina enjoyed a hot chocolate with a candy cane before we went to our seats. We had a wonderful view of the stage and the orchestra.

Marina really enjoyed the comedic parts of the performance: the Rat King, the Chinese dancer and Mother Ginger. But by far, her favorite part was the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Once it started she was very excited.

Once the show was over, Marina was clearly tired. We had spent all weekend taking in many of our Christmas traditions. I think she was at her limit of Christmas cheer!

Santa Takes A Hike

It has become tradition for Marina and I to take a hike with Santa at the Wildlife Museum every Christmas. This year we we lucky to snag the last two tickets for today's hike. Marina brought her Anna doll along since she is ready for a trek.

We arrived a bit early and checked out the newest traveling exhibit - the Lego Adventure. First we looked at some very impressive vehicles created out of Legos. Marina even had the chance to try out a Lego car. Then she got to create her own Lego masterpieces. She found a pink house someone had started and decided to complete it. She also created her own couch.

After lunch we got ready for the hike with Santa. We got hot chocolate and Marina roasted marshmallows as we waited for Santa to make his appearance. He showed up pretty early and mingled with all the families. This year, Santa had a high tech gadget on a smart phone which determined if each child was naughty or nice. Marina rated naughty the first time, but after giving me a hug she shifted to the nice category.

Once the hike began, each child got a chance to carry the jingle bells as they walked. We stopped at statues of wild animals and Santa gave the kids a lesson about each one. During one part, Marina even got to use Santa's cane for a while.

Once the hike was over, we went back into the museum to look through the animal environment exhibit. Marina got a scavenger hunt sheet - this time it was the intermediate level, the beginner level was much too easy for her.

After our hike we went to the Museum's movie theater to see The Polar Express. This movie came out the year Marina was born and she loves it. We enjoyed seeing it on the big screen again.

Christmas Lights at the Zoo

Every year it is a challenge to do all the Christmas activities we want to do. Marina and I love going to see the Zoo Lights, so I thought we'd try to go after school today.

It took longer for us to get there than I thought it would. I stopped to do an errand and a man I met suggested a deli near the zoo for dinner. So we decided to try it out. It turned out to be a tiny market. Our sandwiches were wonderful, so it was worth the trip!

We arrived just as the Zoo Lights opened up. It was not at all crowded which was surprising considering the weather was so warm. We got hot chocolate and headed out to see the lights. This year the lights were set an a pathway which was easy to follow, so we were sure to see our favorite animals.

Partway through we found the tent with Santa. The line wasn't long, so we decided to see him. The line moved quickly and Marina got her chance to tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas.

After seeing Santa, we went about the rest of the journey. We stopped to see the pachyderms and the tropical animals along the way.

Once we got through the entire zoo we saw that the crowds we had expected arrived later than we did. We felt so glad we got there early.

Frozen Ice Princesses

 Marina and I make it a habit to go to Disney on Ice whenever it comes to town. This time, Marina wanted to invite Ainsley to join us. So I bought an extra ticket. Ainsley was excited to come with us.

Ainsley's mom brought her to our house a few hours early. The girls disappeared upstairs and transformed into Anna and Elsa from Frozen. Both girls knew that Anna and Elsa were not characters in the show were we about to see, but they didn't let that effect them.

Once they were dressed, we sat down to a tea party. We had four kinds of sandwiches and three kinds of cake as well as tea. I even set out my blue china for the occasion. After lunch, the girls put the finishing touches on their costumes. I put a little sparkle makeup on them and they took turns spraying glitter in each other's hair. They also dressed two of Marina's American Girl dolls  for the day. Saige wore the Frozen inspired costume and Kailey dressed as Anna.

On the way to the show we stopped at a store which was having a "Princess Party." The girls made their own princess ornaments and played with some of the toys which were out for display. They especially loved posing with a large Olaf plush toy. As we drove to the show, Ainsley played Frozen songs on her phone and girls happily sang along.

It took a bit longer to get to there than I had planned and we didn't get to our seats until right before the show started. The girls had so much fun pointing out when their favorite characters appeared on the ice. At intermission I got popcorn and drinks for us all and we settled in for the rest of the show.

On the way home the girls played on Ainsley's phone. They seemed tired, we'd had a full princess day!

Bells Are Ringing

This year, Marina has been in a before school club learning to play hand chimes. She’s been enjoying it. A friend of mine is in a handbell group. Tonight they had a concert at our church, so we decided to go.

Marina was very excited when we arrived. We sat near the front and looked over the huge assortment of bells laid out in the table. Marina pointed out to me which ones were the handchimes.

Once the concert got started, we were both impressed by how amazing the bells sounded and the difficult choreography that the musicians had to use to play the right bells in time with each other. They played many Christmas carols that we knew. Marina particularly enjoyed “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” because the handchimes were used for it.

The program ended with all six ringers playing bell trees. The church was filled with the many bells harmonizing together. It was truly amazing!

After the show we talked with my friend for a little while. She and Marina discussed handchimes for a little while. The concert had been a great experience for both of us.

O Christmas Tree

This evening, Marina and I put up our Christmas tree. Once again, she and I decided to use the Disney Princess theme.

I put up the tree and strung the lights. Our kitten, Jasmine, was very interested in the whole process. Then we started hanging our princess ornaments. Marina paid special attention to our "puff puff skirt princesses" - the ornaments with fluffy skirts. This year we added Anna and Elsa to the set. Marina wanted to make sure they were properly "coronated."

When we were finished, we added the Tinkerbell star to the tree. We're just hopeful our furry Jasmine doesn't knock them all down!