Mermaid Day

Marina and I have been anxious to see the Mythic Creatures exhibit at the natural history museum for a few months now, but we’ve been so busy we haven’t had time. So we made plans to go today.

The museum was packed and we were excited to find a good parking space quickly. We went right to the Mythic Creatures Exhibit. The first part of it was all about mermaids. Of course Marina loved that!

She also enjoyed the next section about unicorns. When we reached the area where kids were invited to create their own mythic creature, Marina was set on drawing a mermaid.

Next we saw Griffins, Pegasus and a whole room full of dragons. And, of course, Marina wanted to check out the gift shop.

Since the Museum was so crowded, we decided to pick up sandwiches and eat them at home. While we were here, we got ready for our next activity. The wildlife museum was showing The Little Mermaid and Marina wanted to dress up. She wore her Ariel costume and I curled her hair and put sparkly makeup on her. She took her Marina mermaid doll with her.

When we arrived at the theater they had mermaid themed activities set up. Marina made a beeline to have her photo taken with Ariel. She even chatted with her for a few minutes.

Marina completed several activities including several coloring pages and making a rainbow jellyfish.


Once she checked out all the activities, we got some popcorn and headed to our seats.  Of course, we’ve seen the movie many times. But this was Marina’s first time on the big screen. I did hear her quietly sing along to some of the songs.

After the movie was over, we were happy to head home.

American Girls and Annie

Earlier this year, Marina and I saw the new movie version of Annie. We were excited when the American Girl store offered an excursion to see the touring production based on the original prodcution.

Marina and I planned to wear spring dresses to the show, but after a snow storm overnight we wore warmer clothes. Marina brought Kaya in her shawl dress and wore a red dress that with coordinated with her.

We arrived early at the American Girl store and shortly afterwards we boarded a bus to the theater. We ate lunch on the bus. Marina also played on her phone for much of the ride.

When we arrived at the theater, we got to take a "behind the scenes" tour of the theater complex. The guide took us in the theater where we saw The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Marina and the other girls got a chance to go onstage and pose for photos.

Next we saw where costumes are made. We saw several examples on display and the stages each costume goes through in the construction process. Each girl received an Annie patch after the tour was over.

We returned to the theater to see the show. We had wonderful seats and found some friends of ours (who weren't with the group) were seated in the same row.

The show was wonderful. Marina loved the little girls in the show ans laughed at Miss Hannigan's antics. She even sang along with some of the songs she knew. At the end she quickly jumped to her feet to give the cast a standing ovation.

Marina's only disappointment was not being able to meet the cast at the end of the show. Otherwise, she had a great time at the show today.

Mother's Day with Molly Brown

Marina and I have developed a fondness for tea parties over the past year. And we've wanted to visit the Molly Brown House since seeing The Unsinkable Molly Brown last fall. We thought the Mother's Day Tea would be a perfect way to finally see the house.

Marina and I dressed up for a spring tea, even though it was a rainy day. Marina brought Grace along and they wore matching dresses.

Marina was excited to see the actual house where Margaret Brown lived. We started the tea with a tour of the first and second floors of the house. We learned about the Brown family and which pieces in the house were original.

After our tour, two maids in period clothing led us to the third floor. The tea room was beautifully set up. We were seated with five very nice people, including another young girl. The food was delicious. Marina was thrilled there was a cucumber sandwich, her favorite tea party food. She tried everything but she focused on the sweets. The tea was Earl Gray with Jasmine. Marina liked that as well. (I did give her quite a bit of sugar though!)

After the tea, we looked around an exhibit of the fashions of Margaret Brown's era. We also looked around the gift shop.

On the way back to our car, we took a short walk downtown. Marina had seen a cathedral nearby and was very impressed by it. And it turned out Margaret Brown donated money to help build it. We walked over for a closer look. But the weather was chilly, so we only looked around for a short time.

An Evening at the Opera

When Marina was seven, I took her to the opera Cinderella. It was a bit difficult for her to follow, but overall she enjoyed it. She plays a musical game she plays which includes the Queen of the Night aria from The Magic Flute. She loves that piece, so when we had the opportunity to see The Magic Flute performed, I was excited to take her.

We decided to really dress up for the opera. We both wore full length dresses and Marina wore heels. She also carried a beaded bag to hold her phone in. I curled her hair and put a little make up on her. She looked beautiful and so grown up!

Before the show, we met up with Camille, who was playing Papagena in the opera. We had met her when we saw her in Into The Woods. She graciously met with us for a few minutes before she had to check in backstage.

We were early for the show so we bought drinks and relaxed a bit. I read he the synopsis from the program. Marina loved our seats, they were in the front row of the third balcony. The chandelier that she loves to watch lower and retract was easy to see. We could see the entire stage and some of the orchestra. She also enjoyed looking down on the lower level seats.

Once the opera began, Marina really focused on it. The songs were in German, but the dialogue had been translated into English. She seemed to follow the story throughout. She enjoyed the comical antics of Papageno. And she agreed with me that the Queen of the Night's aria was spectacular.

After the show, she said she enjoyed it. But clearly she was very tired.

Any Dream Will Do

Marina and I saw the movie for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat years ago and she loved it. At times she will listen to the soundtrack while she is in the shower. However, we had never see the show live. So we were both excited when the most recent tour announced dates in our area.

Marina wanted to dress colorfully, so she chose a bright dress and sweater. She didn't want to bring a doll with her, but she did bring her new phone. She turned off the ringer on her own, but she had to be told to put it away before the show.

 When the performance started, Marina was completely engaged. She enjoyed the colorful lighting and the energetic dancing. Joseph is a comedy, so she appreciated the silliness of many of the songs.

Overall, Marina followed the story well. She was a bit confused why Joseph's brothers didn't recognize him and the reason why a golden cup was hidden in Benjamin's sack. I explained these after the show to help her understand.

By the end of the performance, Marina was clapping along with the songs. She was disappointed that she couldn't meet the cast, especially when she learned the actor playing Joseph is from Colorado. But we'd had such a busy weekend we were both ready to go home and relax for a while.

French Birthday Party

Since our schedule has been so busy lately, we weren’t able to have our family over to celebrate Marina’s birthday until today. Marina wanted to have a French theme for the party. So I made her an Eiffel Tower cake and served French breads, cheeses and mini quiches.

Marina was excited to see the family today. She particularly liked introducing them to Jasmine. Eventually she settled down and had a ham croissant and a little more food. Then we had her birthday cake. She was pleased with the top of her chocolate Eiffel Tower.

She decided she wanted to open her presents in the living room, so we all moved there. She was very pleased with the gifts she received. While I visited with the family, Marina moved upstairs to play with her new toys.

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.