Zootopia

Marina is on spring break this week. Unfortunately, I have not been able to spend as much time with her as I would like. So, this evening we went to the Movie Tavern to see Zootopia. It’s been out for a while but we haven’t had time to see it.

We arrived at the theater early, we were the first ones there. We ordered our usual food. Marina got a Shirley Temple and it was huge! Our food arrived just as the previews started and we got right into eating.

Marina really enjoyed the movie, especially all the cats in the story. When it was over, she was anxious to get back to our cats at home.

Early Easter

Easter came early this year, so today wasn’t as warm as we’d normally have. So, Marina was a bit chilly in her spring dress. We arrived at church early for the Easter Egg Hunt. It had to be inside because of all the snow we got this week.

Marina had fun collecting the eggs. She filled her basket and her hat with eggs. Then she exchanged them for another basket filled with goodies. After the Egg Hunt, we went into the church and settled into our seats for the service.

Marina was a bit bored through the service, but she managed to sit through it. Afterward, she shared some items from her basket with a little girl who was visiting our church.

When we came home, Marina went looking for her Easter baskets and eggs. Even though the hiding places were trickier than years past, she still found them all rather easily.

We changed our clothes and went over to our friends' house for Easter dinner. They had quite a few people there and Marina spent her time playing with the other kids. She enjoyed several deviled eggs before dinner. When we sat down to eat, she ate lots of ham and salad. We stayed there pretty late and by the time we left Marina was very tired.

Mermaid Birthday

This year, Marina wanted to swim with the mermaids at the aquarium. We met her firends and their families there for the party. The girls amused themselves until the party planner showed up to start the swimming.

First, the girls changed into their swimming suits. Then we went up to the top of the tank where they would be swimming. They were all fitted for wet suits, flippers and masks. As they waited to get in, we got to watch the mermaid show before they got into the water.

Marina got into the water first, she was able to fit her mermaid tail over her wetsuit, so she wore it into the water. She needed a bit of help to get there! After they were all in the water, I went to see them from inside the aquarium.

Another mermaid show went on when I got there and I could see the girls’ legs in the background as the show went on. We could also see Marina’s pink mermaid tail. Many of the people around me thought it was one of the aquarium mermaids! When it was time for them to get out, another mermaid show was beginning.

Once the girls dried off and dressed, we went into the restaurant and had lunch. We were all really hungry by then. We all enjoyed lunch followed by birthday cake.

After lunch, we took us on a tour of the Aquarium. Of course, we’ve been there many times, so it was all pretty familiar to us. At the end of the tour, the mermaids were having a meet and greet, so we got some pictures with them outside the water. The girls pet the stingrays for a little while, before we collected our belongings and left. We were all pretty tired by then.

Happy Birthday!

Marina was looking forward to a good day today. She picked out a sparkly blue dress to wear to school today and we bought cupcakes for her to hand out at school.

After school, I asked what she would like for her birthday dinner, but she was unsure. She wanted something with bacon – ultimately settling for grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon in them. She was even willing to wait for me to make them.

After dinner, we had a small chocolate cake. After she blew out the candles, she opened her presents. She seemed very pleased with all of them, especially the mermaid cuddle tail I gave her. After she ate her cake, she ran upstairs to try on her new mermaid swimwear as well.

When I asked her how her birthday was, she said, “Outstanding!”

Aladdin

Last December, Marina and I went to the Frozen Ball. At that time, they were advertising Aladdin for this weekend. Of course, Marina wanted to go.

Marina wore her genie costume and applied makeup from her Jasmine palette. We styled her hair when it was wet and actually helped her hair look more like Jasmine’s.

When we arrived, Jasmine was at the front desk checking people in. Marina was happy to speak to her right away. We went into the ballroom and found a bubble station for making big bubbles. Marina was very interested in that! Next, she tried an obstacle course that was set up. She even helped some smaller children go through it.

Two employees had animals for the kids to see. First Marina touched the Bearded Dragon lizard. Then she compared it to the smooth texture of a snake.

Next, Marina tried a few of the crafts. She decorated a blue balloon to look like a “nerd genie.” Then she colored a princess tiara. When she was done with it, she gave it to me to wear.

After we finished in the ballroom, we bought some snacks and went into the theater for the movie. We munched on popcorn during the movie. Once the movie started, Marina was completely engrossed.

After the movie was over, we headed out. The sun was setting and it made the drive back a challenge. But we made it safely.

The Fantasticks

Last year, we went to a  a scaled down production of Into the Woods which Marina enjoyed more than I did. This year they performed The Fantasticks. I had never seen this show live, but I knew enough about it that I thought it would be a better fit for this intimate stage.

I told Marina a bit about the story line before we went to the show. She didn’t seem too interested. When we arrived, she was disappointed that all the seats in the front were taken. We were able to find some with a good view anyway.

Once the show started, Marina was drawn into it pretty quickly. The songs and story clearly appealed to her. She laughed at the silly actor characters and identified with Luisa, the only female character.

Act Two was slower and less fun than the first, so Marina was a bit less involved, but once it was over, she was anxious to meet the cast – several who we have seen in other productions. We had to wait for quite a while and the actors were appreciative that we stayed to see them. They all posed for photos and talked with us for a while afterwards. Marina loved that!

By the time we left the theater was nearly empty, typical for us. We went home and made chef’s salad for dinner. It was a nice end to the weekend.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

A few years ago, we went with Miss Judy to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade downtown. Judy wanted to go again this year and the weather was beautiful, so it seemed like a great idea. Marina wore her shamrock t-shirt and a pink and green skirt with green leggings. She didn’t want to wear her new “Irish Princess” tiara. Instead she chose a headband with sparkling clovers on it.

We picked Miss Judy up early and drove to the light rail station. Along the way we saw plenty of people dressed in green. It was easy to follow them to the parade.

By the time we arrived, the parade had already started. It was pretty crowded, but we quickly found a spot to watch. Marina realized that the kids in the front were getting candy and other fun items, so she asked if she could get up there too. She couldn’t directly go from where we were and I was concerned about her going where I couldn’t see her. She agreed to stay where she could see me. It took her a few minutes to weave through the crowd and every little while she made eye contact with me and gave me a thumbs up. It wasn’t long before she was right by the barrier in front of us. After a little while the crowd loosened up and Judy and I were able to set up the chairs she brought with her.

Marina did very well collecting treasures over the course of the parade. She had pockets full of candy (she had to empty them a couple of times), many necklaces (most of them green), an orange ball and several stickers.

As we watched the parade, we were approached by a family we knew from earlier this year. We met them at the Mickey’s Magic Door show in January. They recognized us and since we had room where we were, they joined us for the parade. 

The parade was really long. We were tired but we waited for the end since it was so close. By then we were exhausted. We found a place for lunch. Marina surprised me by ordering Buffalo wings without the sauce. She not only enjoyed them, but she ate the vegetables they came with.

After we ate we all felt better. The crowds had also dissipated. We were able to catch our train quickly and head back home.We spent the rest of the day relaxing.