So we went out of town on Saturday night to take the girls to a Rail Jam competition. We thought they'd enjoy watching a bunch of snowboarders and skiers doing fancy tricks. They actually didn't enjoy it whatsoever. They did, however, really enjoy this place. It was the heated portapotty behind the Kum and Go we stopped at. They were remodeling their restrooms so we had to use the fancy portable toilets provided by the business "A King's Throne." Bennett is holding their business card up for you in the photo. My, were these restrooms fancy! Three stalls, electricity, running water in the sink, a motion sensor hand dryer and some of the best smelling handsoap Bennett has ever used. She kept going on and on about the soap even after we'd left. I'm glad that our 100 mile round trip that night provided them with such a wonderful experience!

Another shot from the "King's Throne." Bennett came to have her photo taken next to Ainsley. However, when she stood next to the motion sensing hand dryer it kicked onto Ainsley's head. That's why she's looking the way she does. Grant thought this was quite funny.

Grumpy Bear really lives the good life at our house. Today we made one of those "telephones" consisting of two plastic cups connected by a long piece of yarn. After we finished talking to each other on it, Bennett turned it into a tightrope for none other than Grumpy. He had a great time on it, and he has a fine sense of balance. Good thing because there was no net! After he finished using it as a tightrope it turned into his zipline. I hope Grumpy appreciates Bennett's imaginative ways of enhancing his stuffed animal life!

This is one of our favorite pictures of Bennett's. She probably drew it about a year ago. It is a picture of a girl and her pets. She told us that that bottom animal is looking so suprised that the girl and the other animals are on it's back. They are quite heavy!

Ahoy there! Bennett and Ainsley are pirates today, sailing the high seas in there laundry basket ships. They found buried treasure...chocolate coins! Notice that Grumpy Bear made the trip with them.

Bennett is drowning her sorrows in a delicious snack of Chalsa. Chalsa is a tasty Velveeta/salsa mixture that Grant makes especially for her, on occasion. This is one of those occasions...a cold and gloomy winter evening when her mom won't let her wear her nightgown instead of her warm and toasty flannel snowman pajamas. Aside from her pajama misfortune, she may have requested the Chalsa because she'd just finished watching the movie Nacho Libre. Whatever the reason, she's doing much better now.

Most days you can find Ainsley playing her favorite game. It goes like this...she puts "Big Blankie" over her head and runs around the house at full speed. As you can imagine, it is not a safe game. Most recently she ran straight into the pantry cupboards in turbo mode. She did not shed a tear, and rarely does she when she has collided with a stationary object. She's a tough cookie, and you'll notice on this particular day, she decided "up the stakes" by also wearing Bennett's oversized flip flops. Danger should have been her middle name.

"Because"

Ainsley is really using the word "because" a lot lately. She ends every statement she makes with "because" and continues with a new statement. This goes on and on. For example, today as we were on our way to visit her cousin, Baby Ava, Ainsley said the following...

"I like Baby Ava because Baby Ava likes me because I'm cute because she is so cute because she is going to have a baby also."

Kind of lengthy and confusing, but also cute because she's so cute because she's got a tiny little voice because she's little because she's not big!

(Disclaimer: I don't know why Ainsley said Ava is going to have a baby also. Aunt Lindsey is not expecting, so I don't know where that part came from.)

It's been so chilly and snowy out lately. Bennett has found a way to snuggle up and relax indoors. She made herself a nice laundry basket bed containing several pillows and blankets. She enjoys using it when watching shows or reading books. Ainsley has one of these cozy beds as well. Note, Bennett is wearing her fabulous robe, a must when sitting in her bed!

Our friend, Missy, came over the other night. She saw what Ainsley had done to herself with the markers and decided to have some fun with the girls. She offered to let them decorate her with markers, too, after giving them the disclaimer that this was a one-time event, not to be repeated on others! The girls had a total blast!

Check out Ainsley and her little cousin, M'lynn. They are both quite stylin' in there sunglasses. M'lynn was very pleased to be wearing her blue glasses, that was until I snapped her photo. Then she got very somber. I think I made her feel like a celebrity under paparazzi attack or something. The flash of the camera thus ended the fun with sunglasses.

So here is Bennett's most recent sketch...it's her self-portrait. She kindly drew a portrait of each member of our family as royalty. She is a princess, of course! They all turned out very cute and I must say, I think we look considerably better as king, queen and princesses than we do in our normal, everyday lives!

Ainsley is the mess maker in the family. Bennett says making messes is her best talent. She is right! This morning I left her unattended for less than five minutes to go get clean clothes for the girls to wear today. When I came back, she was nicely decorated in magic marker. The marker was a nice compliment to the smears of chocolate all over her face from her muffin this morning. Also, note the tank top she dug out of her drawer this morning. All of the other items from the drawer are on her bedroom floor, as are all of the items out of Bennett's shirt drawer. Ainsley was so kind as to find her a tank top to wear today also!

Many of you know that Bennett is crazy. You also know she like to play with small trinkets and figures. We've had this "pony parade" on our windowsill for about a week and a half now. Bennett has forbidden us to remove it.

Here is Bennett on Christmas. She has two of her favorite gifts. It is mid-January now, and this Grumpy Bear and robe have almost never left her!

Here is Ainsley! She has her "Smiling Eyes" on.