False alarm! We thought we'd be getting to visit with the "real" Easter Bunny at the mall today. By "real" I mean the human dressed in a bunny suit. Rather, we were slightly disappointed to see it was just an animated, spring animal scene with a fence and sign keeping all children out. Ainsely actually was pretty intrigued by this, as we couldn't get her to turn around for the photo opportunity. I don't exactly know what you'd call Bennett's reaction. She kind of looks shocked and sedated at the same time.

Sorry that this picture is a bit blurry, but I thought you'd like to see Bennett experiencing a dream come true, false eyelashes! She has wanted to have a pair of these badly for quite some time, and today we found a pair in the $1 section at the store. They are obviously not the highest quality of false lash, as they won't stick to the lash line of her eye well. Rather, they kind of ride up to the crease in her eye lid, making for a pretty freaky look.

Bennett's World of Make-Believe

Here's what is happening today in Bennett's imagination. We have two horses with such servants' hearts. They are carrying a friend of theirs whose legs are just too tired. They are also delivering the pretend make-up compact, the same one that was broken and prompted the false accusations earlier today, to the toy store. I'd reckon any cowboy would have a hankerin' to own this team of hard workers, minus the make-up that is. Actually given the make-up is with them, maybe they'd be better suited for a cowgirl.

Here is Ainsley's JCPenney catalog pose...hands in pockets, looking a bit stoic, modeling Bennett's sneakers on the wrong feet.

Wrongfully Accused

Ainsley is getting old enough to put two and two together to make her own assumptions. They are not always correct, however. This morning, I knocked her pretend make-up compact off the table and the lid broke off. She soon found the broken toy and came to me yelling, "Somebody broke my make-up. Who did this?" She quickly drew her own conclusion saying, "Naughty, naughty M'lynnerkins. Naughty, naught M'lynnerkins." (That's her nickname for her little cousin who is here today.) I quickly explained that I broke the toy, not M'lynn. She did not hear a word I said as her next statement was, "You are going to give her a spank, right?" I explained again to her that M'lynn was innocent. She kept chanting "Naughty M'lynnerkins!" After about the seventh time of me telling her I broke it, she finally said, "Oh...Mommy broke it," and then she walked off. Let's just say that if you ever go to trial for a crime you did not commit, you do not want Ainsley to be a member of the jury!

Check out the lovely, hot pink fingernails...

The Spending Habits of Grandmas

Bennett and I were having a discussion about the high quality of her "real" American Girl doll's hair this afternoon. I was explaining that Josefina is a high quality doll, higher quality than her sister's similar doll from Target, and that is why she was so pricey. Bennett said she really wants another American Girl doll. I explained that she probably won't receive another one because her Josefina doll was over $100! Her reply was this..."Oh, Grandmas love to spend their money, so you never know!" Grandmas...is this true? Because if it is, I'd like a bathroom remodel and a new spring wardrobe!

Look who we're playing with at our house today. It's a delivery parrot. We didn't have any stuffed animal carrier pigeons so this was the best Bennett could do. She brought this little fellow to me with a jewelry box purse strapped to his back and a Strawberry Shortcake rollerblading helmet fastened to his head. The helmet is so that he doesn't injure his head when he is landing with that big pack on his back. "What is the raccoon doing?" you may be asking yourself. Well, I'm told he helps the parrot carry his very heavy pack when he is trying to walk around on the ground. This is all so revolutionary. I'm pretty sure that UPS and FedEx will soon be out of business if people catch wind of Bennett's idea here.

If you are at our house any time during the winter months, you are sure to see this - two girls sitting next to the heat register in the kitchen eating snacks and chatting about life. They call this register "the fire" because it's warm and toasty. They both love to sit by "the fire" and often fight over it. None of the other vents in the house will do for them, only this one. I'm not sure why. We have a real fireplace but Bennett is terrified of the thought of having real flames anywhere in our house, so this is our next best thing. It's not a very inviting spot for us parents to kick back and relax, but since when is it about us anymore, right?

See what Ainsley has in her little hands? Yes, it's a pair of scissors and a nice, long strand of blonde hair. Lovely. Especially since it's from her mother's head! So I guess I should have been paying closer attention to her when she was combing my hair tonight. I noticed she ran off for a bit, mid-brushing, but when she returned I was engrossed in a television show. I didn't see the hot pink scissors she brought back with her, but I knew immediately what was happening when I felt the familiar pull and snip to the side of my head. Super. Well, you know what they say...I guess it will grow back! My greatest fear is that now that she's had a taste of hair cutting there may be some repeat styling going on with her own hair. Maybe that would be a good thing. As you see in the picture, her "do" could use a little work!

The Girls enjoy using the computer occasionally. They love to send monk-e-mails to their cousin and they enjoy watching video clips of CareBears and Hi-5. Most recently they enjoy watching a new blog that their friends are on...you know who you are, Friends! Tonight they watched the same video posting about seven times because they thought is was so entertaining. This is a photo of them on their fifth or sixth viewing, so they aren't laughing their heads off anymore. But they are still quite intrigued.

We have a rubber snake living in our artificial tulips on the kitchen table. He's been there for about a week. I have tried to remove him from this location, but every time I do, I am reminded that he needs to be in his habitat, which is the tulips. It's kind of creepy eating meals with this fellow looking me in the eye all the time, as he is always facing my spot at the table. Oh, well. This is not the only wildlife exhibit we have at our house. We also have a raccoon resting on a tree branch balanced across the arms of our rocking chair. He is not to be removed from his habitat either. Finally, we have a tropical mammal called an aye-aye living in a decorative, artificial grass in the dining room. Bennett told me that legend has it that if the aye-aye points his long finger at you, you'll be dead within one year. I'm glad it's only a legend, because the way the snake is always looking at me, I'm sure I'd be first on the aye-aye's hit list as well!

Ainsley's Brave Fingers

Ainsley was asking me about bats quite a bit yesterday. I was telling her some chilling tales of occasions when we have had live bats dwelling among us. I told her of the freakiness of the bats, the heroic tennis racquet take-downs by her father, and the screaming of her mother. She finds bat stories very exciting. After two or three bat tales she told me that she is not afraid of bats. I told her that I am terrified of them because they can bite people. Her reply to this fact was, "My fingers are not scared of bats." I am glad she has such brave fingers!

Ainsley has started taking some reading material to bed with her. Most evenings if you pop into to her room, you'll find her taking in some wildlife information from her Wild Animal Baby magazines. She usually has three or four of them in bed with her.

Bennett has been working on her driver's license this afternoon. I had to cover some of her personal information up to protect her privacy, but you get the idea. Check out her swirly signature. I'm not sure what she is planning to do with herself, now that she has a driver's license. Maybe we can use this as an incentive for bicycle riding without training wheels this spring. Surely a person capable of obtaining a driver's license can ride a bike with just two wheels, I would think!

Here are Bennett and Ainsley with their "main man" on Valentine's Day. He brought them chocolates, and he took Bennett on her annual "date" to Big Ed's BBQ. Ainsley will get in on this event next year. She doesn't really have her dinner etiquette down quite yet. She did get to go to McDonald's for a super-fast type supper with me, at her request. Both girls enjoyed there evening out.

Today was a highly anticipated day for Bennett and Ainsley. Valentine's Day is a close 2nd behind Christmas for them, it seems. They love to be pretty and get cards in the mail, and they are showered with treats and gifts. Normally, these girls are not in their best moods first thing in the morning. Valentine's Day morning, this is not the case. The faces you see here are the faces they woke up with. They were very pumped to be wearing their new V-Day shirts, Bennett was all dolled up for her preschool party, and Ainsley was ready for pink cookies and chocolate. I'm trying to figure out how to make every day Valentine's Day. They were thrilled today, from start to finish, and it was glorious for Grant and me!

"I'm an Ainsley"

This morning, Ainsley wanted me to get the Play-Doh out for her. She told me she couldn't reach it, which was true. I gladly told her I'd get it out for her because I'm the mom and I'm the only one who is able to reach it and get it out. She said, "When I'm a mommy I will be able to reach the Play-Doh." I said, "You're right. You will be able to reach it when you grow up." Her reply was, "Yes, but I'm an Ainsley right now." I thought it was pretty cute.

Here are Bennett and Ainsley with some of their absolute, favorite people...Sage, Elliott and Evelyn. Oh my, do the Girls love them! They had a fun movie night hang out with these buddies this weekend, and I am certain that Bennett will be talking about this event for weeks to come. Fun times. Oh, and don't be fooled...this looks like a sweet little bunch of children and they are. But put these five together and you will experience deafening noise levels!

Here is a drawing fresh off Bennett's clipboard today. Here is what she told me about it..."It is a cliff hanger who jumped off of the cliff and on to a whale's water spout." I think being cooped up in our house all week has her thirsting for adventure.

Interesting...Bennett came strolling into the living room this evening in this get-up. What is this get-up, you ask? Why, it's a yeti costume, of course! That's what we've been told anyway. What kind of child even uses the word "yeti?" Crazy kid! Anyway, notice what she's wearing for a white yeti suit...it's a plastic Walmart shopping bag. Never a dull moment with her.

Here is Ainsley, enjoying some shelter from the elements in her first snow cave. She loved this thing, constructed out of our mass of driveway snow. This photo shows phase one of construction. After it was taken, Grandpa showed up to plow the driveway. Rather than destroying the cave, he actually provided an additional wall. Bennett is still out there adding some structural reinforcements and decorative finishes. Don't tell the children, but I think we'll be putting it on the market on Friday, to bring in a little extra cash.

With 12+ inches of fresh "pow," as Grant would call it, what better thing to do than go sledding...in your driveway? The four of us spent about 2 hours out in the driveway playing in the snow. We couldn't venture any further because it's impossible to drive down our street and our chain link fence to our yard is snowed shut. It was no problem. Our driveway has more snow on it right now than probably the entire yard has ever had! It provided some decent sledding for us, actually!

We had a party with some friends this weekend. It was a "Nebraska Party" because they are from Nebraska, and they wanted to educate us about our fine neighbor to the west. During the party we had a Nebraska facts quiz, for which the winner received a prize...a collegiate snowglobe displaying the downtown Lincoln skyscrapers. This was actually intended to be an adult's quiz, but Bennett was desperate to win that globe. Here she is frantically raising her hand to answer a question that she would never in a million years be able to answer. It was intense for her. Kindly the winner of the prize offered it to Bennett for "safe keeping." After promptly accepting the role of globe sitter, she almost immediately, accidentally dropped it. Thank goodness the globe is not only beautiful, but it is also durable! She's thrilled to have it in her bedroom. Thanks, Darath!

Bennett was eating apples slices the other day. She fashioned herself a nice set of pearly whites out of one of them. Yikes!

These children have had spring fever lately. More than once they've asked to wear shorts and tank tops. Today we were digging through a tub of clothing and they found these dearly beloved outfits from the summer of 2006. Low and behold, they still fit into them. Bennett's shorts are shorter and Ainsley's once capris are now bermuda's, but they don't mind! Ainsley outfit is actually tagged 6-12 months! You may see these girls out and about in these for the third season!