New Camera!

We got a new digital camera! Our old one was beginning to fall apart and picture quality seemed to be somewhat lacking, so we decided to upgrade from 4 megapixels to 10 with the Fujifilm FinePix something-or-other. I have been fiddling with it, trying to learn how to use it properly. The girls have been guinea pigs as I snap a shot here and there in an attempt to use the "face detection mode." They are becoming less than thrilled with me, as you can see by the expression on Ainsley's face. Apparently I had snapped her picture one too many times as she was eating her waffles yesterday. Sorry, Ainsley! All in the name of capturing memories!

The Girls recently had some photographs taken by a great local photographer. Here is one of them. He did a fantastic job of just letting them be themselves...no posing and making crazy bird noises to get their attention. Also, no squeaky toys were used to induce smiling. He caught them sharing an affectionate moment in the above shot. How sweet! If only I saw this type of affection at home more often!

Bedtime Snack

I cannot compete with Dad when it comes to amazing snacks. The girls wanted turkey meats, pickles and black olives the other evening before bed. I would have given each of them a small pile of each food. Dad gave them a couple of creepy looking guys, one of whom had a handlebar mustache. The Children were thrilled. I was kind of freaked out.

Egyptian Princess

Bennett has been taking in some nonfiction television lately. Grandpa and Grandma have a variety of cable television channels featuring informational shows, and since we're house sitting she's soaking them up in the evening before bed. Most recently Bennett has been watching a series about Egypt...one on a mysterious mummy from King Tut's lineage, a show about when Rome ruled Egypt and one about Cleopatra. She decided to make Egypt part of her reality today by fashioning some fine jewelry for herself, creating an Egyptian princess look. When she showed me the jewelry I said, "You look great! I will be sure to take your picture." She immediately ran to the couch and posed herself in an Egyptian princess position. Then she posed herself to look as the mummy of Cleopatra would look if in its sarcofigas...nice! And of course, a mummy in a sarcofigas would have a solemn expression. I am pretty sure Bennett thought she really was an Egyptian princess mummy at the moment the photo was taken.

Pillow House

Grandma has a lot, and I mean a lot of pillows at her house. Ainsley loves these pillows. Here she is relaxing in her "pillow house." I think she used eight pillows to build it. That should leave her enough pillows for a guest house or two.

A New Favorite Creature

First came the aye-aye, and now I'd like to introduce you to a yeti crab. This is Bennett's new favorite creature. This crab can be found in the depths of the South Pacific. I'm pretty sure the appeal of this thing for Bennett is the fact that it's name includes the word "yeti." It is pretty cool. I tell you, if you want to expand your knowledge of the animal world, get yourself a little kid!

Chiropractor Trip #2

We made our second long trip to the chiropractor this week. It only took a total of 7 hours this time...yikes! I guess that is better than 11 hours. Anyway, Bennett was experiencing some congestion from allergies as we road along, listing to her favorite Coldplay song. She was singing along and just when the song hit a break from lyrics for a little instrumental segment she chimed, "Great...just the right time for a phlegm break!" Then she cleared her throat. Dad and I found it quite humorous. "Phlegm Break" will now become a phrase used within our family, I'm sure.

This week we have driven over 2 hours in one direction for Bennett and Dad to see a special kind of chiropractor. We had to make two trips this week, and the first trip ended up being an 11 hour ordeal. Bennett was glad to stumble upon this McDonald's we stopped at for a restroom break. It featured a lodge theme and even had lovely rocking chairs, a coffee table and a fireplace. As you can see, she was able to kick back and relax for a few minutes...little did she know that within 15 minutes of leaving McDonald's she would be kicking back and relaxing for 1.5 hours at a stand still on the interstate for some type of road closure. She did not find an extra hour and a half in the car so relaxing.

Holiday Highlights

For some reason our weeks have been busy but not really very "interesting-busy." Therefore, I have slowed down on the posts for lack of content. We did have a fun 4th of July weekend though. We enjoyed hanging out with the fam, grilling out, swimming, water balloons, biking and of course, fireworks! Here are a couple of pictures of the girls enjoying the campfire with two favorite relatives. They sat by the fire in Grandpa and Grandma's backyard while watching the distant fireworks display. Everyone was actually awake to watch the fireworks, but I think the camera's flash in the pit-dark backyard made for blinking eyes in every photo I took that night!

Wintery Summer Again!

Once again, summer became winter at our house this afternoon. This time, Bennett and Ainsley thought it would be a great idea to walk their dogs and their galimoto toy through piles of snow while wearing sundresses and cold weather accessories. They then decided they wanted to wear these things into the real outdoors where the temps were in the mid-80's. The outdoor arctic adventure lasted about 30 seconds. Two sweating kids came back in the house. I'm glad Old Man Winter paid us such a brief visit.