Real-Looking Fake Cat Meets Real-Looking Real Cat

This is our friendly neighborhood cat, known to us as Black and White Kitty, as we do not know who owns him or what his real name is. Black and White Kitty had an amazing opportunity recently. The Girls introduced him to their real-looking fake kitten while he was over hanging out one evening. Black and White Kitty remained calm but didn't really know what to think of the imposter. He let the little critter rest on his back for a while before heading down the street for the night. We were pleased that he responded so well to Real-Looking Fake Kitty. When Bennett introduced her to some other cats in our extended family, she was nearly eaten alive!

Here Comes the Bride...Again

Ever since Ainsley participated in her uncle's wedding, she has been fascinated by the idea of getting married. It's a good thing we own a miniature wedding dress because she has been pretending to get married all week, and it has come in handy. Ainsley's enjoys playing wedding, but her only frustration is that she doesn't have a little kid around to act as the groom. She is not the least bit interested in having her mother serve as groom. She's kind of okay with having her dad fill in, but she's told me many times "I have to dance with a little kid groom." She's referring to the reception. One young man's name has been mentioned as a suitable "kid groom." Marty and Jenny, if you're reading this, dust off the tiny tuxedo and shine the loafers...your boy is needed for a dollar dance!

Wedding Weekend

Bennett and Ainsley had the honor of being in a wonderful uncle's wedding. Ainsley was a flower girl and Bennett got to ring a bell as she walked down the aisle to announce that the bride was coming. They were well-behaved and had an excellent time. Here are the girls with one of the other flower girls, a cousin of the bride.
Bennett and Ainsley enjoyed the company of this usher, in particular. They could be found visiting with him quite frequently, which was kind of funny because they really didn't know him before the wedding day.
The Girls had a great time with a fun cousin who served as Junior Groomsman.
Ainsley and another sweet cousin did a spectacular job walking down the aisle!

Too Much Fun!

Bennett had the opportunity to have one of her favorite friends over for a surprise play date after school yesterday. She could not have been more thrilled to see this fellow. Ainsley was quite excited herself. The three of them spent the entire afternoon and evening outdoors. There was a lot of teeter-tottering in various places while wearing rubber gloves (it's a long, but fun story.) They enjoyed many innings of baseball and tolerated the poor pitching well. We also did some nature walking, attempts at bug collecting, and rounded out the evening with ice cream sundaes. A great time was had by all, but the pitcher is really pooped!

Weekend Happenings

Ainsley took a spin on Bennett's little bike this weekend. Bennett has outgrown it and Ainsley is glad to be taking it off her hands. I guess I should have said that Ainsley took a spin on HER new bike this weekend.
We harvested a few grapes off of a neighbor's grapevine over the weekend. There were two varieties and Bennett loved them. Ainsley chewed a couple of them up and spit them back out. Here is a picture of Bennett modeling the fresh produce as a pair of earrings. Oh, and the coolest thing we did was watch a bunch of ants carry off crumbs bigger than themselves from a piece of Ainsley's crushed monster cookie in the driveway! It was amazing and I took a video of it, but I am having difficulty getting it onto this blog. I'll keep working on it!

This morning, Ainsley and I stopped at a garage sale. She was not very pleased to be bargain-hunting this morning, as she had a late night last night followed by an early morning. The sun broke through the clouds when the little girl who lived at the house invited Ainsley to come see her new kittens. All tears were replaced by the face you see above...she was thrilled beyond measure. I think this moment of kitten-holding is probably one of the highlights of Ainsley's entire life! When we got in the car she told me, "I was sad and I wanted to hold one of those (kittens) and that little girl let me hold two of them and now I am very happy!"

School and Snowsuits

Today marked the beginning of the 2008-09 school year. Bennett was pumped...up at 6:30, ate breakfast, quickly dressed herself, was completely cooperative for hair styling and asking repeatedly, "Is it time to go?" Below is her "ready for the first day of school" photo. She posed so that her backpack could be seen.
Once Bennett had been dropped off, Ainsley and I returned home to enjoy playing outdoors for a bit of the beautiful morning. We visited with one another in the driveway as we played, and topics included bees, sidewalk chalk, the newspaper delivery man, types of butterflies, Guatemalan Worry Dolls and winter. As soon as we began discussing characteristics of winter, Ainsley remembered that she would be needing a snowsuit for snow play. We, of course, immediately headed into the house because she desperately needed to try on her snowsuit. It's a little big, but I think it will work, come December. Above, she's seen rolling around on the kitchen floor in the same fashion she would roll around in snow. I thought that the crazy happenings at our house would become less frequent in Bennett's absence, but I'm rethinking that one.

Cousin Penny

Bennett wanted to play a little practical joke on Grandpa and Grandma the other night, as she was heading to their house for a sleepover. She decided to wear a stylish brown wig and take on a new identity...Cousin Penny. She arrived to Grandpa and Grandma's and explained that Bennett was not sleeping over, but rather she, Cousin Penny, was coming in her place. As convincing as she was, I don't think they bought it.

Indoor Camping Out

The other night, Ainsley was rip-roaring mad because Bennett was getting to have a one-on-one sleepover at Grandpa and Grandma's. We tried to explain that she would get her own chance to do the same in the near future, but she would hear nothing of it. We were forced to come up with some incentive for her to enjoy sleeping at home, so we decided to let her pitch Bennett's little purple tent for the night. She camped out on her bedroom floor! She even got to take a pile of books from her sister's room into the tent for bedtime reading materials. She was pacified for the night, but first thing in the morning she wanted to know where her sister was. When reminded that she had stayed at Grandma's, the rip-roaring attitude returned!

New Arrival for the Real-Looking Fake Cat Family

Congratulations to Snowy Days and Pepper, Bennett's two full-grown, real-looking fake cats. They have a new little calico kitten (a souvenir from the vacation Dad and I were on last week.) Here is the happy little family, sleeping on the floor next to Bennett's bed. They can be found there each and every evening, wearing their nightcaps (pop bottle caps from Bennett's bottle cap collection.) The tiny white cat and the little bear are baby toys for the new little kitten, I'm told. What a sweet, loved little addition to the family! In Bennett's world , this trio rivals the popularity of The Queen and her ensemble.