Two little cousins, posing in front of a beautiful tree...one of several we saw.
Another pose in front of a fiery red burning bush. 
The girls collected several leaves for a craft projects. These happened to be bright green and yellow.
The pile was also good for laying down to relax.
Newsflash...leaves are great for tossing as well! Who knew?!?!
First snowball fight of the season!
Bennett recently had the opportunity to go over to play with some fun little neighbor boys. She was so pleased to hang out with them, and she especially enjoyed their "boy" costumes. She chose to wear a teeny tiny Scooby Doo suit. My neighbor said it is a size 18-24 months or something. Bennett obviously didn't mind! 
Ainsley continues to blossom as an artist. Today she drew a girl scarecrow using a shape template and some free-hand. Nice job, Ainsley!!!!
Ainsley LOVES tools! Real tools, not plastic toy ones. She enjoys helping her dad with projects and she really likes to change the dead batteries in anything and everything. She does a fine job! Here she can be seen changing the batteries in her sister's camera. Cousin M. is watching and learning.
Ainsley awoke to the traditionally decorated birthday bedroom. She was so thrilled, and still a little bit out of it when I took this picture. Of course, her limelight-stealing big sister had to have her Webkinz in the shot. Thanks, Bennett. Your Webkinz look fantastic.
Bennett got Ainsley a new mermaid toy to play with in the bathtub. Ainsley was tickled!
Ainsley got to choose one special friend to have over to play, in honor of her big day. Ainsley and K. posed for a shot, just prior to playing the "spider web game."
I took the girls out for birthday lunch, Ainsley's choice. She chose Subway and both girls chose to wear dress-up shoes!
Enjoying some turkey, cheese, pickle and black olive subs!
We took the girls out on the trail with their new plasma cars, or "asthma" cars, as Ainsley calls them. Even their dad enjoyed a ride with a little extra push from them!
Two girls, cruisin' on the plasma cars.
We took in a pioneer festival and Bennett and Ainsley decided to go in costume. Here they are posing with the hostess of a log cabin.
Bees wax candle-making was a fun time.
On Sunday we got to enjoy a cookout with friends. We all had a great time!
Sunday night we paid our weekly visit to Grandpa and Grandma's house. The girls enjoyed playing with Grandma in the bottom of a closet. Grandma is such a good sport!
Bennett and Ainsley played "Safari" with their beloved uncle. He did a really good job pretending right along with them, especially during the part seen above where he and Bennett were hauling a tranquilized tiger into a pen. 
Hanging out with Baby Cousin S., just watching a bit of children's programming.
Ainsley LOVES her little cousin so much! She sticks pretty close to him when he's around.
And why wouldn't she? He couldn't be any cuter!
Check out their cute cupcake birthday cake!
Bennett, Ainsley and Cousin M. smile for the flashing cameras.
Bennett and Baby Cousin S. spent some time hanging out at the party. Thanks, Uncle C. and Aunt K., for letting him participate by wearing an authentic Hawaiian shirt and a plastic lei!
Poor, poor little girls! I don't know if there were quite enough gifts at their party.
The party games involved riding the Gator around the yard, pretending it was a boat out on the ocean, sailing from game island to game island. We just had to find a way to incorporate the Gator into the day, you know.
Game 1: Stick a picture onto to the island scene, but with your eyes closed. This is the somewhat wacky scene we ended up with. I think some tiny eyes might have been ever so slightly opened, as several things are posted where they should be. Tisk, tisk.
Game 2: Pop a colored coconut, find a slip of paper inside, assemble a secret message...
The assembly of the message, which led the kids to their party favor bags.
Present opening time! Wow, what craziness! This part really wore me, and I'm sure several onlookers, out! The girls got tons of fall clothes and tons of toys that they'd been wishing for for months, as well as some cash for saving and spending. Both the girls and their parents are so pleased! 
By mid-afternoon, Bennett had all of her toy-type gifts opened, and as you can see they get along with each other quite nicely! Thanks, all of our wonderful family, for making the party a wonderful time for the girls, and for all the wonderful gifts you gave!
Bennett and Ainsley hiked themselves silly! Above they are trekking up some steps.
Several small frogs were seen in the forest, and Ainsley managed to catch one! She was so very thrilled!
Here is the view we took in from a lookout point. 
Bennett made her way up a bit of an incline. Notice she's wearing a mini skirt. The hike was relatively last minute, and we put the Keens on, but we failed to have the girls change into more appropriate attire. Who says you can't hike in a mini skirt anyway!?
Here is a view of about half of a flight of very steep steps we decended. 
Dad was a good guide, even though he had no idea where we were going. 
A view of the prairie as we headed out of the forest...
And now, on to family movie night. We hung out one evening and just watched a show. The girls tried out the "new" kiddie lawn chairs that we purchased second-hand for use in the the "new" canoe. Good news! They second as theater seating! More good news! Step stools are the new end tables these days.
Lounging, watching and snacking! Is that a newborn panda on Bennett's lap? Of course!
Now to completely switch gears, here is a just a picture of Bennett's most recent "scene" on the rooftop of her dollhouse. It's a club of some sort we're told. Apparently two dollhouse moms are just resting in the kids' bunks with their pet cats. The "kids" who are porcelain and in pajamas are hanging out on the roof of the canopy bed...not a great thing for porcelain kids to be doing, if you ask me. And for some reason, the bed has a sign on it, stating that one of the kids, Chuck, works at Hy-Vee. Again, not a great idea for someone made of porcelain, really. Oh, so entertaining! Thank goodness Bennett is such a garage sale "treasure" collector. It's her pack rat, trinket collecting that provides us with such interesting happenings at our house.
