I never get tired of seeing Bennett in this dress-up outfit...The Cowgirl. I think the hideous brown wig is the kicker. Also, she seems to take on this attitude as soon as she puts this costume on. You can see the attitude in her eyes, but I can't really describe it. Reader descriptions welcome!

Weekend Pictures

Here are some photos from our kind of action packed, yet restful weekend. Ainsley raided her pajama drawer and put on multiple layers of sleepwear, creating a Pajama Monster. Doesn't she look fierce?
Bennett spent most of Friday afternoon weaving pot holders. She is a very good at this. Don't be surprised if you receive one for your next special occasion. They are lovely!
Dad inflated the pool just in time for the temperatures to take a dive and the wind picked up to about 45 mph. Therefore waterless swimming took place. It was refreshing, or maybe it was the cooler temps.
The girls took in their first auction, as one was taking place right next door. This allowed them to park their chairs in our backyard and watch masses of bargain sharks for hours. Actually The Girls only lasted about 10 minutes. Then Grandma came over to keep them happy while we parents tried to purchase an affordable momento from our belated neighbor friend's collection of

"treasures."

Ainsley has always enjoyed activities that make a mess above all others. Last night, we cut back a rose bush that had several blooms that were near the end of their glory. I gave the petals to Ainsley to do with as she pleased, and she was thrilled to toss them in the air several times. You can tell by the look on her face that Outdoors + Mess = Ainsley...she was completely in her element.

African Safari/San Diego Zoo

Yesterday we spent a great deal of time playing African Safari, complete with many wild animals and a makeshift shelter with necessary supplies. The above picture was taken live, on safari. This morning, as soon as we awoke, the African Safari magically became The San Diego Zoo. Bennett took me on a zoo tour as I drank my morning coffee. Zoo tour photos are seen below.
Here Bennett is telling me about the Western Diamondback. Notice her gloves...necessary protection when handling a venemous snake.
Bennett also gave a lovely presentation on the Mouse-Sized Bat, which she tells me weighs 30lbs. and is 10" long. That doesn't sound very mouse-sized, but I let my concerns about the accuracy of her information go unspoken. She also told me this bat lives in the mountains and has a hole in it's back where it keeps a very durable silk used for spinning it's web-like nest. More suspect information, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.
Our tour wrapped up at the Tree Frog exhibit. I'm told these creatures live in the Amazon, which is the rainforest in South America, you know. Next time you see me, you may want to ask me about tree frogs. I'll tell you everything I now know, thanks to Bennett. It will certainly be a fine mix of fact and fiction.

Alternate Route

Last night we hopped in the car to drive across town to McDonald's. Bennett and Ainsley each received a coupon for a free ice cream cone from McDonald's at the library, so we thought we'd use them. About 4 blocks from home, Ainsley said, "Mom, are we going to take the alternate route to McDonald's?" Alternate route. Yes, that's was she said, lthough the word "alternate" sounded more like "altimate." I've always thought that if you use big words with kids, they will learn to use big words. It is fun to see this hold true. And to answer Ainsley's question, yes, we did take an alternate route to McDonald's, per her request. Dad, who had to drive seperately, met us there by taking the direct route.

Recent Works

The Girls have both been drawing up a storm. Here are some of their latest sketches. Bennett drew her own rendition of the band, The Black Eyed Peas. She's heard an occasional song by them but has never seen what the band members actually look like, so in her mind, they must look like vegetable peas.
Ainsley drew her first face! She has attempted faces before, but this is the first time her drawing actually resembles what it is intented to resemble, complete with two eyes, a nose and a mouth. Bennett was very impressed with her sister's drawing and praised her considerably.
Here are a couple of buddies Bennett drew. They are peas in a pod, with their swirly bellies and left feet.

Authority, Discipline, Responsibility and Big Sis to the Rescue

It is so hard to be a toddler! Ainsley and I are frequently in the battle to determine who is the boss. She tells me that I am the boss, but she doesn't always show me that this is the case. Today she wanted to get a specific toy out, and I told her she could gladly do so after she had put the magnets back on the refrigerator that she had left all over the kitchen floor. This was not what she wanted to hear, whatsoever. She screamed and cried for a long time about how she just couldn't clean up the magnets and how she needed my help. I told her she didn't have to clean the magnets up, but that her requested toy would not be making an appearance until the magnet mess was gone. The wailing continued and continued. Bennett even said, "I am just getting so tired of all this fussing! She should have been in time out by now!" True, Bennett! I placed Ainsley in the chair to simmer down. She did not simmer for about 20 minutes. Finally, she got off the chair and began putting the magnets back on the fridge, as seen in the above photo.
After she was about half way finished, she started saying, "I'm tired...my aim (arm) is so tired." She was not fussing when she said this, so that was good. Her big sis came and sat beside her, helping her put the rest of the magnets on the fridge. I allowed this assistance, since Ainsley had stopped fussing and was complaining of exhaustion in such a calm and composed manner. Bennett explained to Ainsley that crying will never get you what you want...it doesn't help a thing! (I hope Bennett remembers that the next time she's the one fussing!)
Ainsley was so thrilled with her sister's help! She gave Bennett a large, appreciative hug once the magnet mess was gone. Then she enjoyed her requested toy. This lesson in authority, discipline, responsibility and the value of a compassionate sibling took at least 45 minutes. Whew! I'm sure we will be experiencing the same lesson again in the next day or two. I'm hoping we'll be able to cut the learning time down to less than 30 minutes the next time around. Like I said, it's tough to be a toddler.

Summer School

This morning, the girls wanted to play school. They obviously don't realize how taxing school is because most school-aged children do not want to play school in the summer. They will understand soon enough. Anyway, we were playing school this morning. Ainsley (a.k.a. Luke) demanded she be dressed appropriately for school. This is the outfit she came up with...a nightgown, a fleece jacket, two mismatched, huge shoes on the wrong feet, and a white stocking hat. She wore this the entire time we were playing school, so maybe an hour. I am sweating just thinking about it now. This outfit does not seem appropriate for summer school, but what do I know?

Happy Father's Day!

The girls enjoyed spending Father's Day with many great dad's at a couple of family gatherings. It was quite a treat to have Chappy eat with them and a cousin as the kid's table. They found this quite amusing, and although he never complained a bit, Chappy probably found it quite uncomfortable.

Here is some proof that you should not necessarily believe everything a young child tells you. Today Bennett found this ancient New Kids on the Block trading card at our house. It was mine when I was young. She took it over to Ainsley and showed it to her saying, "Look...it's a picture of Dad when he was young." I went over to her, looked at the picture and asked her if she was beening serious. She was completely being serious and truly thought that this photo of Donnie Wahlberg was her father in his prime. I about laughed myself to death!