precious princesses

I came home and was greeting by the awkward clomping sound of a little girl wearing dress up heels that were far too big for her.  Ladybug shuffles to me as fast as she can, daintily holding her skirt the way big sister has painstakingly instructed her.  She stopped in front of me and tried to curtsey.  She crossed one foot behind, and then in front, and then behind again as she teetered and then gave up.  Instead she bowed, holding her hands straight out and bending only at the waist.  Butterfly quickly followed with a more traditional curtsey and said, "Mother dear, wouldn't you please join us for the grand ball?" in her sweetened "on airs" voice that she uses when she's trying to be fancy.

Well, who can resist that? I paid the babysitter and sent her home and immediately joined my little princesses.  They sat on the first step on the stairs and beckoned me, "come driver, you must drive the carriage and take us to the ball!" I sat on the step in front of them and coached the horses down our imagined bumpy road and sharp turns.  Ladybug giggled, Butterfly chastised me as that is apparently not the way a princess drives.  There's something just so make-me-melt cute about my little girls sitting so properly, their shiny, full skirts smoothed over their knees with their plastic high heel shoes peeking from underneath.  Butterfly's tiara sits on top of a riot of unbrushed, fuzzy curls while Ladybug's tiara is shoved on at a precarious angle with wisps of curl sticking out in every direction.  A smear of green popsicle is still hiding on her cheek and she laughs and giggles in that perfectly innocent, whole hearted way.

We arrived at the ball and they dashed off, each retrieving a stuffed animal to be their prince.  Butterfly twirled gracefully in an almost-waltz while Ladybug pranced around singing "ring around a rosie!"  After a few minutes, Butterfly returned to me commanding, "dear driver, I am ready to leave the ball now."  I declined, as Ladybug was still dancing.  "Fine, I will wait in the carriage!" and she flounced off to sit on the stairs.  It only lasted a few minutes until she returned to the ball which eventually became a tea party...and then a birthday party...and then they played with puzzles...and then had to bathe their dollies in the pretend kitchen...and practice karate.  Apparently the ball is over.