Daily forgetting

OK, so that last post had little to do with the princess and the poodle and was a selfish diatribe on my life as it stands - i feel like I haven't accomplished anything lately as our Christmas decorations still are not completely put away. they have made their way to the bonus room in one area and we did manage to get a bag for the tree and put it away.
So for the girls - the poodle is a riot! she found a mesh bag of tennis balls tonight - oh yeah, it's been laying on the floor for 2 days and she has walked by it several times and not even noticed it (umm, she's getting groomed next week but currently looks like a small black bear cub, not a standard poodle). she kept throwing it in the air and all the balls would fly up in the bag, inevitably one smacking her schnoz and then she'd drop them. then she'd pounce on them. This was after a good 20 minute run back and forth for her soccer balls in the back yard. Yeah, she still thinks she's a puppy, even though she just turned 5!
And the princess has taken to telling me "Don't tell me not to *fill in whatever I just told her to do*". It seems to be a more popular phrase lately and always directed at Mommy. We've started our Mother-Daughter war already. Of course, Daddy caves easily so she just asks him. And those Hanna dresses? We are using them as a bargaining chip in the potty training. She has to not mess up her panties at school for 5 days and then she can wear a dress and maybe her Ariel nightgown. I'm sure I'll be a mean mommy and find another clause to add on. But she does get to wear her dresses to Sunday school regardless. She has recently started making up and telling stories - long ones... Lots of the involve "Poo" - her poodle blanket - and something about an alligator. Her daily wishes are to ride the carousel, Dumbo, Jungle cruise, whatever and she wants to go see Mickey on the "kews" ship. I wish we hadn't told her that she would see Mickey next year on our Disney cruise (January 24, 09!). Oh well, her princess rug will have to suffice for a while!