How big are Gods Ears?

and other musings of the Clerkin girls!

Patrick and I laugh over the fact that Anna and McKenna have VERY specific routines that they go through at night. I stay in McKenna's room and Patrick stays in Anna's room for the initial 'settling down period'. The girls are able to ask questions with their eyes closed. After a minute or so, we each say goodnight to the girl in our room, we switch rooms and say goodnight to the other and then they proceed with the final questions, always in the same order and they are never skipped...

Anna:

1. It's too dark - which means, Daddy go mess with my closet door so I think it is open wider

2. Is my fan on?

3. What time is it?

4. Where are we going in the morning?

5. Can you put the covers over my head 2 times?

McKenna:

1. Is my fan on?

2. Is my closet light on?

3. Is the little thing on my door... so it won't close all the way?

4. If I get scared I can go downstairs or call you?

5. If I get thirsty I can go downstairs or call you?

Those are the normal questions. They will throw in a couple of others just to catch us off guard. Patrick gets the questions like, can we go to the mall tomorrow, what is going to be in my lunch... I get questions like, why do you and daddy get to sleep in the same bed (this is really because the girls want to share a room), why did Jesus die, are we going to die, how big are God's ears (this one may have stemmed from us telling the girls that God hears everything and they have equated that to REALLY big ears!). I am not sure what I have done to get the hard questions, but it shows me how much the girls are listening to things around them, trying to figure out the world and understanding that there is a lot in this world that can't be explained. We try and answer their questions as truthfully as a 5 year old and almost 4 year old can comprehend, but I am beginning to realize they grasp a lot more than I may give them credit for.

Things have been great at our house - hectic which is why I haven't blogged in awhile, but really great. Anna is still loving soccer and she is getting better each week. Practice was rained out today and she started crying! We had our first parent/teacher conference for Anna is she is doing well in kindergarten. We have to work on some concepts, but overall she is adjusting well socially, her teacher thinks she is adorable (who doesn't?) and she has made several friends in her class. I try and have lunch with her on Friday's and there are 5 girls who sit at the lunch table together - it is mass chaos and they are all laughing and having fun - it is great to see her in those situations! Anna decided the other day that we should have a picnic - it was beautiful outside, so we set up the blanket, grilled some hamburgers and hotdogs and had a nice picnic in the backyard. As we were getting ready to eat, the wind picked up a little and the napkins all blew off the blanket and Anna's hair was getting in her face and she turned to me and said - 'This is not how I imagined it my head!' - she is growing up way too fast.

McKenna is having fun in preschool, but she misses her 2 yr class teachers. She likes her new teachers, but she always asks if she can go back to Miss Amy's class. She thought she wanted to stay late another day, but she ended up not knowing anyone else who stayed on Fridays, so she is back to only staying late on Wed. for music. She really enjoys the music class and has met a friend named Anna Katherine, which she reminds me isn't her sister! :) McKenna has decided that she wants to play soccer in the spring, so we are hoping to get her and her friend Abbie on the same team. Abbie's sister Maddie was able to join Anna's team a little late in the season, so it would be fun to have both the sisters on the same teams.

Ava is 7 months old and still the best baby ever! I think she cried out in pain once with her first tooth and today when she got her booster flu shot, she just looked at me and the nurse with a look of 'that's all you got?' No tears, no fussing later in the day, just happy go lucky as always. I don't remmeber Anna or McKenna being particularly bad babies, but seriously this is ridiculous! The only complaint that any family member has is that Patrick swears Ava only likes him if I am near. She was all smiles and giggles the other night with both of us, and then I went to get her bottle ready and she started crying as soon as I left. I think it is just her sisters have told her how to push mom and dad's buttons, but Patrick thinks it is something deeper - to compensate, he promised to buy her a car :)

Since I know all anyone really wants is pictures, enjoy!

I came home from work to find McKenna all dressed up!

Parents of the year we are not - Ava fell asleep in her high chair as Patrick and I were talking at dinner one night!

Aunt Jenny's birthday dinner

How old is she?!!!

I am coming to get you soccer ball...

It's hard to be this cute, but somebody has to do it!

This was a true 'Fancy Nancy' day (for those with girls who don't know who Fancy Nancy is, you will soon enough!). Anna picked a sort of fancy dress and McKenna picked a really fancy dress, so I put a fancy dress on Ava as well. We went to the mall, Costco, and grocery store with the girls all dressed up and Patrick and I in jeans - we were decidedly unfancy!

Ava has started sticking her tongue out in photos which is exactly what McKenna used to do at the same age, but I think Ava looks much more like Anna did at this age.