When I had gone to the kitchen to get the girls their milk, both Lilli & Corinne were on opposite sides of the couch watching their morning movie, and Eleanor was playing on her floor mat. This is how I found them when I returned:

Lilli has a habit of moving Eleanor to where “she is more comfy, mommy!” Thankfully, and amazingly, my five and a half year old knows how to carefully handle Eleanor..as if she herself were a little momma.  She even has insisted that she learn how to change a diaper. If Eleanor weren’t so squirmy when getting her diaper changed, I bet Lilli would have that down…and cloth diapers aren’t the easiest thing to change in comparison to disposables, anyway!

I thank God that I am able to teach my girls how to be keepers of their home & family.

Words cannot express how thankful I am for the life God has given me, so I’ll let the pictures below do the talking (Even though there’s so much I want to share…but I promised Michael that I wouldn’t blog about a specific one until he gave me the “okay.” Be sure to check back for the most exciting news ever!)

These were from last night during our “Clarke Girls Dance Party” …this time, even Poppa joined in!

A couple things worth mentioning: I was excited to snap Lilli’s port de bras…and yes, Corinne’s dress is inside out & backwards - not too bad for dressing herself!

The past two days have really been Autumn-like….cold, windy, with an occasional rain. Even though I don’t like venturing out into the cold, I’m so excited that the colder weather is here! I’d rather stay inside where I can feel the warmth of a fire, drink hot cocoa, and smell a cinnamon-apple-something baking.  Speaking of apples, we still have so many apples from our apple picking outing about a week and half ago. I came across this apple bread recipe and, after trying it out, thought it would be perfect for the girls to lend a hand in.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I always use olive oil)
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups apples - peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

1) In bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.

2) In large mixing bowl, place oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and apples.

3) Stir into flour mixture - mix (I also add just enough water to allow all the flour to mix in.)

4) Divide mixture between two greased 8-in. x 4-in. bread pans (I used a muffin pan). Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until bread test done.

5) Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack before removing from pan.

What recipes do you like to make during the Autumn season?

Ever since Corinne bumped her head, our house has been a little bit more busy. Even though she’s been back to her old self after returning from the hospital, for some reason, things have been busier. Michael stayed home on Wednesday to keep an eye on Corinne (and to give me some time to rest…between going to bed late from Corinne’s accident & nursing Eleanor, I think I got about 3 1/2 - 4 hours of sleep on Tuesday night). Lilli, Eleanor, and I still went to the assisted living community - where the majority of the residents asked where my “other girl” was - and handed out “Autumn Trees” that we made from construction & tissue paper. As always, we had fun and look forward to next week!

Lilli has her second to last day of gymnastics tomorrow. She’s been doing it for two years and although she has enjoyed it, she is starting to loose interest - we feel it’s time to move onto something else. Come November, Lilli will be taking swimming lessons. After swimming, who knows? I’m inclined to say that it will be ballet. During one of our “Clarke Girls Dance Parties” yesterday afternoon, Lilli busted out a temps leve & an arabesque:

So she’s (way) turned in and she landed on a rolled in plie…we can work on that. But look at her line in her arabesque! Must have good genes….
Corinne is almost potty trained! We’re into our second week and she is doing MARVELOUS! We still use a cloth diaper for nap & bedtime, but other than that, Corinne loves her “big girl” undies & tells us when she has to use the “big girl” potty. Another plus - Corinne’s head is looking better. The swelling has gone down drastically, but of course there is a nasty bruise.

I thank God that we were able to see a doctor immediately. Do you know how many children are not able to get the medical attention they need? Do you know in many countries, there is a language barrier? Do you know that many children die from a single mosquito bite? I feel so silly worrying about a bump on the head.

I am thankful for this coming weekend….time with the family, coffee with my pastor’s wife, church, a picnic, & of course - more apple picking
What are your plans for the weekend?

This is what happens when you have an adrenaline junkie for a two year old daughter:

Michael usually tosses the girls into bed - it’s fun. they laugh, beg for more, you get the idea. But last night, Corinne literally launched herself at the same time and hit her head on the window sil. Thankfully, my good friend, Rachel, is a nurse and came over to assess the damage. She said even though it looked terrible, things were probably fine…but just to make sure, we should take her in. So late last night, Michael and Corinne went to the emergency room (did I mention we have awesome insurance and didn’t have to travel the two hours to the in network hospital?!). After an exam, the doctor said not to worry, that Corinne’s injury should go away within 5 days, but keep a close eye on her for any out of the ordinary symptoms.

Praise God!

Woo Hoo! It’s Friday! I really don’t have anything to post, other than the fact that I am so excited to spend the weekend with my crazy nutty family!

What Eleanor did while I went to get a diaper from the dryer...look closely...lol

Corinne in her new knitted longies.

Lilli using her towels like "a big girl."

A good morning message from my hubby :)

And since I hardly post pictures of myself...why not. (Next time I should wait for the steam leave...lol.)

Now that Fall, or Autumn (which ever you prefer ), is here, I thought it would be fun for the girls to paint with a color that reminded them of the season - Lilli chose orange. I had some extra sponges and thought it would be a great material to paint with. Cutting the sponges into different shapes made it even more fun…the girls had a blast!

Eight weeks! Tomorrow, that is, but we’ll be on a mini vacation and I wanted to get this posted….now.
Eleanor had her two month old check up this week and did quite well. I was so surprised when she weighed in at 12 lbs 1.5 oz.! What a little porker! She is in the 90-something percentile for both weight and height, so she’s quite proportional. Eleanor was not to thrilled with the THREE shots she had to get - she was so mad she screamed for the whole hour and a half ride home, but conked out as soon as we got there.

Corinne also had her physical (hey, living an hour and a half from the nearest HMO, I get everyone who needs a visit within similar timeframe done at the same time). She also had a shot. She didn’t scream though - only a few tears, a long snuggle from Poppa, and she was over it. She’s was eager, however, when asked by the doctor, to show off how smart she is: she could “jump,” point to different body parts, and say specific words. Corinne is also in the 90-something percentile for both weight and height.

All in all, it was a looong, but productive doctor’s visit. I’m so thankful that my girls are able to receive vaccinations. So many others around the world are not so lucky. (You can read about Jimma University pharmacy student, Endalkachew Fekadu’s, battle with TB here)

Here are a couple pictures of Eleanor at 8 weeks old. I couldn’t make up my mind which picture to use - I love her little Hanna moccasins, as well as her Robeez! She just looks so dang cute!

And I don’t know how I left this picture out from her 6 week birthday:

I love her little smile!

…Corinne and I have been Sukwe-sober for one week. Let’s all give Corinne a warm welcome to the “Big Girl Club!” That’s right, Corinne (a little under 22 months now) is no longer addicted to her Sukwe.

For those of you who don’t understand the word, Sukwe, let me explain. I’m sure you those of you with kids understand that not every word young children speak actually sound like they’re supposed to.  “Sukwe” was Lilli’s pronounciation of the word, something. She just couldn’t say it. “Strawr-burry” was strawberry, “Wohr-ange” was orange, and to this day she still says “Your-gurt” for yogurt. Pretty soon “Sukwe” became our family’s name for pretty much anything: “You’re my little sukwe,” or  “What a sukwe!” But, it really stuck when someone (don’t remember who exactly) referred to Corinne’s pacifier as a “Sukwe.” And then - it just became habit.

I’ve been wanting to break her of her pacifier habit for quite some time now, but have never followed through. What mother wants to hear her child crying for something so comforting and so loved? I would always cave. I started to only allow her to have it while going to sleep, but she is a smart girl and would climb into her bed, get her Sukwe fix, and climb back out to play. Smart girl indeed…but it prooves that Corinne is also a big girl now…she understands us completely, is on the verge of potty training, can feed herself, and no - she does not NEED her Sukwe. “Tough love,” I thought…and so I trashed the FOUR Sukwe’s that were my second born’s best friend. Now there was no turning back…

It took me about an hour last Thursday to get her to take a nap. She was SCREAMING at the top of her lungs, throwing things, and obviously not a happy camper. (You’d think my pep talk about how she is a big girl now would have worked with her…) She finally conked out and woke up still mad at me. Thursday night was a little better, but that’s because the Poppa was home to back me up. Why do the father’s only have to give them “that look” and the kids know they better behave themselves? I must know this secret! Granted, why do mother’s have the ability to sleep through an earthquake, but awaken as soon as they hear their child crying from ten rooms away? That was my case Thursday night when I (literally…picture it) jumped out of bed in the middle of the night to Corinne running up and down the hall upstairs screaming (while Michael didn’t even flinch). I calmly walked up the stairs (understanding why she was acting the way she was) and held out my hands to her: “Corinny come to Mommy and I’ll rock you.” “Otay” was her answer (made my heart just melt) and I explained to her that it was still night night time and time for us to sleep. A soft “Otay” was her answer again and I put her in her bed. She was out before I even left her room. That was the last time we had any issues with her not having her beloved Sukwe.

“Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
~Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

With daughter #3 on the way, I’ve gotten some practice in being a mother to daughters - in good times and bad, I love it! Here’s a list as to why, with today’s Music Monday pick at the bottom:

1) The easiest to explain: I know what it’s like to be a girl: the issues, struggles, emotions, etc.
2) Strawberry shampoo & lotion
3) Sparkles and glitter
4) Pink & purple nail polish on their piggy toes.
5) My heart melts every time they yell, “PAPA!” and run with arms wide open to Michael when he gets home from work.
6) Dance party time before bed.
7) Pretending to be (depending on the day) a fairy princess, fuzzy cuddly animal, or grown up mommy. Watching Corinne rock her stuffed animals to bed.
9) Watching Lilli hug her sister & say, “It’s alright Corinne, let me give you kisses” when she gets a boo-boo.
10) Butterflies, flowers, & hearts.
11) I sigh each time I get to do their hair in ribbons and curls, after dressing them in those “adorable, cute, little outfits.”
12) Hugs, kisses, & snuggles…just because.
13) Hand prints on my windows
14) My Little Ponies in my car
15) Handmade…anything 16) Watching them (in my peripheral vision) watch me
17) Watching them show me (again and again and again) what I’ve taught them.
18) Colorful Band-Aids
19) STICKERS!!
20) And this song pretty much sums up the joy of motherhood: Jamie O’Neal’s “Somebody’s Hero” (which, of course, I cry to every time I hear it…lol):