The first step in our routine is to finish dinner, clear the plates and table. Then the kids go upstairs and take a potty break and get their jammies on. They come downstairs with a story they want to read and when that's done we read scriptures and pray. Of course there are variations and sometimes for the sake of time and/or sanity we have to call an audible and skip one ore more steps (except potty, potty is of paramount importance).
Our oldest is less than a week away from finishing kindergarten and she's reading like a pro. She enjoys poetry and tonight she read me three of her favorite poems from this E.E. Milne Winnie-the-Pooh collection:
The middle child, our youngest girl, loves to draw. She's usually content with one story as long as she can draw for a bit afterward. Some nights, however, she wants two or three stories, which isn't a problem as long as they are short.
Then there is monkey boy. While I am tucking in the girls he often hangs from my body in various awkward manners. It's a miracle he doesn't have more bruises and bumps. They are all very sweet children and they love to give hugs and kisses. They also will often include a "bones" (fist bump), a "high-five", and a "heads" (a gentle bump on the forehead with their forehead) with their hugs and kisses, and they have to do the same routine to each family member.
When the lights go out we sing two or three songs. Since they were babies I've always sang either "Silent Night" or "What a Wonderful World". There's always some primary songs from church thrown in as well. Once they are tucked in, the girls usually will ask us questions regarding the nature of the universe or related to something else they learned:
Girl 2: Dad, how far is California?
Me: We're in California. We live in California.
Girl 2: Is Costco in California too?
Me: Yes. California is a state and it's a big part of our country.
Girl 1: I know what our country is, it's the Unites States of America.
Me: You're right.
Girl 2: But when we go to see our Uncle Dan is thaaaat California?
Me: Yep, California is a big place.
Girl 2: When we went camping was that California?
Me: Yep, even the beach is in California.
Girl 2: Whaaaaaaaaat!?
The little boy usually asks for one more song. Lately our oldest has continued singing to him after we shut the door. I love my kids and bed time is a great time to show them how much I love them, I think they get it.
7 comments:
I'm glad you recorded this for us. My blogging skills are lackluster as of late. :)
This is a really sweet post. It makes me excited to be a parent.
You will be great. It's hard sometimes, but it's wonderful.
this sounds about right (we read the scriptures in the morn). Lili always asks me for 'un cuento de mi cabeza' which are mediocre stories that no matter what I do always up teaching a moral. Sammy demands the Thomas the train song. John is the sleeper and he is always asking me to leave the room but he does love stories that include explosions and other things that require words like kaboom! and phooey! and crack! I get the monkey hanging all the time. In fact I'd say my kids are like dogs because once you get down on their level they begin to attack you. They love to pile on me and I usually love it too.
Your routine is similar to ours, though it sounds like you guys get in more reading, songs and definitely more drawing. How cute!
Gabriel and Eva love to do heads too. Sometimes they get a little too enthusiastic about it and start crying.
Gordon also has a tendency to smack things to hard with his forehead: other people's foreheads, walls, noses, chins, the floor, etc.
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