Of Bedtime Stories

From her first night out of the hospital Micaiah has had a bedtime story and a prayer nearly every night before being tucked in (some nights she's a little too cranky or we're a little too tired and we skip straight to the prayer, but those nights are rare, indeed - especially now that she's old enough to demand, "I want sto-wy!").  Her first story was "In a People House." 

I had so looked forward to mommy-hood for bedtime stories alone.  So much so that for our first year of marriage Philip very kindly endured my reading to him most nights before turning in.  Granted, I allowed his selections to be of a more grown-up nature - featuring John Steinbeck among others, but there were also times I turned to selected novels from when I was younger - such as my absolute favorite: Rimwalkers.

Since the time Emmett was born he has mostly piggy-backed on his big sister's story time.  Sharing my lap with a wily two-year-old isn't always easy, though, so many nights he waits in the living room, allowing his elder sibling to run in for a good night kiss after her story.  Then, after his bedtime snack, we snuggle in on the futon in his room for the latest installment of this book:

Pirates - a volume his sister has never read or seen - a book saved just for my little manly man.  Who wants to hear about Fancy Nancy when he can learn of perilous life on the high seas?  So far he loves it (well, I mean, he smiles at anything so it's hard to differentiate, so I'm transferring my own feelings to him).

Special times with my son: priceless.