Once a week?

Lucy is 14-months-old tomorrow. She is super cute, but man, I'm tired! I took the kids to a bouncy house place this morning...she is fearless!

A couple of local friends have told me that they miss my blog! That was so nice to hear. I'm still planning on taking most of June off from blogging, but today I had a desire to write...so, here I am. Maybe I'll try to post something just once a week (that will still leave me time to devote to other projects...or so I tell myself!). :)

Last night Daddy brought home new books from the library. This is always a good day in our house. The kids love sitting and just looking at the pictures. Gianna is very motivated to learn to read...I wish I was as motivated to teach her (it's not that I don't want to...it's just hard to find one-on-one time with her)!

Daddy picked out a book (I have found it's much easier for Daddy to do this on his lunch hour than me trying to watch kids and pick out decent books!) called "The Book That Eats People" by John Perry. He thought it sounded funny.

I was running around putting away laundry as Daddy sat down to read the bedtime stories. He picked the above-mentioned book first. He was announcing the title as I walked into the room.

I immediately had my doubts. I thought it sounded too scary for our young crew. Sure enough, Joseph jumped up to get behind Daddy at the sound of the title.

My fear was confirmed as soon as we started the tuck-in routine. Gianna announced that she was too scared to go to sleep. Joseph was acting a little funny too. We went through all the reassurances (your Guardian Angel and Jesus and Mary are with you, here's some holy water, Mommy will be right downstairs, etc.). I didn't have a good feeling as I took a shower and retired to the couch (Daddy had to go back to work).

So began my relaxing (sarcastic) hour of free time before I went to sleep. Gianna came down first. She went back upstairs with Rosary beads in each hand...only to reappear 10 minutes later. I told her that she could sit with me for 5 minutes (as I quickly changed the channel from the episode of Criminal Minds that would scare her even more!).

After five minutes, I told her that it was time to go back to bed. She then presented me with two things that she knew that I could not resist (I could tell she had been thinking about something as she had been quiet for 5 minutes...this child loves to talk!).

The first thing: "Mommy, how about if I give you a back rub first?"

Ha! It had been a very long day and this was definitely not the night that I had planned. A back rub sounded heavenly (even if it was just 6-year-old fingers doing the job).  "You win," I thought! 5 more minutes.

I thanked her and told her that it was time to go to bed. She pulled the Rosary beads out of her pocket. How about if we just pray to Mary first?

ER!  She had me. I had actually been feeling a little guilty that I turned on the TV instead of praying (I often try to say my bedtime prayers before TV because I fall asleep the second that my head hits the pillow!).

"You win again," I thought. One decade of the Rosary.

She tried for another decade...or scratching my legs...but I won this time. I sent her to bed. Just in time for Joseph to wake up...

I think I will be previewing all books from now on! Although, a back rub and a decade of the Rosary just *might* have been worth it...