Benjamin Add-Ons

*Sorry if these two posts are long. Feel free to skip/skim whenever you want. I try to add as much as I can b/c I'm using this as a journal/scrapbook of sorts so that we can look back at all the wonderful things that happen as our kids grow up and so we can remember things we may otherwise forget.*

After I posted the one below, I remembered some funny things about Benjamin that I wanted to post. The other was so long that I thought I would just do one more entry so I wouldn't forget the sweet things he did tonight......

Dave and I have been praying with him when we put him to bed at night and I usually have him say "Dear God, thank you for...." and let him add people/things. He says someone and I say "and" until he covers everyone and then I say, "and Jesus" if he didn't mention Him and he repeats and then we usually say, "Love you God. Amen." Well tonight I did that with him and then after we were done I asked him to give me a big hug and he didn't respond. Instead he started saying something over and over. After a few times I figured out he was saying, "Dear God" and his eyes were closed. So I said, "Oh, you're going to pray some more." Without responding to me, he kept saying, "Dear God" five more times or so and then on HIS OWN said, "Thank you for Momma. Thank you for Daddy. Thank you for Anna. Thank you for Benjamin. Amen" My heart about burst open, it was the sweetest thing I've ever heard!!!! I'm so proud of him!

After I told him how good a job he did praying all by himself and explained that he could pray/talk to God whenever he wanted I kissed and hugged him goodnight and left thinking he would go to sleep without a problem like he usually does. I went next door to take care of my neighbor's dogs and when I came back, Dave told me that Benjamin had gotten out of bed and talked for awhile and tried to get out (we have a child lock on his door b/c putting him to bed became a game of him coming out of his room over and over). But that he had quieted down on his own and he hadn't heard him since. We thought we should check on him just to make sure he had gotten back to bed okay. Well thank goodness I'm in the habit of opening the door slowly (b/c he's usually sitting there waiting for me when he wakes up). When I tried to open the door, I couldn't b/c the poor guy was lying there asleep in front of it!!!! I pushed the door softly again and it didn't move, so I had no other choice but to call out to him until he woke up and stood up out of the way. Poor thing! I'm so glad we thought to check on him, or he would have probably spent the night sleeping on the floor!!!!

What sweet/funny kids I have! I'm so blessed!