Amen!

     Each night before the girls go to bed, we have a little routine.  We start with the girls brushing their teeth.  After that I get them dressed in their pajamas.  Then I have them each pick out one book to read together.  I then put Katie in her bed first because her bed is further in the room.  Katie will then look up at me with her big, blue expectant eyes and say, "Pway".  That is Katie and Jubilee's word for "Pray".  Katie will fold her hands and bow her head (with a smile on her face).  We will then go through the prayer, "Now I lay Me down to Sleep".  Once the prayer is done, Katie hollers, "AMEN!".  She then lays down and says "Night Night Mommy".  Then, because I have two little girls to put to bed, I pick Jubilee up.  She usually is jumping up and down ready for bed saying, "Pway, Pway".  We go through the same routine, even with the hollering of "AMEN!".  Jubilee will then either lay down, or she will ask to "Pway" again.  Whenever she does that, I of course pray with her again.

     This cute little routine we go through teaches them to communicate with God.  I've noticed that the girls are smarter than I give them credit for.  Since we also pray before meals, it is either a hit or miss whether they participate in it.  A few nights during dinner I noticed that Katie had stopped eating, bowed her head and folded her hands, and was muttering to herself.  I asked her if she was okay.  She looked up at me with a HUGE smile and shouted, "AMEN!".  She had been praying all by herself.  How sweet it was to see her do that!

      I have also noticed that whenever something comes to an end, whether it be a movie or a book, both of them simultaneously shout, "AMEN!".  It is very fun to watch them enjoy learning prayer basics.