Leah, Rachel, Bilhah and Zilpah

I've been wanting to institute a consistent, nighttime reading routine for a long time. But usually by evening, I'm exhausted and don't want to do anything else educational or gather the kids around me anymore.

This summer, Matt and I have finally managed it. We've read some fun books: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Cricket in Times Square. Now we're reading some fairy tales but we'll probably start Sarah Plain and Tall soon. We read a fun book for 15-20 minutes in the living room, then order the kids to brush their teeth, get water, go potty, etc. and meet again on our bed for family prayer and scripture study. I don't know what it is about all the kids on our bed but they get so giggly. If Daddy says something silly, it's like he's set off a funny bomb and everyone (including Felicity who is just copying) just explodes with laughter. Any of you who are familiar with Abby's laugh know how deep and loud it is. It is usually her laugh alone that sets me laughing.

The other night for scriptures, I read some verses from Genesis. (I want the kids to be familiar with Bible stories so we're in the O.T.) It was the part where Jacob works seven years for Rachel, then Laban gives him Leah (the older sister) instead so he has to work for seven more years to marry Rachel. Leah has a bunch of children and Rachel cannot so she gives her husband her maid, Bilhah, who then has sons. You know how these Old Testament stories require explanation so as not to seem so bizarre, and after explaining to the kids up to this point, Abby reasons with, "They're like having a baby competition!" Ha-ha, she laughs. Well, it only gets better because when Leah stops having children, she then gives her maid, Zilpah, to Jacob. If you could have heard Abby's laugh at this point, you would have been laughing yourself. She and Kian just giggled and guffawed at the hilarity of the story. Matt and I were laughing just as hard. Of course, Kian has to chime in with something silly, "She's going to have a zillion pods for Jacob!"

It's when family night and scripture study and prayer include moments like these, parenthood is truly an enjoyable endeavor!