Just two little movies and three books and I get to pick them out before we go to sleep.

Praise the LORD from the earth : you sea monsters and all deeps;

fire and hail, snow and fog : tempestuous wind, doing His will;

mountains and all hills : fruit trees and all cedars;

wild beasts and all cattle : creeping things and winged birds;

kings of the earth and all people : princes and all rulers of the world;

young men and maidens : old and young together.

Let them praise the name of the LORD :

for His name only is exalted,

His splendor is over earth and heaven.

Worship the LORD : praise Your God. –Psalm 148:7-13

Everette wasn’t feeling so well last night so we had a fairly chill sleepover.

First things first. We always go outside and feed the two goldfish in the big backyard tank. And the turtle we have never seen but have been told lurks in the dark depths.

And speaking of the depths thing, after E set up the most secret surprise bed in the middle of the living room we watched “just one little movie” about the Wild Kratts brothers exploring the very bottom of the sea in search of as yet undiscovered sea creatures huddled around volcanic cracks and the boys having a big run in with a giant squid sea monster. And it was a little scary but everyone is brave and smart and happy in the end.

And what about reading Bartholomew and the Oobleck and King Derwin of Didd who found out that sun and rain and snow and fog is exactly right? And that he was wrong, and when we are wrong, we say, “I am sorry.”

Then E wanted to go back outside and stand under the jasmine bush and look at the glowing sky and and the almost sunset and the Catalina mountains all golden and shimmery because it was so beautiful. So we did. While eating blackberries.

Then we made Stone Soup. We found a perfectly smooth stone and took it inside and scrubbed it all clean and put it in a pot of water to simmer. Then, because E is “good with sharp knives” we scrubbed the still-dirt-clung carrots from the Farmers’ Market, and she neatly cut them into nice bite-sizes and added them to the pot. And we picked a few basil leaves and added them. Then we kind of cheated because E insisted on beef just like the soldier and the only beef Mimi had was in a can of Progresso Minestrone, so we added that but no pasta because the soldier didn’t add pasta and it was all pretty delicious. And after we wrote a love letter to mommy and daddy, we curled up on the secret bed, but we didn’t need any blankets because E’s fever was raging crazy hot.

And we watched the Wild Kratts brothers explore South Africa and find The Big Five and The Small Five, and the wild beasts and creeping things are so amazingly cool.

Then we read Curious George Flies a Kite. And it is a little scary and a little naughty to be so curious but God’s world is so interesting and it’s really fun to figure things out like how to catch a runaway bunny and how to catch a fish. Because we learned a long time ago from Daniel Tiger that you can Take a Step Back and Ask for Help. And the Man with the Yellow Hat is always ready to help. But flying in a helicopter could be a little scary.

Then we found out that Princesses Are Not Perfect, but that is okay.

And we prayed for momma and daddy and Simóncita and snuggled off to sleep so fast and happy because God and His Love for His world are all around us. Then Mimi blew out the special Joy candle from Elizabeth, and she snuggled off to sleep as well.

Let them praise the name of the LORD :

for His name only is exalted,

His splendor is over earth and heaven.

Worship the LORD : praise Your God.