Brothers - Bedtime

Elijah and Lazzy rarely go to bed at the same time. Lazarus is naturally a sleepy guy. Most nights, it takes a lot of effort for us to keep him up past 6pm. The boys do their bedtime routine together, brushing teeth, jammies, stories, etc. Lazzy climbs into bed unprompted, says "Nye Nye" and is out like a light before you even shut the door. One thing we've all enjoyed is singing to Lazzy before bed. If Elijah hears either Dan or I singing, he will run in and take over, sweetly serenading his baby brother to sleep.

Bedtime will look very different with more children in the home. Not only will there be more chasing, giggling, singing,  stories and prayers, but we might be dealing with criers and bottle eaters. They will all share a room, no matter the situation (even if we have a screamer) so good thing my boys will sleep through anything!

I'm so encouraged by Elijah's sweetness toward Laz. I know he will be a good brother to any children we have in our home. He is loyal and trustworthy. Two qualities I imagine a foster child is looking for in a new brother. Elijah often talks about his "foster sister/s" and asks who they are and where they are coming from. Since explaining to him that it will be a surprise, he is now asking for surprises regularly:

At the bank when he's offered a lolly pop, he doesn't pick his color but wants a surprise.

At the ice cream shop last week, the man over the counter asked which flavor Eli wanted, and his response was "surprise me!" with closed eyes and hands extended.

Elijah has so much love to give and I am thrilled that it will not be wasted. I'm thankful for my flexible boys and could not be more proud of them. Can't wait to see them with a little girl in the house!