Flashlights and Suction Cups

Take any parent of a young child and they will tell you, in some form or another, how much kids can take joy in the unexpected things. I know you've heard it before, "We buy her all these toys and what she ends up playing with are the boxes." I love this about my children. In our house I try to foster an environment of creativity, and creativity does NOT come from playing with a plastic toy that makes a bunch of noises as well as it does from a box full of sticks or an empty mesh trash can. Subsequently I have more random things to clean up after, like leaves and pine needles, or those empty trash can space helmets that end up upstairs after a rocket ride when they should be downstairs. I am happy to have this delima.

Some of the most memorable times for me and hopefully for my kids are evenings spent preparing for sleep in an unexpected place. Those unexpeted places tend to have a fort or tent theme around here, and tonight was no exception, with all three soundly sleeping in Kane's and Maxwell's room. There was a handy fort built between the top bunk bed and Max's crib, and Bella just had to snuggle up there to sleep for the night. So we got out my old sleeping bag and a pillow and found her a little flashlight so she could find her way out to me if she needed to, which was a concern of hers. And while we were preparing the fort, Max found a suction cup off of a cheap stick-to-the-door basketball hoop - one of those things I have been meaning to throw away for awhile. He realized it would stick to his chest, and my little cut-up spent 15 minutes smacking it on his belly and then sticking it on, leaning his head way back and laughing, all for the effect it gave of cracking Bella and Kane up. He thought it was super funny. Then we turned out the lights and tested the flashlight. They wanted me to take pictures of everyone in the light of the flashlight,and Bella just had to take one of me.Then it was time for sleeping. Kane ended up in his bed after sneeking down with me and falling asleep on the couch. Bella is sound asleep in the fort, and Max in his crib. I love the bond that they build when sleeping so closely, the way it is meant to be. There is no animal in this world that lives in a heard/pack/flock/family group and sleeps in it's own room away from all the others... And I love the memories that we can form with flashlights and suction cups.