Good Night, See you when the sun is bright........

Our nightly falmily sleeping routine.....
we go through the whole tucking in routine.... night night.. sleep tight.. see you when the sun is bright.... check on me 10 times in 1 minute... when i stop singing, come check on me.... i have to go the bathroom.... ok, i have to give mommy and pilot one last hug... ok, good night, see you when the sun is bright... i need a drink of water... (drinks all water)... go fill up my water and then check on me when you bring it in...
by the time i bring the water in, she is sound asleep. i'm able to stroke her forehead and give her a kiss...
we say good night to mommy (another whole good night routine involving blowing kisses and last minute "i'm feeling hungary" runs to the kitchen for keefer or cheese) and pilot and i head for the basement. once in the basement, pilot settles in on the pull out couch, pulls the covers up to his chin and nestles comfortably in the crook of my arm and chest. i watch a little tv and he drifts off to sleep. he would never ever just lay next to priscilla and drift off to sleep. not without incessant demands for nah-nahs.
after pilot falls out i might pay some bills, catch up on work, or just watch a little tv, but one thing is constant. around 9:30 or 10 i'll hear the pitter patter of feet across the ceiling and the opening of the basement door... bang as it hits the pantry shelves. the creak of the stairs as feet come down. not the quiet stepping of an adult trying to make there way in silence, but the hard stepping, thumping of a 4 year old, half asleep, feeling her way down to the basement. her bed for most of each night. she walks by with her eyes squinting... her face all squinched up.. sometimes with her arms completely covering her eyes. she marches straight to her bed, as instructed (so as not to wake up pilot), straightens her covers.... and climbs in. sound asleep within 3 seconds.
why don't we just tuck her in to bed in the basement in the first place? she spends about 2 hours in her own bed each night... but i smile and am filled with the greatest joy each night when i hear those thudding, half asleep footsteps passing overhead. i like to give her a little wave which is always returned with a big wild wave and a whisper, "hi daddy... i just had to come down cause i missed you and i love you... good night"

~John (Daddy)