lullabies

our beans love when we sing!

we read about a thousand books before nap, but before bedtime we sing about a thousand songs. these are the ones that are part of the regular repertoire:

"baby mine" from dumbo, alison krauss, etc. i've always loved this song & it might be ellery's favorite.

"i am a child of God" primary song (this is the only one i don't sing with the kids):

I am a child of God,

                                                                                      And He has sent me here,

Has given me an earthly home

With parents kind and dear.

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,

Help me find the way.

Teach me all that I must do

To live with Him someday.

petite poule was a song i learned forever ago & had to search the cosmos of the interweb to find it again & found it on youtube paired with a bizarre, european-esque video. haha but it's a sweet little french lullaby about a hen laying eggs all over town & the children get to eat them hot. coco is one french word for egg (& is also a term of endearment for french little ones, une petite coco, a little egg).

"castle on a cloud" from les miserables, i struggle every night when i sing this. for those who aren't familiar, it's sung by a little orphan girl named cosette that dreams of a life far away from the one she has. gets me every. single. time.

There is a castle on a cloud

                                                                                    I like to go there in my sleep

Aren´t any floors for me to sweep

Not in my castle on a cloud

There is a room that´s full of toys

                                                                          There are my hundred boys and girls

Nobody shouts or talks too loud

Not in my castle on a cloud

There is a lady all in white

                                                                                   Holds me and sings a lullaby

She´s nice to see and she´s soft to touch

                                                                      She says: " Cosette, I love you very much."

I know a place where no one´s lost

                                                                              I know a place where no one cries

Crying at all is not allowed

Not in my castle on a cloud 

i usually repeat the last line of the 3rd verse with "she says: ellery, i love you very much." last week ellery was dancing around while i rocked cossette (& in my defense, it IS a lot of singing) so i skipped the repeat & cossette leaned up, stopped the song, grabbed my chin, & said "love ella-ree!" with her forehead all wrinkled with concern. i just melted; she is such a sweet thing.

"the rainbow fairies" my mom used to sing this to us & it has cute little actions:

Two little clouds, one summer's day,

Were flying through the sky;

They went so fast they bumped their heads,

And both began to cry.

Old Father Sun looked down and said:

'Never mind, my dears,

I'll send my little fairies down

To dry your falling tears.'

One fairy came in violet,

One in indigo;

In blue, green, yellow, orange, red,

They made a pretty row.

They wiped the cloud-tears all away,

And then flew up the sky,

And on the line the sunbeams made,

They hung their gowns to dry.

"mr. moon" daddy sings & "you are my sunshine" mommy sings. by ellers assignment.

& last but not least is actually a camp song:

we love you jellybean, oh yes we do!

we love you jellybean, and we'll be true!

when you're not with us, we're blue!

oh jellybean, we love you!

now cocobean! now daddy boy! now mommy bear! (yes, i have to sing a version for myself.)
"mommy, are you blue when you can't see us?" :)

there are countless people out there with a better trained voice than mine. but that's not who these sweet things want to hear. taking the time at the end of the day to talk to my little ladies & sing them off to sleep is one of my favorite things.