Sweet Cricket moments

Among the painful parenting experiences I've had lately, there are some sweet, sweet moments straight from God I need to share as well.

Cricket stops fighting eventually (very eventually) and quietly, softly asks to be rocked.  She brings me Chicka Chicka Boom Boom to read and I read it.  Then she "reads" it herself, letters all out of order.  The woman who leads a play group we attend talks about the parts of a book every time she reads a story to the kids, and so when Cricket finished reading she said "The end, and the back cover."

Another time she selects Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and at the end seems so peaceful that I ask if she wants me to read it again.  She says yes, and quickly falls asleep through the second reading.  In years of singing and rocking children to sleep, I've never had a child fall asleep before end of the book, leading me to read the last words with extra tenderness and sweetness.

Another time she falls asleep as I rock her, then I carefully place her in her bed.  She rolls her head my direction and opens her eyes, and I fear the whimpering cries that have started up again at times.  Instead, she looks directly at me with a look I can only describe as loving, then closes her sweet eyes and goes back to sleep.

And did I mention she loves Tomorrow from Annie?  She sings it on her own, asks me to sing it, sings along with me all throughout the day, along with her other favorite song, Jesus Loves Me.