Our morning routine

We made a commitment when our marriage began that each day we would read scripture as a family. For many years this time fell in the evening, just before bed. As the kids got older we saw that they were too wound up from the day's events to gain much, so we made the very hard decision to move family scriptures to the morning. It happens now at 6:20 a.m.-every weekday morning (we find time on the weekends and sleep in then :). Our policy has been that when the kids go off to a full day of school they get up for morning scriptures (we'd leave the little girls asleep in their beds if they would-but those two turkeys are early risers, and usually beat their older siblings to the scripture reading spot each day!).

This pic was taken by John, because it is our morning ritual right now. Porter, who would sleep til noon if we let him, crawls downstairs and into my lap. He is rousted for his turn to read his verse and then is back to sound sleep in my arms. A fit is thrown if one of his little sisters beats him to my lap-it just isn't worth the drama, so we make sure I sit down in time to catch him in my arms before our opening song.

I don't mind really. Pretty soon this kid won't want my arms around him much. Already he won't kiss me and if I press the matter he insists I can only kiss him on the cheek (with a sound and obvious wiping of the kiss after it is planted!). So, I'll take his cuddles for now as much as he is willing to give them. And maybe during that few minutes of spiritual enlightenment while he's safely cuddled in my arms some of that spirit will seep into him, and he'll become like the mighty prophets and apostles we read about each morning. I hope that's sinking into him as he sleeps on my lap in the morning.