Soon after he turned 2 years old, I was driving him, Aubree and Belle home one late evening and Nicholas saw the moon out his car window! He started shouting excitedly, "mommy! the moon! I see the moon!". After talking about how beautiful the moon was for a minute or two, he got quiet then said, "I wanna give BelleBelle the moon!" I smiled at this bc I knew how important the moon was to him and what that meant that he wanted to give it to his baby sister. He may not even have fully understood what he had just said himself, but I did. Now over the past year, several times when he has gotten really happy about the moon, he will say it again, "I wanna give BelleBelle the moon!"
A few weeks ago, while driving home with the three of them once again, it was getting dark outside and both Nicholas and Aubree were getting concerned that they were going to have to go "night night" when we got home. They kept saying, "I don't wanna go night night. It's not night night time". So then I told them, "when the sun goes to sleep and the moon wakes up, then the stars come out, that's when it's night night time." I didn't expect them to remember this. I honestly was just coming up with a sweet and easy way to break the news to them that, "ummm...yes, actually you ARE going to go night night" but then a couple of days later at the house, it was getting dark again and Nicholas came up to me and said, "it's dark" and I said, "yes it is dark" then he said, "did the sun go night night?" I smiled and said, "yes the sun went night night". Then he said, "when the sun goes night night and the moon wakes up, it's night night time?" I just loved that he remembered that!
This love for the moon (which has grown into a love and fascination with the stars as well---but the moon will still always be his) is what made me want to write this. I have written and even published several poems since I was in high school but none of my own writing has ever TRULY moved me as much as writing things for my babies. Hopefully I will "man up" and post more in the future but hope this one at least makes you smile for now:
"When the sun goes to sleep and the moon wakes up, that's when the stars will come out to play!"
But Nicholas only went out in the day
"How then shall I with the moon and stars play?
And what if the clouds make the night dark and gray?
Keeping the light of the stars at bay
How then shall I with the moon and stars play?
When the sun goes to sleep then awake may I stay?
That then I may with the moon and stars play?"
While the sun is awake, then play you may
But only as long as the sun does stay
For its goodnight kiss sends its last blinking ray
then off to bed but first to pray
Thanking God for a wonderful day
Full of sunlight, fun and play
Then sleep does come whilst troubles allay
In dreams, so sweet. Then you truly may
Be blessed to see a splendid display
Of the glorious stars and wondrous array
of the moon in her striking and marvelous way
(aglow just for you, dear Nicholas) will say,
"Do, please, with me and the stars come and play!"
