Today we spent the afternoon with friends who live about 45 minutes away. We didn't leave till nearly 7:00, and so that left us in an awkward place. If Emma were to fall asleep in the car, it would mean that she would probably stay awake till at least 10:00 and probably more like midnight. We put the Ramones on, but as I looked back on her, I could see she was yawning and the ride was far too long for that. I began the mental preparations for her to stay up far later than I wanted--and then Ben came to my rescue!
Out of nowhere, he started telling her stories. I couldn't catch everything he was saying, because they sit together in the back row of the van, and as I said, we had the Ramones on (not exactly quiet music, if you're not familiar with them...) Also, Ben's voice is still high and somewhat lispy, so he can be hard to understand in a quiet room. But I caught words here and there, like ,dragon, fire-breathing, dwarves, knight and castle. Emma was listening in rapt attention, her yawning forgotten.
Then we hit a quiet part of a song, and I heard Ben say, " Emma, do you know what a hermit is?"
And she said she didn't, to which he clarified, "It's a guy who lives alone in the woods, and sometimes knows just a bit of magic!"
So she said excitedly, "Just like the hermit in 'St. George and the Dragon'!"
Which is a favorite book of Ben's, and, I suppose, Emma's as well.
And, by the way, she made it home completely awake. And fell asleep within seconds of brushing her teeth...
--Jen
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