Prayer Time

Goes a little something like this at our house:

Jaron or I- "Ok guys it's time to say a prayer. Can you fold your arms?"

Immediately, two hands shoot straight up in the air and a gentle quarel begins.

Liv and Warner simultaneously say:
"I wanna say it! I wanna say it"!
"You said it last time".
"You said it for dinner"
"You said it for breakfast".

They are of course making all of this up and have no consistency with the actuality of who prayed when, but none the less the quarrel lives on, and has been present in our lives every day, every time we pray, for the last . . . oh year or so.

Then the prayer begins. We never have a silent prayer in the Brown household. By silent, I mean, only the person doing the actual praying is talking. No. Not here. If I say the prayer, Jaron is usually eye balling the kids, and whispering softly, "Fold your arms Warner. Stop hitting Buster. Warner shhh. Liv close your eyes".

If Jaron is praying, Liv and Warner take turns whispering their different needs to us.  Liv's needs have been the same ever since we went to New Castle beach 3 months ago, when she got attacked by mosquitoes.  She whispers, "Dad. Don't forget to bless my bug bites". Warner's needs have been the same ever since Liv got bit by bugs, though he did not get bit, he whispers loudly, "Dad, bwess my bug bites too".  He likes to take on other people's pains I guess, because he also reminds us, "And bwess my wibs", ever since Jaron broke his ribs a few months ago.  If on the off chance Jaron or I happen to keep on praying or consentrating without acknowledging him, Warner will just simply do a whisper-shout "Dadddd!! Don't  FORGET To BWESS my WIBS!".

Sometimes, the kids just remind us of one need during the prayer, sometimes it's a whispered duet of many things that last almost the entire prayer.
Liv- "And bless my. . . "
Warner- "And bless my". . .
Liv-"And don't forget to bless me. . . "
and on and on.

We have become quite irreverent I'm afraid during prayer time around here these days. As cute as it is, I'm going to start asking them before the prayer what their needs are and have a quick talk on reverence so that we can get through the prayer in silence.

Silly rascals.