I'm weak.
I try to be really consistent with Corbin's bedtime routine. Part of that is
laying with him for two songs even when he asks for five,(he likes to have music on while he sleeps, right now it's the soundtrack to Somewhere in Time, nice classical sounding stuff...I'm holding my breath to hear what it turns into when he's a teenager eek).
Any way...I walk out his door even when he wants me to stay longer, I have already fought, and won, the habit of him needing us next to him to fall asleep I can't afford to give in. Now 2 songs is all he gets. Well, sometimes 3 if I lose track.
Tonight I was doing the dishes after laying with him, as I usually do, when he came out of his room. This too is part of the routine at least once a night. This time instead of being ready to fight sleep, he looked up at me with his big brown eyes and said "Mama, I need more cuddles".
And with those 5 little words I was his for two more songs.
Cooper carried this around for hours
Cooper kissing Corbin's picture
Second, a candy chain- one little starburst each day for both the boys. Now, Cooper is catching on to this one.
For Family Home Evening we read the First Presidency's Message in the Friend. They tell us that this holiday season we should, "sing with joy, pray in gratitude and carry out good deeds". We have little pictures here to remind us of those 3 things...
and each evening we are writing on a little paper ornament what we are grateful for that day and one kind deed that the children did. Then we sing a song (with joy of course) and say a prayer including all the things we each are thankful for. It has only been a few days, but I really like this...it's a really nice way to end the day.
We are also going to wrap up all our Christmas story books and read one each night before Christmas, but I don't have 25 so we haven't started that one yet, and I haven't put them out either, didn't want to torture the kids with gifts they can't open for that long. 
