"Good Ni-iiight!"

I wish there was some way to better convey to you what kind of child Miss Katie is since you cannot see or hear her. She is a minx, an imp, a pixie. Her eyes twinkle and she has this mischievous air about her. It is funny because she can be so fun and yet so naughty. Everything she does is done with force. A pistol, my mom calls her and she isn’t far off the mark there. Katie is just something else.  I love her so.

Here is her in fine form a few nights ago.

Everyone had been in their beds, teeth brushed and stories read for some time. They, Kiersten and Isaiah, get 15 minutes or so after alls said and done to look at books in their bed or play quietly in their rooms. While this goes on the hall light remains on. Our hall up there cannot be more than 6 feet long so the hall light shines adequately in all the rooms. So although Katie’s light is off she still has some luminescence with which to look at books or play a little herself.

After the said 15 minutes are up either I or my Beloved calls up the stairs, “Lights off! We shut the hall light off and wait for the other 2 lights to blink off as well. Once they do I say, “Good night.”

That night the littlest of voices calls back, “Good Night, Mommy!”

“Sweet Dreams!” she adds having had this said to her on more than one occasion.

“Sweet Dreams,” I mimic.

“See you in the morning!” she chimes in. Again something I’ve said as I tuck her in good night.

“See you in the morning,” I reply as my Beloved and I share a secret smile.

“Good Ni-iiiight!” she says again.

We repeat the whole conversation over and I add, “All Do-ooone.”

Well, she isn’t done because I hear once again, “Good Ni-iiiiight!”

Silence.

30 seconds later a little louder this time, because maybe I didn’t hear her correctly, “GOOD NI-IIIIIIIGHT, MOMMY!!”

I stay the course and say nothing although I am ever so glad she is upstairs and I am downstairs so that she cannot see me grinning to beat the band.

Katie is nothing if not persistent. Several more times she tries to get me to respond by calling out, “Good Ni-iiight, Mommy!”

My Beloved calls up to her, “Good Night, Katie-girl. We’re all done.”

“NO. Good Ni-iiiight, Mommy!”

After that we both held our tongues so as not to drag out this game all night. We held our tongues but nothing could hold back our smiles.

Oh that girl, she is something else alright. Something sweet and special and such a handful! : )