Peter And The Wolf

Tonight, after Brian was safely tucked into bed, the girls and I headed for their room for a special treat. I borrowed a copy of "Peter And The Wolf" on CD from the library, and have been promising the girls that they could listen to it tonight. The orchestra music is beautiful, and the girls adore hearing stories read aloud, so they've been looking forward to tonight's bedtime tale.

They all started out in their own beds. Tucked under their warm blankets, they curled up and awaited the beginning of the musical story-tale. Their giggles were followed by loud whispers of "shhh!" as the CD began.

They were mesmerized. Even Erin lay quietly in her bed, sucking her fingers and twirling her hair, as the cat tried to capture the bird and the duck. But when the wolf arrived on the scene, the music became more ominous. She sat up in bed and clapped her little hands over her ears. Then, she ran over to where I sat on the floor, and climbed into my lap.

As Peter tried to capture the wolf, the music grew louder and more frightening still. Amy hopped out of bed and ran to join us on the floor, dragging her blanket and pillow behind her. Within minutes, Beth climbed down from her top bunk to cuddle up with us. The wolf didn't seem quite so scary when we were all together, so they were able to enjoy the rest of the tale. They clapped and cheered when Peter managed to capture the wolf, and even learned to predict which character was arriving on the scene by the musical instruments being played. Amy proclaimed it to be the "best story ever", and they all tumbled into their beds exhausted but happy, with visions of Peter and his friend the bird in their heads.

It's amazing how something as simple as a story set to music can make such a memory. I'll never forget how much fun we had tonight, and I'll bet they won't, either.