Do you ever just step out of the role of parent . . .

and laugh at what it looks like for someone to try and control the truly insane tornado that passes as your four year old?

The last few months I have spent more nights away from home during the week than at home. So for the most part I have missed out on what has become a very . . . interesting and . . . active bed time routine.

Two parts in particular had me literally shaking with laughter this evening. I'm sure Billy really appreciated that. But seriously, I dare you to keep a straight face while watching the Princess . . .

jumping, spinning, jolting, dropping to her hands and knees while shaking her head violently, climbing her father then falling off onto her bum, all while trying to recite the thirteenth and last article of faith.

If you didn't know what she was trying to say, and her dad wasn't kneeling in front of her trying to say it with her, you never would have known what the random shouts of . . . HONEST . . .CHASTE . . . TUOUS . . . GOOD . . . ALL MEN . . . FOLLOW . . . PAUL . . . THINGS . . . THINGS
. . . THINGS . . . THING . . . THESE THINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! were supposed to be.

Add to that her hair that is sticking out at very odd angles due to the extreme static electricity, and it was really quite the show.

At this point Billy was chuckling with me.

But as we were all sitting down trying to read scriptures and the Princess was still rolling all over the place and Billy's reading was punctuated every few seconds with "sit up" "sit still" "pull down your night gown" "SIT UP", I couldn't help but continue to laugh, trying hard (and failing miserably) to cover it up, while Billy got more and more frustrated. He wasn't laughing anymore, at all.

But seriously, if you could have seen what I saw, the hair sticking to her face from the continued static, the slumping down on the couch and then rolling around, only to look up shocked when her father got after her.

I should have been helping out, I really should have, but I couldn't stop laughing enough to actually be a parent.

It was delightful, I should stop parenting more often. It's more fun, and I enjoy my kids much more :).

Thanks Princess, and Billy for being the parent all the times I'm not.