Good nights

I have been meaning to write down the current nighttime song rituals. I am sure they will change as they always have, and I can never remember what they used to be, once they're gone. So here's current. This is for Kes, who goes to sleep first. Then I leave and Eliana reads to me. I read to her, we have our "talk time", and she has a snack. Then I put her to bed and sing her one song of her choosing.

I Will (the Beatles)
Lullaby (Brahms and my mama)
Hinei Ma Tov (traditional Jewish, re-melodied by Rick Recht)
Shir Chadash (Psalm 96, melody by Julie Silver)

I Will

Who knows how long I've loved you
Although I always will
Will I wait a lonely lifetime
If you want me to, I will

Love you forever and forever
Love you with all my heart
Love you whenever we're together
Love you when we're apart

And when at last I find you
Your song will fill the air
Sing it loud so I can hear you
Make it easy to be hear you
For the things you do endear you to me
Oh you know I will
I will

Lullaby

Lullaby and goodnight
Go to sleep sweet Kesenia
Mommy loves you, Daddy too
Go to sleep and close your eyes
Day is gone, night has come
and the whole world is sleeping
Day is gone, night has come,
rest your head and go to sleep.

Hinei Ma Tov

Hinei ma tov uma na'im
Shevet achim gam yachad (repeated)

(which means, roughly, "how wonderful to be together")

Shir Chadash

Shiru l'Adonai kol ha-aretz
Shiru l'Adonai shir chadash
Sing unto God all the earth a new song
I will sing unto God a new song
Sing unto God and we'll all sing along
Unto God all the earth a new song
Shiru l'Adonai kol ha-aretz
Shiru l'Adonai shir chadash
Shiru l'Adonai shir chadash

Usually the one song Elly chooses is Hinei or I Will (aka "The Love You Song"), but occasionally she wants The Man in the Moon:

The Man in the Moon, as he sails the sky
is a most remarkable skipper
But he made a mistake when he tried to take
a drink of milk from the dipper
He dipped it in the Milky Way
and slowly and carefully filled it
The big bear growled and the little bear howled
and frightened him so that he spilled it.