Recently Cannon has started adding his own contributions when we pray. Typically our prayers begin, "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for ... " and we help him list the things we're about to eat, or experiences we had during the day, or people we got to be with. We love when he ignores our promptings and comes up with his own material instead.

Tonight, after getting together with several family members to celebrate my birthday, he did not feel ready to go to sleep even though it was 9:00pm, 30 minutes past his usual bedtime. He threw a little fit and tried to climb out of his bed, but I laid him down on his pillow and gently but firmly held him from leaving. He protested and cried but eventually calmed down. I said cheerfully, "Okay, Cannon, it's prayer time! It's Daddy's turn to help. Dear Heavenly Father..."

There was a pause, and I figured I'd be praying alone tonight. But then he sadly muttered back, "Father," still sniffling.

"Thank you for cousins," I suggested.

Almost in tears: "Thank you for Cannon could be a sad guy."

Molly and I tried to hold back our impulse to laugh, but at the same time it broke our hearts.

"Heavenly Father, please help Cannon not to be a sad guy," I said, as I gently rubbed his back.

Still hurting, he sadly replied: "Please bless we could go to dinosaur museum tomorrow."

I continued prompting him through the remainder of it, thanking Heavenly Father for nursery day, our yummy dinner, etc., but he was done and didn't speak another word.