Hello and welcome to another edition of Do You Want to Sing Together! Sofia2017 planning asked this Mary Kate and Ashley song, so enjoy your request, which doubles as your belated birthday present! In chapter 34 of Do You Want to Sing Together XXV, Bobby Lee sang a Western-style song to Ricky to help him get to sleep. I thought it would be fun if James sang a song like that to Elena and Gabby when they came to visit him when he's writing. He's encouraged to take a break, and he leads them in a singalong of one of their favorite tunes. Nell and Bobby Lee join him soon after, and fun is had by everyone. Mary-Kate and Ashley's music is not mine.
Bobby Lee was awakened by the sounds of his new son Ricky coming from the bassinette in the corner of his and Nell's room. Nell had given birth to him a few days ago, and Bobby Lee insisted that she rest while he helped her with Ricky. He also knew that Nell had fallen asleep in Madeline's room after she checked on Elena and Gabby, but he wanted her in a more comfortable bed, so he had some of his guard friends help him take Nell back to his room. Nell had been surprised to find herself back in their room, but Bobby Lee had told her why he did what he'd done, and she went back to sleep without any further arguments. But now, Nell was awake, and she wanted to check on Ricky, but Bobby Lee wouldn't hear of it.
"Robert, it's sweet of you to wait on me hand and foot like this, but I need to take care of Ricky," Nell protested as he eased her back onto the bed for the third time. "There are some things I can do for him that you can't."
Bobby Lee nodded. "I know, Helen, but you just gave birth a few days ago. You have to take care of yourself too. Of course I'll let you feed Ricky, but I'll take care of everything else. And you know I'll have Elena, Gabby, Sabrina, Madeline, Amber, Sofia, and James to help me."
"Oh, yes, Mama always said that a new baby is at least a two-person job!" Nell giggled.
"But for Madeline, Sabrina, Elena, and Gabby, it was a four-person job, right?" Bobby Lee grinned, referring to the fact that they were all twins.
"You're not wrong, but you've been spending too much time with James," Nell smirked.
They were cut off by a squeal as Ricky woke up. He was trying to find Elena's stuffed Jaquin Kitty, who was still with his big sister. He had seen Kitty when he was first born, and he was as attached to it as Elena was. Nell and Bobby Lee had written to Queen Elena to bring a stuffed Jaquin for Ricky when it was time for his christening, and Elena was excited for her kitty to be a big sister to Ricky's kitty too.
"I'm on it, buddy," Bobby Lee smiled. He quickly left the room so Nell could feed Ricky and get herself ready.
He came to Elena and Gabby's room where they were just waking up. "Daddy!" Gabby smiled.
"Good morning, girls!" Bobby Lee smiled. "Ricky's awake too, and he's missing Kitty."
"Ricky can play with Kitty!" Elena giggled, flapping her hands. "I wanna be a good sharer!"
"And you are a good sharer," Bobby Lee smiled. "Let's give Ricky Kitty, then we'll eat, then what do you say we check on James? I heard that he was working on papers again, but at least he took a break to sing with Madeline and Sabrina."
"We get James!" Elena giggled.
"We'll do that if we don't see him when we're done eating," Bobby Lee agreed as he helped them get dressed. "But let's give him the benefit of the doubt, he may have eaten already, or he might still be sleeping."
"Okay! We wait then we get James!" Gabby giggled.
"Sounds like a plan," Bobby Lee chuckled; 'get James' was a favorite game of not just the royal family, but for them as well.
After they had eaten, Bobby Lee said, "Okay, girls, now it's time to put your listening ears on to find James. Do you know what to listen for?"
Elena giggled as she heard him using one of Bianca's sayings. "We listen for James!"
"We listen to James sing!" Gabby agreed.
"That's right," Bobby Lee smiled.
As they walked down the hall, they heard a song playing. "We found James!" Gabby smiled, pointing at the partially open door.
"Yes we did," Bobby Lee smiled. "But remember, we don't get him right away. For all we know, he could have just started working. Let's give him a chance to tell us his side of the story."
"He work on a Andrew story?" Elena asked.
"Maybe, Love Bug, but no matter what, let's hear what James has to say," Bobby Lee agreed.
They knocked on James' door, and they heard him call them in. "We get you, James!" Elena giggled, seeing him already hard at work on something.
"Why? I just got my notebook out because I had an idea for my new story and I didn't want to forget it," James looked up from what Bobby Lee recognized as his notebook.
"We not see you at breakfast," Gabby pouted a little.
"That's because I already ate," James couldn't help but smirk a little. "I woke up really early this morning and I couldn't go back to sleep. I got something to eat, then I came back here. I just set up my writing buddies, found my notebook, got my pencils out, and before I could start writing, I heard you knocking at my door."
"That makes sense," Bobby Lee agreed. "I've sometimes woken up before my normal time and I can't go back to sleep. When that happens, I get an early start on things I need to do, then I try to get a nap in if I feel tired."
"What this Andrew story about?" Gabby asked as she curled up on the bed and took James' stuffed dragon Sir Blaze-a-Lot in her arms.
"I got inspired to do a Western themed adventure when I heard Bobby Lee singing to Ricky last night," James explained. "I started writing ideas down, but I'm not sure how the story's going to go yet."
"I help you, James!" Elena cheered, looking up from where she was cuddling with James' stuffed tiger Prince Blizzard.
"Me too!" Gabby agreed.
"How's Miranda's phrase go again, the more the merrier?" Bobby Lee agreed as he sat with them.
As he watched James consult his writing assistants, and since he loved Western stories, Bobby Lee also gave James some ideas. He motioned to Gabby to go to James' box of tapes and CDs that he collected for when she and Elena were with him, and suggested that she find a song to help James write.
"This one!" Gabby giggled, holding up a tape.
"That's a good one! And it goes so well with the theme of James' story," Bobby Lee smiled.
"And of course, if you know the song, feel free to join in," James agreed as he started singing.
That winter was a bad one,
for thirty days it snowed,
the minute school was over,
we packed the car and hit the road.
It teetered there, the worse for wear.
A dude ranch in decay, the bunk house leaked,
the stable reeked, I loved it right away.
"Yee hah!" Bobby Lee whooped as he spun Elena and Gabby, then joined him on the chorus.
How the west was fun, like a leap from a haystack.
How the west was fun, like a rodeo, like a flapjack!
I knew my heart had found it,
I knew my search was done.
Oh, oh, oh how the west was fun!
"La-la-la!" Elena sang, giggling as Bobby Lee tossed her up.
"La-la-la!" Gabby echoed as Bobby Lee took the next verse.
I took a ride on Suicide, that was my trusty steed.
Knocked down three tents, and electric fence.
And started a stampede.
Then the hailstorm and the locust swarm
that blotted out the sun.
The quicksand pool was also cool!
And this was just day one!
"Horsies?" Gabby whimpered. She was scared of riding horses, especially after she rode a horse when she wasn't supposed to.
"It's just the song, Gabby," James smiled as he wrote down one of Little Rex's 'ideas'. "You don't have to ride horses if you don't want to, but you've been getting better around the horses in the stables."
"That's right," Bobby Lee agreed. "Just listen to the song and let's have fun!"
Gabby smiled a little. "Okay…"
As they started the next chorus, they saw Nell and Ricky at the door, so James waved them in.
How the west was fun, like a leap from a haystack.
How the west was fun, like a rodeo, like a flapjack!
I knew my heart had found it,
I knew my search was done.
Oh, oh, oh how the west was fun!
"Hi, Mommy! Hi, Ricky!" Gabby smiled.
"You wanna write with us?" Elena asked.
"Okay," Nell smiled as she sat down and Bobby Lee took Ricky. "Ricky and I heard you singing and thought we'd join you!"
"Yeah!" Elena cheered, flapping her hands. "James sing when he was baby, so Ricky sings too!"
"We'll see, Love Bug," Nell chuckled as she watched Ricky reach for Sir Blaze-a-Lot.
As she gently bounced Ricky on her lap, she took the next chorus as Ricky squealed a backup for her.
Saddle up! Westward ho!
Let the station wagon roll!
I'm one lucky daughter of a gun!
Oh, oh, oh, how the west was fun!
The lumpy bumps, the bats and skunks,
the slimy things that lurk.
The sing alongs, those hokey songs,
For me, the whole thing worked.
"See? Ricky sings too!" Elena giggled.
"Yeah!" Gabby giggled.
"If you say so, girls," Bobby Lee chuckled as everyone finished the song.
How the west was fun, like a leap from a haystack.
How the west was fun, like a rodeo, like a flapjack!
I knew my heart had found it,
I knew my search was done.
Oh, oh, oh how the west was fun!
Oh, oh, oh, how the west was fun!
Westward ho!
"Yay!" Elena cheered, flapping her hands. "This fun song!"
"Yes it was," Nell smiled, but then she noticed that James had grown quiet. "James?"
"James sleeping!" Gabby giggled.
It was true. As the song was ending, James had grown more tired, and by the time they had done the last chorus, James had fallen asleep.
"He did say that he got up really early this morning and couldn't go back to sleep," Bobby Lee smiled as he put James' notebook and pencil on his desk.
Well, it looks like he'll be able to sleep now, so let's let sleeping writers lie," Nell smiled as she drew a blanket over him. "He can sing with us again when he's awake or when he's got a free moment."
"Okay," Elena agreed. She leaned over and kissed James' cheek. "Night-night, James!"
"Night-night!" Gabby echoed, patting James' head.
"Okay, girls, you've said night-night to James, now let's let him rest," Nell smiled.
"And we'll let him dream up some new ideas for his story," Bobby Lee agreed as he led the way out.
