Cardall did an arrangement of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," which is one of the songs his daughter loves. He also chose "Jenna's Dance," from his "Christmas Box" CD, "because I always see a little girl dancing to that," and "Embraced," another song that expresses his gratitude for family.

Schmidt arranged "Long, Long Ago." "My parents were German immigrants, and I grew up with that song." His other songs are "Solace" and "Cherished Moments," which also seemed to fit the spirit of the CD, he says.

Tolk did an arrangement of "Brahms' Lullaby," because, "to me, that's the most famous, magical one of all. We had to have it on the CD." His "Whose Woods These Are" is a tribute to the Robert Frost poem and is "peaceful, reflective music." "For Lisa" is a tribute to the mother of his children "and has a nice lullaby feel as far as meter and instrumentation."

Although Tolk's four children are now getting older — the youngest is 5 — "some of my best memories of my kids are of bedtime, with them in their pajamas, with the lights down low, telling stories, listening to music and bonding. They spent a lot of nights going to sleep to music, some mine, some from others. When I was arranging the Brahms on our grand piano at home one evening, Julia, 8, and Jeffrey, 5, came into the room with their special blankets and curled up on the couch to listen to me play. I took that as a sign I was on the right track."

Schmidt's five kids are also getting older, ranging in age from 7 to 16. "Now, I've been teaching them the piano. I've invented a way that gets them going fast. They are all very musical."

From the very beginning, his family has been a top priority, Schmidt says. "Before I even got married, the career decisions I made were all done thinking ahead to having a family. Before I was even a father, I looked forward to the days of tucking my own sleeping child in, turning off the light and sneaking out the door."

So, he says, "I love how this has all turned out."

In addition to the lullaby CD, the men have all been busy with other projects. Schmidt, for example, has been in the studio, recording his next CD, "Bonus Tracks," which will be released later this summer. A song from that CD, however, "Love Story meets Viva la Vida," has been rated the No. 1 music video on YouTube. "It has had 1.5 million hits so far. It's dedicated to little Sarah, who's 7, because it's her favorite."

Tolk's most recent CD is called "Grace." Tolk's music was picked up by NPR's "Hearts of Space" program, and his arrangement of "Amazing Grace" will be part of a "Hearts of Space" CD collection later this year.