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Sleeping Beauties

    Some days I'm amazed that we make it to bedtime without the house collapsing around us.  Double bonus points if the house hasn't collapsed and we haven't seen the inside of an emergency room.  I'm not tucked under the covers yet, but today was definitely one of those days.  

I may have mentioned before that our kids are...full of life.  They have a lot of enthusiasm.  Basically, whatever they do is at full tilt.  Play hard - sleep hard.  Except when they don't sleep.  Which unfortunately, is what happened today.  It was the epic, "Battle of the Nap" between the twins and myself.  I am not ashamed to admit that they schooled me.  

Emerson has been pro at escaping her bed for some time, but after some "negotiations" early on, we convinced her that it was not appropriate to leave her bed unless she had actually slept first.  She plays by those rules (except when she does a pre-nap diaper fill).  Carter is in a bigger, higher crib and escaped once, but it hurt so she hasn't tried again.  Until today.  Evidently, today was the day that she mastered the art of crib climbing.  

The first time I checked on my "nappers" they were playing at the door wearing clothes I hadn't put on them.  Carter needed a diaper change, so I didn't scold them too severely.  The second time they were up, blankets had been exchanged between their beds, and Emerson needed a diaper change.  The third time, Emerson was crying, and I found Carter had joined her in her bed.  The fourth time, blankets and toys had been removed from the beds.  We were two hours in at this point so we took a lunch break.  I put them back down because I was going to get my "break" for the day and they were going to nap!  

They didn't.  

When it was obvious that they were still having a room party, I went in for a fifth and final time.  Emerson's bed was on it's side.  The box of diapers was spread throughout the room.  Their blankets and toys were in their playhouse.  The sock drawer was unloaded on the floor.  The heater was unplugged and overturned.  Neither girl was wearing pants.  Or diapers.  And one who-shall-remain-nameless had pooped.  

I thought about closing the door and walking away.  Instead I videoed the whole thing and will be saving it for their wedding day.  That's just being a good mom.  

I wish I could say the "fun" ended once they were up.  But it didn't.  We continued to "make memories" all the way until bedtime.  At which point they were so tired they could barely see straight, much less climb out of bed.  

We didn't know how good we had it with the boys, until we had the girls...  

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