All that was missing...

It is with great delight that we announce "Bedtime" each night at the stroke of 8:00pm.  What follows is much reminding, cajoling, threatening, nagging, sighing as children are forced to empty bladders, flush, wash hands, take their vitamin, floss, brush teeth, yes--keep brushing--5 seconds is NOT long enough, etc...

Once ready for bed, parents much hoarser, there may or may not follow a bedtime story (currently "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," Narnia series book 5), and there may or may not follow a snuggle by Mom for no more than 3 minutes (Mom tends to fall asleep if snuggles are longer)

Last night, the boys were continuously chatting, and throwing stuffed animals at each other during the storytime, and even into the snuggle time, such that I suspected this was going to be a rough night for getting the boys to go to sleep.

I stood in doorway watching as Teddy kept shifting position, bouncing, sighing, etc.  Meantime, Barley was making an effort to sleep.  After 5 minutes, once I was satisfied the wiggles are out and the boys would sleep, I came downstairs so DH and I could debrief our long day.

Within 5 minutes we had yelled up the stairs twice, and Barley had come down saying his brother was keeping him awake.  After a few more exchanges, we granted Barley the coveted boon of sleeping in our bed, away from his brother.  Usually the prospect of sleeping in their room alone is enough to settle the boys down.

After granting separation permission, for several minutes we could hear little feet walking up and down the hallway.  We figured it was last minute stuffed animal trading, or negotiations for Barley to return to bed in his own room with his brother.  After several more minutes, when we heard thumping and giggling in OUR room above our heads, we both went up to investigate.  Instead of finding either A) both boys back in their own room going to sleep, or equally acceptable B) one boy in each room going to sleep, we found (UNacceptable) C) Both boys in OUR room, lights on, giggling and having a tickle fight/stuffed animal joust.

Oldest son was instantly banished back to his own room.  Upon questioning, younger son admitted he had gotten lonely in our room by himself, so he had invited older brother to join him (in OUR room), with the threat that if older brother made a lot of noise, he, the younger brother, would tell him to leave (OUR room).

With this enlightenment, both boys were banished back to their own beds, threatened severely, and we returned downstairs to the VERY IMPORTANT things we had been doing before this interruption.  DH shook his head and muttered, "Next thing you know, they'll have a keg in there..."