The Anatomy of a Put Down

Once upon a time there was a little girl who loved to go to bed.  She would, if her parents lost track of time,  declare that it was bedtime and head toward her room, eagerly take part in her bedtime routine, and drift off into a peaceful and nightlong sleep. It is no longer "Once upon a time," and bedtimes have been a bit more challenging of late.  I have been longing for those "once upon a time" bedtimes, and came across some remnants of the good ole days...

First, it was into those soft and shiny pink pajamas which have accompanied many many little girls to bed as they've traveled down the line from cousin to cousin and from sister to sister.

Then it was time to gather one's friends.

Next, the bedtime story, read by her favorite narrator.

Then a bit of narration of her own...

Prayers followed.

 "Hugs, Daddy."

"Now, wub nothes."

 Finally, off to sleep.

Ahhhh the good ole days of bedtime...way back in September.  

September, when the passies were in full bloom 

and Mr. Sandman had perfect attendance. 

Here in January things are different!

Mr. Sandman has been truant, at best. The soft pink pajamas have been handed down and now live outside of these walls. The passies, a whole seperate post for the telling, have left us. The child who asked to be put down has grown into the child who needs a drink and her blankets straightened and her pillow adjusted and her doll is lost in the covers and...and...and...

Lord Byron once said, 

Most glorious night!

Thou wert not sent for slumber!

I think Molly heartily agrees!

(Molly sitting at the foot of my bed this weekend, awakened by fever, yet alert enough to discuss the plot of the cartoon on TV with me at 1:30 a.m.  Did you know that there are kid's shows on TV... ALL NIGHT LONG? I didn't before this weekend, but I do now!)

Mr. Sandman, Where Were You?

Last night I took Meg to a Secret Keeper Girl event a few towns away.  Darrin stayed behind with Cole, Kate and Molly and managed a fast food dinner, football practice, and Football Night at home watching our favorite team take the field.  

Meg and I began our evening with a quick stop at Starbucks.  
(This would prove to be a grand misstep.)

Starbucks makes us both feel like real grown ups.

On to the event for a great time and eventually, we returned home to our gang.  My Man and my son were still up seeing our team to victory.  The little girls has been tucked snugly into their beds and were sleeping soundly when I went to check on them.

Off to bed for the rest of us.  Ahhhhh sweet sleep after a long, rewarding day.  Molly, bless her little heart, has been sleeping through the night for many months now.  We've been spoiled I guess or at the very least forgetful.  

Our memory has returned.

At 3:00 am Kate appeared at our bedside declaring that she couldn't sleep.  Darrin returned her to her bed.  I realized that, for the second night in a row in the middle of the night, I had a head ache.  Inner voices began screaming--"It's the furnace, carbon monoxide poisoning!"  So, after my Man climbed back into bed, I vaulted out to replace the battery in the carbon monoxide alarm which caused said alarm to "chirp" a time or two in the process.  Fears relieved, I climbed back into bed.

At 3:30 am Meg entered our room reporting the she'd not yet been to sleep and could she read for a bit.  Go read, go read.  Good night, said we.  

At 4:00 am My Man retreated to the couch to find something to watch, hoping to find sleep again, somewhere.

At 5:00 am Molly sounded the alarm.  I heard my poor, sleepless Man sprint up the stairs in "prevent defense", attempting to halt the noise before the whole party began once more.

At 5:05 am I heroically walked 10 steps into the next room and took Molly from her dad and put her in bed with me. (After My Man's sprint up the stairs, it was the least I could do.) 

From 5:05 am until 5:50 am, Molly pulled at my eyelids, embedded her nose into my face, and plucked my eyelashes. 

At 5:50 I returned my facial masseuse to her bed.  I peeked in on Meg and found her still sleepless.  Poor baby, must've been the Starbucks.

At 6:00 am I returned to my bed, passing My Man who was finally asleep on the couch.  Sleep, oh the bliss.

At 7:00 am Molly woke for the morning, communicating somehow with Kate who joined her in happy morning banter.  My Man with Molly in one arm joined me in our bed followed closely by Kate.  After 15 minutes of being used as human trampolines we unloaded the two girls from our bed, wishing them our best and rolled over to try to capture a minute or two more of sleep.

At 7:30 Cole entered our room saying, "Are you about ready to go Dad?"

"Go where? Where are you guys going?" I mumbled. 

"To the Y to work out Mom, it's Y (MCA) day."

Ohmygoodness...

When the going gets tough. . .

This is the Last One...I Promise

I think this is the forty-sixth blog about our vacation and I promise it will be the last.  After all, we've got college football, first days of school, colorful leaves, soup recipes, and an exciting selection of books to explore in the days to come!

I have a few pictures left to display which will serve to bring my telling, telling, and re-telling of our days in the sun to a close.  Ahhh...

Without further adieu, here are the pictures. I'm confident that a theme will develop...

 

Monday evening.

 

Tuesday morning.

Wednesday afternoon.

 

Thursday evening - after 2 full plates of food.

 

Friday morning.

 

Friday afternoon.

Also Friday afternoon

(thought you might be getting tired of baby pictures).

Saturday morning.

 

Sunday afternoon.

 

Tuesday afternoon.

 

Tuesday evening.

 

That's it.  That's all.  I'm finished with vacation tales and pictures. . .

except for the one of...

 

Molly, sleeping on the 12ish hour trip home.

What? She's not asleep in the picture?

That would be because she really didn't sleep on the way home.

No kidding.