Happy in the Middle

Saturday was a beautiful day! We invited some friends out on the lake with their 3 kids. While the adults enjoyed trolling around the lake and chatting, the kids preferred going fast. They rode up in the front holding onto the rail and waited for water to splash their faces - fun times. After realizing that the kids were never going to tire of the boating, and after 8 hours on the lake, we finally decided to head in.

We stopped at Applebees on the way home. Both kids fell asleep on the car ride to dinner, but we brought them in anyway. Neither one of us wanted to cook dinner and Applebees sounded so good at the time. Both kids woke up (Roo was a little crabby) and we had a nice dinner.

By the time we got home - we were exhausted! We had a boat to clean-up and kids to put to bed - but all we wanted to do was lay on the living room floor and fall asleep - which coincidentally is exactly what Big J decided to do. He walked in the house, fell over in exhaustion on the floor, and started snoring. As a parent, I knew that I was not going to be able to fall asleep until the kids were asleep. Apparently, this thought did not concern Big J. He was snoring, right there in the middle fo the floor! I was in no mood to do the bedtime routine on my own and immediately yelled down to Big J, "Wake-up - you have kids to put to bed!" After 3 attemps to wake him up by shouting over the railing, I went down and shook him, grabbed his arm and practically carried Big J upstairs.

My instructions to my groggy husband were, "Watch the kids. I am going to get some water for Roo and a bottle for Ason. Help Roo brush her teeth, and don't let Ason fall off the bed."

As I get the water, I hear a THUMP! I think, "Boy will I be mad if that was Ason falling off the bed" Sure enough I hear Ason crying. I run back to Roo's room. She proceeds to tell me that Daddy was asleep on the bed, Ason crawled over him, fell off the bed, and she couldn't stop him because she was brushing her teeth - by herself.

Alright, I know Big J is tired, but so am I! So I alter my instructions. Read 3 stories to Roo, say prayers, and kiss her goodnight. He can handle that.

I go into Ason's room to give him his bottle and read him stories. As I settle into the glider chair with Ason on my lap, bottle in mouth, Roo comes walking in looking sad. "What's wrong, honey?" I ask. "Daddy stopped reading me stories. He fell asleep on my bed." Roo holds Ason's bottle while I check out Big J. Sure enough he is laying on Roo's bed, holding a book, snoring. The guy just can't wake up! I shake him. He bounces up and looks around for Roo - of course she is not in the room.

Trying to be sympathetic to his tiredness, I once again changes my instructions for him. Give Ason his bottle, read him a story, and put him in the crib.

I finish Roo's stories and prayers and kiss her goodnight. One kid down and I go to check out Big J's progress. I walk in to find Ason on the floor, empty bottle in one hand and a book in the other. Apparently, he fed himself the bottle, and was now reading his own book, BECAUSE HIS DAD WAS SNORING IN THE CHAIR!! It is actually getting funny at this point.

I wake him up for the fourth time and say "Go to bed. I'll take care of Ason. "

These instructions should be the ones he was looking for all along. But no. I quietly close Ason's bedroom door and tiptoe to our room where Big J should be sleeping soundly. Apparently he is now up and waiting for me - not a chance Big J!!