Eli Cleans His Room

When we got home from co-op this afternoon, Eli got really busy doing something. I was in the throes of preparing dinner so I didn't pay much attention. He kept coming over to me to tell me that he was cleaning his room. He seemed very excited. I thought it was great.  Way to go Eli!  Keep it up!  Then a few minutes later he told me that he cleaned his bathroom as well.  Wow, this kid is an over-achiever. But I never had a chance to inspect his work.

Then after dinner, Eli exuberantly helped me clear the table AND load the dishwasher. He was really into it. It was great.  It was a fun time together.  

Then it was time for bed.  I was reading to Raef and Zach and Rinar was in charge of Eli.  Rinar came over to me and said that I had to come and see Eli's "clean" room.

Ta-da!!!

He took all of the soap bottles from the bathroom and stacked them on top of his little piano.  He also propped a book up on the end of the bed, with a VHS tape and three remote controls, stacked like a pyramid.

I had cleaned his room earlier this week. It looked really good.  

Eli just made a few improvements.

You Are Not Sleepy...As You Seem

Eli has a new declaration every night. "I never go to sleep!" I kept trying to tell him that he has to go to sleep. Everyone goes to sleep.  But no. The little guy seems to do very well in an argument.  He has the repetition strategy.  No matter what facts or reason are thrown at him, he just keeps making the same declaration at least 100 times.

"I never go to sleep."

Finally, I just picked him up to take him to his room. It was after 9pm, after all.  As we were heading down the hall, I firmly commanded him that he was not allowed to go to sleep.

"Eli, do not go to sleep."

He seemed to like my edict. He heartily agreed.  I laid him on his bed. He placidly complied. The covers went on and I tucked him in.  I kept reminding him that he was not allowed to go to sleep.

He then asked me if it was okay to lay down.  I told him he could, but no sleeping!

Then I had to sing "Stay Awake", from Mary Poppins. Do you remember that song?

Stay awake, don't rest your head.
Don't lie down upon your bed.
You're not sleepy, as you seem.
Stay awake, don't nod and dream...

He was just a naughty little noodle. Not five minutes later, he was asleep.

To a Real Bed

Well, the time has come. I knew it would be soon enough, and here it is.  I put Harry and Julia in beds tonight. They were really tired and did not get a nap today because we spent all day at Lake Tahoe.  Therefore, I did not get much militant bedtime resistance.  I haven't heard anything so far, so I am assuming sleep has won out tonight.

I decided to take the leap for one simple reason, they both can and do climb out of their cribs. Julia started doing it last week and for the past few days, especially Sunday morning at 6:50am, she has come into our room to wake us up....{{grrrrr}}  I think that Harry has worked up the courage to do it from watching his sister repeatedly escape from her crib. As of today, he has solidly gained this ascending/descending skill.

Frankly, I am glad we are entering this phase of life. I am tired of those stinkin', rotten cribs.  Right now there are cribs and the bunk beds in their room.  Those are getting 86'd tomorrow.  I will be able to put the train table in there and arrange things nicely.  

I had ordered some door locks from Amazon.com, but they didn't fit.  But I do have a plan.  The door has a lock that will be difficult for them to undo (I hope), so I will just lock them in when it comes to that.

The next week is probably going to be a little nutty until we get them trained, but since I don't have much going on, I am ready for the challenge.

My Little Con Artist

You know those days when you just don't want to go to sleep and ice cream sounds so much better? Eli had one of those days last night. We put him to bed and didn't hear anything from him for about 30 minutes. After that amount of time has elapsed, you would think the kid had gone to bed.  Uh...no.

He pops his little head out and stands there all demure and innocent. He says sweet little nothings and whispers so meekly.  What is he whispering as he points his finger gently towards the kitchen?

"Ice cream."

Here he is settling in to a delicious bowl of Mint Denali, carefully spooning out each bite, because he knows he is walking a tight rope.

 But as the ice cream starts to course through his veins, he feels more secure in his position on Dad's lap.

Mission accomplished!

What Do You Do When Mom is Not Lookin'?

Last night, Rinar was out of town and so I put the kids to bed...8:00pm sharp. I mean, by the end of the day I am ready for a break from my lovely children. There was only one problem. They were wide awake and really had the sillies!!! I kept catching them and scolding them in my most menacing Mom voice. The last straw was when I saw the camera flash emanating from their bedroom. Here are some of the photos they took of themselves. I do believe that Zach was the cameraman. They really need to learn that cameras leave evidence for all guilty parties.

(Shanna, this is what you have to look forward to when your boys get older...get ready!)

This is another fun thing they do when I am not watching them. I had them give me a demonstration yesterday before they went to bed.