TRAINED!

Ever since having children, we've had to figure out how to handle middle-of-the-night awakenings together. For obvious reasons, Matt can't do a thing for a hungry baby during this time, so we came up with this plan: I get up with our babies EVERY time until they're weaned AND THEN Matt gets up with them from then on -- for the rest of their lives!! For any of you out there who are thinking that doesn't seem fair must have had better sleeping babies than mine or can't remember those "baby nights!" Believe me...Matt's total # of times will never equal my total #.

Anyway, along those same lines, our children have always been early risers who think they have to come into their parent's room first thing and wake them up/let them know their awake by tapping on the mattress next to our face. They usually ask for "pink milk" and for help turning on a show ~ or nothing! FOR YEARS I have been trying to teach them that it is NOT good manners to wake people up! I also try to teach them that it's not time to wake up until the sun is shining - well, that backfires on me in the summer! But, until they learned that lesson, I also have trained them to go to Dad's side of the bed in the early morning (and leave me alone!) They have got down the "going to Dad's side" part, but were still struggling with the "leave me alone" part (like when he's not there or won't wake up or they're LOUD & come in multiple times.) I continued to reiterate the lesson of "good manners" each time. Needless to say, Matt always obliges them (to avoid the "weeping & wailing & gnashing of teeth"), but he hates it. (They have no reason to stop if he keeps giving them what they want!)

Well, this morning was a momentous one...

Matt had left VERY early to go to the temple, so when Katelyn came in, of course, she found his side of the bed empty. I vaguely remember a voice saying (to herself), "Where is he?" I think I might have groggily replied, "He's at the temple." And then I went back into my slumber and heard nothing more. Later on, I felt a presence and I opened my eyes and saw Haylee on Matt's side looking at the vacated spot, but she thought I was still asleep. She never said anything and turned to leave. I don't know how much later, but eventually I woke up at a normal time. When I went out into the rest of our house, I found the boys & the baby still asleep and Haylee was entertaining herself, but I couldn't find Katelyn. I looked in every room - TWICE! I asked Haylee and she said she hadn't seen her at all since waking up. I finally went out to the garage and there was Katelyn sitting in our stroller with a blanket. I asked her what she was doing. She said she was waiting for Dad to get home. I guess she knew it wasn't important enough to wake me up for nothing!

And then I realized...those girls are finally TRAINED! YES!! Neither one of them tried to wake me up because they have LEARNED that would be rude (and it wasn't officially morning, yet!) It only took YEARS, but we made it!

Not pictured: Me doing the "victory dance" now!

Now if I can only train the kids to clean up after themselves! :)