i am placing all my hopes on candybars.

let me tell you what the nocturnal hours have been like  here:
bedtime.  not always on time, but pjs are put on, teeth brushed, a little girl with longer hair gets it brushed and loosely braided for the night, prayers are said, and three little girls get tucked in their own beds.  sometimes (most times) a second prayer is said with each little girl who is anxious and nervous for what the night will bring to them, all alone in their own little room.  tuck-ins and reassurances are generously given, and then night begins for the parents.
well, the night begins, as do the interruptions from three, nervous little girls.
they are not always all nervous on the same nights, just sometimes.  peyton in the only one who is consistently nervous, and she tells us everyday that she is "grateful when there are no bad dreams".
she usually ends up in our bed with us, after she wakes up crying.
now a bad dream isn't what you expect it to be with this little one.  she had a "really bad one" last week.  you  know what it was about?  she got something stuck in her toe at lake powell and it made a hole in her foot.  but in her little mind, that is awful!
last night, she fell asleep on the couch.  merrill was up late with an uncomfortable cyst swelling in his armpit (remember this?) so we left her there, tucking the other two into bed.  only the oldest of my bunch was worried last night.  bedtime went on for almost 2 hours due to the nerves of this child..
i was later awakened by ashley.
(i am unable to tell you at time, i used to look at the clock when these things would happen, and that is just a bad idea.)
lynn hijacked her bed, kicking her out, and into my bed.  i was all for sleep of any sort, so i welcomed her into my bed.
then peyton arose, crying.  crying and needing to go potty.
after we took a trip to the potty, i went to snuggle her in her bed.  sleeping there until it was time to start our day.
needless to say, i am one tired momma.  so tonight, before our circus of bedtime rituals, to try to insure one good night's sleep, i bribed my children.
"if you can all sleep in your own beds the whole night, i will give you a candy bar."
shall we see how this ends up?
let's do.
but let me say this:  i know it would be more than enough to keep me in my own bed the whole night.