no more monkeys jumping on the bed....

I just turfed my kids in their beds, well really I brushed their teeth read them stories, they each read me a book then I sat and sang them their songs, tucked them in (a half dozen times) and then sang one more song...all the while they bickered, fought, mangled one another, pestered me with requests and thumped around. I am leaving out the bath time fiasco which now includes one in the bath the other in the shower because together they create a similar affect on the bathroom as would a tsunami. Anyways, on with my initial thought which I am sure I will lose at some point but that in itself will paint a relatively realistic picture of my evening. When describing the bedtime ending this evening as turfing what I mean is I feel like I could not get away from the little creatures fast enough. There was no lingering brushing the hair from their brows with loving eyes cast-down on my babes humming sweet lullabies as their eye flutter close into dreamland. Actually that description is rarely the case, most evening consist of me screaming "get back in your beds!!!" and "If you do not brush teeth/put on pajamas/get in bed/leave your brother alone you will lose a listening star!" (by the way the listening star chart worked for about 5 minutes, stupid stars!)So then I grasp at some other bribe and/or threat. Now I am standing in my kitchen looking at the array of lovingly prepared grain fed chicken + veggies etc... littering the underneath of their dinner chairs and feeling slightly defeated.
But, the truth is I don't wish they were babies again that wasn't easier as well I can't imagine a day when they will not be here tucked into their cozy beds safe and home.
So...I'll go get the broom, have a relaxing bath and then go and peek in on their sleeping faces and then be ready for another day.

I apologize if that made little to no sense but tonight I wrote as much to liberate myself of these feels as to surrender myself to their reality. thanks for listening.