The bedtime routine is different almost every night, depending on who is with us. I guess I should lay out our schedule of who is with us, first. It can be pretty complicated, so strap in! Miles is always with us, since he is ours, together. Matthew and Sarah are with us, Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights. Lydia and Emmett are with us Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. That means, we have one night per week where all the kids are with us. Unfortunately, it is only from 4PM Saturday, that we have all of them. That is a story for another post, trust me.
Saturday nights are usually reserved for Family Story Time on the couch, where we all read a story together. The Middle Twins have been getting into the Mercy Watson books, lately, so that is what we have been reading. Right after dinner, the Middle Twins and Miles get ready for bed. Then everyone gathers on the couch in the family room for Story Time. Depending on the night, Amy, Lydia or myself will read. When you are not the one reading, watching the faces of the kids as they get into the story is priceless. Once story is over, everyone holds hands, says prayers and then good nights are circulated. That is when the hilarity ensues. Usually, one of the kids will almost fall over another to try and say good night to another. Miles will usually protest one of the following: saying prayers, holding hands, saying good night, going upstairs. Once all the dust settles, we are headed upstairs with 3 of the 5. Then teeth brushing, with or without Miles and final bathroom trips are taken by the Middle Twins. Finally, once Matthew is in his top bunk and tucked in and has finished rustling about, Miles will pick a short story to have read to him. Finish up the book, good night kisses, start the music and it is off to the next bedroom. There we find Sarah, usually drawing on her MagnaDoodle, already in the covers. She gets her kiss, starts her music and lights out. Whew, three down. This process can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes, depending on the evening and how much of a help the kids are.
The other twins are pretty easy, comparatively. Emmett gets himself dressed for bed and has his one hour rest time, prior to bed. You need to keep an eye on the clock though. If you send him down to get ready and don't follow up in about 10 minutes, he will spend the hour brushing his teeth. Due to his autism, he loses track of time and starts grooving on the brushing. I'm amazed he has enamel left. Once his rest time is over, we go down, say prayers and good nights to him and he is off to lala land. Lydia spends time with us most Saturday nights and when going to bed, she is completely self sufficient. We let her know what time she needs to get ready and she takes it from there. No muss, usually no fuss. 99.9% of the time, they are fine. Every once in a while, they can be interesting. Usually a word or a hug and smile will get the wrinkle ironed out. It's pretty painless.
Once these steps are taken, Amy and I have time to ourselves. This usually equates to about 15 minutes of down time before we have to head off to bed, due to how early we get up in the morning for church. Carving out time for ourselves can be pretty tricky, but that's a topic for another day.
The other twins are pretty easy, comparatively. Emmett gets himself dressed for bed and has his one hour rest time, prior to bed. You need to keep an eye on the clock though. If you send him down to get ready and don't follow up in about 10 minutes, he will spend the hour brushing his teeth. Due to his autism, he loses track of time and starts grooving on the brushing. I'm amazed he has enamel left. Once his rest time is over, we go down, say prayers and good nights to him and he is off to lala land. Lydia spends time with us most Saturday nights and when going to bed, she is completely self sufficient. We let her know what time she needs to get ready and she takes it from there. No muss, usually no fuss. 99.9% of the time, they are fine. Every once in a while, they can be interesting. Usually a word or a hug and smile will get the wrinkle ironed out. It's pretty painless.
Once these steps are taken, Amy and I have time to ourselves. This usually equates to about 15 minutes of down time before we have to head off to bed, due to how early we get up in the morning for church. Carving out time for ourselves can be pretty tricky, but that's a topic for another day.
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