Bedtime Stories

*A few nights ago, I was putting the boys to bed. Matt was sick, so he was already in bed, reading a book. Zack said something really funny and I went downstairs to tell Matt. Our bedroom is directly under Zack and Derek's room. As I was telling Matt the funny conversation Zack and I had had, I hear Zack yelling from his room,

"I can hear you, you know!! Even with a broken ear, (Zack is deaf in one ear, he calls it his broken ear.) I can hear everything you are saying!!"

We started laughing and couldn't stop.

*Last week, I was putting the boys to bed while Matt was working from home. (Our computer is in the loft area between the upstairs bedrooms.) Everyone was in bed, but I was fielding all the final requests for water and back scratches. I had been helping Austin and was on my way back to Zack and Derek's room. As I entered the dark room, I see Zack sit up in bed and say,

"Mom, there is something in my pillow!!"
"Zack, there is nothing in your pillow."
"Yes, there is!" he reaches his hand inside the pillowcase.
"Sick!!" he yells as he withdraws his hand at the speed of light.

I head over to his bed and turn on the lamp. I open the pillowcase to reveal: A ROTTING, SQUISHY BANANA.

"Zack," I say, "Did you bring a banana up to bed?"
"No!" he says, indignantly.

Then from across the room I hear a giggle and a little singsong voice says, "I did! I put it in there! Wasn't that a good joke, mom?"

"Derek!!" yells Zack. He is completely grossed out. I took the offending pillow/banana combo into the hall to show Matt. We were both laughing. The pillow was sent downstairs where I cleaned it up.

*Last night, all the boys were in bed, but not quite settled. Matt was working here at home and I was on the couch in the loft reading a book and keeping an eye on the bedtime situation. We have a rule that if you need a drink of water after you get in bed, you have to lie quietly in bed from ten minutes before I will bring you one. (This is to prevent Derek, the king of bedtime stalling, from asking for a drink every five minutes.) I was telling the bigger boys that they had to lie quietly before I would bring them a drink. They were soon very quiet and I could hear Austin talking to himself in his bed. He seemed to be having a conversation with himself. At first I thought maybe he had some toys in his bed and then I peeked in through the partially open door and saw him in his crib, on his back, just having a conversation with himself. This is what we heard:
"No, you be quiet!"
"No I not!"
"Yes, you not!"
"Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, Amen."
"Rawwwwwr!"
"Aghghghgh!!"
"Okay."

After about ten minutes he and his split personalities/and or imaginary friends, all went to sleep. I went in to check on him and he had pulled the covers up over himself and was out.

Bedtime for the boys is usually my least favorite time of day (especially right now and especially when Matt is working at home.) because I am exhausted before we even start. These little stories have made bedtime so much more enjoyable this last week!