Creatures of the night...

Last night was the MUCH-anticipated LOST premiere. I have watched the show religiously from the very first episode. Last night was the first episode of the final season. I had spent months looking forward to this night (sad, but true) and I HAD to watch it. It began with a one-hour recap at 7:00pm and the two-hour premiere at 8:00pm. I spent the afternoon watching the minutes tick away, dreading that worst part of the day......bed time. But it was ok...I had a gameplan. Seeing as how my children do not yet know how to tell time AND I live in the frigid northern state of Minnesota where it begins getting dark halfway through the afternoon, it was easy to fool them into getting their pajamas on at 6:30. I had let them run and scream all afternoon, acting like complete and total hoodlums. I had endured them running the circle from my bedroom to the bathroom to the office and back to my bedroom round and round and round again. I even let them pull all of the pillows off of the beds and jump in them. All of this tomfoolery (a word I think is highly underutilized) was tolerated for one and only ONE reason. I wanted to wear them out so they would be fast asleep before LOST came on. I had their pajamas on and the toys all picked up and put away by 6:45pm. Rather than reading stories last night, the children opted to have a dance party. Normally, I would have insisted on books. But not last night. A dance party was further means to totally exhaust their skinny little butts! So we turned on KDWB and listened to some good dance music. The kids shook their booties and thrashed around on the floor. Lucas did a little breakdancing...he did the robot...he was working those white boy moves. At about 7:00pm, we brushed teeth and I shuffled them all off to bed. Of course, I had to lay down with each of them for a few minutes. We did the obligatory hugs and kisses and love-you-to-the-moons. By 7:30, I was sprawled out on the couch, covered up with a cozy afghan, watching the last half of the LOST re-cap show. I should have known that it was all a little too easy. I should have anticpated an ambush. I should have seen it coming...but I was all wrapped up in the glow of LOST.

First it was Nicholas. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him dash across the hall to his sister's room. I couple of minutes later, I saw him crawl back across the hall to his room. Then he was back over there. And back to his room. Back and forth...tiny little legs in tiny little footie pajamas flying across the hall as fast as he could. A blur of blue. I guess he thought I couldn't see him.

A few minutes later, he came out to tell me that his footie pajamas had a hole in the foot. "Ok..ok....get back in bed. I'll fix them tomorrow. And Nicholas...stay in your room." A couple of minutes passed and he was again standing between me and the TV. "What is it Nicholas?"

"I need to tell Sophie something."

"OK...go...do it. Just get in bed."

Next came Lucas. He came out to tell me that he was hot in his footie pajamas. "Just change your pajamas. I don't care. Get in bed."

A few minutes later...Lucas came out again.... Can he stay up with me? "No. It's late. Go to bed."

Next Nicholas...again standing between me and the TV. "Lucas is changing his pajamas. Can I change mine?" "I don't care. Whatever...wear whatever you want."

Back again two minutes later. "Can you zip my jammies?" Sure. Nicholas had told me the night before that he was not a "fan" of staying in bed. I completely believe him now.

Next it was Lucas, stripped down to nothing but his underwear. " Can I stay up with you now?" "No. It's a school night. Go to bed."

This went on for what seemed like an eternity. Finally. Lucas came out and said, "Nicholas is asleep, mom. Can I stay up with you now?"

He had worn me down. I had no resistence left. My resolve had flown the coop. "Fine. Stay up."

So Lucas sat up with me and watched LOST....a totally inappropriate show that stayed on way too late for a seven-year-old. I had to admit defeat. He got me. He wore me down. And...he spent the entire time hogging the afghan! Half way through LOST, he turned to me and said, "Mom...did you know that I am a little bit nocturnal?" What a lucky mom I am to have nocturnal children!!