a little trapped

Our littles go to bed very early. Shep still goes down around 6:30, with B&F following at 7:30. While Ellis doesn't have a strict bedtime just yet, in no time he will be joining the early bird crew as well. It works for us. All of our babies are excellent sleepers. We are thankful for their 11-12 hour nights, and I know that giving them the rest they need is important. An early bedtime works well for them, so it works for our family. And we all just do what works for our family.

But lately, if I'm honest, I've been feeling a little trapped. An early bedtime for them means an early end to each evening for us. For them to be in bed, at least one parent must be home. Four years of making sure to be home around 6:00 pm with probably four more to go sometimes feels a bit stifling. I feel like they are missing out...like we are missing out. This Saturday, for instance, we went to a hot air balloon festival and had to leave before any of the balloons were even blown up. They saw the baskets but no balloons. I felt so bad. I worried they were sad to miss it, sad to see no big balloons. But y'all, today they told us the festival was their favorite part of the weekend. Of course it was. They loved seeing the baskets and eating hot dogs and snow cones. You see, they never really feel like they are missing out because they start with zero expectations. And they actually love going to bed. They love resting.

So we shall continue trapping ourselves in the house when most people are just starting their evening. The routine will continue to prevail in favor of our rested, ready-to-greet-the-morning children. And maybe one day in the not so distant future our littles will be ready for a late night adventure, and perhaps even see what the sky looks like when it is truly dark outside.

This happened after leaving the festival. The twins asked to cuddle on the couch, which then turned into a little photo booth action. That's one perfect way to feel a little better about being "trapped."