Six in the Bed

When we lived in Terre Haute, Philip would make the hour-and-a-half drive to Purdue University two to three times a week for classes, to teach, and to meet with professors and other students. Often this would mean he would come home very late, after the kids and I were in bed. While we missed Daddy on those days, we made them special so they wouldn't be so difficult. I took the opportunity to make meals that Philip didn't really like - spaghetti and biscuit dough (instead of yeast dough) pizza were favorites. We would eat at the small table in the kitchen or outside. Eris's favorite part about those nights was sleeping with Mommy. The other girls thought it was fun too but did not quite appreciate it on the same level.

It's been awhile since Philip's been away overnight and the girls have been when they can sleep in our bed. I consulted with Philip, and we decided we could plan a "fun night." We would watch a movie together and then put an extra mat on the floor in our bedroom (for a total of four) to have a family bed. Over a paffle supper, we told the girls. Right after supper, they cleaned up their toys, took showers, and got pajamas on. They gathered pillows, blankets, and animals. Some they brought to the study for watching the movie on the computer (we don't have a television) and others they took to our bedroom to start setting up for the night.

I picked to watch "Ratatouille." The last movie I watched with the girls was "Wall-E," and the girls still quote, "You plant the seed, water it, and grow foods like pizza!" They laughed so hard at that, so I thought they would enjoy the silliness of "Ratatouille," which is mainly what I remembered about it. Also, for some reason Hollis said she wanted to watch a movie about soup, and this one has soup in it! Well, Philip and I didn't think hard enough about all the details of the movie, especially the beginning. Meriel and Hollis were terrified by the old woman shooting at Remy the Rat and his brother Emile. They were both sobbing as Remy floated down the stream on a cookbook, "He lost his family!" We had to tell them a "secret" that all the rats would be ok, but they were still upset. They were so traumatized that they had trouble laughing at the funny parts. Eris, hundreds of chapter books ahead of her sisters, watched calmly. She started giggling on cue and helped coach her sisters into laughter.

After the movie was over, we had another frenzy of toting blankets, pillows, and animals. We had a few re-arrangings of who was going to sleep where, final bathroom trips, and everyone settled in for the night. We had our bedtime prayers and songs. Since it was late, I thought the girls would go to sleep, but they are used to talking to each other before falling asleep. Hollis did fall asleep pretty quickly, but Meriel and Eris chattered until Simeon, unused to this, became wild. He crawled all over the bed and his sister, gleefully rolling bellies and sitting on heads. When I finally got him calmed down, I told the girls it was time to be quiet so he wouldn't get riled up again. After a few more hugs, kisses, and "Good nights" we all settled in for the night. While I don't necessarily want to share a bed, even a big bed, with five people every night, I enjoyed the security and sense of completeness of having all my children sleeping peacefully near me. Philip slipped in a few hours later to complete our family togetherness. Sweet dreams, Cardins!