Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier. ~Author Unknown

Last night I didn't sleep. Certainly not my choice but that's how life goes sometimes. The boys had a rough night and I get to take the toll.

Stephen woke up first. Nightmare. I manage to get him back to sleep just in time for Brenden to wake up. Needs diaper change. A quick change, a kiss and a little encouragement, he's back to sleep. An hour an a half later, Stephen wakes. He has to pee. I take him and he request to sleep in our bed because he's just 'scared of his dream'. Knowing that he will go back to sleep much quicker, I agree to it. He climbs into bed with Jeff and just as I lay down Brenden wakes up.

Sigh, it's 3 am. This time he's coughing and asking for a drink. Off to the kitchen I go. This time, Brenden wants me to sleep with him. Not an unusual request from him in the middle of the night. I lay down hoping that this will coax him to sleep quickly. Not a chance. He tosses and turns and says 'mama' over and over. He can't get back to sleep. At 5:30 I finally get him a bottle and tell him to go to sleep without me.

I return to bed to discover my spot has been taken by Stephen and the dog. No room to push either one over. Back to the boys room. No way I'm climbing back in bed with Brenden, he'll drive me crazy. So, to the top bunk I go. That's right, I slept in Stephen's bed...the top of the bunk beds. When Jeff awoke an hour later and discovered I wasn't in either our bed or Brenden's bed, he wondered where I had gone. And of course, woke me up to ask why I was there. Sigh.

Here's the best part! After I climbed down, I peeked on the bottom bunk to check on Brenden. He was sleeping, quite well actually. I noticed what looked like a white baby blanket crumpled up at his feet but didn't know what it was. Until I picked it up. It was Brenden's diaper. That's right. He had completely stripped and was sleeping naked. And proud of it. As I put another diaper on him, he protested but decided he was just too tired to fight it. What a way to start my day, from grumpiness to laughter. I decided to stay awake and enjoy my quiet time and cup of coffee.