Sleeping in a Carboard Box

It's 9:08 pm and I think my kids are finally asleep.  Yes.  MY kids.  The ones who start asking when bedtime is at about 5:45 (after waking up at 3:30 from their nap) and who are in bed no later than 7:30 (usually closer to 6:30 though).  Yup.  They just now are asleep.  You see, they are on day two of sleeping in a box.  Are you confused?  Let me back up.

For their birthday, the kids got a cardboard-house-that-you-can-color kit.  Gee, thanks Michelle.  Just what we've always needed.  But seriously, it may have turned out to be the best gift they got!  So really, thanks Michelle!  I made them save it for a day when I was home to supervise (cause I'm anal like that) and then I got it out when I needed them to entertain themselves for a little bit.  I gave them directions, and they set to work. I could hardly get them to stop for dinner!  The next morning, they didn't even come see me when they woke up.  They just went straight to coloring.  It was magical!  Within a few days, they (with minimal help...the shingles are hard) the first side was done and they had moved onto the other piece.  But then, we had to put it away because we were having a baby shower at our house, and Abby got sick (darn that double ear infection!) and we kind of forgot about it.

Until yesterday when the kids requested a surprise lunch so I sent them upstairs for 5 minutes while I snuck some bananas into their peanut butter sandwiches (cause that's a good surprise, right?).  When they came down, Abby handed me this:

(I will translate for those of you not as fluent in 5-year-old as I am.  "Happy Valentine's Day Mommy. I love you.  We have fun when you stay home with me.  I want to color the house with you.")

Well how could I say no to that?  So after nap we got to work.  The shingles were the most daunting because there are so many of them.  Ben said, "Mom.  How many of these do we even have to do?"  So we counted.  94.  But as we colored them, we counted down.  "93!"  someone would shout as they finished one.  "92!"  "91!"  Until all 94 were colored in.  I smiled to myself every time they yelled out a number, very proud of how they always said the right one.

 After the roof was finished, I went down to get dinner ready and pretty soon I heard her say, "Just a minute.  Let's say it together."  and they both yelled, "We're done!"  They couldn't scarf down dinner fast enough so that we could get the house set up.  At one point Ben raised his glass and said, "Let's cheers to the house!"  So we did and Abby announced that we should "celebrate with dinner".  (And really, what's better than leftover buffet for celebrating?)

The house really is cute.  Look!

 It even has a mailbox on each side.  And of course, she left him some mail.

 When we finally got the house set up ("This is going to be so awesome!"), we confirmed that it was, indeed, big enough for them to sleep in.  So we snuggled them in and the fun really began.

 They talked.  They giggled.  They laughed until they snorted.  And finally, they fell asleep.

 Tonight, they asked to sleep in their house again and who am I to stop them from sleeping in a cramped cardboard box together when they have perfectly comfortable beds?  So again, they talked.  And again, they giggled uncontrollably.  And again, I smiled.  Because this is something they will remember forever and sometimes, having a twin must be just about the best thing in the world.