Our bedtime ritual goes like this:

Sometime between 6:30 and 7:00pm

Me: Anna, go get your pajamas on and brush you teeth.

Anna: Okay Mom. (and off she goes to do exactly what she is told.)

a few minutes later...

Anna: Look Mom, I brushed my teeth. They're shiny. (big cheesy grin.)

Me: Yes they are! Good job. Go get get your cupcake blanket and get in my bed. I"ll be right there to tuck you in.

Anna: Okay Mom. (and off she goes to do exactly what she is told.)

Me: I tuck Anna in, kiss her and hug her, ask her her 5 questions (see below) turn off the light, close the door and don't hear a peep out of the little lady until morning. When Ken is home, he tucks her in too. He's just not home too often.

Fast forward to 8:00pm

Me: Nicole and Matthew, go get your pajamas on and brush your teeth.

ignored

8:05 Me: Nicole and Matthew, go get your pajamas on and brush your teeth.

Nicole and or Matthew: okay mom...ignored

8:15 Me: I turn whatever they are working on off.  (tv, computer, whatever...) Nicole and Matthew, go get your pajamas on and brush your teeth. 

them: HEY! I was working on that. bla bla bla.

Me: Me: Nicole and Matthew, go get your pajamas on and brush your teeth.

By about 8:30 the big babies have their pajamas on but have not brushed their teeth.

me: go brush your teeth!

them: We did!

me: let me see.

them. coming close to me they try to breathe their nasty breath on me and laugh little girls.

me: (upset now.) Go. Brush. Your. Teeth. Now.

Matthew: oooh! Mama's mad!

laughing from the peanut gallery. AKA Ken. 

Finally, 45 minutes later, teeth are brushed, pajamas are on, they're in their beds.

I tell them to be quiet because I don't want them to wake up their sister.

From their bedrooms: can you tuck me in? Can Dad tuck me in? When will you tuck me in? Will you rub my back? Can I have a drink of water? Are we going camping this summer? I need to go to the store to buy a swimsuit. on and on and on it goes.

Ken and I both tuck in the big kids. EVERY NIGHT.

They get:

• hugs
• kisses
• asked the same 5 questions every night - in the same order. (by each of us)

1. Do you know I love you?
2. Do you know Dad loves you?
3. Do you know Heavenly Father and Jesus love you?
4. Are you going to serve a mission?
5. Where are you going to get married?

• a 'who am I' question. - Ken gives them clues to a person in the scriptures and they have to guess who it is. If they can't guess it, he gives them a scripture reference to look up to figure it out.

After this loooong process is complete, we hear yelling back and forth from the bedrooms, trying to figure out 'who am I?' We also hear, 'hey! you didn't rub my back!' 'You were in ______'s room longer than mine.' 'I still want to go camping!' Daaaaaad! Moooooom!  

The whole time I'm practically begging them, SHUT UP!! (in nicer words though.)

about 30% of the time they wake Anna up. This isn't because they are quiet the other 70% of the time. It's because she sleeps like a hibernating bear.

It's 10:45. We've had silence for like 10 minutes.

They are fired. They = Nicole and Matthew. Anna is being promoted...to queen. (like she's not there already. :) )