It was EPIC.

Last night was the loss heard 'round the country. Or at least THIS part of the country, where being a Vikings fan almost goes along with griping about the weather, regardless of what it is. (Yes, I know there are some renegade Packers fans in town, and I personally have several Colts fans in my family - and to you I say, GOOD LUCK!)

We had some folks over for the big Vikings-Saints game last night (Mom & Dad, cousin K & her hubbie & baby, friends the Gs) and the evening was full of yells and exclamations from the football viewers. The other mommy & I kept watch over the kids and the guacamole bowl. With 5 kids running around and 2 babies, there was a LOT of activity. But what threw Ben the most was when the two G boys put on Leah's dress-up tutus. He just could not deal with that. He said, "Boys no wear tutus! Boys wear cowboy vest or cape. NO TUTUS!" Guess I need to work on expanding the dress-up selections! And a disclaimer: We've NEVER said that boys can't wear tutus. Or dresses, really - I told him the boys were just being silly. Which they totally were, regardless of the outfit.

But I digress. Although it was terrible to see the Vikings lose such a close game, it wasn't all that unexpected, was it, folks? So where does the "epic" part come in?

AFTER the game. The kids went to bed during the 4th quarter, and at about 9:30, after everyone had gone home and Aaron was trying to put doors back on their hinges (that freezer is having some long lasting repercussions) and I was watching Emma on PBS Masterpiece, we heard a kid wailing. It was Ben!

I went up to check on him, and he continued sobbing for another five minutes, during which I moved Leah to our bed so she could continue her beauty rest, uninterrupted. He finally calmed down enough that I could ask him what was wrong. And the poor baby managed to get out, "Me no LIKE the Vikings!" I almost laughed, except for that he was so miserable.

Finally I was able to return to Emma (this version, by the way, seems to making the point that Emma is a flawed heroine. Which is kind of why I like this book of Austen's in the first place -Knightley knows her faults and still loves her.) Ben had one more sobbing episode before we headed to bed at around 11pm. But never got to sleep, thanks to Adam, who started his OWN wailing. Usually we try to ignore him and he calms down in a few minutes, but he kept it up so I checked on him. Pacifier still in mouth, happy to see me, but really ticked when I left. Sorry, buddy - we don't play that game around here!

Back to ignoring. For thirty minutes. Finally I went in and nursed the little stinker so Aaron and I could get some sleep. It was midnight by the time I got to bed for reals. Around 2am Ben came in complaining that his blankets needed fixing (a common issue) and we sent him back to fix them himself (there's a concept, dude!) A minute later he was back needing help, so I stumbled down the hall to do the honors.

At 2:45 Adam was yelling again. After five minutes or so of that, I grudgingly nursed him AGAIN. (This is why he is so chubby and I keep having to buy new jeans.)

I woke up at 7:20 with Ben trying to snuggle. For some reason, the 6 hours of non-consecutive sleep actually felt sufficient, although I was more than happy to cuddle my two big kids for a few minutes. I was all set to start the cheerleading needed to get us all out the door for school, but after retrieving the newspaper, decided that I should see if there was school...and there wasn't! Ahhhh.

Looking back, I think we've probably had rougher nights. It's just that Ben was sooo upset - and Adam was sooo persistent. Thankfully Leah slept well. Three emotionally distraut and sleep deprived kids? Now that WOULD be something.

What's the funniest/oddest thing you or your kids have said in their sleep?

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Modern-Day Jane now has a fan page on Facebook! AND I'm on Twitter. It's pushing over-exposure, I know - but it's a risk I'm willing to take.:)