Christmas Balls Will Fly

A few weeks ago, I had a fantastic weekend. A weekend away from the kids, a hotel, just me and my sweet. This is our yearly date. Lol Kyle's Christmas party.
NRT is one hell of a great company and they treat their employees very well.
Our one obstacle with our weekend away is always finding someone who will watch the kids. Since my mom and dad have moved back, they have helped us out a lot. This weekend, however, my dad's party was the same night as ours.
Problem solved when my sister Dominique and her boyfriend Stewart offered to watch them.
When I left Saskatoon Sunday morning, I made the almost two hour trip to Stu's farm. We hung out, had supper there, then started our hour and a half trip home.
I should have known better.  I mean, really.  My kids aren't the ones that go to bed at ten.  They're in bed by 7:30 or 8:00 each night.  All three of them.  They're also the kids that fall asleep the instant they get in a vehicle.
So, you guessed it.  After leaving Stu's place at 5:30, my kids slept the hour and a half it took to get home. Since I knew it was going to be a fairly late night, I decided on a movie night.  All of the mattresses were pulled into the living room and we watched a movie or two.  Around midnight, I had three darling little sleeping angels on my hands and I went to bed.

It feels like I've just fallen asleep when suddenly, I hear a giggle.  I pull the covers over my head, determined to pretend it's a part of the dream I'm having.  Please, just let them go back to sleep.  I'm exhausted.  The giggle comes again and is quickly followed by another.
I groan.
If two of them are up, it's just a matter of time before the third is also.
I get up and stumble my sleepy ass to the living room.  "Why are you guys awake?" I ask the boys.
"Can I have more milk?" That's Emery.
"Bar." Anthony wants a granola bar.
I amble to the kitchen and make the mistake of glancing at the stove clock.  It's three o'clock.  In the morning.
"Ok, guys.  Be quiet and go back to sleep.  It's still night night time."
Both of them nod and settle back down and I head back to my bedroom where I dare hope that they will, indeed, go back to sleep.
Of course, this doesn't last long.  I'm just getting to that warm under the blankets, I'm so comfy and just minutes from sleep state when I hear the dreaded, "Mooooooom!".
I take a deep breath and head back to the living room.  "What, Emery."
He smiles and gives me those big brown puppy dog eyes.  "I love you."
"Love you, too, baby.  Now go to sleep, please."
I crawl back under my covers and snuggle into my pillow.  Down the hallway and around the corner, I can hear them talking.  But I'm too tired to get up again.
I'm just starting to get back to sleep when a hand touches my face.  I jump, scream, and try to keep from having a heart attack.
"Mommy, they boys woke me up..."  It's Ashtynn, the ninja. That kid could sneak up the most sound sensitive security system and steal what it was guarding.  "Can I sleep with you?"
I hold the blankets up and she crawls into bed with me.  She's my sleeper.  It takes her about thirty seconds to go back to sleep. My brainwaves are chasing after hers when all of a sudden, I hear it.  The sound of something plastic bouncing off the living room wall.
I pull the covers over my head.  Maybe it was the dog toy.  Maybe they'll just go back to sleep...
*ting!*  The noise comes again.  And again.  And soon, the boys are laughing so hard I'm not sure how in the world their sister is sleeping through the commotion.
I try to ignore them.  Until Emery start crying.
I get up with a growl and stomp into the living room.
"What's going on?!"
Emery wipes his tears.  "Anthony threw a christmas ball at me!"
Anthony shakes his head.  "Emmy too!"
I look over to the tree and I don't know if I should laugh, cry, or kill my kids.  My Christmas tree is naked.  Well, save for the candy canes and lights.  That plastic *ting* I was hearing was the cheery sound of its balls hitting the wall.  All of them.  And the ones still in the decoration box we hadn't put up.  Beautiful globes of varying colors are strewn about my living room and dining room.  I look at the clock.  Four o'clock.
"Go to sleep."
I turn on my heel and join Ashtynn in my bed.  But not before closing the bedroom door.  I'm too tired to deal with that shit right now.
I hear the ball fight start up again and I smother the sound with blankets.  They're plastic balls.  They won't break.  They won't break anything.
The ruckus of war starts to fade as sleep comes for me.
And it's not like we won't have fun redecorating the tree in the morning...