Bedtime tonight

I just thought I share how our story time/bedtime went tonight :) Just for kicks! The boys have been really good for me this week with Daddy out on the water, and it always makes things run that much easier when they are happy. Well this week I have been working on a slightly more structured bedtime routine that seems to be working pretty well. Part of it now is that Joss can't go to sleep with a cup of milk. I know that is really bad for his teeth, so we're trying to stop that habit now (and hopefully avoid having it with Emit). So once we get ready to go read stories we brush our teeth and then no more milk.

While reading our stories tonight Emit was in the middle of his own little game of toss & retrieve which Joss and I both were giggling over. He would bring a ball over to me in the chair with Joss and then I would toss it across the room. He would get all excited and then wobble over to pick it up and bring it back. Every time he would walk over to get it Joss would get the giggles and get totally distracted from the book we were reading. It was pretty funny, and I couldn't help but laugh with him. Emit finally joined us to read some books for a few minutes. 

When I laid them down and left it only took Joss a few minutes before he was yelling for me to bring him his milk. I went in and I explained to him why I couldn't give him milk anymore and that it would make his teeth hurt and not be strong and healthy, but that I would be happy to give him a nice cold cup of water. If you have ever been around Joss when we've offered him water (or tried to sneak it in) instead of juice... you know he thinks it's like trying to get him to eats beats or spinach or something even more grotesque than either of those. I kept trying to play the "cold" card by making jokes and saying "brrrrrr, cold water" until he finally said to me, "no juice or milk....makes teeth hurt, ouch!" And then I said, "yes, that's right... would you like some nice cold water instead?" And his reply was a very happy and excited "YEAH!" 

Hopefully it will go this smooth tomorrow night :) It's more the fact of having his cup in bed with him than the actual drinking part though, so I think this will be a good alternative.