Cheeky Things: What My 3 Year Old Knows & My 2 Year Old Doesn't...

It's bedtime here and I have just been upstairs for the third time to tell J.R and E.M to stop messing about and go to sleep.

They share a room, because when we first moved into this house, although I was around five months pregnant with E.M, they wouldn't grant us a third bedroom - no matter how much we begged!

But anyway, for that reason the girls have to put up with eachother.

So I trudged upstairs for the third time to issue the ultimatium: If they didn't go to sleep immediately we wouldn't be making cupcakes tomorrow...

As I got closer to the gate, E.M sounded like she was having a great time, she was giggling uncontrollably and making sound effects all over the room. I cracked open the gate to see J.R's eyes snap shut and she lay there like a statue, while E.M was caught with her hands up in the air. She froze. She was caught.

I told her to cut it out and go to sleep. She got into bed, rolled over and I covered her up.

I walked out of the room and glanced at J.R who was "sleeping." She had the most angelic look on her face. It was, however, coupled with a tiny smirk that spoke of the singing and dancing about that she'd been doing right before she heard the stairs creak, announcing my arrival.

But that's the difference between being a 3 year old and 2 year old.

J.R can hear me coming, anticipate my arrival, and pretend to do what she's supposed to be doing, while E.M still has no idea that the footfalls on the stairs are made by me on my way up to their room. So she ignores them.

She continues playing and even says, "Hiya, Mummy!" when I step into the room. It's not until I speak sternly to her does she realise she is supposed to be sleeping.

She usually squints her eyes shut, I cover her up, and she stays that way until I leave the room. It's a sure bet though, that the minute I walk back downstairs and sit down, she can be heard laughing and prancing about - our E.M is very heavy footed for such a miniature person.

You know sometimes it sounds like they are having SO MUCH fun up there, I wish I could spy on them with a video monitor!