Nighttime games

3:OO AM: Isaac decides he wants out. I stand shivering by the back door while he does his business.

3:10: Isaac comes back in, plods for twenty minutes, finally goes to sleep.

3:30: Charley wants out. I open the door for him then go back to bed and forget he's out there.

3:45: Charley starts barking, waking up half of Mission. I get up to call him back in. He goes back to bed and so do I.

3:55: Isaac wakes up and wants back out again. Charley has to join him just in case there should be anything exciting in the yard at 3:55 AM.

4:00: Isaac comes back in. One freezing human in pj's has to go out in the dark yard to persuade Charley to "get the heck inside" (well those weren't quite the words I used). Dogs and human go back to bed.

4:15: Allie, the tortie cat, gets up and decides to tear back and forth past the dogs several times. Both dogs get up and do the Indy 500 around the house in hot pursuit of the cat.

4:30: I get up and tell them to give it a break (again, not in those words). All three give me their most innocent looks and head to the kitchen where they stare intently at the food dishes. I try to go back to bed and they all start pacing back and forth between my bedroom and the kitchen.

4:40: I admit defeat, get up, and feed them.

4:50: The dogs and cat are fast asleep on my office floor. Unfortunately, I'm now wide awake.

I wanna trade my three for Jack, who sleeps until noon. I won't even complain if he pees on the bed.