Party of 5: Movin' and Shakin'

Well, it has been a long time coming. For about six months now we've been seriously considering giving the boys separate rooms. Here are some of our reasons why:

Since they were about 18 months old (at which point they started to become very verbal), Kyle and Owen have not been able to fall asleep in the same room together. For them, "Lights Out" translates to "Let's Get the Party Started!" Imagine: every nap and bedtime is like a slumber party with your best friend. They go *crazy* with inside jokes and antics and bouncing/jumping/laughing/throwing their loveys back-and-forth to each other/etc.
Because of the above, and after trying EVERYTHING we could creatively imagine (and reading every book on the subjects of sleep, twins, and the combo of the two; after talking to every parent of twins I know; and even consulting with a toddler sleep expert) we ended up with our last resort: putting them to sleep in separate rooms. We started putting Owen in the guest room bed and keeping Kyle in his own bed. Once they were both asleep we'd move Owen back to his own bed so they could sleep the night in their room together and wake up together. We thought it would just take a few nights and then they'd realize that bedtime meant sleep time. Nope. We've been at this for over six months now (moving Owen every night).
Completely unrelated to the above... we feel in our gut that K & O should have their own rooms. We are fortunate to have the space for it. We feel they will benefit from it - it will give them each something of their own, a place to be by themselves, and, in kind of the true sense of the phrase: a room of one's own. As twins, they are together constantly. We just feel in our gut that having their own spaces will be a good thing for our little guys.
We also think it is time for the boys to have real beds. They were in cribs until they turned two, then we took the crib rails off so their cribs became "toddler beds..." but now -- at age 2.5, they are so enormous that they barely fit in their little beds. We think big beds, where they can stretch out more, might be more comfortable for them.

So, about a week ago we finally came to the decision to do it. Over the course of the past week we have -- somehow -- someway -- been able to find the time to do what it takes: the shopping for some necessities, planning the big move, and... today... the actual MOVE itself. The old guest room is now Owen's room. The boys' old room is now Kyle's room.

This move really shakes things up around here. This is a big deal.
I'm about to go pick up the boys from daycare and I'm very anxious to see how the they will react to the new set up. Very anxious. I tried to explain to them what was going to happen, but God only knows how much of it they actually understood. Most people tell me that they think twins should share a room until they are much older than 2.5 (again, another topic on which everyone and their brother tells me what they think) I'm sure there must be other families out there, but I don't personally know anyone who moved their twins to separate rooms this young. But we really just felt strongly that this was the right decision for us. At the same time, I've had a lump in my throat and been on the verge of tears since last night when we moved Owen to his toddler bed for the last time. Braydon and I stood there arm-in-arm in the darkness of our bambinos' room just watching our babies sleep in their cozy little toddler beds. These are the beds they slept in their first night home. This is the room where they shared their baby-hood. I hate to see them grow so fast. I wish I could freeze time. I hate to see their cribs in the basement today. It is just killing me to have to put away their darling little cribsheets. This is partly what being a parent is all about, I suppose. But can't we just freeze time and keep them just as they are -- if even for just a little while? I wonder how many parents throughout history have asked themselves these very questions.