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My youngest kid turned nine recently and requested a sleepover with his favorite cousin to celebrate. He also requested that I buy Mountain Dew for them, telling me that they needed the caffeine because they were going to “pull an all-nighter.”

So I guess that’s the stage we’re in now?

The nine-year-old was a little crazed after drinking two Mountain Dews in a row, so we had to take the rest away. My husband and I went to bed at 10:00 PM, leaving the kids in the basement with orders to not wake us up.

When I got up at about 7 AM the next morning I could hear–all the way from the top floor of our house–the sound of Godzilla destroying San Francisco in my basement. On the dining table were the remnants of a late-night attack on the chocolate lasagna dessert. All the lights in the basement were on, but nobody made a peep when I turned down the television volume from my phone.

Almost three hours later the partiers started to stir. Although they had not succeeded in their quest to pull an all-nighter, they sure acted like they had.

“I’m pretty sure I fell asleep on the couch,” my oldest mumbled at breakfast. “But somehow I woke up on the air mattress.”

Everyone was a little dazed all day. Emotions were difficult. Frustration levels were high, and somehow everyone was completely silent on the ride back from dropping off their cousin.

It was a very successful birthday sleepover, but I’m not sure what to do with the four leftover Mountain Dews that are currently hidden in my closet.