Our Sneaky Party Animal

Emma is closing in on two years old. In just over a month she will be TWO!  It is hard to believe.  Even though she is almost two I haven't had any thoughts about moving her into a big girl bed yet.  Ryan transitioned into her big girl bed right after her second birthday.  By 26 months I got rid of her crib all together. With Emma I am not as eager to try the BGB.  Emma is a phenomenal sleeper. So independent and so happy in her crib.  She lays right down and goes to sleep and never wakes up.  She still has yet to ever come into our bed!  She prefers her own!  Why change anything when we are all getting such great sleep???
Well, this plan I had to leave her in the crib as long as possible may not be Emma's plan.  Here is the problem:  On my last book club night Brad and the boys came over to hang with Chris and the girls while I went to Kellie's house.  The kids have so much fun together and Chris and Brad enjoy relaxing and drinking a few cold ones while the kids play.  Chris let Emma stay up a little later than the norm because she was having so much fun.  Finally he got her ready for bed and did her bedtime routine (which takes a whole 5 minutes), laid her in her crib, turned out her lights and shut the door. Chris rejoined Brad in the living room and Ryan, Beckett and Britton continued playing in Ryan's room.  An hour later the three kids came running into the living room.  That is when Chris realized that he still heard one kid laughing and shrieking in Ryan's room.  He went to check on Emma and walking past Ryan's room he saw her! She was running around playing in Ryan's room!  He thought she had been asleep for an hour.  The best part was that her room was still dark with the door shut! She covered her tracks!  We have no idea what happened.  She may have had some help, or she may have just watched the big kids climbing in and out of the crib earlier in the night and taken notes.  Either way, she knows how to get out of her crib.  Grandpa got to witness her technique firsthand the next morning.  Looks like we will be converting to a toddler bed sooner than planned!  She did stay in her crib all night last night and so far she has stayed in it during naps.  I may be able to hold onto it a little longer.  I am pretty sure the next time the Tharp boys are here and she feels like she is missing out she won't hesitate to join the party!