The barn is not a small building, but the way it’s set up, the kids’ room is not large. It was Robbi’s and my bedroom, back before we had kids, back before we knew we would be staying in the barn for more than a year. We made the room small so that it would be easy to heat and cool.

The room is 8’x8′, and a few months from now, it will be home to three kids. And so it’s time to get creative with the sleeping arrangements. For the past 18 months, Alden and Kato have each had their own kid beds. But since the room isn’t big enough to accommodate a third, we decided to move up.

And where does one go when a bunk bed is needed? To IKEA, of course. Our closest IKEA is in College Park, just north of Washington, D.C. We headed there yesterday after breakfast.

Upon arriving at IKEA, we headed straight to the cafe for Swedish meatballs. While Robbi and I stuffed our faces, August learned how to use an abacus.

And Alden joined a women’s discussion group.

After lunch, we headed to the kid section. Alden wasted no time in identifying the perfect bunk bed.

The top platform is not so high to present a true health risk to your average five-year-old.

And the bottom is approximately four inches off a floor, just right for a little sleeper as he transitions from crib to bed.

The plan is for Alden to occupy the heights and for the boys to share the bottom bunk (or “cave,” as we are calling it). Kato has agreed to this approach in the abstract. We’ll see how he feels when it actually happens.

On our way to the warehouse to pick up our boxes, I was tempted to buy a tub of Flardfull.

The strawberries were so appealing, but the awful syllables of “flardfull” were too much to overcome. It went back to the shelf. And I proceeded to the bowels of IKEA.

We collected our boxes and tightly rolled mattresses and headed for the checkout. The kids enjoyed the ride.

Or perhaps they were merely amused by the struggles of their driver.

It’s hard to imagine that this…

…would turn into this.

We headed home and unloaded the boxes. The kids were eager to help.

They were surprisingly helpful.

Slowly, it started coming together.

Alden screwed in the bolts.

Kato inspected and approved all the slats.

And Robbi posed alluringly at every opportunity.

Eventually, the frame was built.

And so we unrolled the mattresses.

And put up the tent on the top bunk. And mounted Alden’s flower lamp.

And Kato’s star lamp.

By the time the beds were completely put together, it was time for bed. We celebrated with a story.

The kids love their beds. As evidence: the extraordinarily long naps they took this afternoon. I’ll be curious to see how long the novelty lasts. For now, at least, happy kids is a good way to ring in the new year.