M.B.
Hi B.,
I have been a similar situation as you,but, I have only one child. She is almost 3 (in May) and has just recently (in the past few months) started to sleep from the time we put her down (7:30pm) all the way to the morning (6:30-6:45). This has been an absolute blessing!!! I finally got to the point where I was just DONE!!! It wasn't so bad when she was little, but as she got older, she became quite a bed hog and then wouldn't leave me alone. So, that was it.... I found a wonderful book called "Sleep Sense Program".
It's an on-line book so I can forward it to you if you would like. I can't express what this book did for my family. It takes alot of pacience and consistancy, but it worked! I could go on forever about the process I used to get my little girl to sleep through the night, but if you want to know details, we can talk through email.
My email is ____@____.com. (I'll send the book to who ever might need it) This book opened my eyes to all of the things I was doing to contribute to her horrible sleep habits, and even creating them for her. I understand about not wanting to wake anyone else up, but a few days (possibly a week) of crying really is no comparision to the peace of mind you get when they finally learn to fall asleep on their own. I also had issues with my daughter waking up in the middle of the night. That's how she ended up in my bed by morning.
You just need to sleep train your children. There is a lot that goes into it, but the end result is priceless!!!!
I hope to hear from you soon.
Take care,
M.