Sleep Deprivation!

Okay, along with having an infant...comes sleep deprivation, right?! Well sort of, except my 2 1/2 year old seems to be the culprit!
Unfortunately Lainey has only gone in 1-2 weeks spurts of sleeping through the night, and lately she hasn't been. However, she only wakes once, usually around 3 or 4, nurses for about 5 minutes and immediately goes back to sleep. Easy right?!
Then there is Dawson lately...my once great sleeper has been getting up and wanting to get in bed with us. The first couple times it happened, we thought, maybe a bad dream-something to that effect. However, it is happening too frequently, and then I don't get sleep because I have feet in my face, and a bed & pillow hog!!
Don't get me wrong, I love the extra snuggles, but I am a fan of his bed, our bed! Needless to say, Chris and I are exhausted when it is time to get up in the morning. I have done some research and apprently this is totally normal for a 2 1/2 year old to be going through. There were some suggestions, most of them we already do, but the major one being...DON'T GIVE IN! So, when we are already dog tired from the normal routines we are supposed to be strong, and put him back to bed. Sounds semi-easy right?! Not when I am 1/2 awake! After going through these same motions off and on for the past 3 weeks...I am ready for something to change. Not sure what we are going to do, but something HAS to be done! Any suggestions? He already goes to bed on his own (has for ages) doesn't have a nightlight, we tried the nightlight and things didn't change, we tried music, extra blankets. Just don't get it. The thing that really gets me is it isn't consistent so I don't think he is scared? He doesn't act like he is. The only thing I am really thinking is he figures this is the only time for sure it is just "him" time. But...we try to set aside time with just him throughout the day. HMMMMM.
Okay, other than sleep deprivation venting...
We have had NO success hunting :-( Sadly enough! Chris has gone quite often over the past 2 weeks, and to various different chunks of land and nothing. He passed up a couple the first weekend hoping for the "big one" and now wishing he hadn't. I have only sat 2 afternoons, and not seen anything.
So, this week we are praying for deer (meat in the freezer!) and SLEEP!!!