Why do I merge my dreams with reality and how can I be awake while I do this?

I have had this condition since I can remember. Every once in a while I will "wake up" in the middle of the night and see things that don't exist merged with my reality surroundings. I know they are dreams but I still see them. Here are some examples:

1) When I was little I woke up to find the Big Bad Wolf sitting on my bed trying to get me to go out and play with him. My mom came in and asked who I was talking to and I told her what I saw. She couldn't see him but I could talk to both of them and see them both at the same time. Eventually he jumped out of my window because I wouldn't go play.

2) My husband and I were sleeping and I saw a man in a black sweat suit with hoodie come in to the room and stand at the corner of our bed. He looked at me and then turned and walked out. I punched my husband and told him there was someone in the house. Turned out I was dreaming again.

3) Sleeping again, I woke up and saw a 4 foot tarantula in the corner of our ceiling. I woke up my husband again and told him. Then realized I was dreaming and told him to ignore me. All this time I could still see the tarantula

4) Same thing as above but it was a corral snake going under the bed.

These are just a tiny piece of the events. My daughter has them too. That is why I am curious about them. Last night she sat up with me seeing mice everywhere. We were up for about 20 minutes with her seeing mice and I didn't see a thing.

What do you think these are and what causes them?

Additional Details

I don't think my house is haunted in any way because these have happened all my life and I have moved atleast 10 times in my life.

My daughter did speak to spirits when she was little but it was only her Great Grandfather on my Husbands side.

The dreams always are something that just doesn't fit into reality. Such as spiders, snakes, wolves, people, birds etc. I had patterned ivy sheets that I would see snakes looping through. I have seen fantasy things too like fairies, trollsm unicorns etc. I always have some sort of contact with them. We will talk, or connect in line of sight.