Who needs dynamite--I have kids!

I've been home with teensy and the boys since Thursday afternoon and it's been interesting to say the least. My wife has been working at a special consignment sale for children's clothing at our state fairgrounds and I have been keeping the children alive.
Teensy still needs a lot of attention being such a small tot, she has reflux and spits up in a poltergeist kind of way which causes all kinds of alarms on her apnea monitor. My pet name for Levi is Chubbers, Titus is Bub, you've met teensy whose given name is Emma. They are quite a trio. Chubbers is into destruction exploration. Bub is into construction destruction and Teensy is into clothing destruction and bed corruption.
Chubbers spends his waking moments being really cute, cracking himself up, and opening drawers just to spill their contents onto the floor. He really has a distaste for order and prefers a cluttered house. Toy baskets remain empty, drawers and clothing baskets-goners he just makes his way through the house upsetting our order. Our chaos is his calm. He's just the cutest thing around but there are times that I would love to duct tape him on the wall and just let him, "hang out" for an hour or two. He has this blanket that my wife made for him when he was on his way into the world. It's a blue chenille blanket with a vintage cowboy fabric on the back. He totes that thing around an sucks his thumb. I call the blanket sucky sucky, he knows where it is at all times. I liken it to the love relationship that Linus has to this blanket and look forward to Chubbers chenille sport coat! Chubbers is just learning to talk and has mastered the basic one-syllable words. I think he knows more than he let's on, but is just toying with us because he can. For now we love his gibber jabber babbling.
Bub is a brilliant witty little boy who really has the world by the tail. He is just full of wit and says the most hilarious things. Jeff Foxworthy's hosting a new game show on Fox and we were watching it Thursday night when, "Dad, I could be on that show. I'm really smart and know evryfing." "I think you would be good on the show too, bub. What subjects would you be the best at answering." "24th century for sure, I know a lot about that." there you have it a 4 and 1/2 year old expert on the 24th century! Bub likes to build things out of the couch pillows and afghans in our blanket chest (it's really an upholstered footstool I just like the idea of a blanket chest) and then walk into a world created by his imagination. Shopping mall's, train stations, space stations, puppet theaters you name it and he will build it. Bub doesn't like putting things away and leaves his messes all around the house. We have the hardest time getting him to pick up one mess before starting another. Bub is a caring and wonderful brother who totally terrorizes his brother one minute and then loving him the next. Chubbers doesn't know whether to hug him or duck and cover.
Bub is a constant snacker. he's always eating a spoon of peanut butter, or a granola bar, or a grape, or an apple, or jell-o. Again, not picking up after himself. On Thursday, Chubbers found a cup of jell-o that Bub left out and by time I found him his hands were red, covered in Jell-0. I knew exactly where he had been because little gobs of jell-o were left in his trail. Getting in touch with my happy place was difficult. Trying to remember how much I would miss "this" moment in twenty years just didn't' help. I was hacked. You know, you don't really need dynamite to destroy a house just two brother's under five!
Bub loves Dino nuggets. He usually eats them reheated in the microwave, I would rather he ate them baked in the oven. Something about easing my conscience knowing that this processed food was "baked" and not nuked. I'm saving that for my therapist. I made up some secret dipping sauce for him: Dino dipping sauce. He loved it! Just a bit of barbecue sauce (maybe a tablespoon) and a bit of honey (just a tablespoon or so) then ketchup. Stir it all together and you have Dino dipping sauce. it then became another food network star "dream".
One more chubber. Bub, Cubbers and I were on the way home from church one night. Bub wanted to open some powdered donuts and eat one before we got home. "No, it will make a huge mess in the car!" 4 1/2 year old's are much smarter than their parents ever though about being so he opened the bag and got his donut. True to form, he forgot to close the package and keep it away from chubbers. Chubbers went into stealth mode and managed to crumb every donut in the box and cover himself from head to toe in powder. He has very curly, tight hair and it was perfectly powdered. Again, finding the happy place was very hard to do.
I can only imagine what teensy will add to the mix and really try not to think about it, i just don't think I could take it. I'm sure I'll be reading my children's blog some day (there will probably be something much, much more cool by then) and saying, "I had no idea they did THAT!" She is already a tough cookie who doesn't take much off anyone without letting them know about it.
Children are wonderful and blessings I'm so thankful to have. Clean houses, full night's sleep, quiet, uninterrupted peace--saved for retirement.