2 boys = craziness and lots of fun

In just the past few days I've become ever more aware of the craziness of life with two little boys. Life is a steady hum of crazy these days, with some extreme craziness thrown in here or there, but for the most part it's a 'steady crazy.' It has become a part of the Hannig normal, you could say. Two boys driving their toy cars on the floors and saying 'vroom VROOM' or shooting guns in each other's faces (guns could be an actual plastic gun, or it could be made out of a bendy straw, a plastic toy drill, a hockey stick, etc.), or a shoving match over a toothbrush or wanted toy. Now that Ben is mobile, he and Luke are often taking off in opposite directions, squealing and screaming, making their mom choose whichever is the child in the most danger who needs saving. The Spicer grocery store (Jahnke's) is their playground. I cannot contain them in the shopping cart (Ben is able to get himself out) and so they run around, dive on the floor (Luke), lie on the floor in the middle of aisles (Luke), run around a display case in circles (Ben, with Luke chasing him), run behind the cashier's counter or back into the Deli (Ben), shoot straw guns at strangers (Luke, with Ben imitating and following the lead) and scream the entire time. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what goes on in a normal day with Luke and Ben.

Today Ben was walking around 'brushing' his teeth and decided to dunk the toothbrush in the toilet. It had been flushed, but still, yuck. It went in the garbage after that. A few minutes later, Ben with a new toothbrush in hand, needed a poopy diaper change. I was doing the changing and he was occupied from screaming for the moment by the new toothbrush in his hand. Suddenly he spotted the Desitin and determined it was worth playing with. So he threw the toothbrush down, right in between his legs, grazing the poop. Needless to say, that toothbrush was also thrown away. 2 down in about 2 minutes. Ben and Luke always are fighting over the toothbrushes, Luke wanting them as guns, Ben just wanting to suck on them and run around with them. I cannot seem to keep them away from that dumb toothpaste/brush drawer in the bathroom. They just congregate there every morning and they get in shoving matches, Luke trying to hold the drawer shut to keep Ben out, Ben trying to push Luke away and screaming the entire time, each fighting over which toothbrush they want to play with. This morning mine ended up in a dirt pile outside because I didn't have the energy to fight with Ben over it. Rules have been established now. :)

Generally there is always someone being fed or drinking, which means food on the floor, ants all over the food, boys with sweet potatoes in their hair or oatmeal on their pants, plates being tossed overboard, forks being pounded on the table, and milk being spilled. Usually there is a fight or two about who's sippy cup is whose. The boys battle over them, physically, multiple times in a day.

Luke is a little rough with Ben and a time or two a day there is an accidental injury, and a time or two a day there is a planned, premeditated injury. Luke smashes his head into Ben's once in a while. Yesterday the head butt was on purpose, tonight it was in a burst of over-excitement which he could not contain and Ben's head become the recipient of the forceful blow. Poor Ben. However, Ben is not fully innocent. He recently has slapped Luke with his hand if he is upset or wants something that Luke refuses to give him. Ben also just started stomping his feet in anger.

Last weekend at the Brown Cabin (our friend's, The Olson's, have this cabin on Green Lake) we were busy chasing the boys. Luke couldn't go anywhere without me and insisted on being carried. So while Ben is in the water or needing a poopy diaper change, Luke is right by me, pulling me and grabbing me, telling me to pick him up. Chase, chase, chase is what we did all weekend.

I have to admit - I LOVE IT. I do not take any of these moments for granted. Each day I stare the next day in the face, knowing my boys will be one day closer to being grown. Each day I know that a phase we are going through will be gone the next day (i.e., think Luke's helmet, or the bouncy balls. Gone. And now here is the Luke who loves guns and shooting everything). So here's to chasing my crazy boys. It truly is chaotic, crazy FUN.