Little Balls of Chaos

From the very moment I found out I was expecting for the first time my head was kept spinning day in and day out. Even then before Sophia was born, I really had no idea just how things would change. Over the years hubby and I look back at our life before kids and see the fascinating changes that have taken place. Life has become more amusing, more joyous and let's face it, a bit more hectic too.

Last week after a comical home inspection my husband referred to the kids as little balls of chaos and made no apologies for what we have come to accept and even love about our two munchkins. As part of the deal for the house, the owners reluctantly agreed to a home inspection, something that was a must have for us and we didn't see as being 'that big of a deal'. Apparently to the current owners it was and they insisted on being home and following around my husband and the inspector.

The kids were with me and were relatively occupied in my charge, save for a few moments when Caleb decided to run circles around the senior home owners. Kids will be kids and had the owners not been there I doubt I would have said anything to him. Because they were there and we were 'guests' I felt I needed to keep them in relative control. These people made a fuss about opening the windows, every window as our inspector insisted must be done. They didn't want the dish washer turned on even after our inspector said, "If it comes with the house we have to check it." They did not want us going in the attic. I don't think they were trying to be devious. They were just control freaks and a tad over bearing.

The best part of the night came when Caleb pressed his body against the sliding glass door to the backyard. Looking out the window, he began rubbing his hands and face all over the glass leaving numerous smudges and marks on the otherwise perfectly clean glass. It took all my strength not the laugh since this little act of chaos was very much Caleb. Wherever he goes, he leaves a trail of destruction only akin to pig pen. The lady homeowner was perturbed. She said "You're going to come back tomorrow and clean that with Windex." I knew we wouldn't have to come back, she was such a neat freak that she'd have all the windows in the house clear of our fingerprints within 20 minutes after we left. She really did make me feel like my presence was a stain on her existence. She kept saying she doesn't need to sell and that she didn't know we'd be ripping her house apart.

My husband and I had to laugh. She had been child-free for so many years perhaps she forgot the delight in having them around. "Kids are little balls of chaos," my husband said, and I have to agree. Here at home my kids are comfortable. The house gets messed up during the day and sometimes it even gets put back to rights before bed.... sometimes. It doesn't matter. I know one day they will be gone and I will miss picking up after them. I will miss their jelly-smudged faces and their dirty finger prints on the walls. Today I don't care about the chaos or the disapproving stares of people who think we should be better put together. I love my little balls of chaos, they are a million times better than perfectly washed windows.

** In other news, husband and I have backed out of that home that we adored. A few things came up in the inspection that gave the house a fail and the home owners were not willing to make the necessary fixes. We were even less inclined to spend the money to have the fixes done ourselves. To make a long and crazy story short, we are back to the drawing board as far as house hunting goes. Sigh. It was a lovely house though.