Never-ending Quest

One of my main responsibilities as a mom is to keep my children safe and alive.  You'd think this would be pretty easy, especially when they're young like mine are.

You'd be wrong.

Mainly because all three of them seem to be plotting the others' and their own demise.

For example, these events all really happened today:

1. I caught Josh and Spencer piling pillows on top of the baby and jumping on them.  Oh sure, Cole was crazy happy, giggling like a maniac and squealing with joy.  From Underneath The Pillows.  Yikes.  Crazy momma bear made an appearance to save her cub, and then proceeded to strike a death blow with her mighty paw against her other two unruly cubs.  Not really.  But they got a good talking to.
2. I caught Josh trying to stick his chubby little fingers into an electrical outlet.  Almost all of the outlets in our house are covered, but this one wasn't for whatever reason.  And although he's three and knows better and hasn't shown interest in outlets since he was a baby, he was bound and determined to get his finger in there for the shock of his life.  I was a jerk and stopped him.
3. Spencer and Josh were playing the piano while I was making dinner.  All of a sudden I heard a screech from Josh and Spencer say "Well, you should have been watching!  It's your fault!"  Spencer had slammed Josh's hand in the piano cover - and was blaming Josh.  Nice.  He got quite a good talking to from me and a punch in the back from Josh, which I did not see but certainly heard.  They then proceeded to have a rock-em-sock-em wrestling match to the death.  Which I ignored.
4. Cole has discovered the effectiveness of quickly lurching and arching his back while you are holding him.  This rarely happens, as that boy looooves to be held.  However, if things aren't quite going the way he wants - as happened today as I tried to wipe his nose - he performs this gold medal maneuver.  He did this today while we were in the kitchen and I came very very very very very close to dropping him.  Head first.  Onto the ceramic tile.  I asked him what this death wish was all about, but he just tried to bite me.