Ugh.

Before kids I was afraid of: 

Spiders

Getting puked and pooped on

Earwax

Tomato Hornworm caterpillars

After kids:

I kill black and brown window spiders daily

Not even an issue (only if you are under 5)

Only if you are my child

Have them as pets

I would like to introduce the newest members of the family- Teigue...

And Stella Bloblahbo Balbo Mr. Stinky

While looking at the tomato plants, i noticed the tell tale evidence that hornworms were on the plants- giant caterpillar poop. I looked and looked over the plants to find the little buggers in order to destroy them. Being the naive parent that I am, I called Teigue over to show him. What did he do? Made it a house. Of course Stella needed one too, and I found another one on a different plant. Ugh. The kids took to parenting a hornworm right away. They picked loads and loads of leaves off the tomatoes and peppers, carried them around in their shirts, kissed them, let them crawl on my kitchen floor, and finally built them the most wonderful high rises above their plastic container homes. 

Unfortunately for Mr. Stinky, he was loved a tad bit too much by one Jayno Fox and let out a bit of green goo. By 9:00 pm he seemed to be on his last leg (his bright green skin was turning an awful shade of brown), so I threw him outside to burrow in the ground- you know in order for him to build his cocoon in order to become a sphinx moth. When Jayno woke up this morning she instantly asked for Mr. Stinky. When I told her how he turned into a sphinx moth she was, as any mother would be, very very upset. Thankfully we went outside and discovered that Mr. Stinky didn't turn into a moth at all, but a hummingbird! Mr. Stinky was on the patio to say good morning to his mommy early this morning. Teigue's baby Teigue? Still alive and kicking and currently buried under a pile of tomato leaves on the back deck in an open container (his idea, not mine). Hopefully he makes his escape this evening as well.

Just in case you have never seen a hornworm in person (count yourself very lucky, by the way), it is a giant green monster the size of an adult's middle finger. Vile creatures these things are.