Independence Days

Why is it that every August, it seems like we try to push Summer aside and move on to Winter so fast? We still have a good ten weeks before the first frost, yet the stores are all about back to school, and I’ve already seen Halloween candy on shelves! Summer is my season, so I like to pretend like it will never end.

Our Summer has been fairly uneventful so far. The boys enjoyed fireworks on the 4th of July and participated in the neighborhood wagon/bike parade in 100 degree heat while parents hovered in the shade. We were going to take the boys to a fireworks display, but some of the neighbors on our block had illegal fireworks, so we just joined in on that fun. Thinking back to my own childhood, if given the choice of a beautiful fireworks display or blowing up crap in front of my house while stuffing my face with s’mores, I would have chosen the latter! They had fun, and no police showed up, so the 4th was a success.

It’s been hot here in Denver, but not as bad as everywhere east of here under the “heat dome”. Mostly it’s been in the mid 90s, and still is, but without oppressive humidity, it’s not so bad. We sold all the baby stuff at our annual neighborhood garage sale and made a decent amount of money. I can do cartwheels in the storage room once again (well, if I could do cartwheels) without the high chairs, double stroller, and whatever other baby etcetera was cluttering the place up. Getting rid of crap pleases me!

The boys school goes on camp mode in Summer, so that means a different theme every two weeks with “splash day” every Wednesday (they play in sprinklers and have numerous water tables set out) and picnics every Friday. The session on the solar system fascinated them and they would come home talking about planets and rockets. This week is dinosaurs, equally fascinating for them. I was impressed when Dylan showed me one picture on the wall at school (out of many) and correctly identified it as a T-Rex. Maybe this pre-preschool learning is really paying off! In three weeks, they’ll go back to school mode with more of a classroom setting.

I recently met another gay couple in our neighborhood who has 18 month old twins from surrogacy. They heard our neighborhood was great for gay parenting, and say it’s lived up to their expectations. Our gay couple friends down the street had their baby shower a couple weeks ago and their babies are due in late September. I remember our baby shower so vividly… sort of the calm before the storm. At the baby shower I met a woman who has adult twins, so she was interested in talking to me about our twins. She asked how old they were and when I said three, she said, “So you’re just leaving the dark forest”. I knew exactly what she meant! I know so many parents of multiples and it really is three years of hell. Fun, love, and hell! I’ve heard people say they want twins and think it sounds like fun. Mmmm… not really, unless you have a ton of help and lots of money, or just don’t require any sleep or personal time. But things are so much easier now. Taking both of them to the store or just getting out the door and into the car is much easier now. The other day they were playing in the water outside and when they came in, I was starting dinner. They wanted dry clothes so I told them to go upstairs, take off their wet clothes, find something dry and put it on. No supervision. And they did it. They came downstairs in matching outfits, although the shirts were long-sleeved and Reid’s shirt was on backwards, but they actually did it. Milestones like this are exciting. And they love coloring, a great way to keep them occupied while we make dinner or clean house. They’ll color for an hour with little supervision. I think my stress levels are coming down as the boys gain their independence.

And here is a picture of Reid, post surgery. Yesterday he had his tonsils removed. He was so excited, at least up until he realized what was really going down. He was quite proud of the band-aid he received, but is still home resting. I feel sorry for him because I remember having my tonsils removed when I was four. It really hurt, and ice cream didn’t make it all better! My parents will be back to visit in a couple weeks before they head to the mountains. I’m supposed to be taking the boys up to visit them at their rented condo to take them on some mountain train ride. I’m sure the scenery will be spectacular and the boys will be thrilled.