So you thought this blog was dead, didn’t you? Life is just extremely busy with work. The boys are doing great, talking more every day and they seem to have changed from toddlers to children. They’re also in soccer lessons on Saturday mornings and just finished their second round of swimming lessons. We have less crying, and not many tantrums these days. Last Summer I thought I was going to lose my mind with the screaming, crying, and tantrums. I don’t know if it’s the school, or if they’ve just moved a little beyond the “terrible twos”, but life has definitely calmed down. They get loud and run around, scream (happy screaming) and play, but I can deal with that. It just seems like things are much easier these days.

They’re excited about their birthday, which is in two weeks. I told them Easter was coming first, and I was surprised they remembered the candy and eggs from last Easter. I guess when you’re almost three, you remember when someone’s supposed to give you lots of candy. I doubt if we’ll drag them to any of the Holy Week services, but they do like going to church on Sundays. I already bought everything for their Easter baskets, but still need to get Easter outfits. Then I was just thinking the other day about the whole egg dying ritual. So we dye the eggs, leave them out in the baskets, and then the Easter Bunny mysteriously gets into the house and hides the eggs, if I remember correctly. Santa Clause seems believable at age three, but a bunny who hides eggs? I need to Google this and figure out what the point is! We’re also having a neighborhood egg hunt in the park across the street, plus an egg hunt at the boys’ school. This means lots of candy to beg for and fight over!

Speaking of gay dads with twins (we were?), a gay couple on our block (friends of ours) now has a surrogate pregnant with twins. This will be the 8th set of twins on our street. We helped them out when they began the process, just as another couple in our neighborhood did for us. We heard another gay couple with twins moved in about three blocks from us, across from friends of ours who adopted two brothers. Something crazy is going on in our ‘hood!

My job is going well, although I’m still not a permanent employee, but on contract. My contract has been extended through the year and I suspect I’ll end up as a permanent employee before the year’s over. What I love about this place is how gay friendly it is. I’ve been 100% out from day one on the job, and it’s very refreshing. My boss is gay, they have a gay employee’s organization and all references to spouses include “domestic partner”. This place is so gay, and I mean that in the good way.

I suppose this post is all over the place, so I’ll throw in an odd story from a couple weeks ago. I took the boys to Target because we were almost out of toilet paper. I generally try to avoid taking them to the store since it’s just stressful with both of them, but Nick was gone and I had to do it. So Reid started throwing a tantrum just as we got into the store, and I almost turned around and left. But we really needed toilet paper, so I put him into the basket seat, strapped him in, picked up his shoes (he kicked them off) and pressed on, trying to ignore his rage. Reid doesn’t have tantrums often these days, but when he does, he makes it worth his time. People were looking at us, but I figured within five minutes, he’d be done. Reid’s tantrums sound like he’s being stabbed with a knife, to give you an idea of the intensity. So we got to the toilet paper aisle and this 50-ish woman came running up to us. At first I thought it was some woman who thought she could help (this has happened before when I was trying to do the self check out at the grocery store and they were melting down), but she started asking Reid if I was his father. I told her I was their father, and she said, “No! I’m not talking to you!” Then she tried to take him out of the cart. My mind was just spinning, going from “ignore the meltdown” mode to “someone’s trying to take my child” mode. All I could say was, “Are you crazy lady??” Then some younger guy ran up and told her, “You can’t do this!” She responded, “I’m not on duty!” So she thought that I had kidnapped the boys and decided to be a hero. I told her to ask Dylan who his father was since he was calm, and he pointed to me and said, “That’s my papa”, so she retreated. I think what bothered me most was that this woman looked at me and thought I was a kidnapper. And really? I’m going to kidnap two little boys and then go shopping for toilet paper in Target? I guarantee this wouldn’t have happened if I were a woman who looked like my children!

But overall, things are going quite well for our family, and so far, 2011 is looking much better than 2010. Although winter hasn’t been too bad in Denver , I’m ready for Spring. The grass is green, the trees are getting leaves, and we’re having more evenings where the boys can go out to play after dinner. My brother and parents will be here in two weeks for a birthday celebration, although we haven’t figured out what this will be. Possibly a day at the zoo and Chuck-E-Cheese. We’ve decided against inviting over 100 of our closest friends and neighbors like the past two parties. I haven’t bought them any presents yet either, so more on my to-do list. Then Nick’s birthday is a week after the boys’, then Mother’s Day. I bleed money every May!

Oh, and you can tell by the picture, the boys have glasses now. They're disposable and we get a new pair every month. Or at least Dylan and Reid think they're disposable since they seem to keep breaking them.