INDEPENDENCE

I realize that the window for relevancy may have passed on topics related to the 4th of July, but I figured I would quickly recap our experiences over the holiday. Rancho Santa Margarita has a good bit of community participation for the day, with events including games, and music as well as the traditional fireworks extravaganza. This year instead of trekking to the beach we decided we would do our best to join in the activities.

The night of the third we had dinner with our neighbors Carrie and Dave along with their sons Jake and Cole. We decided to all walk down to the lake for a little sushi so the boys could run around like maniacs while we ate. Their sons and Landon and Colt are each separated in age by only a few months, so they both form little dynamic duos of three and one year olds, although since Cole hasn’t started walking yet so their duo is a little less than dynamic. Dinner was crazy yet comfortable which in general describes just about any family outing at this point. While we were finishing we noticed that people were already putting down blankets on the grass surrounding the lake to stake out their territories for the following night’s fireworks show. So after we returned home I set off back to the lawn with a tarp and a few tent stakes to claim a piece of prime real estate for the Buhrs.

The next morning I awoke early with plans of grabbing a few lounge chairs for the family to hang out at during the day at the local swimming lagoon. By 7:30am I headed down to the lagoon with a few towels to reserve some seats and make sure that we would be able to get into the lagoon for the day. For the holiday the community center puts a cap on the number of people allowed access to the lagoon for both comfort and safety reasons. I arrived to find a line of people getting admitted and once inside the gates had to quickly scurry to acquire three of the last remaining chairs. The areas surrounding the water were bustling, people already had full cabanas erected and bbq set ups fired up. Apparently the people of RSM really like to embrace the birthday of their country. I put Rena and the boys on the guest list and settled in to watch the madness unfold. I also noticed that the grass surrounding the adjacent lake was almost completely covered with blankets and tarps and now more resembled a patchwork quilt than a green lawn. All of this activity before 8am on a holiday, I was exhausted, but relieved that we had the day ahead of us complete with chairs and blankets to enjoy the day.

Shortly thereafter Rena dropped off Landon and by 10am her and Colt joined us on the sand. Because of the imposed lagoon capacity limit, things weren’t nearly as crowded as I had expected. We enjoyed a leisurely time on the sand and splashing around in the water. Colt bravely wades out far enough that when he falls to his bottom his face sinks underwater, which is obviously unnerving, while Landon exhibits far more caution when playing in the water. By 2pm we were tired and ready for naps so we bequeathed our valuable lounge chairs to another less fortunate family that had arrived at the lazy our of 8:15am.

That evening Andrea and the trio showed up and we bbq’d burgers in the backyard. The triplets are getting big enough where they are starting to look like regular babies, although they are still all smaller than either of our boys were at birth. The site of all three of them lying together still reminds me of a litter. They all joined us at the fireworks show that night much to the surprise of some of the groups that surrounded us. The trio slept through the show thankfully. Landon seemed especially pumped on the fireworks and also the fact that we were outside having fun, way past his normal bedtime. Colt was far more apprehensive about the colored explosions and echoing booms; initially he cried but once he lied down next to his Dad, he snuggled in, quieted down and took in the rest of the show. His little blonde head resting on my chest will be the memory I keep from the day.

The past week has also included the development of another form of independence – Landon has left behind his days of wearing diapers and entered into the world of underwear. After a few weeks of sporadic use of the toilet, his trips to the porcelain throne became increasingly more consistent to the point that last week he slipped into a pair of Cars embossed underoos, and hasn’t looked back since. We still frequently have to remind him that its time to try and use the toilet, and his aim still leaves a lot to be desired, but it is positive progress nonetheless. He has had a few accidents, luckily so far only of the liquid variety, but he has also gone and ‘dropped the deuce’ as he often says, completely unassisted or unprompted by his parents, not including of course a little post deposit wiping. I’m not sure right now that potty training is easier than the hassle of diapers, but I’m sure in time the bouts of cleaning piss off the walls and floors and constant bathroom trips to watch a few little gold droplets fall will diminish and Landon will gain complete independence over his excretory system. I think I’ll start writing a pledge…