First night without babies

Howdy folks,

Easton and Layla are 16 months old today! Last night was the first time Kendra and I spent away from the twins since before they were born. We experienced an excellent weekend at the conference and resort. I can't believe she lasted this many months without ever spending a night away, but somehow she managed (applause and cheers). I'm getting way ahead of myself chronologically so let's back up a few days and do this right, ok?

Opa arrived in town on Friday afternoon and found very quickly how much the twins have grown up since he saw them last. They said, "Opa" over and over for an hour and continue to ask for him and Oma by name. Some parents may get jealous about that, but we are more than happy for them to be excited about their grandparents. Welcome to the party, Opa!


We said, "Hello" then "Goodbye" in the same breath as Kendra and I headed out the door for the weekend to remember conference at the Wigwam resort across town.


I like the lace-up shoes on her! Here we are in front of our somewhat secluded room. No ice machine, no elevator, no people above or below... Just quiet, romantic isolation. Ahhhhh, it's been too long. The conference was amazing and I'd gladly pay double the cost of the weekend if I did it all over again.

Here are a few key points I took from the conference:
* Sheath my sword and roll out the welcome mat. Kendra is NOT my enemy.
* Become a student of Kendra (learn about her daily).
* When I think or write compliments of Kendra, say it verbally also because that is her love language (duh, ya bonehead).
* Ask Kendra what is her dream in life and help her achieve it.
* Fail Forward. There is nothing to be learned from the second kick of a mule. I.E. learn from mistakes, don't do it again, and keep moving forward.

I admit nothing in there is profound or so complex it should take an entire weekend to figure out. However, even if I know the right things to do, when I don't do those things then they become "back burner" passing thoughts instead of automatic reflexes.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Oma and Opa did an excellent job of safely entertaining and caring for the twins. "Mommy and Daddy are gone... High-5 babies!"


After watching my friend's kids high-5 people, I've been looking forward to our twins doing this when they meet people since they are so friendly.


Easton and Layla giggled and splashed their way through the afternoon without even a thought of missing us.


Looks to me as though they were having the time of their life without us! Kendra and I are very thankful her parents are willing to spend the week here.


And we did the same, just in a different way. :)


Yes, that is my wife having more of a blast on the slide than any other kid at the resort. Thank goodness she still knows how to have fun or else I'd be a boring guy. At the end of the conference all 1500 people stood and held their spouse while repeating wedding vows. Those of you who attended our wedding know how badly I screwed up that part. I'll never live that down. However, today was a good start because I looked right into her eyes the entire time.

A few other key concepts I took from the weekend:
* bitterness is unfulfilled vengeance (not a good place to be)
* sex is a thermometer, not a thermostat (it is not possible to control a relationship with sex, but the frequency and quality is merely a measure of the relationship). That'll sink in and maybe hit you sometime tomorrow.
* failure is a verb, not a noun. Everyone fails, but no one is a failure.
* Thoughts become words, words become actions, then actions become character (be careful where you focus your thoughts).

We wrapped up the weekend with pizza, salad, and great conversation poolside with our friends Brendon and Danielle.


The only sad part of the trip was packing up and leaving. We would have loved another few days of doing exactly what we did all weekend.

We arrived home in time for one more dip in the pool in lieu of bath time. Easton loves to stand on the side of the pool and be splashed so we are more than happy to oblige. He'll stand there and get soaked with a big smile on his face.


When we stop he says (verbally and through sign language), "more please! more please!". so we drench him some more. I'm not sure who gets worn out more; him or us? Tomorrow is back to work for me, but the rest of the 4 Webbs are going to the zoo with Oma and Opa. Work will get in the way of fun again for me, but I'm grateful to have my job. They pay me to pretend to make a difference in the corporation (think Dilbert in real life). It's a dance in futility, but they keep paying me so i'll keep dancing.

Have a great week and we'll see you again soon.