Great Parade Day

Greetings friends and family,

According to Kendra it is completely inappropriate for the twins to play in the curtains, but it makes for the best hide-n-seek games especially when they twist up in the sections. Plus it produced one of my top 10 pictures of the year:


Winter is upon us meaning the jackets are required for playtime in the park. Layla climbed on the back of the two-person car which rocks back and forth on a spring. She daring popped up to her knees and raised her hands above her head in a victor's pose. There should be a Rocky soundtrack playing for her.


Layla also discovered gymnastics on the really uneven bars. As she slid through the middle section and landed on both feet she said, "Ta-da!" while waiting for the cheering and applause.


Oh wait... did I say winter? I was just kidding. part way through the park time they asked to take their jackets off because it was too warm after running up and down the big hills. We found a very small pile of leaves and I did my best to get a fall photo to show how we celebrate it AZ-style.


They each grabbed two handfuls of leaves and threw them up in the air with a giggle. Then they did it again and again and again. Eventually I had to shut down the fun because they reached dirt under the thin pile of leaves and that's no fun to scrub out of their hair during bath time.

The reason we ran ourselves silly at the park was because of the impending long drive and journey to Sacramento. Kendra spent almost a week packing and sorting and preparing for the holiday trip. We loaded up a little earlier than normal, which resulted in a record breaking time of 12 hours 30 minutes from door to door even with several patches of heavy, heavy fog.

Easton was excited to see Oma and Opa so he didn't mind the long drive. You can tell he's a very relaxed dude by his hand behind the head, crossed legs, thumb sucking intently, and staring out the window.


What was he staring at? Anything with wheels and the desert scenery. I took this shot of a random mountain where the sun was casting mysterious shadows.


We jump right into adventures even though the twins are/were sick and tired. They were tired from the tough sleeping arrangements the night before and are both sick with runny noses. Even Layla knows something is wrong because she says, "I don't feel good" occasionally.

None the less we loaded up to share in Easton and Layla's first parade! Along the way we bought some jelly beans so that explains Easton's facial expression. I opened the bag and told him he could have ONE jelly bean. He grabbed a handful and crammed them all in his mouth. Not much I can do at that point besides take a picture and discipline him.


Although it is extremely difficult to discipline while laughing. It loses some of the forcefulness. Here is Layla with the bag-o-Jelly Beans waiting for the parade to start.


As time grew closer to the parade start the twins became antsy and a bit apprehensive. After all, they have no idea what a parade is or what to expect.


I did my best to comfort Easton and get him psyched up for the short, 10 minutes-worth of excitement. He could tell there was something happening down the street, but wasn't too sure how to react because of the overwhelming unknown nature.


Then when the parade came close we took advantage of our front row position to give Easton and Layla the best possible views. By this time they were clapping and cheering as the football team and cheerleaders passed by.


The entire parade took less than 10 minutes, but it was a good starting point for the twins as a first experience.

One of the things we forgot to pack was Layla's ballerina outfit. She asked for it the day we arrived and to her surprise, Oma bought a new, official ballerina outfit for her!


They are already playing with several new toys and Christmas morning will provide another fresh batch of them. Layla consistently asks for an Ariel mirror. I'm sure that will be one of the many gifts opened. Easton and Layla are both extremely blessed, but even more importantly they are thankful and appreciative.

Easton randomly walked over to me and gave me a big hug. Then he said, "I love you Big T. Rex dinosaur." Not sure how I inherited that label or name, but he can call me whatever he likes when it is attached to a hug and an "I love you".

See you soon!