Christmas Lights

Greetings friends and family,

Easton's insatiable appetite for playing with cars, planes, and trains reveals itself daily when he asks, "will you play with me, Daddy?"  Even when I play for several hours during a day he still asks for more.  I'm not complaining. I'm bragging. :)  There will be a day when I'm not the coolest, smartest guy he knows and he'll want to do other things besides play with me.  That is why I cherish these times more every day.  He has a huge  storage bin full of cars, planes, and trains.  I know whenever I want to get his attention and have some fun all I need to do is pull the bin off the shelf and dump it out on his floor.

I received a gift card for Starbucks a few weeks ago.  I don't drink coffee much, but Starbucks makes a great eggnog slurpee (frappuccino).  Easton and Layla are also recipients of the gift because I took them out for a little Daddy time and gave them a vanilla steamer each.  Tam gave me the idea because I don't like to give them much sugar or chocolate with caffeine especially late in the evening.

Sharing is a good idea in theory, but in practice giving them separate drinks avoids much confrontation. lessons i learned the hard way...

After vanilla steamers we walked across the parking lot as the drizzle and sprinkles came down.  The mist is Arizona's version of raining.  The twins were off the hook screaming, "it's raining!  my nose is wet!" as they held their arms out and looked up at the clouds like the cover of Shawshank Redemption.

Once inside they head straight for the fish where they fight the urge to poke every glass aquarium.  Then they realized a whole wall of kitties were waiting to be teased.  We spent several minutes describing every cat including the color of their spots and how they were playing.

No, we're not getting a cat.  Daddy is still allergic to them and my nose quivers just looking at the picture.  No, we're not getting a dog.  We are still cleaning up "accidents" from Easton and Layla.  We don't need another unstable bladder until Uno and Dos get their act cleaned up...  figuratively speaking.

Our new neighborhood is outstanding.  We've talked to more neighbors in the past three weeks than we did the entire 10 years in our previous neighborhood.  There are several kids close to Easton and Layla's age, which is an extra exciting bonus of living here.  We rode our bikes to the park down the street.  I say we because I'm not comfortable yet sending them there alone.  Maybe in a couple of years?

We have yet to get any instruments for the twins because I can't seem to find good advice on what should be their first introduction to music. In the mean time we improvise.  The three of us picked up a rock and banged on the playground equipment pipes.  Each one had its own distinct tone and I got a kick out of Easton and Layla's response to observing the uniqueness of the sounds.

This weekend we gave Mommy a break by hanging out at the train park a.k.a. Strawberry Raisin train.  I packed a bag-o-snacks to keep on schedule with meal times.  The twins were given two crackers each just as a mad-scientist experiment.  I wanted to see how they react to the hungry ducks who saw us sit down to eat.  Both of them immediately wanted to give both of their crackers only if I would give them more crackers from the bag.  I told them no more crackers and then watched the experiment play out.  They conversed for a couple of minutes about how they easily would have given their crackers to the ducks if they knew more crackers were available.  After pondering the situation they both walked over and happily gave both of their crackers to the ducks.

That's sacrificial giving.

I mention that short story because adults hit this same situation in life, even unrelated to Christmas, but choose not to give to those in need unless they are giving out of their abundance.  I'm very proud to see the life lessons which are important to me are already being passed on to the twins.

After snack time we ravaged the playground area.  Layla runs and runs and then runs some more.  I spend most of my park time hanging out with Easton and keeping an eye out for where is Layla.

Easton is cautious and calculating, but adventurous none the less.  He chose to do some solo rock climbing because the other boys playing chase and tag were not polite.  I can't blame him.  :)

My Saturday was completely consumed with home improvement jobs and getting the Webb house exterior into the Christmas spirit.  The extra tall ladder came in very handy!  Two of my neighbors switched from old-school ice sickle lights to the new fad of LED.  Both of them gave me their old lights and I proudly accepted their "welcome to the neighborhood" hand-me-downs.  What a blessing!

The huge, full moon shining over the Saguaro cactus is quintessential Christmas in AZ.   Also the fact that I could NOT see my breath and was wearing a T-shirt.  Life is good.  My two week vacation starts in 4 days and i can't wait!

See you soon!

Music in the Air

Hi friends and family,

I may change my name to Bron$on because apparently all one needs is a clever name like Ke$ha or lil' something and a microphone to become rich and famous.  Now that I think about it, maybe now is the time to rename Ea$ton so he's already on the cutting edge when his career kicks into high gear.

Today in the car we were listening to the classical station.  Layla calls it "fancy music".  No argument here.  They've seen enough Little Einstein to know what the terms forte and pianissimo mean.  As the music plays we discuss what instruments they hear.  One of the supposed reasons why classical music is good for kids is because they learn to differentiate the individual instruments in the midst of an orchestral sound.

Easton's favorite instrument is the flute and he is already declaring he will learn to play one.  Layla chose the piano as her favorite.  I'm looking for the right time to introduce an instrument to the twins AND to find out which one is a good first experience.

Anyway, life is going well for the 4 Webbs and we have no complaints.  Kendra sheds a few tears of joy and gratitude almost daily for our new home.  The gratitude is also prevalent for Layla.  Tonight for bedtime she went through a whole list of things she loves.  She said, "I love my polly pocket house I love my princess castle I love my... this thing."  as she points to her headboard.  I removed all punctuation in her quote because she doesn't pause even one nanosecond during her run-on sentences.  Makes my heart happy when she does those cute things.

I sing Layla and Easton bedtime songs every single night since before they were born.  Yes, I sang to them in Kendra's belly...  Layla and I have a routine.  I say, "I'll sing one song for you".  She responds with her sweetest voice, "Three, daddy, pleeeeeeease?"  then I agree to two songs and she chooses the songs.  Tonight Amazing Grace was on the playlist, but something wonderful happened.  Layla said, "Don't start yet!  Let's sing it together, OK?"  We sang our first duet and by the end of the song she was belting it out as loud as she could with a soulful twist.  I've been waiting for this day for over 3 years.  I'm thrilled she chose to sing along with me and her choice of Amazing Grace was the icing on the cake.

We lost the small point-n-shoot camera somewhere in the move.  That means we're left with the monstrous DSLR and my crummy iphone 4s camera.  Since I can't lug around a suitcase to carry the DSLR during church you'll have to make due with the iPhone picture.  In the foyer of the church stands a tall, fully decorated tree so I took the opportunity to take a few pictures.  

Our tree is as decorated as its going to get this year. We're budgeting to buy a truck-load of after Christmas items such as a fake tree, lights, ornaments, and other Christmas-y nick-knacks.  This is the first year the twins are genuinely excited about Christmas and presents and family.  Last year was fun even though they were only vaguely aware of what was going on.  This year is going to be awesome. I can't wait to play with Easton's new toys...  I mean for Easton to play with his new toys.  :)

The word on the street is that Ouma and Oupa are driving to our house in two weeks.  They may be bringing additional carolers named GG and Aunt Patti.  Kendra and I are excited for whoever and how ever many come to visit.

See you soon!

Holiday Plans

Greetings friends and family,

The delivery man showed up with our entertainment center for the great room.  After it was built I installed the REAL entertainment components, Easton and Layla. They are much more enjoyable than any electronics I could add.

We chose this unit because it is large enough to cover a good portion of the 14 foot high wall.  Also, we shopped on Craigslist for the last few months and discovered the price of this one (after negotiations) was about the same price.  That's the only reason we bought new.

Kendra planned to have a family dinner at Rustler's Rooste.  The missing piece of information we didn't know what that all banquets were moved inside the restaurant because of the light sprinkles across the valley.  Instead of waiting 90 minutes for a table we just took advantage of the sweet indoor slide.  No-Fear Layla didn't even wait for us to get the camera ready the first time.

Easton's exuberance was so loud he caught the attention of other kids and near-by patrons.

Layla asked me to join her down the slide so I gladly obliged.  Hopefully I'll never get too old to have fun on their level whatever age they are.

Easton declined going down the slide with me because he wanted to be a brave big boy and go down all by himself.  I appreciate the initiative and don't mind a bit for him to get these small "wins" to boost his confidence.

The 4 Webbs are staying home this year so we bought a Christmas tree in an effort to get our house in the holiday mode.  The last time we set up a tree was 8 years ago!  The twins helped me string the lights.  I took this picture below before we turned them on for the first time.  You can see in their face the apathetic look, but as soon as Easton plugged in the extension cord their faces lit up and they were filled with holiday cheer the rest of the day.

Especially when they helped Kendra hang decorations.  She bought the shatter-proof kind for obvious reasons.  The decision paid off only seconds after the twins got their hands on a few bulbs and smashed them into one another on accident.

The stockings were hung by the plasma with care...  No, wait. There should be a chimney involved, right?  Usually, but we live in Arizona so chimneys are almost extinct.  Of those who have a chimney I would bet $5 no one lights theirs up more than five times per year.  Anyway, this is improvising at its finest and an example of working with what you got.  Kendra is so good at it.

Now all I need is eggnog and a long sleeve fleece to know Christmas is just around the corner.  I have two weeks of vacation coming up for the last half of December so I'm excited about the quality AND quantity of family time coming up soon.  Also, Ouma and Oupa are coming back for a redo of their vacation.  Two weeks ago was an extremely labor intensive trip.  We are hoping this time together will be full relaxation and enjoyment...  and maybe a ceiling fan hanging or two.  :)

See you soon!

The Happy Things

Greetings Earthlings,

Easton's room is complete in a "Spaced Out" theme.  He has bedding and posters and coat hooks and toys all geared towards aerospace.  Kendra completed Easton and Layla's room so now we are working on den and great room.  The great room entertainment center will be delivered Saturday and the bath counter top on Monday.  Big area rugs and the sectional are in! Kendra and I are both very happy with the way the interior of the house is coming together.  Still don't have a toilet in the master bath though.  Sure wish I was more of a handy man, but I know when I'm in over my head.  Have no fear experts are on the way!  ...next week.

Kendra is getting back into some routines including preschool and play time at home for Easton and Layla.  They each had dye and and a utensil and some other products in a bowl to make cool swirly designs.  So much to learn!

Layla is learning the hard way about being a good sport.  Recently she started bragging inappropriately and Easton is a sensitive guy.  she says things like, "my pan is longer than yours" or "see Dad...  I'm obeying, but Easton isn't".  Those kind of comments set him off, which is very unfortunate.  I'm saddened to see Layla figured out how to push his buttons this early in life.

Easton's only comeback is "You're NOT my friend", but after a few minutes of crying and hurting each other's feelings they are back to playing pet shop kitties.  Such forgiveness is admirable.

I found this picture on the camera, but have no idea where this was taken or why.  I think it was before Thanksgiving at Trader Joe's.  I had a good chuckle after seeing it so hopefully it will do the same for you.

The twins are tired of going into furniture stores.  We've been to every single store within 5 miles of our house...  twice.  or sometimes three or more times.  The twins are so fed up with furniture store shopping we have to bribe them with a reward or treat or other good consequence like time at the park.  Easton knows how to pick a comfortable chair now so that's a good lesson to learn early in life.

We're savoring the last bits of warm weather by playing in the park frequently.  The twins wanted a change of pace so we drove to the lizard park.  Layla wants to wear her summer tops indefinitely, but the season of cool is finally here.  Easton is getting into super heros lately.  Batman is his favorite even though he's never seen a batman cartoon or movie.  He also thinks highly of Spiderman who adorns his hat.  When we play together he wants to be Batman and I play Spiderman.  At least we have our costumes already planned out for next Halloween.  Kendra should be the Progressive insurance lady again.  Her costume was awesome.

Anyway, Easton is earning his bravery badge by following in the footsteps of Layla across the barrier wall.  His showing off is getting to be more overt, but he's a boy so that's to be expected.   My job as a Dad is to continually answer the question for him.  The question is, "Do I have what it takes?" and my answer always, ALWAYS is, "Yes, Easton, you DO have what it takes!"

Layla needs to get into gymnastics soon.  Her core strength and skills are incredible.

The 4 Webbs are taking nightly walks lately.  It was a chilly 61 degrees (wah, wah, right?) so Kendra busted out the full length fur coat and Uggs.  The twins are amazed by all the Christmas lights.  Each house requires a pause and kid-friendly explitives.  Kendra and I are amazed we live in the wonderful neighborhood.  Nightly walks through it are very enjoyable for all of us.

I titled this post "Happy things" because I have a whole other post which will never make it in publication on the 4Webb's blog because it contains the not-so-happy things...

See you soon!

Green in Regulation

Buon giorno friends and family,

That's Italian for hello.  Layla wore her special French outfit and greeted our new friends with a hearty "Bon Jour" when we arrived at the get together.  Brandon knows a few languages and taught Layla how to say hello in Italian to add to her growing language credentials.

We spent an evening with Kendra's cousin's boyfriend's family.  We had high expectations based on her cousin's glowing description.  Impressed is not quite the right word... amazed is probably more appropriate. I've met a lot of great people, but it is something special to find great, classy people.  Here are the 4 Webbs and Ouma and Oupa with Brandon.  We watched the sunset from high up in the foothills overlooking Phoenix.

Here's a view of the residence showing the reverse angle of the balcony from the picture above.  This may be the most awesome home I've ever been in.  I'll have to think back through my memory banks to see if I can remember a nicer place than this one, but I doubt anything will come to mind.

As the sun set, the boys grabbed some golf clubs and wandered down to tackle one fairway before dinner. Oupa crushed a drive and Easton had his first golf experience.  Easton watched intently as Oupa and Brandon worked their golf magic to get a green in regulation.  That was no small feat for Oupa because he worked non-stop for the previous 5 days doing back-breaking manual labor helping us move.

Even Easton thought Brandon was cool because he preferred to hold his hand more than mine as we marched up the fairway.

We approached the green and could barely see the hole because the sun was completely gone. Even so, Oupa took time to show Easton how to find the bottom of the cup with his putting assistance.  It's blurry, but the best i could do considering the lighting conditions.

Brandon and Oupa parred the hole.  Easton loved every minute of the new experience.

One of the key tips I learned while talking to Brandon's family is how Brandon and his two brothers received their drivers license only after becoming an Eagle Scout through the Boy Scouts program.  Kendra and I latched onto that idea instantly.

Ouma and Oupa left (sniff, sniff) and we were back to being just the 4 Webbs.  The thanksgiving weekend weather was excellent so we took full advantage by spending time outdoors.  We took an afternoon to play around at Desert Breeze park.  I gave Layla the choice of riding the carousel or the train.  Since she is into ponies the carousel won.

Big Time was all about the train.  As we drove to the park Kendra asked the twins to name the train since it didn't have one.  Easton said, "Raisin".  Layla said, "Strawberry".  So we named the train, "Strawberry Raisin".  Easton and I rode it together while Kendra and Layla checked out the duck pond.

With all the playground equipment available we had a tough time getting the twins to stop and smell the roses. After a few attempts they laid down next to me to watch the airplanes and birds fly by.  Those are the moments that mean the most to me as a father.  There will come a day when they won't want to lay next to me on the grass, but for now I'm living the dream.

See you soon!

In the Neighborhood

Hello friends and family,

What an unbelievable week, month, and quarter.  My computer and desk are still in boxes so this is a more difficult task because i'm working on my laptop without my photo shop tools.  I'll tell the long version of the story in reverse chronology because that's the way my pictures embedded for some reason.  Whoever said "computers only do what you tell them to do" said that before the internet was invented.

We are fully moved in and partially out of boxes.  I found my deodorant and razor so that is a start.  I crop 90% of all blog pictures so you can see Easton and Layla's happy faces.  The house picture works much better fully zoomed out to get an idea of the homestead.  The huge saguaro cactus is a bonus with purchase of the home.  Desert landscaping is awesome because I don't have to mow any grass.

A large portion of time is spent on the back patio for Arizonians this time of year.  The light-jacket evenings make for comfortable conversations in the great outdoors.  After a smashing success of a Thanksgiving dinner the ladies relaxed outside as the kids swam in the hot tub.  Special thanks to Tam for joining forces with us to produce such a top-notch meal.

The dining room table had enough seats for everyone, but just to be comfortable we sat Easton and Layla at their own special table for our first big meal in the new house.

Our kitchen was like Grand Central Station during prep time for dinner.  I learned a long time ago to stay out the way in these situations.  They had it covered well.  Even though we'd only been in the house for two days all of the cookware and ingredients were in their place.

Ouma spent many hours playing with the twins during their week-long visit.  Her greatest contribution was keeping the them happy and engaged during the move and remodel.  She contributed in such a huge way to the moving, cleaning, and helping, but her bonding time with the twins was what I hoped for more than anything.  One particular afternoon she took them down to the green belt to play.  They met a mother and daughter, Ruby, who are our new neighbors.  Her personality is very similar to Layla.  they were best friends within about 10 minutes of meeting.

Oupa and Ouma joined the twins for some cuddle time one morning in Layla's room.  Oupa is an athletic work house.  I already knew that much. However, I didn't realize he had the strength and will power to do heavy-duty manual labor non-stop for six days straight!  The only regret from their visit is how we didn't have any big (or small) fun outings together.  I'm already looking forward to their next trip here so we can play, relax, and enjoy some vacation time together.  

Here is a picture of our first meal in the new house.  Nothing else was set up yet so we used Easton and Layla's table to break in the kitchen.

No TV for entertainment?  No problem...  We have princess ballerina Layla to entertain us for hours on end.    She even has her own "interpretive dance" like at the Swingle reunion so many years ago when I first met Kendra.

The twins are improving daily at their ability to "play together" without our constant supervision.  Talk about a game changer...  Kendra and I can actually have a conversation or complete a task without interruption or crying.  Who'd have thought?

Kendra set them up for success by providing the two felt boards and ample felt knickknacks.  Layla called for us to come see her work and we found Easton willingly supplanted the felt board.

during the move I tried to capture the twins for their first night in the new house.  Instead I got Easton's silly face and Layla's unnatural stiff-as-a-board expression.  They were both Wiley Coyotes running around through the unfamiliar surroundings all the way up to bed-time every night.

Our friend Kyle was a big help during the move.  He did everything from demolition of tile to wiring up our entertainment center.  Part of his return on the investment is admiration from Uno and Dos.  When he comes in the door they show him the meaning of the term, "twinpact" by charging towards him with arms wide open ready to give big hugs.  Kyle isn't all that experienced with little kids, but he's earned Easton and Layla's vote of confidence.  They successfully tested the new couch rocker on the back patio.

The body science books Kendra chooses for them from the library result in interested conversations I overhear.   They had an in-depth review of "what is a uvula" including the up-close and personal inspection.

Ouma and Oupa are already gone back to their normal lives in Sacramento.  We are doing well to figure out what is normal now in our new place.  The twins both expressed how much they miss Ouma and Oupa within an hour after they left for the airport.  This is the hard part about family living in other states, but we are managing well in spite of it.

Our Christmas plans are up in the air, but we know we're staying in town.  No tree or decorations this year because there is much more important work to be done like adding a toilet to our master bathroom.  :)

See you soon!

Thankful for YOU!

Happy Thanksgiving friends and family,

I am very thankful for you, my friends and family.  More than any material thing, I cherish the people in my life and appreciate the relationships with those who choose to be a part of our life. 

That being said, we are extremely grateful for the blessing of moving into our dream house this past week.  Here's a not-so-short video clip of a tour through our new place.  We decided to put most of our finances into the house instead of just buying stuff to fill it.  We have a lifetime to fill it up. 
 


Much more work to do and finally we have a chance to relax with David and Tam and their family on this wonderful Thanksgiving day.

See you soon!

Coming back to life

Greetings friends and family,

My apologies for the lack of posts lately. Our Internet connection is up and running as of yesterday but my computer is still dormant in the garage. Our house is coming together wonderfully! Kendra and I are both very satisfied with the remodeling of flooring, paint colors, and elective upgrades like the bathroom vanity and light fixtures.

For the past 4 days we took breaks for 3 meals per day and a few hours of sleep each night. The rest of the time was spent getting the basics like toilets installed and beds built.

The twins are content with their new rooms and surroundings but as I expected they could care less what house we live in. I can tell they both just want us to stop fixing stuff and play cars/dolls with them.

I have pictures and movies including a walk-through of our house but now I need a computer to post it.

See you soon!





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Imaginations in Full Swing

Ohsuhoseyo friends and family,

The 4 Webb's house and kitchen are fully packed including utensils, food, and cookware. As you can imagine we are eating out often right now. Tonight we visited our favorite sushi restaurant as semi-celebration of completing the packing. The usual greeting from the sushi master chef guy is "Ohsuhoseyo" or some nonsense muttering of Korean origin. Layla said, "what did he say?" right in front of the guy. Kendra is used to these kind of awkward situations so she said, "I don't know, let's ask!" The sushi guy repeated his incomprehensible babble and Layla repeated it back to him. Easton jumped in on the action and gave his interpretation as well. The whole row of sushi guys got a good laugh from their attempted response. I was a proud father to see their openness to other cultures and friendliness.

Today was my first official vacation day of my ten days away from work. I'm already counting on it turning into a ten-day move-a-thon.  Easton and Layla are getting more comfortable with the idea of moving to the new house.  They wandered too close to our massive Saguaro cactus so they had a time-out on the driveway.  They laid down to soak in some warmth since the daytime high was a chilly 74 degrees (holding up my sarcasm sign).  The driveway is massive, but somehow the two of them wind up connected at the hip just like the best friends they are.

I have a nerdy tip-of-the-day because many people have misconceptions about computer passwords.  The key point is:  passwords suck, but a pass phrase is great.  If your online account accepts a pass phrase, please USE it!  Here is a cartoon to explain:

The 4 Webbs may be single-handedly saving the US economy.  We are doing more than our fair share of stimulating the economy as a result of our home purchase and insanely expensive remodel...  and we aren't even IN the house yet.  Once we get there on Monday my next sizable purchase will be a new TV for the great room.  Target acquired:

Maybe Black Friday will shave a few hundred more off the current price?  We'll see.

The new iPhone has a reverse camera capability which means the screen and the camera are on the same face of the phone.  Layla and I laughed so hard she was snorting as we took several pictures of us while watching ourselves be silly.  I wouldn't call this cheap fun because the phone is anything but cheap.  However, now that it is purchased the camera capability is free!  This is one example of using our imagination during quality time together.

Because all of Easton and Layla's toys are packed up in boxes we are learning to use our imaginations during our quality (and quantity) time together.  The twins are both still excited about paper airplanes for some reason.  We walked down to the greenbelt and I brought a stack of paper.  The neighbor boys came out again and I made enough paper airplanes for everyone to have two each.  I'm not sure what is the price of 10 sheets of copy paper, but the fun we had was worth a million times more than the cost.

Ouma and Oupa arrived last night.  I greeted them by saying, "Welcome to the chaos!"  They are already being extremely valuable by just being here to spend time with Easton and Layla.  Many rounds of playing chase and drawing have already occurred.  The additional blessing of their willingness to help us move is huge.  I have the best in-laws in the world.  If anyone tries to challenge my ranking I will simply pull out this picture and say, "Ha!  Top THAT!"  notice the custom printed T-shirts...

We are 50% done with the move thanks to them and my friend, Jacob.  Several trailer loads of stuff are already in the house and we will be into the new place by Monday assuming all the friends show up on Sunday who agreed to help us.  We can see the finish line!  The tile and paint are awesome.  I'll capture a video tour guided by Kendra tomorrow before we clutter the place with our belongings.

See you soon!