Man Down

Hello friends and family,

Kendra is on the mend!  Scott and Marisue brought dinner over for us.  What an extremely thoughtful thing to do.  We were so grateful to see him at the door with food in hand.  Not dealing with meal time was a big stress relief.  I'm crediting that (and not the antibiotics) for Kendra turning the corner.  Just a cough and some sluggishness are all that remain of the beastly cold.  Besides...  It was 95 degrees today so it was impossible for the "cold" to stay around.  

Easton and Layla took a trip to the pediatrician for a "well visit" where the doctor lady proceeded to inject them with three shots each.  Kendra and I took a couple of tries to explain what is a well visit to the doctor and why they have to get poked and deal with sore arms if they are not sick.   No big deal though.  Nothing a sparkly band-aid for Layla and a Bugs Bunny band-aid for Easton won't cure.  They cried, but bravery is starting to shine through more each time they visit the doctor's office. 

The title of this post should have been Little Man Down because Easton caught the sickness and is fighting the fever along with Kendra.  He took two naps today.  Something he hasn't done in about 2 years?  Poor guy is a little moody, but hanging in there like a good soldier.

I had the privilege to take Layla to school and pick her up today since Easton was down for the count.  As I waited outside her classroom for nap time to be over I noticed each child had their picture on the window.  Seems odd to see a picture of the twins which was not taken by me.  :)

School pictures are intriguing, but since I take 5,000 of my own per year I doubt these will hold much value for Easton and Layla as they get older.

The door opened and I expected my typically energetic girl to jump into my arms with a big hug.  instead I found her drooling on her bean-bag pillow like this.

She takes naps about twice per year.  I thought maybe this was a sign she was feeling ill, but as it turns out her dance class and school day was just extra fun.

Layla is making great progress on filling her fuzzy jar through exceptional obedience and good choices.  Occasionally she will respond to Kendra's request with a firm, "YES, mommy I will."  That earns a fuzzy more often than not.  Layla requested a Daddy date for us to pick out her good consequence (reward) for filling her fuzzy jar.  She chose Claire's as the place to find the hidden treasure.  We scoured the entire store looking for the one item she desired more than anything.  Turned out to be a jewel encrusted cell phone shaped lip gloss and eye shadow case.  That'll do.

As we were perusing the isles Layla found the sunglasses and pulled this peculiar pair off the stand.  She tried them on and the mustache hung below her mouth.  No bueno.  So she asked me to try them on and being the most shameless father in history I agreed.  We laughed so hard looking at ourselves in the mirror I thought we were going to get kicked out.

Somehow she came up with the gibberish name of "Mooperton" for me.  I retaliated by calling her Meeperton.  We addressed each other cordially as such for the rest of the evening.  People in the stores must have thought we were insane as we belly-laughed our way down the isles saying, "Meeeeeep....   Mooooop" in varying tones.  Being silly is getting easier by the day because of spending time playing with the twins.

Not everything has to make sense and that's an old concept I'm rejuvenating from my childhood.  My imagination is coming back slowly but surely.

I already wrote about Kendra's Mommy day at Easton and Layla's school in a previous post, but she took a short video clip of them singing that is too cute to pass up.  



It's nice to see the fruits of their labor from practicing songs at school.  Speaking of songs...  Each time we pass the American flag on our Daddy dates Layla notices and requests my a Capella rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.  Tonight she started singing along and I can't wait until we are able to do a duet.  The words are a little awkward for a four-year-old to comprehend, but she's sounding very good none the less.  Makes my patriotic smile hugely wider to hear her singing it...

See you soon!

Got My New Shoes On

Howdy friends and family,

We are now on day 5 of Kendra's sickness.  Normally I despise boring talk about health and who's sick and what's wrong.  Talk to anyone over 70 (except GG) and the conversation will inevitably swerve into "what's wrong with me today" conversations.  Anyway, Kendra being sick is VERY significant because she is the engine that powers the 4 Webbs through the week.  With her idle in bed coughing and aching we are also at idle speed as a family.

I couldn't wait to get home from San Diego because I missed the other three Webbs so much.  This is the moment in the story where the writer would say, "little did he know...".  dum da dum dum!  I planned to jump back in as Daddy and Husband and then catch up on work, get back in the gym, read some books, see my friends.  Not so much.  This has been just one of those weeks when I hearken back to our wedding vows when I said, "in sickness and in health".  Almost 10 years ago I was referring to right now.

I've had enough patience and love and strength to take care of the home front as well as Kendra (to the best of my ability) while sleeping not so well along side my love.  She insisted I sleep in the guest bedroom, but I would rather be by her side and miss my REM sleep completely than alone in a bed on the other side of the house.  That's not just pride or chivalry, that is truly how much I love Kendra and want to be with her.

Anyway, Easton is still a big fan of Cars 2 and still pointing out that Rip Clutchgoneski is the only one he is missing from his complete set of racers.  I've gone to extremes to find the 1:55 scale Mattel version (not the 1:43 scale Disney mega size) and I'm convinced Disney DIDN'T produce this car just to make anal-retentive fathers like me scour the Earth in search of it.  I'd be better off digging for a real dinosaur fossil.

I'm glad he still enjoys playing with the ones he has.  In this picture below Layla is singing a song she made up about Mater.  She's a performer, for sure.

We were in line at the grocery store today and Layla was belting out a church song for all 8 people in our line including the checkout girl.  I just let her sing away because the last thing I ever want to do is dim her flame even one lux.

One of the dangers of Daddy going shopping is that I tend to impulse buy for Easton and Layla.  I am 100% sure Easton didn't have a good pair of sneakers at home.  They are either hand-me-downs which are too big or broken.  I'm tired of him wearing crocs everywhere so we went to find some new shoes.

Did you know Sports Authority carries only size 11 shoes and bigger?  guess what size Easton is...  10.  DSW carries NO children's shoes at all so I after measuring at Sports Authority we went to Carter's for our third attempt to find a store with his size.

Lucky for us they carry up to size 10!  I found a pair that lights up and has two velcro straps.  I'm not a big fan of tying shoe laces and the twins are not old enough to tie their own.  I'll stick with velcro for another year or so.

For some reason Easton and Layla have turned a corner in the growth of their mental capacity.  They used to test our boundaries occasionally or even accidentally.  Now they have taken it upon themselves to make it a continuous daily mantra of boundary testing.  Layla stands up in her chair and I say, "Layla, please don't stand in your chair.  We don't do that."  5 seconds later Easton stands up in his chair.  Almost as if to say, "I heard you say that to Layla, but do the same rules apply to me?"

Yes, they absolutely do.  We end up setting rules and boundaries twice for each one because they can't make the connection that what we say applies to both of them equally.  I know some day they'll get it though.  for now it is our job as parents to be consistent and compassionate.  After watching the movie, Buck, I am applying what he said about horses to Easton and Layla.  No, I'm not putting a saddle on them...  I'm starting from the position that they don't know any better because they haven't been shown what are the rules and boundaries of life. Once they know, then that's a different story, but it's unfair as parents to expect children to know what is acceptable and what is not.  What is right and what is wrong.  what is safe and what is dangerous.  That's my privilege to define that for them.  One day at a time.


Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.


Until Easton and Layla start to define love on their own I am their definition of love.  They only  know what I share with them.  They only see what I do (and the commercials on TV, God help me).  They only hear what I say.  That is an awesome responsibility, which I take very seriously.

Today Easton had a break through of epic proportions.  We were out to lunch and just sat down.  Easton and Layla each had their own cup of water.  I asked both of them not to touch their water while I go get utensils so they knew what is expected.  Three forks later and I look over to see Layla's water soaking the table and her dress.  I walked over and Layla was pointing at Easton with pursed lips, a stiff arm, and a bony finger.  Easton stepped down from the booth to meet me and then the most incredible thing happened.

He said, "I disobeyed and touched Layla's cup.  Do you forgive me?"  To which I calmly replied, "I forgive you" as I gave him a big hug.  Then he said, "I will not touch Layla's cup again".

Finally!  After countless times of going through these situations he finally got it.  I know this because he willingly thought through what to do and walked through it step by step.  He knows forgiveness, good and bad consequences, obedience, and unconditional love.  This is by far the greatest accomplishment in parenting I've experienced in the past 4 years.  Kendra is a huge part of this since we co-parent, but I'm the lucky one that got to see the fruit of our efforts first.  By co-parent I mean we are constant through time and we are consistent with each other.  There is no, "just wait until your father gets home..." or "When Mom finds out what you did...".  We are on the same page and take care of business the same way no matter which one of us is with the twins.  That makes all the difference in the world.

See you soon!

Kendra's Mommy Day

Hello friends and family,

I arrived safely at home, but frazzled from the San Diego conference.  All 4 Webbs were extremely happy to be back together again.  Seeing their smiles as they pulled up at the airport terminal to pick me up was such a welcoming event.

The only disappointment was to see Kendra sniffling and coughing.  There is no such thing as a timely sickness, but we have so much going on with work and social and church life that this was by far the worst possible timing.  This is one of those weeks where we feel so alone without family close by to help shoulder some of the load.  Only a few more weeks before we get to spend time with Kendra's extended family, but that doesn't make the current situation any more tolerable.  Even so, we'll certainly survive and I'm grateful we have each other.

I've been working on my own theories and key learnings about love.  One of those things every human being experienced on some level at some point in their lives.

My contrarian view is this:  It is impossible to fall in love.  It is easy to fall out of love.

I think people get this backwards all the time.  Most seem to think you stumble on someone and then just jump off a cliff and "fall" into love.  That isn't true.  Loving someone takes time, effort, and resources.  In short, it is a pursuance of a person that leads to love, which is a participant role not a spectator.  More importantly it takes those same components to stay in love;  Not perfection (thank God), but a persistent, intense focus on the most important person in your life.  Sometimes the "effort" component is simply accepting the other person just the way they are with all of their imperfections and failures as well as their talents and character.

The opposite is also true.  People say, "We just grew apart" as if some movement or growth took place in one or both, which resulted in the loss of love.  Bologna!  All one has to do to lose love is nothing.  Just jump off the cliff and do absolutely nothing but spectate.  Watch it happen, talk about it happening, complain about it.   That is spectating at its finest.  If love is a mountain and all relationships are dynamic, then climbing the mountain INTO love is a joy and a skill and a journey.  Falling off the mountain just takes one simple act of letting go and losing hope.

Please keep in mind this is all a work in progress as I make my own mistakes and cherish the successes.

OK, enough philosophy for one day.  On to the fun of twins.  Just like I experienced Dad's day at Easton and Layla's school a few months ago it was Kendra's turn to have a Mom's day.   The kids worked for weeks on the songs they sang.  Kendra said it was humorous and heart-warming.

Kendra captured one of my favorite pictures of the year so far.  I can't believe how old they are getting as they bloom right before my eyes every day.  They are best friends for sure.

 One of the special gifts they gave Kendra was a laminated craft with a poem and a hand print.  I'm sure we'll keep these forever.

Kendra looks so beautiful.  It took me several years to really figure it out, but each day I realize more and more how blessed I am to have her.  I'm the lucky one.  She is the love of my life and a great mother for kids.

Mother's Day is just around the corner.  This wasn't intended to be such a Mommy-focused post, but my gratitude for her doesn't need to wait for a specific day to be expressed.

Talk to you soon!

Ultimate Boy's Time - Day 2

Greetings friends and family,

After the sun went down Easton's camping dreams were finally fulfilled.  Not sure where he saw camping = s'more, but that's what he expected.  He asked about s'mores all day long 

we cooked a bunch over the open fire.  The boys were a sticky, chocolaty mess.  The camping experience felt like a contest to see how dirty the boys could get.  The s'mores helped every kid up their game in the contest.

As the night continued, the heat was sucked right out of the desert leaving us with a chill much colder than I expected.  We were mostly prepared, but I felt sorry for some of the older boys who were running around in shorts and T-shirts.  Comfort while camping is a lofty goal, but mostly achievable with enough planning.

The next morning Easton woke up at 5:45.  Unbelievable.  After a long, long day of excitement and late sleepy time his eyes popped open at the crack of dawn.  I hear him loudly exclaim, "Is it time to get up, Dad?"  In an attempt to catch a few more quiet minutes I told him to come cuddle with me in my sleeping bag.  He climbed in and we talked for a minute about the noises he heard during the night.  Then, without warning he puked a little on my sleeping bag and blanket.  He said, "I feel good now, Dad.  It's time to get up and go play!"  Maybe the late-night S'mores wasn't such a good idea?

The boys ran around camp like a flock of birds following each other around.  Easton eventually grew tired of the pace and asked if he could help.  I gave him the shovel and told him to dig a race track for the ants.

He and Daniel raced some ants and then got side-tracked by water gun wars.  Nothing like teaching gun safety, then letting them loose with these toys.

We drove down the road to an open cattle area.  The pond was gross, but Easton got to see all kinds of cattle related scenery including salt blocks.  

The boys gathered around a cow head from a young one that got stuck in a tree.  They still don't get the idea behind death so this was just cool and exciting.  Not one "awe... poor cow" was uttered.  Pun intended.

It was quite a site to see the sad outcome.  We joked with Brendon teasing him about how he must have planted the cow there as a hidden treasure for us to find.  One of the most enjoyable adventures of the trip was wandering through the desert and observing the surroundings.

More guns and more boys.  This time they were shooting BBs at bottles and other desert riffraff.  Easton gained some confidence by running straight down the side of the dam.  His feet barely kept up with the momentum, but he walked away unscathed because his balance is starting to catch up with his body.

Here he is with Daniel.  Both of them with their hands on the lever to open and close the shoot where cattle walk through.  I tried to explain the purpose and process, but without a real cow making its way through the enclosure I lost them after only a few seconds.

 A huge pile of boulders near our camp site provided a good vantage point to show the boys the vastness of the desert.

Me and my Glock.  Shooting was thrilling to say the least.  The highlight of my trip was burning through 3 boxes of shells.

One of the hazards of desert camping is that unsuspecting cacti are everywhere.   All it takes is a few steps without paying attention to your surroundings and BAM, the jumping cholla cactus defends itself the only way possible... Daniel was on the receiving end of that unfortunate incident.

The nutritional value of the camping experience was almost non-existent.  We celebrated Ben's birthday with a round of homemade cupcakes.  The wind was blowing so much that the candle on Ben's cupcake remained unlit, but the singing of the birthday song and consuming the cupcakes went very well.

We packed up camp without incident and headed home.  Easton made it about 15 minutes before running out of batteries.  He slept and I succeeded in staying awake... barely.  Now that the twins moved into the big boy and big girl seats there is no ability to recline.  Easton didn't seem to mind because he was so worn out that he would have fallen asleep hanging by his foot from a building.

Easton did so well in the unfamiliar environment.  His risk-taking and confidence were both boosted to never-before-seen levels.  Today when we were talking about some detail of the camping trip Easton said, "When we were camping I really missed Layla."  So true...

I look forward to our vacation to Sacramento this summer because the 4 Webbs will all go camping with Ouma and Oupa.  That'll be a whole new adventure with the girls.


Talk to you soon!

Ultimate Boy's Time - Day 1

Howdy friends and family,

The days after camping were so hectic I didn't even have time recover on sleep so blogging took a back seat.  I wanted to blog as soon as possible while the details were fresh in my mind.  Easton and I had an unbelievably awesome time together.  My expectations were already really hyped, but the trip was so great it even exceeded the expectations.  Camping was always fun growing up, but watching Easton experience things is so much more fulfilling.

I won't get through our trip in one post so let me get started by sharing what the girls did recently.  Kendra's New York trip was well worth it.  The spa day relaxation and night life excitement proved to be a good recharge for her batteries and time away from our house.  I know she says she missed us, but i was hoping she could completely forget about us and just have a good time.  Here she is in central park with the tall buildings framing the green trees.

Layla wanted to go camping with us so bad.  She cried immediately when I was explaining how it was a boys only trip.  Kendra had to come up with some creative things to do so her girl's time balanced out with our trip.

Tea parties are a great way to have some mother-daughter interactions.  Layla enjoyed the dress-up part and getting ready as much as the event itself.  Kendra obviously taught her the basics well.  Check out the pinky finger and proper form!

I didn't approve of putting on fake nails, but then again...  I wasn't asked.  I'm just kidding.  It was Kendra's right to make the executive decision and  Layla loved every minute of the pampering.

They went on a few outings, but mostly spent the time playing games indoors.

The camp out was action packed from the moment we left the house.  In the middle of our 2-hour caravan drive to the desert we stopped to eat In-N-Out burger.

I would never advocate allowing a 4-year-old boy to drive a car.   Not even on a dirt road in the middle of the desert where it feels like a bumpy roller coaster.  Not even if he would feel like Lightening McQueen drifting across a dirt track.  Hmmmm....

Easton is a true city boy.  On the dirt roads he asked, "Why is the dirt in the air?"  I had to explain how dust from the tires is kicked up and covers the cars.  Seems odd to me being a hillbilly, but if you've never seen a dirt road I can understand why that would be difficult to comprehend.

We arrived at the camp site safely and then set it up.  The dads set up camp and kids ran around like crazy chickens.  They had to be careful to avoid the copious number of ants and many cacti.  Chad dug a monster fire pit.

The boys were given a squirt gun and the adults took turns filling the guns.

Jaden brought a battery powered dirt bike.  I was impressed by how long the battery lasted and how well the other boys did in riding it.  Easton was the youngest by 6 months to a year from the other 3 boys, but he fit in great.  Jaden gave Easton a ride on the back of the dirt bike and I'll post the video of it in a few days.

I took a picture of the heart-pounding joy ride.  You can tell by the huge smile on his face that he loved every second of it.  What I learned from this experience was that his risk taking capacity is greatly influenced by his peers.  God help us....

Snack time was drastically different than sitting around the kitchen table at home.  He learned it is OK to throw food on the ground, spit tooth paste on the ground, pee on the ground, lay on the ground, and many other useful "camping only" situations.  Easton sitting next to me in his camp chair was priceless.

Here's a picture of our campsite with the fire pit and scenery in the background.  The foliage was NOT friendly, but desert camping isn't about being comfortable, it is about adapting and finding a way to function in the environment.

The boys took several long hikes and this particular hike was down the trail to an area where we shot our guns.  We brought several ranging from 22 rifles to Glock 9mm pistols.

The amount of animals we encountered in the wild was phenomenal.  Most people wouldn't think much of seeing a cow, but this was Easton's first time to see animals roaming wildly.  We saw spiders, lizards, cows, birds, ants, beetles, and many other creatures we won't find around our house.  

Easton fired off an entire clip of 22 bullets in quick, semi-automatic fashion.  He earned his big-boy badge of bravery right then.  No fear, no hesitation, just an excitement to shoot at the targets and handle a real gun.

Even though Layla was a hundred miles away, Easton still had to share because the other 3 boys liked his dual-seat camping chair.

One of the benefits of sharing was that he played with several toys he otherwise would not have seen.  He ran the batteries down on the remote control truck as he drove around the camp site.  He has one of these in a box at home.  I've just been waiting for the right time to give it to him.  After seeing how much he loved driving this one around I really want to give him his own soon.

The desert cooled off quickly so we bundled up with clothes and gathered around the fire for dinner.

The sunset was glorious.  As soon as it dropped below the horizon we started hearing noises never heard around our urban neighborhood.

Coyotes, cows, and strange birds made the evening interesting because Easton was constantly listening for the next creature in the distance.  For the first time I can remember Easton said, "Can I go to bed?"  He consistently is in his bed around 8:00-8:30 at home.  This day was so incredibly exhausting that he requested to go to bed right on time, 8:15.  I could tell he wanted to stay up with the rest of us, but he ran out of gas.  In our tent we each had an air mattress and sleeping bag.  The sleeping accommodations were well planned and well used, but I didn't get into a deep sleep for even one minute that night.  Such a strange environment with strange sounds...  Easton woke up with the sun at 5:45 AM.  Nooooooo!  I just wanted to sleep, but he was refueled and ready to take on the world.  I'll save that for the next blog post.

See you soon!

Big Boy Celebration

Greetings friends and family,

I'm extremely excited about the adventure we are about to undertake.  Easton and I are going desert camping with several other father / son friends.  This will be the first chance I have to start calling him out into manhood.  Rites of passage, tests of bravery, and new experiences will be the order of the day... and night.

We both woke up extra early today because of the anticipation.  We made the most of our morning by jointly cooking breakfast for Layla and Mommy.  4 Webbs and 4 toaster slots.  It's the perfect toaster for us! 

Easton asked for the Spiderman shirt and since it was $5 I bought it for him.  I explained that he must wait until the day we go camping because it will be his camp shirt.  Today is the big day, so Spiderman it is.  The Pilot is packed with all manner of camping supplies.  Most of which haven't been used in 5-10 years.  I tested the air matresses still hold air, but I didn't bother to put up the tent to make sure it is still in one piece.  Guess we'll see when we get there! 

Live-blogging the adventure would be nice, but we will be way out of cell phone range.  Kendra and Layla have their own special plans while the boys are away.  Easton and Layla made the connection during breakfast that tonight they will not sleep in the same house.  They hugged and sadly described how much they will miss each other.  Tonight is the first time they will not sleep under the same roof.  Easton will mention several times how much he misses Layla and I can understand why.

Happy trails!

We Made It! Barely.

Hello friends and family,

I knew I would make it through 4 days without my best friend around because I wanted her to miss me.  I knew I would make it without my wife around because we are still individuals with our own hobbies and adventures.  However, I knew I would NOT make it without the mother of my twins around and I was right.  What surprised me most was how long my patience lasted.  All the way to day 4, which is a great success!  Easton ignored me several times when I asked him to do (or stop doing) simple things.  Layla lost it completely in a public restroom and threw a temper tantrum right there on the floor.   There were some difficult moments to navigate, but peace, love, and patience was flowing in a way I never knew it could.  Even though they had "quiet" time I was still in the same house hearing them play so that got old after day 2.

Other than those spikes of challenges, our time together was outstanding.  We made some great memories by adventuring as well as the quantity of time of reading books together and playing cars and princesses.  I was with both them every second of every day for the entire 13 hours of awake time (they sleep 8pm - 7 am).  I don't think I want to do that again for a while.  Even just taking a break to go work out at the gym for an hour would have made all the difference in the world.

Things I learned:
1.  The break I give Kendra from the time I walk in the door from work to the time they go to bed is as crucial to her emotional and mental well-being as I expected.
2.  I should help out with chores that involve major appliance more often because I was clueless when it came to the oven, dish washer, and washing machine.  The washing machine is so advanced it was singing The Star-Spangled Banner, but wouldn't launder the clothes to save my life.
3.  The twins missed Kendra almost as much as I did.  I know this because they frequently said, "I miss mommy" and "How many more hours until Mommy comes home?"

I made a family announcement today that Easton and I will be going on a boys only camping trip!  A  few other fathers with young sons invited us to join them and I moved my schedule and life and Earth to make time for such an epic occasion.   Layla was completely distraught until Kendra described their "girl's night" with a tea party, movie outing, and other girly stuff...  whatever they do for girl time.  Anyway, I took Easton to REI to develop my camping supplies list.  he jumped in the tent and got really excited at the idea of looking at the stars while laying in bed.

He also tried on a new helmet and said he wants this one for his next bike helmet because his Toy Story 3 helmet is for "little boys".

I'm more excited about the upcoming camping trip than I have been about any single event with Easton since his birth.  These are the events that give me a platform to call him out into manhood a little at a time.

I found this awesome 2 minute 45 second video clip showing a girl growing up from birth to 12 years old.  It's amazing how watching Easton and Layla grow up goes the same speed as this video.



See you soon!

Wifeless in Phoenix

Hi friends and family,

The title of wifeless in Phoenix is a play on the old movie, Sleepless in Seattle.  Kendra is in New York City for 4 days of child-less adventures.  I'm home with the twins and proudly report the house didn't burn down!  We are having a blast together.  We had a few meltdowns. By "we" I mean Layla.  The biggest success of the week is how my patience has been deeper than the ocean and wider than the smile on my face when Kendra arrives home tomorrow night.  

We hit triple digits, 100 degrees, in Phoenix this week.  Although it's not a record, it was way above normal.  The benefit to the heat is an early opening of the Webb pool.  The water temp is 81 degrees, but Easton and Layla are so spoiled living in Phoenix that they shivered a little now and then.  I'm starting to sound like an old man when I say, "when I was your age all we had was a muddy pond...  and it was cold...  all year long!"  as if their 4-year-old minds can possibly comprehend that.  

I didn't just supervise either.  I joined in their water gun-toting, noodle-slapping playtime.

In order to get them revved up for the pool we took a morning hike to the second peak of South Mountain.   Nobody cried and nobody bled.  That's a successful hike at this stage.  They begged me to carry them after climbing so much altitude, but I assured them the hike down was not nearly as difficult.  They agreed to give it a try and just as I promised it was a breeze to jog down.

On another pool day we were blessed with a new face or two around our house.  Aiden and his dad, Matt.  Aiden is 7, but the age gap was not an issue when it came to swimming and play time with the twins.  He is their new super hero and favorite playmate.  

We joined them for a tasty dinner at Macayo's. It turned out to be a great restaurant for 3 rambunctious kids because it was so loud we blended right in.

Here's a picture I don't think I posted from when Ouma and Oupa visited.  Every time we pass a golf course the twins say, "Oupa plays golf.  Remember when he teached me how to play?"  Easton was excited to get a lesson from Oupa.  I'm excited because the next Master's champion may be sleeping down the hall from me as we speak.

With Kendra out of town I had to figure out how to turn the stove on and run the dish washer.  We've lived here for 6 months and this was the first time I used either one.  That is so sad and I'm embarrassed to even admit how well Kendra takes care of us.  If you're spoiled and you know it clap your hands...  (clap, clap).

We wore hats the past few days because I like to keep the sun off their faces as much as possible.  While we waited for the car to roll through the wash they wanted to trade hats and laugh at ourselves in the window's reflection.  Why not?

I'm actively teaching Easton and Layla two specific concepts and finally have a way to explain what and why:

1.  Avoid abandonment.  If we are out somewhere and it's time to go I never, ever, ever say, "OK I'm going to leave you."  This is intentional parenting because I don't want Easton or Layla to feel abandonment.  Instead, I say, "OK, we are leaving together.  Say good-bye to (fill in the blank)."  One of the greatest fears of a child is being left behind or getting lost.  I want Easton and Layla to know I will never leave them and I'll always be there for them.  Using words like never and always should be used sparingly.  Our society doesn't retain the value because they are over-used.  When it comes to abandonment, I want the always and never words to be useful.

2.  Gift vs. Good consequence.  I want them to understand what is a gift and what is a good consequence.  When I give them something where they have done nothing to merit it, I make sure they know it is a gift:  something I choose to give them because I love them and for no other reason.  A good consequence, such as the toy they get when their fuzzy jar is filled, is a reward for obedience.  When they obey they get good consequences, but a gift is unearned.  Explaining this to them early will help understand God.  I'm building their stepping stones of life one pebble at a time.

I can't believe that just happened...  As I was writing this at midnight I heard Easton calling for me.  He said the two words I despise more than any other:  "I puked".  There's Easton sitting up in his bed with yak all over the bed and him and his clothes.  Apparently Macayo's salsa didn't agree with his digestive system.  Gross!  He was concerned about his bed and what I thought, but I reassured him it's not a big deal and he'll be OK.  I stripped his bed and gave him new sheets.  After  few Nilla wafers and a slice of pita bread he said, "I feel much better".  Hopefully this is the last I hear from him tonight and he got it all out the first time.

Just having Kendra around would have made that entire situation much more tolerable.  Hurry home, my lovely wife!