Mr. Chatterbox

Hi Friends and Family,

A special thanks to my mom for sending the two videos for Easton. One is of space shuttle launches and astronauts. The other is of fire trucks and construction equipment. Easton goes bananas over everything related to fight and big equipment. He’s 100% boy so these movies are right up his ally. He asks for them all day long, but since we limit the twins to 1 hour or less per day of TV time, he’s constantly asking to watch which ever movie he didn’t see that day.

Easton is saying more words by orders of magnitude recently. He just woke up one morning last week and hasn’t stopped talking since. The video is a personal thank you to Nana, which shows an infrequent scenario where Easton is Mr. Chatterbox, but Layla is quiet.



On the potty training front, we've had zero success after the big one-time event last week. When asked if they want to use the potty they both say (with great enunciation) I don't like it as they shake their head. Oh well... all we can do is just keep trying!

Kendra found a Snow White barbie doll on sale for Layla. Now she has a "friend" for her real barbie doll to play with. How about that... My princess with a princess.


The Chicken Dance song... Why, God, did you allow such a terribly annoying song to be created and WHY do Easton and Layla love it so much? Every night as a part of our bed time ritual they insist on dancing to the Chicken Dance song while standing on top of their step.


If Easton stands on Layla's step or vice versa, the world comes to an end and disciplinary actions follow because of the tantrums and unwillingness to share. You'd expect lions in the African desert to be territorial, but 2 year olds?

Easton and Layla are diligent about watering the plants daily. Layla waters the flowers and Easton waters the rocks and himself.


You think I'm kidding? Here's a video clip of said watering practices.



Easton's interaction with the actual flowers is regularly destructive in nature. The flower below used to have both red and white flowers. If you look closely you'll notice there are several random stems and no white flowers. Easton is the culprit!


The gentle breeze and perfect temperature made for a great kite flying day with our neighbors last week. The kite is ratty and broken, but works just fine for our purposes.


I know I posted about the kite day earlier this week, but wanted to share what kind of equipment we are flying at Casa de Webb.

To follow up on the Gatorade flowers, Kendra smiled and laughed as I expected when she first saw them the next morning. She immediately dumped out the Gatorade bottle and reset the flowers in a small drinking glass with plain old water. I gave her a hug and said a few romantic things, but not the whole story. Later in the day she read the blog. I knew she read it by the way she came into the bedroom where I was napping and cuddled up really close to me. She sniffled and smiled with tears in her eyes as we talked about my feelings for her. It worked! My words came through loud and clear as intended.

See you soon!

just because

Dear Kendra,

Thank you for being my wife and mother to our children. Tomorrow morning you will wake up and find this in the kitchen:


Two roses in a Gatorade bottle. How's that for romatical? At least give me a chance to explain before dismissing my efforts.

Last night you came home at 8:00 after working at Tam's house for a few hours. I went with my friend Eugene to hang out and talk. We had a great time catching up and people watching in the downtown area. As we walked towards the parking lot I saw one of those common hispanic women selling flowers along the main street. I immediately thought of you and how tired you must be from the long day with the kids and then working tonight. I bought the roses for you just because. No special reason.

We looked silly as two guys walking down the street towards the car with roses in my hand, but every day I care less and less about what other people think. I wanted to bring the roses home and give them to you with a passionate kiss and hug.

Unfortunately you were already in bed asleep and the house was silent. I know the Waterford crystal vase I bought for you when we were dating is on the top shelf in the cupboard. However, it is way in the back behind bags of stuff I didn't want to wake you or the babies attempting to get it down. I thought about other options such as a coffee mug, but that didn't seem creative enough.

Then I saw the gatorade bottle on the counter waiting to be taken to the recycling bin. I thought, "this is SO tacky she will get a good laugh in the morning". Along with seeing you smile at the ridiculous gesture I will give you a big hug and hopefully say something like this:

The first few years of our marriage we did well together as lovers, but we both agree we weren't friends. Certainly not best friends. I watched angrily as the fire in your heart and the sparkle in your eye all but vanished. I wasted several years trying to understand you so I could fix you. I should have spent those years trying to understand you so I could love you. All along it was me who needed to change in order for you to blossom, but my stubbornness and pride prevented me from letting you be you.

These past few years have been the greatest of my life in spite of also being the most difficult as we do our best to be good parents.

I'll probably just give you a hug and say, "I love you!", but I really feel the way described in this post. I am working to match the thoughts in my head with the words from my mouth, but until then at least I have the blog.

I am a boring, empty Gatorade bottle. You are the beautiful roses that make my existence meaningful and fulfilling. You are my best friend and I love you more every day.

Your best friend

American Idol junior.

Check out the singing video of Layla, Daniel, and Layla Ruth belting it out as independently and unabashedly as you would expect from 2 year olds.



Daniel's Jesus cheer at the end is awesome. I think we should all do this in church some time with the same level of exuberance.

Fly a kite

The weather outside was pleasant today and the breeze was just enough to break out the kite. Easton loved sharing the controls with mommy.


Layla-do-it wasn't as open to the idea so she had a little time out. I don't think the breeze would have carried her away if we fully gave her control but why take the chance? Layla kept her pajamas on tonight so we will celebrate the small sucesses.

I couldn't find time to blog tonight so I'm planning to have a full post with the microphone singer's video included.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

End of Diapers

Greetings friends and family,

Only those of you with kids will identify with our celebratory attitude regarding Easton and Layla using the potty today. Yes, today is the official start of potty training because Easton and Layla BOTH decided to use the potty today. We took the advice of our pediatrician and began with the positive reinforcement and cheering them on. It worked!

2 years X 2 kids X 8 daipers per day = 11,680 daipers we've changed. Trust me, it's a celebration when you can see a light at the end of the diaper pale.

For the past several weeks we wake up to find Layla buck naked in her crib. She throws her pajamas, diaper, pillow, and blanket out of her crib and then pees all over her bed. Oma and Opa had an extra special surprise waiting for them one morning during their stay (sorry about that)... Poor girl just doesn't like the feeling of a cold, wet (or dirty) diaper against her skin.

When Kendra gave her the choice to use the big girl potty, she sat down and did her business in the typical "Layla do it" fashion. I heard all of the cheering and had to capture it on camera.


Then, as Kendra promised, she gave Layla a Mickey Mouse sticker as a reward and placed it on the calendar taped to the wall. During all the excitement Easton watched closely as we all joined in the pee-pee song for Layla. Easton finally piped up asking for a sticker. Kendra told him he will get a sticker when HE uses the potty like a big boy.

I got a phone call later that morning at work. Kendra had me on speakerphone with the twins and Easton told me all about how he used the potty like a big boy and has a sticker also. It was difficult to cheer for his accomplishment over the phone with so many co-workers listening, but I gave him a shout out as best I could.

Yesterday we had some outdoor fun at dusk. The twins didn't get much chance for outdoor activities due to the rain so when I arrived home from work we put on our coats and wondered around in the court.

Layla took a running start from the sidewalk and jumped on me just as I was trying to take a picture. My glasses were bent as a result, but it turned out surprisingly well by capturing both of us laughing. She is such a joyful little girl...


Easton stood on the stump in our front yard and what you can't see is Layla behind him. She pushed him forward and his jovial smile turned into crying one he hit the rocks. They are still learning how to be kind and gentle with each other.


Layla is getting very good at posing and looking at the camera. It's taken many, many months of taking literally thousands of pictures and she's finally making a conscious effort to pause in the moment for me to take a shot. She loves to see herself on camera so that must be the reason why she's interested in getting good pictures.


The twins are becoming friends and playmates more every day. Easton isn't super excited to hold Layla's hand when she asks him to, but he plays along. He also tolerates Layla's propensity to lavishly give kisses and hugs. Best friends!


This morning Kendra entertained FOUR toddlers at once. Or should I say, they entertained her.


What better way to pass the time than to give each of them a microphone and request songs. It sounded like an orchestral warm up session (train wreck) because each one was singing their own song. Easton isn't much for singing and we don't push him about it. He's perfectly content to listen to them and play with his toys. Layla Ruth and Daniel fit in very well at our house and we may have the beginnings of a great band. Time to break out the recorder musical instruments.

Time to go practice our potty song duet for tomorrow's encore performance by the twins. Cross your fingers. Although I know it will take a long time to get fully out of diapers, it's the beginning of the end!

See you soon.

While We Were Away

Hi Friends and Family,

Kendra and I arrived home safely from Hawaii after a night of flying and 3 hours of sleep. It took less than 5 minutes for Kendra to jump back into mommy mode and love on the twins after we walked in the door. Easton was so excited for her to read the Thomas the Train ABCs book for the hundredth time and Layla just wanted to give hugs and be up close with us (and her teddy bear).


We pulled off a risky maneuver today at the airport. There was a coordination error in flight timing of our arrival and Oma and Opa's departure, but it all worked out famously. Oma and Opa had to check in for their flight (2 hours prior to departure) at exactly the same time as our flight from Honolulu was expected to arrive. If our flight was delayed that would have thrown a monkey wrench in the whole deal, but luckily everything worked perfectly.

Oma and Opa drove the twins and their luggage to the terminal, they jumped out of the car with their luggage. We loaded ours, gave hugs and thanks, and jumped in the car. We never even had to turn the car off and the twins didn't get out of their seat for the big switch-er-ooo. We are experts so please don't attempt this at home.

Oma and Opa took pictures of their adventures and here's what we missed at home during our time away. Oma appreciated Easton learning to lick the couch clean instead of having to wipe up the juice spills.


Layla dressed herself for the day and she chose my snuggly bath robe even though it was a little long.


Opa experienced the merry-go-round at the zoo and made good on his promise to give Layla a pony if she ate her peas. A zebra is close enough!


Easton built a multi-colored rocket ship using all of the blocks in the house. I have a suspicion Oma helped him a little with the architectural part of building his masterpiece.


Layla Ruth was promoted to baby sitter so Oma and Opa could go to dinner and a movie with April and Jason. Hey! you stole our friends! What's up with that? You'd be amazed at how good Layla Ruth can boss the twins around when she's in charge.


Wednesday was the most exciting day at our house because of the recycle trash truck. I'm certain if there were audio with this picture, Easton would say, "Do you hear it? I hear the trash truck! It's ok... It's ok". He calms himself when scary things like the trash truck pass through by saying "It's OK".


I don't have a sarcastic, made-up comment for this picture of Easton and Layla together... they just look so cute.


Seriously, we are extremely grateful to Kendra's parents for taking their spring break trip to spend it with Easton and Layla. Kendra and I were able to honestly relax to the max knowing the twins were is such capable, loving hands at home. Without their sacrifice our trip to Hawaii would never be possible. I know they loved every minute of time here in AZ, but no matter how enjoyable the twins are to be around there is still an opportunity cost.

I'm still working on the Hawaii trip report log, but since I already posted a couple of times during the week, I'll probably leave it at that. I decided to post one other picture from our trip. I looked through all 272 pictures to find the one which most clearly defined the trip and here it is:


This is both the reason we went to Hawaii and the result of a successful trip: Kendra and I. Alone. on the beach. No work or friends or church, just the two of us focusing 100% of our attention on each other and ourselves for several consecutive days.

We stopped by Honolulu for a day in order to catch up with my friend, Hal. He and his girlfriend showed us around the big city island in style. We were able to compare and contrast the different "feel" of Oahu and Maui. Hal is a blast to hang out with and we are both glad the scheduling worked out for us to be there for a few hours before flying home. The sunsets and beach life by Waikiki are as engaging as Maui, but in a different way.


As much as we missed Easton and Layla we desperately needed time together without them to have fun together. The Hawaiian experience certainly wasn't a deserted island, but as close as we could get to it!

Even though I still have sand in my shoes, tomorrow I head back to work and Kendra dives right back into mothering the twins. Life is an adventure...

See you soon!

vacation adventuring

Aloha Ohana,

Our Hawaiian vacation is wrapping up tomorrow and it's back to reality as we fly in on Sunday. If all goes well we will be picked up by Kendra's parents and the twins from the baggage claim and immediately dump Oma and Opa off at the departure terminal for their flight home. We are sad the timing isn't working out for us to spend a day catching up with them and hanging out, but that's the way things worked out.

No matter what happens in the next two days, this vacation to Maui is the best vacation i've ever experienced. Not perfect, but island living is so awesome that it's difficult NOT to have a great time.

I've been keeping a travel log every day and may publish some of it, but for now here are a few highlights and sights we experienced so far.

The Old Lahaina Luau was intriguing and supposedly the best Luau on the island. Since I've never been to one prior to this night, I have no comparison. Lots of history, mythology, and native dances.



We rode bikes down from the Haleakala crater / volcano. The ride down wasn't exhilarating because I'm used to bombing down National trail on South Mountain with white knuckles and wide eyes. Today's ride was as advertised: a leisurely cruise with scenic views and cool weather.


The yellow bio-hazard looking suits are just wind breakers because it was super chilly at the top. Before the bike ride we woke up at 2:30 AM and rode in a van up to the 10,000 ft. altitude level anticipating the sunrise. the only word I can use to describe it is: spectacular. you can see the colors behind us as the sun creeps up over the horizon.


The colors weren't much different than the sweet sunsets we get in Phoenix, but the magnitude and view of watching the sun rise above the clouds was... spectacular. My Canon S90 did really well to take good pictures in low light conditions. I'm very happy with its performance.

One other grand scene we found was the Nakalele Blowhole. The extreme power of the ocean was on full display. If I had to pick a "best scenic picture" of our vacation, this is it. Turned out very well in my opinion.


I changed my laptop wall paper to this picture because it looks more incredible than the Microsoft chosen landscape pictures.

Tomorrow we are hoping to fly standby to Honolulu so we can spend the afternoon with my friend Hal who lives there. Then we catch the red-eye home and will be able to wrap our arms around the twins, who we miss more and more as the days go by.

Mahalo and I'll see you soon!

still vacationing

Aloha friends and family!

As Joanie commented, we should be TOO busy to blog, and she's right. However, I just wanted to say we are safe and having a wonderful time here.

Today's surf lesson was awesome and now I can say, "I surf!" Here's proof:

Me + surf board + ocean = smile.

Tonight's dinner at the Plantation House was truly a culinary experience. It surpassed Kendra's expectations. I was satisfied as soon as I saw raw tuna on the menu. Watching the sunset turned out the be one of the most romantic moments of our lives.


I am really starting to miss Easton and Layla. Not enough that I want to leave Maui early, but I can't wait to see them again in 4 days.

See you soon!

Aloha from Hawaii

After 24 hours away from the twins I miss them terribly, but am so glad to be away from the normal day to day routine. Kendra and I had an excellent brunch at Gazebos after waiting for an hour in line for a table. The view is excellent and we ate slowly while looking across the bay at whales blowing fountains of water. The picture below is the other half of our view, the local beach.




We were able to Skype with the twins and Oma and Opa. Talk about a weird reversal of roles! For the first time it was the two us on the other end of the connection looking at Easton and Layla.

The resort is everything we could hope for except a king size bed, but that's just being picky. All of the 5 senses are occupied with the massive ocean just outside of our door. Yes, that includes taste because I wasn't smart enough to keep my mouth closed as the wave washed over me. What an incredible scene just outside our back patio.




I said, "Happy Valentines Day" to my lovely wife and that is the only person I wish to say it to. Nothing personal, but she's my wife an every other holiday is about everyone else in my life including her. This one is special just for her. <3

See you soon!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Lower Honoapiilani Rd,Lahaina,United States

Hello, Good-bye

Greetings friends and family,

We said, "Hello" last night to Kendra's parents who arrived in town for the week. Now we are 15 hours away from saying, "Good-bye" as we board an airplane to Maui! Their willingness is much appreciated to sacrifice spring break by caring for the twins while we are away for a week.

Around the Webb house it's already "ALL Oma and Opa... all the time" just like a radio station that plays only Elvis Presley. If it ain't the king, then it don't play. Similarly, Easton and Layla want Oma and Opa to be involved in every single detail of what's going on with them. Luckily that works out well because tomorrow Kendra and I are out of here and they won't have a choice but to continue their Oma Opa focus.

Welcome to sunny Arizona, Opa!


Grab yourself two arm full's of babies and enjoy the warmth and sunshine. Not to be outdone, Oma joined us for the 2-year-old check up at the pediatricians and had her turn at juggling both babies in her arms at once. Have no fear, babies. Oma is here!


Kendra gave extra hugs and loves because the twins endured two shots. Easton spent the rest of the day (seriously) holding his leg as if it were a war wound on the battlefield.


The results of the check-up were outstanding and everything is going great for the twins health-wise. They are in the middle of the distribution, which is fine with us. Although the pediatrician did comment on their loooooong legs. Nothing wrong with that!

Easton entertained us between nurses with his hop-skip, gallop dancing. I'll have to get a video clip of it because his dance move (singular) is a barrel of laughs to watch.


There were several pieces of advice we are taking from the pediatrician:

1. instead of giving several cups of 50% water / 50% juice per day, she suggested we should give only one cup of the real deal and stick with water the rest of the time. Her justification was that their systems will function better and appetites will be increased if they don't have the constant drip of sugar rush all day long.

2. Potty training is just around the corner so start talking about it. She recommends we tell them how excited and happy we will be when they are potty trained. As opposed to forcing them or using negative reinforcement. She says the whole process goes much smoother when the child feels it is THEIR choice to stop wearing diapers and use the potty. It's all theory and conjecture until we get some real world experience over the next several months.

3. Time for the pacifier to go! She said any longer than 2 years and it will start affecting the way her pallet forms. Her advice was to start cutting it down (literally) a little bit at a time until there is nothing left. We'll tackle THAT change in routine once we return from our vacation so as not to cause undue stress on Oma and Opa.

Speaking of vacation... Kendra and I have only taken two non-family vacations in 8 years of marriage. By non-family I mean trips where we travelled somewhere besides going to visit our families. For the past two years we only spent 2 nights away from the twins. Our vacation is well earned and long overdue. The stars aligned for us to do the impossible: spend 7 days together alone... in Hawaii. From what I've heard, it's difficult NOT to have a memorable, awesome experience in Hawaii, so the pressure of screwing it up is lessened on my part. I have high hopes we will experience the romantic getaway Kendra and I expect.

Of course I'll miss Easton and Layla, but I realize our time together alone is vital to the success of our marriage and the role models we play in their lives. For the past two years our entire world has been wrapped up in the adventures of the 4 Webbs, but for 7 days it will be just us having our own adventures and making memories.

I'm not certain how the blogging thing will work out as we travel, but I hope the wifi works and my iphone connects. We don't even know if it costs money to call to/from Hawaii? guess we'll find out.

See you soon!

Ready for Hawaii

News flash:
President Obama shoveled 3 feet of "global warming" off the steps of the white house today in what meteorologists are calling the "worst winter ever". How's that for ironic... And on a related note: Even the blogger spell checker knows Obama is wrong. I do my best to keep political humor to a minimum, but that's just too funny to pass up.

Anyway, back to what really matters in life: family. Here's a short video from Sunday when I woke them up on their birthday morning. The humorous part is when Easton says, "turn around, daddy". He wants me to turn the camera around so he can see the display screen on the back. The other funny part is the end where neither of the twins can hold up just 2 fingers to indicate how old they are. According to their finger count, they just turned 5 years old.



Layla's knees are covered in bruises and she is constantly kissing her knee followed by pointing at her "boo boo" and saying, "all better, all better". Talk about mind over matter!

Kendra took the twins to her mommy play-date at some new bounce house down south. The twins made a new friend or two in the process. You can tell their new friend wasn't accustomed to Kendra's sense of humor because Easton and Layla are laughing at her antics. Give the new kid a break... he'll find out soon enough how much fun Kendra is.


Easton and Layla are both learning to be very friendly and we constantly encourage them to wave and say hello to everyone. and I mean everyone. neighbors, church people, cashiers, and even Wal-mart weirdos. Taking them out into public is as much fun now as it was when they were newborns. We don't get the "are they twins?" question much anymore, but people talk with Easton and Layla all the time and compliment them on how smart and cute they are.

If you've watched the Pixar movie, "Up", then you know what someone means when they shout, "Squirrel!" Well, in Easton's case it is a similar reaction, but to airplanes instead of squirrels. Every time he sees or hears an airplane he is quick to point it out and make sure we all know about it.


Somehow I missed posting this next picture showing a visual depiction of my Mom's 7 days of adventures with the 4 Webbs. She did a great job helping out and chasing the twins around... literally. We miss Nana desperately. :(


For their birthday / Super Bowl party Kendra and I were chef 1 and chef 2. We even busted out the aprons to make it official.


Today was a great day according to Kendra who complimented the twins for having a "happy heart" all day. We're praying for a repeat tomorrow. Guess who's coming to visit us in AZ? Kendra's parents, Oma and Opa! They get a FULL week of nothing but twins as Kendra and I leave for vacation in Hawaii this weekend. Talk about adventures?! These next 10 days are going to be unbelievably exciting for all of us including Oma and Opa.

See you soon!

2 Years Old!

Where do I even begin? The twins turned two years old on Sunday and I am as proud as a father could be at how awesome they are already. I posted a similar shot in my last blog post as this next picture. The major improvement over that one is Layla without her pacifier. She has such a pretty smile I hate to see it hidden behind her paci.


They were running up and down the halls of the house each holding a balloon in hand. For whatever reason they chose to carry balloons with them during the nightly "Chicken Dance" marathon.

We threw the longest 2-year-old birthday party in the history of the world. Some one call the folks at the Guinness Book of World Records. The party started at 3:00 PM and ended at 9:00 PM. The 6 hour party happened to include the Super Bowl on the big screen, but there's no need to bring details into it. We had a few friends over to enjoy BBQ ribs for dinner, mountains of cake, presents, and the big game.

Kendra made each of the twins a cake and added two cupcakes to make it look like Mickey Mouse. Layla dug right in and I was surprised at how much cake she put away considering her normal eating habits.

Easton looks like an Italian Mafia guy with the chocolate moustache and grimace on his face. Are YOU talking to ME?


He turned back into his normal happy (non-mafia) self when we opened presents. He was so excited about the big fire truck he threw out his "jazz hands".


OK, maybe it was less intentional than the picture indicates, but that's the beauty of photography and candid shots.

Layla received a princess fairy outfit complete with wings. As you can tell by the picture she loves them! I foresee her tutu and this outfit becoming a daily dress-up routine.


Kendra gave Layla a dolly set complete with a crib that rocks, a stroller, and a high chair. Layla wanted to push her new baby to the mailbox this afternoon so I obliged. I didn't expect her to literally run the entire way there and back. She spent most of trip yelling, "come on Easton! come on!" telling him to hurry up as casually walked along side me.


The gift which received the most playing time on the day after the birthday was:

(drum roll please)

The balloons.


Easton is in awe of flight and space. As he attempts to count down and say "3-2-1 blast-off" he says, "1-2 blast-off!" and then throws the balloon into the air. The helium is all but gone from the balloon, but it had just enough to float back down ever so slowly making it easy for him to catch it between his hands with ease.

We bid farewell to my Mom today as she flew back home to Missouri, the frozen tundra. Her plane was diverted to Wichita because of the snow storm, so I hope she makes it home safely. We spent more time together over the past 7 days than in the past 7 years combined. Normally our whole family is around and interacting, which is great, but different than being able to talk one on one without distractions. It meant so much for me to share our lives with her and have many conversations about the past as well as each other's current stage of life. There's nothing quite like the love of a mother and I appreciate who she is and who I turned out to be because of her dedication to us kids. Easton and Layla understood Nana was going to get on an airplane and leave, but it didn't make her departure any less disappointing for all of us. Layla will continue to sing her special song from Nana.


I have a few more pictures and several humorous stories from the past few days, but unfortunately I ran out of time tonight. Kendra played soccer this evening so I need to go massage her shoulders so she can hit the ground running tomorrow... without the help of Nana. :(

See you soon!

2 Tomorrow!

Hello friends and family,

Tomorrow the twins are officially toddlers! I know there is no magic transformation on the 2nd birthday, but many people have referenced the "terrible twos". Easton and Layla aren't perfect angels no matter how much bias I add so I'm not going into this next year with rose colored glasses. However, I understand they are exceptionally happy and well mannered when measured against other 2 year olds so that gives me hope the next year will be just as fun as the last two.

I copied the entire 4 Webb's blog from the past 2 years out to a document just for fun. The file is 1557 pages worth of pictures and words! This is a good metaphor for raising a child. Taking time to write one blog entry or one moment to play with the twins doesn't amount to much, but over time it turns into book...

From what I can tell we will no longer refer to the age of Easton and Layla in terms of months, but years. They are not turning 24 months tomorrow. It is officially 2 YEARS.


I talked to my mom about how to guide the twins towards a love of music. Not as a spectator, but as a participant. I'd like for them to either sing or play an instrument at some point in life. If they choose not to then no big deal, but it never hurts to expose them to the ideas. My mom suggested giving them instruments isn't enough and I agree. They are more likely to show interest if they see me and/or Kendra playing instruments and singing. The concept makes sense for every area of life, not just music. In many cases, whatever parents are passionate about is the same thing kids will be passionate about. Wherever a person spends their time, effort, and money is what they are passionate about. Based on that premise I need to play my guitar more. Layla and Easton both joined in for twinkle, twinkle. That's about the extent of my guitar playing abilities for now, but it's a start!


The next picture almost looks like they are at the beach, but it's just a local park. They're looking cool while shielding their little eyes from the intense UVA and UVB rays here in AZ.


One other humorous difference between Easton and Layla is her desire to walk vs. his desire to ride and relax. She spent the better part of 20 minutes saying, "get out! Layla walk! I do it!" She even wiggled her way out of the shoulder straps and was attempting the Great Escape. Luckily we have our secret weapon: goldfish crackers in a snack trap. muuaaahahaha! There is no more powerful force in the universe to pacify and occupy than this.


Kendra and I have talking back and forth about planting flowers in front of our house since we moved here almost 3 years ago. Since we are in no big hurry to buy a house or move she decided to add a little color to our otherwise drab abode.


I picked this particular picture of them watering the flowers together because both of them are have the exact same body position and watering skills. If you start with Kendra, then copy and paste, you get Layla. Just like her mother, sweetness and all. :)

My mom joined in for our daily ritual of walking to the mailbox and playing in the grassy area. I took the opportunity of bribery with pretzels to get the twins to stand still and pose for a picture. This will probably be the one we put in our photo album of Nana's trip here because they all three look so great.


Then I gave the pretzel bag to Layla and she willingly shared on with Daddy. Of course, when I asked for a pretzel she said, "Layla do it!" and I agreed. She thought it was really funny to feed Daddy in this odd role reversal.


Over the past few days the 4 Webbs and Nana ran errands regularly as we prepare for tomorrow's get together. On one occasion Layla went with Mommy and left Easton alone at home. It is extremely rare for Easton to have the run of the house without his best friend, Layla, as his partner in fun. After she left he decided to get a drink. Since both sippy cups were still on the snack table he grabbed BOTH of them and chugged the apple juice until it spilled down the front of his shirt.


I gave the twins an early birthday present this morning. I found a rocket shaped popup tent to replace the broken Dora the Explorer tent they destroyed. Easton had a blast all day today climbing in and out while screaming, "1, 2, blast off!"


All day today we've been telling them about tomorrow. They both break out into song once in a while singing the "Happy Birthday" song. We have a big day tomorrow so I better get off the computer and go help prepare!

See you soon.