I found it, I found it! My search for the elusive father/son song has kept me awake at nights for literally months. I want to put together a picture show with music similar to the one I made with Layla, but haven't been motivated to dig in because there wasn't a good song to use. I was sitting at my desk typing away and decided to listen to George Strait. Before you roll your eyes at the very thought of country music, here is line in "Love without End, Amen" that caught my attention:
Daddies don't just love their children every now and then. It's a love without end, amen.
Full lyrics are:
I got sent home from school one day with a shiner on my eye.
Fightin' was against the rules and it didn't matter why.
When dad got home I told that story just like I'd rehearsed.
And then stood there on those tremblin' knees and waited for the worst.
And he said, "Let me tell you a secret about a father's love,
A secret that my daddy said was just between us."
He said, "Daddies don't just love their children every now and then.
It's a love without end, amen, it's a love without end, amen."
When I became a father in the spring of '81
There was no doubt that stubborn boy was just like my father's son.
And when I thought my patience had been tested to the end,
I took my daddy's secret and I passed it on to him.
And I said, "Let me tell you a secret about a father's love,
A secret that my daddy said was just between us."
I said, "Daddies don't just love their children every now and then.
It's a love without end, amen, it's a love without end, amen."
Last night I dreamed I died and stood outside those pearly gates.
When suddenly I realized there must be some mistake.
If they know half the things I've done, they'll never let me in.
And then somewhere from the other side I heard these words again.
And They said, "Let me tell you a secret about a father's love,
A secret that my daddy said was just between us.
You see Daddies don't just love their children every now and then.
It's a love without end, amen, it's a love without end, amen."
I have the motivation to get that project underway. Now I just need to find the time...
The weekend was adventurous, as you might expect from the 4 Webbs. I can tell Layla is ready for the hot summer and indoor activities because when I say, "Let's go outside!" she hesitates and thinks up some indoor game to play. However, after we get out and about she has so much fun that it's hard to get her back inside. Plenty of silly faces to go around.
Can you see the amount of dirt on their faces and clothes? Not sure if the picture quality is good enough. If not, trust me on this one. There isn't a single clean square inch to be found. We had THAT good of a time playing.
Easton's dirty paw is on one of Kendra's freshly painted drawers, which is a real no-no. There is a thick layer of dust on the whole inside of the garage, but Kendra does a great job of keeping the newly-painted pieces of furniture clean.
Our dining room table is disassembled and stored in the garage because of our square-foot-challenged house. That's a nice way of saying our house is too small. Anyway, we may reclaim the "formal dining room" to be used for its intended purpose some day. However, that day will not come any time soon. Since we have no dining room area we typically have the twins eat at their own little white table while Kendra and I eat on the bar stools of the kitchen island.
Occasionally when Kendra is doing her own thing for a meal I'll join the twins at their table. My knees are cramped from using the aerobics stepper as a chair, but there's nothing like getting right in their with them to be involved.
One of the items on my honey-do list for the weekend was to build the Ikea book case for Layla. Ikea's great instructions and ease of assembly almost made me feel like it wasn't an accomplishment. So easy a two-year-old can do it. Go Easton! He really did help twisting in the screws for me. Layla sang the Handy Manny song as her contribution to the building effort.
Kendra took a much needed mini-vacation to the masseuse for a 90-minute massage. I chose to fill my afternoon alone with the twins by sharing an adventure. The trip I took with Easton to the "Hall of Flames Fireman Museum" ended with a ride on the Light rail. He hyped it up so much to Layla that she's been excited about going for a long time. I decided to start with the Light railride and see where the day would take us.
Yes, I know it is crazy to take TWO toddlers alone, but I figure if my sister can take 4 kids around Springfield then I should be able to handle two. Her success is an inspiration for me. Anyway, they were very well behaved and both of them were live-wires the whole time.
Both of them made friends with:
- The guy who gave up his seat for the twins to sit
- The guy behind us whose frown turned into snickering as the twins spread their sunshine through the car
- The family across from us who laughed when Layla yelled, "Dora!" at their littlest girl who spoke Spanish.
That was mildly embarrassing, but they laughed and I was proud of Layla for recognizing she was speaking Spanish. We disembarked in Tempe and wondered through the Tempe Beach Park. There was no beach or playground equipment so I can't figure out why they named it that way.
We searched near and far for something interesting to do with relatively little success. In the end we walked a really, really long way just to sit at a park bench and eat a banana.
They wore the puppies, but only as a precaution. To their credit, the leashes never came out because they were so obedient. Easton was out for a fun afternoon stroll, but Layla took off running after seeing some local marathon runners pass by.
I wanted to add on the Hall of Flames tour at the end, but after that much excitement and walking it was clear we needed to go home for some quiet time and end the day while we were ahead.
Later that night I made good on my promise to play dress up with the twins. Layla donned the standard fairy-ballerina-princess gear and Easton opted for the astronaut outfit. I brought out the Buzz Lightyear costume and we had a rockin' good time.
Things really got cooking when I broke out the glow sticks. I've been saving these for a rainy day (so to speak) and they were A-m-a-z-e-d. Especially when we turned off the lights and closed the doors and windows to our bedroom.
It was all I could do to keep them from putting it in their mouth though... Never thought I'd have to utter the phrase, "Please don't eat the glow stick". However, as all parents realize, there are many such phrases that must be spoken as kids figure out life.
We are about 75% done with the furniture so I expect Easton and Layla will be sleeping in big boy and big girl beds within the next two weeks. War stories from my friends about that transition worry me a little, but there's no chance of keeping the twins in a crib until they are 18 years old so there's no better time than now to welcome them to three-year-old status.
See you soon!
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