I admit it. I'm the only human being in the USA who didn't watch the Superbowl today. Not one single play. Could I have watched? Yes, but I just don't care about the two teams or football or TV enough to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon inside. I did, however, watch the halftime show so the twins could see the dancing and singing. Yes, I know there is an element of risk after the whole "wardrobe malfunction" a few years ago. However, that is a risk I'm willing to take so Easton and Layla could see a really good performance of music and dancing. During a commercial break I talked them into cuddling next to me and holding still for a Super (bowl) picture. Layla paid homage to Oupa with the, "Oupa's number 1" chant and gesture.
The only way it would have been better is if Kendra was also in it, but I'm fine with this as a daddy-only picture with my toddlers (not babies). Kendra was busy with the mother-of-all DIY projects in our garage. All sanding is done. All priming is done. All drilling is done. 60% of painting is done. We are in the final sprint to the finish so that the whole Webb house can be in order for visiting grandparents.
I can honestly say our house has never been as torn up and messed up as it is right now, but it doesn't bother me. I know it's just temporary and we are doing our best with the time we have. Some people get caught up in the clean perfection of a spotless house, but not me. I would much rather be remembered as a great husband and father than for someone to say, "Boy, that guy sure had a clean living room".
Our most impressive accomplishment of the weekend was disassembling Easton and Layla's bedroom and completing the bed. The twins spent their first night without the constraint of the crib and zip net tent. I was holding my breath expecting what my other friends experienced. They mentioned stories of the kids getting up and down multiple times and coming out of their room for various excuses throughout the night. That may happen in time, but I'm happy to report the two consecutive nights in the big-boy and big-girl bed went swell.
As you can see, Layla was very excited to sleep on Easton's trundle mattress.
She'll get to sleep in her own room in her own bed after the grandparents leave in a few weeks. Easton was equally thrilled about his new alligator pajamas and the new bed. He almost didn't know which was better. He kept saying, "look at my alligator!, look at my bed!" over and over.
Thank God for consistency though. That may be the saving grace of this whole transition. We did the same thing we do every night: bath, books, and bed. Same routine, same time, same person (me), and even the same bedtime songs. I ask them each what song they want me to sing and the answer is the same every single night. Easton requests "his" song I made up and "Twinkle, twinkle little star". Layla requests "Up, up in the sky" and "Jesus Loves Me".
One other part of the routine is brushing teeth. That occurs after bath and before books. Can you tell who's is whose?
The purple one is Layla's because after we finish she asks to do it herself (big surprise. Then she proceeds to gnaw on it like a Pitbull on a bone until we take the toothbrush away. Easton is the opposite of aggressive Layla as he slowly scrubs back and forth a few times before giving it back to us nicely. I took the twins to Target for a new set of toothbrushes today. As we were in the parking lot ready to get out and walk inside I turned around and said, "What are the rules for going to Target?" Easton said, "Don't EVER touch the hot lama (lava) because it burns". I couldn't disagree with him because he's right. You should never touch hot lava. Also, I was laughing so hard at his comment I couldn't properly ask what are the real rules of going to Target.
I graduated them from Dora and Diego toothbrushes to SpongeBob. No real reason, that's just what came in a two-pack. :)
Speaking of two-pack... Easton saw us moving furniture all day so after bath he moved their reading chairs in the configuration you see below while paying extra attention to ensure the edges lined up perfectly.
The two of them sat in that position and carried on a conversation way beyond what normal almost-three-year-olds do. I'm astounded every day by how well they communicate and the size of their vocabulary.
On a somewhat related note, I'm equally impressed with their ability to make friends. We arrived at the lizard park to find it completely empty. The twins were both very disappointed because they are such social butterflies. I told them if we go play maybe others will show up and join us. and "show up", they did! The place was swarming with people only a few minutes after we jumped in the sand. Layla walked up to the first girl within her comfortable age range (2-15 years old) and said, "Hi, my name is Layla. Would you like to play with me?" The red-headed girl said, "sure" and off they went. 5 minutes later they were best friends talking about meeting next week at the same park at the same time.
Easton didn't know or care that this other little boy was underprivileged and scraggly. All he knew was that someone touched his sand bucket. At first he reacted a bit defensively, but quickly showed his sharing heart without any prompting from me.
Then back at home Layla requested a re-enactment of "the fireman saving the princess from the burning castle" because she got a new princess cell phone with beeps and lights. Here is princess Layla calling the fire department to tell Easton and I to save her.
Kendra and I celebrated Valentines Day this past week. You might be thinking, "Isn't that two weeks away?" Yes... it is. However, our celebrations are completely dependent on whoever agrees to watch the twins so we can go out. Trina agreed to be that person for us so we jumped on the opportunity. She's one of those few, key people we feel very comfortable around the kids.
We also had the privilege of having Ben and Trinity hang out with us for an evening. I found great humor situations such as watching twins reading to twins.
Coloring books are a big hit around our house and Kendra appreciates the newly discovered "play together quietly... without me" concept. I noticed Easton jumps around through the books with a single Crayon coloring the eyes of whatever person or animal is depicted. Layla will color most of a single picture and use a variety of Crayons throughout. Their differing styles don't have any meaning to me. I just think it's interesting how different their approach is to everything in life.
Kendra and I went out last night because we were dog-tired from the busy day of playing and furniture refinishing. She refinished while I played with the twins and went mountain bike riding. Even though we are on a budget it was clear we weren't motivated to cook a big dinner so we decided to make it a "Birthday dinner" for the twins. At first we went to Red Lobster, but because I rode late we arrived during peak time at the restaurant. As we discussed whether to stay and wait or go somewhere else Easton and Layla were fascinated with the live lobster tank.
I think Layla was trying to eat the lobster right through the glass. We opted for the less crowded Marie Callender's where kids eat free. Bonus!
Easton is such a calm, handsome boy, but I know he was thinking, "Feed me PIE!"
and of course we did because it was (one of) their birthday celebration and it was free with the free kids meal. Can't beat that...
I'll have more of a 3rd birthday recap as we go this week, but needed to catch up first.
See you soon!
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