Legend of Pink Foot

Hi friends and family,

Today I was able to get in several hours of quality time including the BBB routine (Bath, Books, Bed). The twins ask me to tell them a story every single night since they were coherent enough to ask. Usually I oblige and tonight was no different. I told them the story of Mary Poppins by condensing the movie down to 3 minutes and then adding in a large ridable dog for some strange reason.

Then Layla offered to tell a story on her own so I grabbed my camera and caught Layla's first story... The Legend of Pink Foot. She picked up the concept from a TV show I've never heard of until Easton told me about it.

Bubble Guppies Season 1, Ep. 11 "The Legend of Pinkfoot!"
Here is the unofficial Legend of Pink Foot as told by Layla:



She's got a real knack for dramatic interpretation.

I just started the next book in my queue called, "Raising a Modern Day Knight"


It answers the question, "How do you pass on Manhood to your son?" In a nutshell the answer is: A definition, a process, and ceremonies.

I'm far enough into the book to see it provides very clear instruction conceptually and practically for how to raise a modern day knight. However, I don't see much action I can take until Easton is 10 years old. Nothing wrong with preparing ahead of time though. :)

See you soon!

Potty Training Phase 2

Greetings friends and family,

Guess who is a potty trained Big Boy? This guy...


Easton finally did the number 2 on the big potty and we are crossing our fingers it means he will do it regularly from now on. I have not idea where his fear of doing it came from, but for whatever reason he's been defiant on this point for several months now. Kendra held strong though and didn't bend to his request to keep wearing diapers during the day. She actually went the opposite direction a few days ago and said, "if you can't use the big potty then you can't wear diapers OR big boy underwear. So he ran around naked all day. He even ate lunch with his tiny hiney on the cold seat. How's that for will power?


As a good consequence for his act of bravery Kendra was a woman of her word and followed through by taking the twins for a ride on the mall train. We've been dangling that carrot out there as a reward for several days. Kendra properly used the "positive reinforcement" method by taking them on the train ride as quickly as possible after his successful endeavor. From what I understand the reward should be given as close as possible to the correct behavior.

Kendra called me at work because Easton wanted to share the exciting news. I was happy she called and equally excited for Easton. The problem is that the corporate world frowns on screaming in my cubical, "Wooo Hoooo! You POOPED in the potty!" I had to run down the hall into a conference for an appropriate celebration and play by play review of the big day.

Sometimes I come up with off-the-wall activities for us to do during playtime. An example is fixing Kendra's bike. It rested motionless on our garage wall for the past three years and I figured it was time to give it a once-over and see what needs attention. One obvious area is the tires. Easton and Layla sat down with me and I showed them how to remove the tire from the wheel and replace the tube. They were fascinated by the concept and kept wanting to squeeze the tube.

Watching two toddlers attempt to use teamwork for pumping a bike tire was humorous to say the least.


Layla kept trying to organize the task and coordinate who does what. Easton just wanted to pump away to hear the hissing noise as air squeezed into the tube. They are both great helpers though. My biggest challenge was keeping them from tripping over the hose and stepping on the spokes. Balance seems to be one of those things beyond the reach of a toddler.

I took an early morning ride and watched the sunrise as I waited for my riding buddies. Riding mountain bikes is my happy place. If I were independently wealthy I would take family trips to trails around the world for mountain bike excursions.
If I had to answer the question, "what are you passionate about?" My answer is (besides Kendra and the twins): Mountain Biking!


We took a short break at the top of a peak and I seized the opportunity of having a third person riding with us to be the camera man.


See you soon!

Friends Matter

Hello friends and family,

The last few days have been filled with friends for all four of us. Layla Ruth spent a few hours here and there hanging out at our house. Watching them run towards each other when meeting reminds me of a teenage-like greeting between two girls who haven't seen each other in three months. There are hugs and kisses and squeals of excitement, then off they go for princess dress up.



Arizona experienced a crazy weather day where the temperature dropped, the clouds rolled in, and the rain came through. OK, it wasn't really rain. Just a few light sprinkles and not even enough to be considered a drizzle. None the less it was cause enough for excitement including breaking out the rain gear. Here are two of the best friends playing together like friends do.


Once the rain stopped all that remained was a long stream of run-off water, which the twins delighted in by playing and splashing.


Then after the puddles dried up so much they weren't even enough to splash they finally calmed down enough to take a few cuddly pictures of the friends together.


I took this next pictures because I thought it would be fun to play the game, "what's on Layla's bed?"


From left to right you'll see: Sock Monkey stuffed animal from GAM, soft blankie, stuffed animal cat, books, pillow, Nunu, and cup of water. Layla isn't OCD about having each thing in its exact place, but in general this is a regular night's supply of bed-time items on her bed.

Kendra invited some new friends, Brian and Suzanna, along with their son, Colton. He knew our twins from play dates, but had no idea how to handle Layla in her natural environment at the casa de Webb. She was more than welcoming. :)


Dinner included spaghetti and meat sauce on our back patio. All three amigos sat at the designated "kids table", which Kendra bought at the good will store for 9 bucks. Not a bad find, eh?


Then we gave Colton an initiation round of "Back and Forth". I hooked up the digital camera to the 60 inch big screen and they ran back and forth for a good 20 minute workout.


After the excitement died down and everyone stopped screaming and laughing Easton and Layla showed Colton how we pretend at the Webb house. Easton dressed up in the astronaut suit, Layla donned the Tangled dress, and Colton gladly joined in with the fireman outfit.


I did some mountain bike riding with my friend and Kendra did some yard work and shopping with her friend.

The thing I notice the most is how we are all flexible in our schedules to accommodate each other's friend time. Seems to be working out well for all 4 of us and I'm really happy to see Kendra and I successfully passed along the friendly gene to the twins.

See you soon!

Finished Bedrooms

Hello friends and family,

Let me take this opportunity to showcase an unimaginable amount of work Kendra put into designing Easton and Layla's bedrooms. Keep in mind we are renting our current house so there is no point in us going crazy with paint and permanent decor. Kendra focused on the furniture pieces themselves and added a touch of her own style on a wall here and there.

Here is Easton's room with the trundle bed and storage locker for toys and games.


and on the opposite wall is his dresser and hutch.


We also have a nightstand that sits in the closet. All of those great looking pieces of furniture were sanded and painted by Kendra. Her DIY attitude hit some discouraging moments during the project, but she persevered and completed the job!

Layla's room was slightly easier because we bought the book shelf from Ikea and the bed is only the headboard for now. Kendra also refinished Uncle Dave's lamp so every time I see it I'm reminded on Dave. Anyway, the Pottery Barn bedding Kendra found really adds the joyful flare to match Layla's personality.


Layla's dresser and mirror was passed down from Kendra's grandparents so it's as close to a family heir loom as we have. The pictures and art on the wall add a nice touch.


I probably won't get invited to host a home improvement show because I don't know how to describe the rooms and do them justice. Thank God for pictures! I know Kendra is happy with the way the rooms turned out and that's enough for me.

The twins were out riding yesterday afternoon and I happen to catch them off guard. they almost look like a rough and tough motorcycle gang. There are many funny captions for this picture, but unfortunately I'm so tired tonight nothing is coming to mind. I could use a little help with this one.


The twins requested I take them AND their bikes to the neighborhood park. As always, I couldn't think of a reason not to so we loaded them up and drove 2 minutes to the park.

I took the bikes out and they rode about 50 yards to the playground equipment then dismounted to go play. Was it worth the hassle of loading the bikes in the trunk for that? Sure was. Especially when Easton started showing off for the neighbor boy. I'm not sure how the conversation went between them, but I imagine Easton said something like, "Dude! Check out my custom grips. Super soft for those long rides to the mailbox."


That is the first time I've seen Easton show off a toy or anything to another kid. And so it begins. :)

See you soon!

Layla's Bike and Live Feed 2

Howdy friends and family,

We joined in a friend's birthday party where I spent a few minutes with their grandparents who are visiting from Oklahoma. After a few comments about chicken and dumplings, then drinking some fresh sweet tea, I'm in the mood for a big, "Howdy!"

The twins love singing happy birthday no matter who is the recipient. Singing is fun for them and they learned it is the precursor to birthday cake.


Saturday was Mommy's day out with her friend April. I've been waiting all week to spend some quantity (and quality) time with the twins. I had them to myself all day until 3:00 this afternoon.

Craigslist is the most awesome tool ever invented by the internet. After seeing Layla's bike riding skills at the bike shop I felt it was time to get her on two wheels. I found a Mongoose bike for $40 (retail is $155) on Craigslist. After two text messages we met at the mall. I gave it once-over inspection, gave them $40, then squeezed it into my trunk without Layla ever seeing it.

Next stop was the Weeeeee-bump park for some sand play time and a picnic lunch. A fellow father at the park agreed to take a picture of us. I was happy to be in a picture instead of just the guy behind the camera all of the time.


While conversing with the Dad I learned he had a 6 year old boy and twin 4 year old girls. We swapped war stories and glorious successes in parenting. I love talking to guys who have twins + more kids because it keeps me humble to consider how things could be more challenging.

We headed home from the park, but Layla called me out on my promise to get slurpees together. I agreed and we went to the QT because they have kid-sized cups and bendable straws. Easton said he wanted a hot lava slurpee so I poured him the red flavor. He spent the next several minutes on the car ride home telling me about how his hot lava slurpee was really, really cold.


We played games and colored at home for another hour until quiet time. By then Easton was lying on the floor with his blanket, pillow, and thumb wedged firmly in his mouth. Only took him a couple of minutes to fade off into sleepy time. Layla repeatedly denied being tired and she read books to herself for 30 minutes until I told her it was ok to come out.

Kendra arrived home with stories of how much money she saved us. She really is a thrifty shopper. Easton finally woke up so we gave Layla her new bike and off she rode.



Her reaction is priceless. The baby in the front was her idea. I guess the thought of having a sweet basket with nothing in it seemed incorrect for her. :)


Easton was happy for Layla, but didn't want anything to do with her bike or the boys bikes at the sporting goods store. He is content with his tricycle and we are in no hurry to force him onto two wheels. He gets around just fine on his green machine.


Easton asked me to join the two of them for bike riding. I asked myself the same question I always ask when they make a request, "why not?" If I don't have a good reason to deny their request then my default answer is, "yes!" I hopped on my bike and immediately Layla said, "where is your helmet?" Uhh... hmmm... The concept of "do as I say, not as I do" doesn't fly at ALL with kids. I had no choice but to thank her for noticing and then I put on my helmet!


I took a break to assist as Layla worked on starting and stopping while avoiding falling over. Her knees took a beating that day, but she is a real trooper when it comes to getting back on the (iron) horse.


When Easton says, "I want to go back and forth" he means, "please connect the camera to the TV for a live feed so I can see myself running around". Once again, I had no reason to disagree so we hooked it up and played silly for about 20 minutes. This time I threw in a twist where I would take a still shot occasionally and then it would display on the TV for 5 seconds before reverting to the live feed again. At first they were slightly apprehensive.


Then they both laid down while still giggling and looking at the live feed. I jumped in with them and set a timer for us to get a still shot together.


After that they were off to the races dancing around acting silly.


Easton pulled off an unintended air guitar move.


Then it got really out of control with Easton pretending to be a dinosaur stomping around and Layla pretending to be a chicken.


One last humorous note I just have to share... While outside playing in the front yard Easton asked me to draw him an Orca whale. I started drawing with the chalk and he recognized my whale was a hump back, not an Orca. He called me on it and asked me to start over. Once the whale was finished Easton said, "Where is his uvula? Please draw the uvula, Daddy." I have no idea where that came from, but I did my best to improvise a uvula in the whale's mouth. It doesn't matter that whale's don't have a uvula, I was impressed he knew what one is and that the whale's was missing! What a smart boy.

Next week will have several exciting developments for us. The one thing I'm looking forward to the most is the possibility of date night with Kendra some evening. It all hinges on finding an available baby sitter, as always.

See you soon!

Corned Beef

Happy late St. Patrick's Day,

Kendra has shouldered a larger than normal burden at home this week and I've been able to focus on several areas important to me as a result. Part of her extra efforts is in the food department where she's been cooking up meals which could be show cased on the Food TV Network. One such festive meal was corned Beef, cabbage and potatoes on St. Patrick's Day. We aren't much for celebrating random holidays such as national pickle week, which occurs in mid-May by the way. However, Kendra is more than willing to jump on any reason to cook a delightful meal. Easton and Layla agree, it was a huge success.


The next night they ate microwaved fish sticks, but that's an exception to the normal cuisine at the Webb household.

Summer is officially here as can be felt by the 90 degree day time highs. We're in that gray area between cool winter and swimming weather heat of summer. The solution involves a water table and garden hose. The bicycle helmet may be taking the safety precautions a bit too far though.


I'm just kidding... You can never be TOO careful. Seriously though, the twins were riding their tricycles just prior to getting soaked. Layla quickly doffs the helmet, but Easton is so comfortable wearing it and excited about buzz lightyear that he didn't bother to take it off.

Speaking of bikes, I took the twins to Dick's Sporting Goods to check out the bicycles. After watching Layla rip around the bike shop on the 12 inch wheeled bike it is clear they are ready. Dick's selection of bikes stinks so after looking at the one appropriately sized bike (still in the box on the shelf by the way) we experienced the highlight of the trip by riding the escalator up and down and up and down.

Anyway, back to the outdoor fun. Layla still knows how to turn on the charm and show here "cute face" on command.


Easton is my handsome dude. He is becoming more expressive all the time and I'm really enjoying the conversation part. He opens up about all kinds of random topics, which is much more enjoyable than having to ask yes/no questions and wonder if you're even getting an honest answer with that.


Our nightly routine is becoming more lively as well. They BEG me to tell them a story and read a book. I'm always ready to comply, but they insist on making their request a part of the nightly routine. We start story time and I ask them, "what do you want the story about tonight?" Then they proceed to tell me the entire story with very little effort from me. Usually it involves Jake and Izzy and Cubby from the Neverland Pirates cartoon as well as princesses, volcanoes, and dinosaurs. By the end of the story there are more subplots than "Iron Man 2".

Kendra added a butterfly fairy princess nightlight in Layla's room (not sure where it came from), but the light bulb burned out. We went to Lowe's a few nights ago and I bought replacement bulbs. Tonight I gave the night light a grand entrance by hyping it up for the twins, turning out the lights and then with great fanfare I turned it on.


The twins were amazed and awestruck. They thought I was the coolest person on the planet at that moment. I imagine the same response happened when the first caveman showed his family how to make fire. I'll take that response any day. I spent all week cranking out corporate accomplishments, but no one responded to a single achievement with as much enthusiasm as Easton and Layla did for my simple act of turning on the night light. I love being a parent.

I have 3 parenting books in my queue to read. Kendra is probably on the verge of cancelling my Half.com account so I stop blowing the budget every month. Here is what I'm reading (starting tomorrow) in order:

1. Care and Feeding of an Athlete: What You Need to Know to Rise to the Top of Your Game
2. Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know
3. Raising a Modern-Day Knight

I'm a strong believer that "you are what you read". I know kid's don't come with a user's guide or manual, but there's no excuse in today's world for bad parenting when there are so many great resources available at our finger tips. Nanny 911 doesn't count, either. All that will do is make you feel good about yourself, which doesn't benefit your kids at all. :) I'm always open to helpful parenting books so feel free to help me build my knowledge and library! Happy reading.

See you soon.

What's an interview?

Hello friends and family,

Normally posts here revolve around Easton and Layla because their lives are much more intriguing and entertaining than us as parents. This one is a bit different because we are facing our own challenges and decisions that overshadow our day to day fun.

Kendra's knee has kept her from virtually all activity for over 9 months and she is in constant pain. The doctors have no idea what is wrong and the MRI shows nothing definitive. Her next step is to visit the orthopedic surgeon. in a week or two. Since there is no solid root cause there is nothing specific to fix, which is both good and bad. Good because nothing is torn in her knee. Bad because we are still left wondering what in the world is wrong. Keep her in your prayers.

For me the big news is related to a job opportunity. A small company in Scottsdale wants to interview me and I'm really excited to see if the job materializes. I haven't had an official interview in 17 years! Every career move since my college days was either a promotion or informally offered based on other's observing my performance. My resume is not up to date and I don't even own a suit or tie. Luckily the interview tomorrow is on the phone so no suit is required... yet. Keep me in your prayers.

When I brought up the job possibility with Kendra she was very hesitant. Her security since the time we were married is built partially on the safety and flexibility and foundation of my current company. There are many fringe benefits and tons of comfortable feelings about staying where I am indefinitely. We'll be doing some serious soul searching to make the best choice for us. Risk is sometimes risky! That should be my slogan because it is one of the many filters through which I view the world.

I have plans to go to Vegas in April, Oregon in May, then all four of us travel to Oklahoma in June and Sacramento in July. All of that is up in the air if a job change actually happens. That's a BIG "if. I give it 50/50 odds, but only because there are so many unknowns. Hopefully some answers will come from tomorrows interview, but I have a feeling the number of questions will increase more than answers. I'm very excited about the interview and where it might lead.

Because of all the extra busyness over the past few days I have zero new pictures. Thought I'd take this opportunity to throw in a Way Back Whensday. Last year at this time the only twins Scott and Marisue played with were Easton and Layla. Now they have their own twins!


Also, Layla successfully used the potty.


Dear Lord... We've been potty training for a YEAR? Expectations are so important when it comes to parenting.

See you soon!

Separate Sleeping At Last

Moshi Moshi friends and family,

The Japanese greeting is in honor of the devastation experienced in Japan this past Friday. Seeing such tragedy leaves me speechless. I'm not even going to try and add value by describing the intense situation over there.

Instead I'll revel in the innocence a three-year-old mindset because I certainly like to live in their world better than the reality of a 36 year old. Layla's artistic skills are building quickly. She's drawing faces and now animals. You can see she takes pride in her art. Even the spiders smile in her world. TaDa!


Over the weekend Kendra and I did a great job of managing the twins individually so each of us could do what we need and want to do. She did some shopping, I did some mountain biking, she saw a movie, and I ate lunch alone with my buddy. Raising twins it truly a two-person hands-on all day job for the first three years. Our level of stress is dropping dramatically and the level of fun is through the roof. Easton and Layla are helping me rebuild my little boy imagination one day at a time. Easton said, "You be the big daddy dragon and we will be the little dragons. Go count and then come find us." Raaaawwwwr!


The twins scoot around the cul-de-sac on their tricycles almost every day while the weather lasts. I took Layla to run errands and we stopped by the bike store. She went straight to the little kid section and I pointed out the sweet tricycle. She said, "I want to ride the big girl bike, please!?" I thought, "No harm in trying, right?" Off she went speeding and steering through the people and bikes. She is amazingly strong.


The price tag is $140. I almost choked at the thought of buying two of these bad boys for Easton and Layla. Kids are starting to get really expensive! Craigslist... Here we come!

I planned to take the twins out for ice cream after our family dinner on the back patio. Then Layla bit Easton on the leg. Her consequence was staying home while Easton and I overdosed on a chocolate Blizzard. It wasn't even close to the satisfaction of Andy's Frozen Custard, but we have to work with what's available.


Easton is making progress on the independent living front. He put his pants and shoes on backwards, but we gave him a high-five for trying. The issue isn't that he doesn't know the pants are on backwards. The issue is he doesn't care. He's so easy going that backward clothing doesn't even phase him.


Once his pants and shoes were on correctly we posed for an updated Croc picture. Notice Daddy is getting in on the action as well. Easton lights up on those "you are like me" moments. He gets so excited about the similarities between the two of us.


I'm a sucker for a sale. If something is 50% off I have a tough time saying no. If something is 70% off, back up the truck and load it up! Is the item something I need? "Who cares? It's SEVENTY percent off!", I say. Now we lamps that weren't even cool in the 80's and random knick-knacks even a grandmother would be ashamed to display. That's why Kendra does the shopping for us. :) However, I took the twins to Borders Book Store because I found out they are going out of business. The only thing I found worthwhile was a 48 piece dinosaur puzzle for Easton. He humbly asked, "Dad can I take this home, please?" It was 30% off and his happy hearted attitude added the extra grease necessary for my wallet to open.

Seeing his excitement on display was worth every penny. Layla also loved the idea of the puzzle because she knows "sharing" implies her participation putting the puzzle together.


Just an FYI, Babies R' Us diapers suck. After 3 years of loyalty with Pampers Cruisers Kendra opted to use a coupon and save a few bucks on this round of diaper purchases. I can tell you definitively Pampers are worth the extra 20 cents per diaper (or whatever it costs). You might be thinking, "I thought the twins are potty trained and certified?" Yes, but diapers are still needed during quiet (nap) time and sleeping at night. I had no idea diaper buying would be ongoing this many years into raising kids.

I wish someone would have set expectations with me about potty training before the twins were born so here is my attempt to level with new or "to-be" fathers about expectations.

Potty training will take EIGHT discreet phases for twins (4 per kid) and could take months or years. The first phase is pee in the potty, the second phase is poop in the potty, the third phase is self-wiping and the fourth phase is holding it at night.

Layla is through phase 2, Easton is mid-phase 2, and Daddy is struggling with patience. I thought potty training was a multi-day event and once they "went" then it was an accomplishment never to be revisited. I thought kids suddenly "get it" one day and from then on would use the potty. Wrong! Now I know that each of the 4 phases include careful planning and timing, tons of praise and excitement, and gross situations beyond anything encountered when they wore diapers.

I finally figured out we are only partly through the already drawn-out process of potty training. Now my expectations are set correctly so it's not a big deal. I just had to come to grips with the truth and get over my ignorance.

On a positive note, we reached a huge milestone in the Webb house this weekend. For the first time since Easton and Layla were conceived almost 4 years ago... They slept in separate rooms! There was no fanfare or struggle or fallout. The progression was a natural step we let Layla discover on her own. The process started when we moved the cribs out and Easton's trundle bed in. Layla didn't mind sleeping on the trundle, but obviously she was less than thrilled because it was "his" bed and not her own. She never complained about it though. Then we put her bed together and she wanted to sleep there for nap time only.

During the week Kendra asked Layla each night where she wants to sleep. Then on Friday night she decided it was time to sleep in her own bed in her own room. Niether of them freaked out or responded inappropriately to the new normal being established. They both still stay in their beds from the moment we put them there at night to go to sleep until one of us comes to get them in the morning.

We used to jump up like firemen responding to a fire alarm going off. We would stumble into their room half asleep and tend to whoever was crying or talking. Now we slowly wake up and even take a few moments to talk before casually getting the twins out of bed. I can't even describe how great the feeling is to have Easton and Layla reach this stage of semi self sufficiency.

I'll end the blog post with a random insight into my personality. I like math and I like music. I especially like math AND music so this particular video clip shows an exceptionally cool concept. Here is: "What Pi Sounds Like"

Enjoy! See you soon.

crocs and equality

Hi friends and family,

Taxes are in the mail so that's one more checkmark on my To Do list. One car fits in the garage and we are working on the other side one furniture piece at a time. Easton and Layla's rooms are done enough for photos. I'll post the before and after pictures to bask in the joy of our own home make-over. Kendra's daily web browsing includes several home improvement blogs, but I can't remember the name or niche they cover.

Layla has quiet time (don't dare call it a nap) in her big-girl bed in her own room. However, come night time both Easton and Layla are firmly set on sleeping in the same room. There's no real reason to force the issue so Layla still sleeps every night on the trundle in Easton's room. Someday she'll be ready to sleep at night in her own bed, but for now they are inseparable. The best friends are finally cooperating for pictures by looking at the camera. Even more impressive is their ability to focus for two seconds even while ducks are frantically chasing morsels of bread. Best friends!


Layla pulled a flower from the neighbor's bush and asked me to put it behind her ear. Then she picked another one and put it behind my ear. I have no shame when it comes to joining in the fun with Easton and Layla, but for pictures of me, I draw the line at the Buzz Lightyear costume.


Kendra is revamping Easton and Layla's wardrobe because they are growing out of clothes quickly. We bought Easton's crocs over a year ago and he finally grew into them. Layla never had a pair of her own except for the ones with the warm fuzzy inserts. There is clearly a shift to equality and fairness for the twins. Thus, Layla has her own special pink Crocs.


One of my favorite evening activities this time of year is going to the park. I love to run around screaming with them and play in the sand. I even take requests for the park location. Easton piped up saying, "Take us to the Weeee-bump park, pleaeeeeeease!?" So off we went.


I caught a close up of Layla skidding off the end of the slide into the sand. When I look at her in this picture I can't believe how much she is blossoming into beautiful little girl. It's almost not fair to call her a toddler anymore because she is 3 going on 12.


Time for the weekend to enjoy one-on-two time with the twins and give Kendra a break from the extra-long week.

See you soon!