Long Birthday Weekend

Greetings friends and family,

The Memorial Day weekend was crazy busy for the 4 Webbs. I've had the flu since Friday afternoon. Just in time for the long weekend and after all the doctors left for vacation. Even so, I kept my head above water and did my best to make the most of the time away from work. Part of Kendra's birthday present was to spend as much time with the twins and give her time to be alone or with friends.

One such evening I was tasked with cooking dinner, but since the stove burners were out for cleaning I took Easton and Layla to Red Robin's. The place was packed so we occupied our time waiting for burgers by playing every game I know. I had them name the colors of the lights, played "I spy", counted, colored, and just when I ran out of tricks in my bag... burgers arrived!


Another 5 minutes longer and I would have had to dance in the isle to keep them from climbing the curtains. Part of her birthday weekend gift was eating out often so she could enjoy her favorite restaurants and give her a break from the kitchen. We ate sushi one afternoon for lunch. Easton loves raw fish! Like father, like son. I had to keep his chopsticks away from my hamachi sashimi.

On another occasion where Kendra was gone I pulled out my Ace in the Hole for entertaining the twins: pans and spoons! The three of us banged and drummed on these poor pans so much my ears were ringing. We marched around and sang along to tunes we made up as we went.


Then came time for us to celebrate Kendra's birthday. She didn't plan to have a cake or candles, but Layla insisted so Kendra made angel food cake and we sang for her.


The weather around here is still cool enough for us to get early morning park time in without the sand scorching our feet. We lather them up with sun screen religiously and head out to make new friends.


In the past few weeks I noticed Layla is starting to have freckles pop up on her rosy cheeks. I think freckles are cute, but Kendra sees it as imperfections with which she is also afflicted.

Layla's night time song routine involves two of these four:

Up, up in the sky
Jesus Love Me
Amazing Grace
Layla's special song

I let her choose and then after the singing we go through the same scripted act. She says, "Now you give me a hug and a kiss". Then I do it. She says, "leave the door cracked. Not a little one... a BIG crack." Then I do it. She says, "leave the light on in the hallway, ok?". Of course I do that too. We go through this same routine every night for the past many months, but she still has the need to tell me each move in our bed time dance. Whatever gives her the foundation and comfort is fine by me and I look forward to it every night.

Easton's routine is much shorter. Sometimes he asks for a song and sometimes he's already sucking his thumb with his eyes closed by the time I'm ready to say goodnight.

I'm praying for a good night's sleep for all 4 Webbs and a healthy start to the week. We sure need it...

See you soon!

swim lessons

Howdy friends and family,

Easton and Layla finished baby boot camp for little swimmers. After two weeks of intense training (ok, it was 30 minutes per day) they are officially pool safe. The cost was hard to swallow, but there is no price on the safety of knowing the twins can survive if they fall in the pool.

Here's Easton showing his life-saving technique.


They are standing next to their friend, Coleton who joined them for the boot camp. He looks a little unsure in the photo, but from what I saw he did really well in the swimming accomplishments.

and a bit more of a close up of the dynamic duo as they prepare for graduation day activities.


Lesson number one is: hold on to the side of the pool when the teacher is not focused on you. Both of them learned that the hard way in the first few classes as they fell off the step and a teacher rushed over to pull them to safety.


Once was enough! Even a three year old figures out how much that sucks after only once.

The other lesson we will have to continue working with Layla for is to keep her head down. She's a bit controlling and wants to have full visibility to the situation. That's OK in moderation, but you can't swim effectively unless your head is down.


The tricks were interesting, but I didn't care much about that skillset. All I care about is that they can swim towards the edge of the pool and get out if they fall in. Diving for rings and jumping in the pool are nice tricks, but won't save a life if an accident happens.

Cheap watermelon turned into a fun outdoor messy dessert after dinner last night. Before bedtime was the perfect chance to strip them down and bust out the watermelon. They both savored the flavor, but I forget how tiny their little stomachs are. We ended up with a bunch of left over even after I had my share.


And now for the written stories... Layla discovered sticking out her tongue was an outward expression of rebellion. I asked her nicely to clean up the princesses and castle on her floor. She thought for a second and then looked me dead in the eyes and stuck her tongue out at me. I could tell it was a test because she didn't even really know what that means.

I'm scratching my head to figure out where she saw that, but the source really doesn't matter much. I swiftly disciplined her calmly, with love. We went through THREE more rounds of the tongue problem in the same night. I don't mind because we are catching the behavior early and consistently correcting. My expectation is for her to figure it out and we won't have that problem later in life.

I picked a not-so-perfect time to get sick right now. At least I don't have to miss work! Kendra's birthday weekend is in full effect with gifts and dinner out with friends and time away by herself for shopping and a stone massage. Luckily my creeping crud isn't so bad I can't take care of the twins. We're having a great time playing dinosaurs and princesses. Sometimes at the same time. What's so weird about Cinderella riding a T-Rex to her castle?

Super heroes

Hi friends and family,

The 4 Webbs are gearing up for our trip to tornado alley for a visit with Aunt Mary. For some reason Kendra doesn't feel our wind-breaker jackets are preparation enough for an F-5 tornado. I'm not worried at all because Aunt Mary's house was destroyed LAST year by a tornado and we all know lightening never strikes the same place twice. right? RIGHT!

Kendra's backup plan is to transform the 4 Webbs into super heroes if trouble blows through while we are there. She will be Captain America


Layla will also be Captain America and Easton will be Thor. Not sure what he plans to do with a big mallet, but I'm sure he'll find a way to save the day.


Oh, wait! Spiderman! Now we're talking useful super powers. He's never seen any spiderman movie so I'm not sure how he knew to throw a pretend web from his wrist.


And maybe Layla will be better suited to survive a tornado as ironwoman?


Layla has never seen any ironman pictures or video footage so I have no idea how she knew the proper arm position for flight.


Smart cookies, indeed. Kendra and the twins made the most of a trip to the toy isle in Target. Having fun and being silly in public is a good thing to instill in kids. We do this so they avoid a phobia of public or turn into introverts.

I needed to deposit a check in the bank so I told Layla she could come with me for a mini-date with just the two of us. The bank is in the grocery store so we wondered around the toy isle at her request. For every item she picked up she said, "maybe i can get this for my birthday?".

I let her pick out a single rose just fun. She's seen me buy flowers for Kendra, but I wanted her to have her own special flower. I gave her 4 to choose from and (of course) she chose the pink one. Kendra cleaned it up and used a make-shift vase for it to sit on Layla's dresser.


And now for the "confessional" and journaling... Enough patting myself on the back for parenting. :)

I'm working through a struggle which is highly magnified having Layla around. I compliment her continuously and shower her with so many hugs and kisses all day, every day. It's the easiest and most natural thing for me to do. I understand her needs (attention, affection, and approval) and make a conscious effort every chance I get to meet those needs.

So what about Kendra? Why is it so difficult for me to treat her the same way I treat Layla? The difference between how I treat the two of them is only visible because now I have the two of them to compare. If it were just Kendra and I then I wouldn't see the disparity. Part of my excuse is that Layla shows me unconditional love. If I give her a hug then she sqeeeeeezes me back. I can see her countenance blossom as though she's literally soaking in my loving gestures. It doesn't matter what I have done (or not done) during the day.

Also, Layla doesn't expect anything from me. Everything I do is a gift and appreciated. She has no expectations so when I fail in some way she usually doesn't notice. Or when i forget my helmet she tells me I need to wear my helmet and leaves it at that.

The sad part is I know I should meet Kendra's needs more intently no matter what she does or doesn't do or say. The tough part is adjusting my behavior to actually act that way. Like any couple we have plenty of personal baggage to dig through and problems we manufacture daily. I just know there are improvements for me on the horizon and I need to figure this stuff out. An additional blessing of kids is the opportunities to improve myself which are presented only as a result of their existence.

So much to learn.

See you soon!

Two little pigs

Hi friends and family,

Easton and Layla dove head-long into the stage where certain words are hysterically funny. My job is to balance having a good time with denouncing name calling. For example, they called me "diaper, diaper Daddy" and giggled like crazy. I have to fight back my own laughs and stop their hyperventilating long enough to point out how name calling isn't acceptable. I took them to OfficeMax to buy a new roller mat for my desk. Easton called it "Bees Wax" and the three of us laughed all the way into the store, through it, and back out to the car as we repeatedly said, "BEES WAX!".

I really blew their minds on the way home by throwing out a tongue twister from when I was a kid: "Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name". They giggled and asked me to sing the one-liner over and over again. I thought it was called "Catalina Madalina" but Google displayed some goofy unrelated sites when I tried to search for it. I'll have to ask my Ma or Joanie for the correct translation and tune.

Drama and theater are getting some traction around our house also. We read, "The three little pigs" to them since they were babies so getting them to act out and participate in a little mini-drama was easy. It's a work in progress. Since we only have two little pigs there are only two houses (our house and Easton's tent in his room) to blow down. We're still working on the last act in the play where Easton and Layla go to Layla's strong tent where I can't blow it down. It's a start.



Easton asked to dress himself this morning and I had to deny his request to wear the T-Rex fossil shirt for the fifth day in a row.

Kendra took the twins to Great Play for an hour of fun today. I bought some passes through Groupon a long time ago. I was busy working, but Kendra said Easton and Layla told her it was the best day of their life. I'm not exaggerating either. Kendra was impressed by the place and said it similar to The Little Gym, but much more interactive and technologically advanced. Is it worth $240 for 8 weeks of fun for the twins? No, but still worth a visit to experience something new. It's all about the adventures...

Backward Bill

Howdy friends and family,

Kendra and the twins are feverishly sick so I get to feel like a hero for a few days. We've experienced several milestones lately so let me bask in the glory for a few seconds as we cheer for progress.

Layla reached Potty Training level 5 this past week. She goes by herself without asking for permission. The level 5 rating refers to self-wiping. Thank GOD for this one! I almost freaked out yesterday. Kendra and I were getting ready in our bedroom the other day. Layla walked in and announced that she "went poops". I freaked out because if she's standing in our room with her clothes on, then that means there is a mess in her clothes to deal with because I know neither Kendra nor I were there to take care of the wiping. Kendra and Layla both reassured me she's a big-big girl now and does it all (and I mean all) by herself!


And now, a moment of silence for the 3 years of butt-wiping... which I will never HAVE to do again. yeeee-haw! I can't even begin to describe how excited I am to have them self-govern the potty breaks. Now if I can only remember to force them to go before we leave the house...

Easton is still a level 4 Potty Training expert, but he'll reach the level 5 milestone before school starts in August and that's all we care about.

Another milestone is self-dressing. It's still a work in progress, but just the idea of them getting dressed all by themselves in the morning is a dream come true. Although, Easton will need some serious guidance. Notice anything odd about Easton's clothing selection?


Maybe I shouldn't read the "Backward Bill" poem in Shel Silverstein's book, "A Light in the Attic". First of all, it's the same outfit he wore the day before. Next, you might notice everything is on backwards. His shirt is backwards, pants are backwards, shoes are backwards. Even his UNDERWEAR is on backwards. I don't know how he went "0 for 4" on this attempt, but it takes some real planning to get it 100% wrong. I give him high marks just for trying. I provided encouraging words and a rework of the entire outfit.

I have no idea what Easton and Layla were concocting in this next picture. The stuffed animals are tucked in their blanket and resting on a pillows under the umbrella.


The reason I posted this picture is because no matter what the twins do, they do it together. She plays trains and he plays kitchen so everyone is happy.

Another milestone is an increased level of activity. Easton started running and although Layla is still more advanced athletically, he is coming along very well in this area.


Speaking of Layla running... This picture is so awesome it almost looks photoshop'd and fake.


I joined the twins for an afternoon of park and splashpad fun. Both of them gained a pocketful of courage enough to run through the blasting water jets. Layla runs with such strength she practically floats through the air or runs on water (whatever the occasion calls for).

Easton stopped a few times to do what every single boy at the splash pad was doing... Standing over the top of the water jets. Easton reached the age where I'm starting to ask, "why in the world is he doing THAT?" Layla is equally unsure why all the boys do this.


The three of us had a wonderful time playing, but the best part was at the end when they were cold after finishing with the splash pad. They sat wrapped up in their towels right in front of me and I had the chance to cuddle with them for several minutes. It's rare for ONE of them to sit still long enough for me to hold them close. It's almost impossible for both of them to do this at the same time. I can count on one hand the number of occasions where I was able to hold Easton and Layla close to me for more than 5 minutes.


Then we arrived back home and it was back to the ole' run around games. They watched the rarely-viewed Lion King movie while we prepared dinner. The song, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" got stuck in their heads so I downloaded it. They ask for it by the name, "The Wee-UM-Momma-way song".



And if the picture doesn't do it justice, here is the video of them dancing around:


In a conversation with Kendra we agreed how incredibly lucky we are (and they are) to have such a happy childhood and environment for them. We are extremely blessed to provide the twins with our quality time, way of life, and a generally care-free childhood. I can't help but think of the other 95% of the world's children who suffer from abuse, hunger, neglect, poverty, parental death, etc. We don't take a single day or even a moment for granted. I wish nothing would ever change, but I know that's not possible. Change is inevitable and I know that. My greatest wish is for our family is for things to continue on the path we are on now and get better every day.

See you soon!

Trips on the Horizon

Greetings friends and family,

The next 3 months are going to be adventurous on a level the 4 Webbs have never seen. Here's the short list of awesomeness:

Trip to Oklahoma to visit Aunt Mary
Trip to Sacramento to visit Oma and Opa
Trip to San Luis Obispo to visit Logan and Bree
Trip to San Diego to visit Legoland and Sea World (maybe)
Trip to the hospital for Kendra's arthroscopic knee surgery

Sounds like a lot of fun until that last trip, huh... Not quite as awesome as the rest. However, because of all the other trips this summer Kendra decided to postpone the surgery until early August. I am excited for her to get it done so she can be pain-free and get back to the active lifestyle she's been missing for almost a year. Sometime during all this busy summer I'll need to work. It feels like we are mentally gearing up for one last hoo-rah before the twins go to pre-school this fall. I can't even believe it is possible we are planning for their start in school.

We're still having fun at home one day at a time for now. The humming bird feeder eventually saw it's fair share of visitors. The hot AZ sun and 2% humidity dried it all up though. I took the twins to Lowe's for the bird juice and gave them the chance to help mix it up. Layla poured the powder, Easton stirred, and I hung it up on the back porch. Teamwork!


I'm still digesting a word of advice I heard a few days ago. Someone said, "Never do for a child what he/she can do for his/her self". In most ways I agree this is a good measure to gauge whether I'm over-parenting or under-parenting.

For example, I don't lift Easton or Layla into the back seat of the car and I haven't for several months. Once they became proficient at that, I let them do it and they know I expect it of them. Same goes for buckling the seat belts. Easton and Layla mastered that last month so now it's up to them to buckle up and then say, "I'm ready!" when the clips are in. I don't put the car in reverse until I know they're buckled in and have sounded off.

The weather has been very accommodating for our daily ride down to the mailbox. They are both riding well and loving the rides with Dad. Easton is already looking forward to mountain bike riding. He said, "Maybe some day I will ride on the volcano (South Mountain) with you and Judson?" Of course, I encourage him and respond in the same way ANY time he or Layla asks if they can do or be something in the future. I say, "Yes, you can! You can do/be anything you want to." That's a day dream I have occasionally for when Easton is 9 or 10. He and I load up the bikes and go for a ride in the desert.


Although I am excited about the years when Easton is older, I am content to have fun in the here-and-now. Easton is wearing Uncle Casey's penguin costume hat. Oma saved it all these years and Easton is the beneficiary of it. I haven't seen the whole costume, but I'm certain he'll be a big hit as a penguin the next time we have need of a costume.


This week the twins are taking swim lesson boot camp. Five days in a row for two weeks back-to-back. The one hour intense one-on-one swim instructions are going really well according to Kendra. They are learning how to float on their back, swim down and pick up rings, and how to get out of a pool if they were to accidentally fall in. The last one is the real reason we are sending them through the lessons. Safety first!

Layla asked for her hair to be braided instead of pig tails. She knows what she likes and isn't afraid to ask us for it. Kendra happily granted her request and the braided hair look is so cute on Layla.


Even though she is girly when it comes to ballerina princess fairies and such, but she is also on her way to becoming a highly skilled athlete. This is a soccer ball and she KNOWS how to kick it around.


Time for bed so I can be prepared for the wild weekend of self-imposed craziness.

See you soon!

Big Boy Bike

Hi friends and family,

Last week the twins spent a few minutes in the local bike shop. Kendra waited in the restaurant for our food so I took the opportunity to go adventuring. Layla made a bee line for the back of the store where she knew the kid bikes were lined up. She hurriedly ushered Easton so he could see the showcase of bikes. Layla jumped on a girls bike and then pointed to a boys bike while bossing him around saying, "Easton you get on THAT bike so we can ride together."

I thought he would be apprehensive, but he jumped on and started riding as though he were professionally trained and skilled in bike riding. They raced around the store for a while. Then the bad news came. Easton said, "Dad, I want to take this bike home!" I had to say no because although it was on sale, I don't pay retail for anything... even something as simple as a $150 bike. Instead my free time that evening was burned up on craigslist as I searched for a suitable bike. I found "the one" and after a few text messages agreed to a price and location. 40 bucks and a handshake later I had Easton's DiamondBack RM12 in my possession without him knowing it. The bike required a little TLC, but after some cleaning and chain lube and adjustments it was almost just like new. The best part is that Easton doesn't care or even know whether it is new or used.

I led the twins outside with promises of a surprise. Somehow Layla guessed or knew what it was because she ruined by saying, "Is it a big boy bike?" She's so smart it's scary. Easton was thrilled and jumped right on it ready to ride.


Layla was as excited as Easton. Maybe even more! She was happy for Easton to get his big boy bike so they could ride together.


Our maiden voyage down to the mailbox was successful. I define success as: no one fell, Easton made it all the way to the mailbox and back home under his own power, and he was excited to go again after the short trip was over.


The danger with trolling Craigslist for bargains like a kids bicycle it is highly probable one will find other bargains. Easton loves dinosaurs and the massive Spike the Dinosaur on display in Target catches his attention every time we go there. I laugh every time we walk by because the price tag is ridiculous and boarder line insulting to think I would pay that much for a remote control toy. As luck would have it I saw one on Craigslist, contacted the seller with a low-ball offer and they accepted.

There is no birthday around the corner or gift giving occasion coming up for him so we decided just to give him the Spike Dinosaur for no reason at all. He got his hands on the remote control and quickly figured out the buttons make him move.


He figured out Spike will chase Layla and Layla Ruth around the house so the evening was filled with dino-growls and little girls screaming and giggling as they pretend to be scared.


Toys and big ticket gifts are rare around our house, but the past two days were extra exciting because we were able to make Easton feel special with the bike and Spike. I know you can't buy love nor happiness, but it sure is fun to give gifts to a three-year-old.

See you soon!

Toys and Gifts

Howdy friends and family,

The 4 Webbs were invited to a birthday party and gladly agreed to attend. The friends there were, well... friendly, but the real reason we went is because we knew it would be an extravagant backyard carnival.

I took the twins to "Ross" to shop for a birthday present. I fully expected to buy them something for the fun of it even though we went there to buy a gift to GIVE. Layla saw the toy isle and froze in her tracks with a huge sigh of amazement. You'd have thought she just walked through the gates of Disneyland. She immediately zero'd in on a princess guitar and asked if she could take it home. I said yes and she jumped up and down with glee. I wasn't aware princess guitars existed, but apparently they do and she said, "I'm rockin' out!"


Easton found several interesting toys. He particularly liked the toy tool set. Earlier today he broke my real tape measurer and this one had a play tape measurer so I figured it was a good idea to get his own tool set to play with before I go replace my real tape measurer.

He is a manly boy. His first instinct was to drill a hole in my camera. That's what guys do: knock stuff down and use power tools!


We purchased a toy truck with some replaceable wheels and parts. I knew it would be a big hit because Easton liked it and the birthday boy is turning 3. Nothing like a little field testing to find the perfect gift.

We arrived at the party to find the carnival atmosphere we expected. The enormous blow up slide with pool at the bottom was the big hit of the party. When we showed up Layla ran to the back of the slide and flung herself with abandon off the top ledge down into the pool.

Easton is my calculated risk boy. Just like his dear old Dad. He stood next to the pool for a while watching the kids successfully slide, splash, and crawl out. Then he sat on the edge of the pool getting soaked by the kids sliding. Then he eased his way into the pool and bobbed up and down for a few minutes.

Finally, after about 20 minutes he marched around to the back side, climbed up, and slid down apprehensively.


We cheered him on as though he just won a gold medal at an Olympic event. He was focused on us to make sure we saw his bravery and encouraged him. After a couple of more times he was comfortable enough to let loose and really enjoy himself.


Most birthday parties require pizza and CapriSun drinks. Not sure why, but this party followed protocol well. At first the twins would chomp a bite of pizza on their way by to take another pass at the slide. That wasn't working well so we had to put a halt on the fun long enough to shovel a slice of pizza down.


They made fresh snow cones for everyone. Once the twins realized they were available, the slide took a back seat quickly. Layla requested pink and Easton requested blue. I wonder where they got that from? Kendra looks pretty as always and stylish with her sunglasses.


On the other hand, I looked like a homeless guy with my rats-nest half-fro, 5 day old scruff, and T-shirt. Anyway, the other big event was the birthday song and cake. We talked about it for several days so they were ready for the sugar overload. The 4 kids who blew out the candles didn't spit all over the cake. Layla stood right next to the birthday boy because she loves to be right in the middle of the action.


The twins waited patiently for their reward. I couldn't stop them from scraping the frosting off the top and shoving a spoonful in their mouth. It's a party though so I chose not to fight that battle.


I was happy to have the full day of fun with Easton and Layla because I've been working so much over the past couple of weeks.

Out of nowhere today Layla cuddled up next to me on the couch and started singing, "Never grow up" by Taylor Swift. Nearly brought me to tears because I don't know how much longer she'll want to be that way with me. I don't need any reminders to soak up these precious days with Easton and Layla, but they happen none the less. I'm not even sure how she knows that song? Guess I'll have to check with Kendra for an answer.

Thanks, Blogger.com

For the past two days I attempted to write a blog post, but the blogger.com website was inaccessible. arrrrrgh! Oh well. Even though I'm disappointed in the outage as well as other minor difficulties I have no plans to move to another blog site. I'm too busy with life and writing blogs to do a solid assessment and comparison of other blogging sites.

Ok, enough complaining. Summer is here and the Webb’s pool is open for business! We have twins, Tam and David have twins, and Marisue and Scott have twins. That bond alone is enough for us to be friends with those two families, but even if none of us had any kids, we would still be very good friends with both of those couples because they are so cool. After spending Saturday evening together at the 80s party and church on Sunday morning we still wanted to be around them so we got together on Sunday afternoon for a Mother’s day potluck.

Dean and Danny were the honorable guests working on their core strength as we cheered them on.


The rest of us were outside soaking in the sun and chlorine.


I was the only adult in the pool because the others were too chicken to join us. That’s right… I called them all chickens! Maybe next time they’ll join me when the water temperature gets above 90.

Easton is getting a serious boost of courage lately. The proof is in his desire and execution of various new achievements such as jumping in the pool, floating on his back, dunking his head under the water, etc. It’s going to be a fun, fun summer with these two fish of mine.


I have to admit it was a bit chilly with a slight breeze. Once the kids exited the pool they were shivering and looking for their blanket or towel. David was more than happy to huddle up with all the kids and help them warm up. I call this picture, “the triple double”:


There is some irony in the name because on that same day my Lakers lost in the playoffs, which ended their quest for a 3rd championship in a row (boohoo).

Layla is ready to begin a dance class. We know this because she wears her ballerina outfits every single day and twirls around as the classical music plays. She is so charming. :)


I took a 3-day trip to Oregon for work and left Kendra alone with the twins. I missed all three of them terribly and the best part of my trip was seeing Easton and Layla’s faces when I came through the door.

I’m in the middle of reading the book, “Raising a modern day knight”. What a powerful book full of truth and direction. Here is one of the most striking guiding principles I noted so far: “A boy becomes a man in the presence of a clear vision of manhood”. The book details what is missing from our society and culture as well as a clear path for how to impart manhood and when.

It’s never too young to role model behaviors in front of children. Here are the principles of manhood: A real man rejects passivity, accepts responsibility, leads courageously, and expects the greater reward. That might not mean much to you, but the book describes each of those in enough detail that I understand it enough to work with those concepts.

See you soon!

Party Like It's 1985

Hello friends and family,

Congratulations to my friend, Jason, for almost graduating with his Masters. We've been friends for a few years, but only due to sheer will power. We eek out an hour here and there to hang out in between his work, family, school, and other obligations. I don't know how he survives, but I remember how important it was to schedule time with a friend when I was in my MBA program. Some weeks, my Tuesday night tacos with Uncle Dave was what I looked forward to the most. Anyway, I'm excited for him to fully finish school in a couple of months so we can spend consecutive hours doing something fun. Maybe even more than two hours? That's crazy talk...

The 4 Webbs gladly joined his celebration dinner. I involuntarily volunteered to keep the twins occupied in the near by park while we waited for the meals.


The biggest marble I've ever seen rested in a perfectly shaped flowing fountain. We spun the massive ball end over end and all around as the twins felt the water run through their fingers.


Then the next day we celebrated April (and Kendra's) birthday with an 80's themed party. We had posters and music and food from that decade. The funniest part of the night was how we all dressed up in 80's costumes.


Exactly as the birthday girls requested. All four couples had an awesome time being silly. We even went out in public on a scavenger hunt. Not just "in" public though. I'm talking about walking through Target, movie theaters, and Burger Kings. Really brave of us to join in on such adventures.

Layla and I went to the supermarket for some errands, just the two of us. She found a $2 jewelry set and I was happy to get it for her. I was happy until we arrived home and she put the clip-on earrings on her ears. She announced, "Dad, I got my ears pierced!" I knew that wasn't true, but the reality of her wearing jewelry and getting her ears pierced some day hit me hard. She's not even a toddler anymore. She's my little princess.


Easton is clearly more interested in building train tracks and dumping water than counting from one to ten. The contrast between he and Layla is almost comical. He's learning quickly about the mechanics of working with his hands and he obviously enjoys it.


For Mother's Day the church provided the stuff for Easton and Layla to make a hand print on paper as a gift for Kendra. Layla jumped right in and smashed her hands in the paint and then on the paper. However, Easton didn't want to get his hands yucky so he drew a tornado with Crayons instead.

Layla loves flowers no matter how big or small. she plucked a tiny bud from the nearby bush and is holding it up next to her cute face.


Following directions is starting to catch on, but progress is extremely slow. I told Easton to put his arm around Layla and asked both of them to hold still and smile. To my amazement they actually did it!


I'm looking forward to more compliance with our parental requests as well. No matter how good the twins are, there is a need for instruction and correction so they know what is right, what is wrong, and what is expected of them. Sure is easier said than done.

See you soon!