Kendra's red, white, and blue outfits for the twins were planned weeks in advance. This is the early morning shot and as you'll see as the day progresses they eventually run out of steam because we kept them up late enough to see the big fireworks display. Naps are the exception rather than the rule for Easton and Layla. They have routine "quiet time" where they spend an hour in their bed quietly playing. However, that doesn't equate to a recharged battery which carries them through to late evening.
Anyway, they are amped up and ready for a big day of parties with cousins and family.
Layla made a bee-line for the trampoline as soon as she saw it. her gymnast disposition drew her in like a fly to a bug zapper.
We took time for the official 4th of July 4 Webbs portrait and I'm really happy with how it turned out. A rare gem considering Kendra approved of how she looks and all of us are looking at the camera. and no one is sticking out their tongue.
The twins are just now starting to pose well by smiling, holding still, and looking at the camera. I have to bribe them by promising they can see the picture on the camera after I take it.
That bribe would not have been possible 20 years ago with the old 35mm camera because they would have had to wait 7 days for photo processing. The digital revolution affects every part of our life. In this instance it does so in a very good way.
The pool at Kendra's cousin's house is awesome. Huge pool with huge hot tub and attached play pool which is only 2 feet deep. Easton and Layla loved playing in the baby pool more than the big kid pool.
We coaxed them into the big pool by allowing them to jump from the diving board. Jump is a bit of an overstatement because they just walked off the end. Even that took a barrel of bravery and tons of encouragement from us.
Layla was much the same although she attempted to half-dive once. the other term for a half-dive is a belly flop. ouch!
Breaks were few and far between because there was just too much excitement for them to do nothing for long. during one inside snack break I found my two favorite girls together.
Kendra's new hat and earrings make her feel like a diva. That's her word, not mine. whatever good or bad connotation come from it are solely owned by her.
I was graciously chosen as the picture taker for the family photo. Ouma and her siblings only get all five together once every few years. They are entertaining to be around and I laugh more in their presence than almost any group I know. Here they are in order from left to right: Judy Ginny Steve Suzie Patty
Cousin Coleson and his dog look like they are straight out of little Rascals. I don't think the dog is named Petey, but the scene seems to fit. Maybe I should have converted the picture to black and white for more effect?
Even though everyone was outside swimming and playing in the heat Easton just wanted to play inside with his cousin's plethora of toys.
He came outside long enough to try and convince someone to come inside and play with him and the toys.
Ouma and her sisters lounged poolside as the rest of the kids swam and played. The typical 4th of July scene, right?
After gorging ourselves on snack food and hotdogs we packed up and drove to the party for Neill and Jenny. Kendra and I consider them as close friends and spiritual mentors. The party celebrated their acceptance as citizens of the USA. they are native South Africans who have spent several years working towards citizenship as legal immigrants. Congratulations Neill and Jenny!
By this time Easton was worn out from the partying so he took a quick break to suck his thumb and cuddle with Kendra. Kind of a power nap, without going to sleep.
Kendra stood up to socialize and Easton still didn't have any gas left in the tank. He stretched out between two chairs and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes.
Here are the 4 Webbs with Neill and Jenny. We were happy to celebrate their milestone of citizenship. It doesn't change anything about how we relate to them, but we are happy about how their dual citizenship passports will reduce the overhead associated with travelling around the world since they do that every year.
Easton and Layla requested their tents be transported to the bedroom so they could play while we repacked the car for an evening of fireworks. Out with the swim gear and in with the explosives! Most of the time when they make a request such as tents in the bedroom I ask myself, "why not?" If I don't have a valid reason to say, "no" then I usually say yes.
Our plan for the evening was to light off our own fireworks and then see a professional display somewhere. Oupa dazzled us at the local park with a show of lights and whistles.
The difference between Easton and Layla's expression is humorous. Layla's amazed and surprised look is perfectly suited to her ability to express herself.
Easton was not quite as impressed as Layla, but liked the show almost as much. The thing he disliked was the loud whistle in some of the displays which he said hurt his ears. He has great hearing and with that comes an over sensitivity to sounds like what comes from the fireworks.
After we burned through the entire box of fireworks we decided to go where no man has gone before... keeping the twins awake past 9:00 PM. We drove up the hill to an open lot in a neighborhood overlooking the Sacramento valley. Instead of watching one show and dealing with the crowds we decided to watch all of the shows at once without the hassle of parking and crowds. Turned out to be an amazing view.
Kendra and Ouma attempted to sit Layla with them in the back of the Pilot as they overlooked the scenery. She was already in the silly stage of the night so it made for a funny picture of her apparent struggle to break free from their grip.
I managed to sneak into a couple of pictures this weekend, but this is the only one with just me and Easton and Layla together. As the displays began on the horizon they were very interested, but only for a few minutes.
The clock ticked past 9:00 PM and we've only had them out and awake this late once or twice in 3 years. Their countenance says just how jam-packed our day was.
All of us slithered our way into bed. The day was successful on many levels. No injuries and everyone had more fun in one day than is normally packed into a week. I give us high marks for good planning and good execution. If only I could have figured out how to use my new camera sooner then maybe I would have some spectacular pictures of the fireworks to share. Maybe next year!
See you soon.
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