Old and New Friends

Hello friends and family,

The executive summary updates are:

- The swelling in Kendra's knee is reduced below what it was before the surgery. This is a sign the doctor did something valuable and Kendra is gaining more mobility every day.
- The home purchase is moving along nicely with the contract almost finalized, bank financing documents are signed, and appraisal is planned for next week.
- Easton and Layla loved their second day of preschool as much as the first. Layla went to the nurses office for a busted lip from gym time, but other than that it was flawless... or so the teacher told us.
-April and Jason are still moving. soon. (boo)
-Mary M. is moving to Chicago. soon. (boo)

I took off an hour of work and drove with Kendra to pick up Easton and Layla after their first day of school. They had an awesome experience and the teacher said they both did very well. Neither of them took a nap during quiet time, but what's new?

Kendra shared an immediate, tasty reward for their accomplishment in the form of a chocolate cookie on the way home.


The outside temperature was 112 degrees when we arrived home so we didn't bother taking "after" pictures of the twins by the front door. I consider the entire day a success because neither of them had to change their clothes and neither Kendra nor I cried during the day. Or at least I would never admit to it if anyone asked.

Anyway, the twins thought this was a one-time event. They don't understand they will be going to school for 18 years straight. ignorance is bliss! Kendra told them they get to go back again on Thursday and their eyes lit up like fireworks.

I forgot to mention how Easton zero'd in on the wooden train tracks at preschool during the orientation meeting. When I ask him, "What did you do at school today?" He boasts, "I played trains with my friends."


Then when he gets home he wants to build a big track for Thomas and Friends in our living room. Go figure?

On some other random day when Easton first earned his Siddeley Spy Jet he pulled down his flight book and located the exact page where that make and model of jet plane is described. He called me over to say, "See Dad? They are the same. This is the spy jet." I was shocked by how he remembered where the specific jet was in book. What a smart boy.


Then he kept perusing the book and wanted to talk about the Concorde Supersonic Airliner. This gives an idea for his verbal skills and thought process. He loves aerospace...



Kendra took the twins on a play date with Suzanne and her kids. The Sea Life Aquarium joined forces with Groupon to provide tickets at a reasonable price. I can't imagine paying full price for that, but it is a very cool experience. Easton and his friend Coleton proved their courage by touching a star fish. Not quite as brave as petting a shark, but we're working up to that.


Kendra drove out to Maricopa where Suzanne lives to share in friend time and play time for the twins. I'm glad the situation is reversed compared to spending time with April. April has one child close to the twins' age, Layla Ruth. Suzanne has one child close to the twins' age, Coleton. That means time with Suzanne provides some "guy time" for Easton to rough-house and play with toys while Layla plays by herself and/or joins in the guy time.


Layla and I made time for some one on one outings. Occasionally when I ask who wants to go along with me for errands or shopping Layla will say, "NOT Easton! Just Layla and Daddy, OK?" On one such occasion we did our normal sing along in the car including the Sound of Music soundtrack. Layla gladly sang the Cuckoo song word-for-word. Here's a short clip of her performance.



Speaking of saying good-bye... Kendra is losing a second friend who is moving out of town. First it was April moving to SoCal and then Kendra learned Mary is moving to Chicago. :(( <-- That's a double sad face. Mary invited her to the going away dinner and luckily Kendra had her trusty camera to capture the moment.


Kendra and I reveled in our long-awaited date night which included dinner and a concert. We were able to hold adult conversations about non-kid related topics. I call that a winner dinner. We attended the Phil Wickham concert with VIP tickets. It was a small venue, but VIP meant we were extra close as a result.


We are still in the beginning stages of packing, but she's already making me throw away a bunch of useless junk I'll never use. That sounds so practical when I write it out, but I still don't like it. If the situation occurs where I say, "Sure would be nice if I still had my Financial Accounting book from the MBA program" then I'll be very unhappy.

See you soon!