I've been contemplating how to write about the past few days because they've meant so much more than words can express. There are many people around the world who would give anything to spend a few minutes with Neill and Jenny. We were blessed to have them personally involved in our daily lives for days at a time. They are more than friends and more than missionaries passing through. When someone (or two) pours wisdom into your life and invests in you as a person it is priceless. I learned so much about helping others, discernment, reaching out to those in need, true faith, and trust, and many other aspects of life. The best way I can describe it is "maturity and character building boot camp". Simply amazing.
They spoke for two meetings at our church and they were on stage for a few minutes in the main service to promote the meetings.
Neill and Jenny spent a few hours enjoying the peace and quiet at our house Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, the 4 Webbs celebrated with Scott and Marisue. Their twin boys turned one. The official purpose of gathering was for the birthday party, but as parents of twins we know the real purpose... It was a "Thank God I survived the first year" celebration party for the parents.
I only remember parts of Easton and Layla's first year because it was all a zombie-like, insomnia-induced fog. I was in survival mode and our marriage was in survival mode. Talk about a feeling of victory!
Little did I know back then the second year would be more difficult than the first. Don't worry I didn't spoil the party with any warning shots of what's to come for our friends. The real sun rays of parental relief don't poke through the clouds until around 2 and a half.
Anyway, the cake was amazingly cool. Each train car was a mini-cake all by itself with candy as the cargo. Cool idea and it turned out to be as tasty as it was creative.
I don't remember what Layla was expressing or why. She has such an incredible way of showing emotion and a vocabulary of epic proportions.
Easton was given a big piece of cake, which I deemed to be too much of a good thing. I cut it in half and put half on Layla's plate. Easton is so easy going that all he cared about was ensuring he could still eat the gummy bears on his half. He is the very definition of contentment and I appreciate that more every day.
Our current house has 1800 square feet of space, but for some reason Easton and Layla stay within one inch from each other most of the day. They shared some chips while lying on the living room rug and for some reason it seemed like the sweetest moment ever to me. I'm certain there is another picture similar to this one from a few years ago, but I'm too tired to dig through 27,684 pictures to find it.
The good-bye for Neill and Jenny was difficult. Many tears and hugs preceded their departure even though we know we'll see them in a few months. In the mean time now we have three days to get our house back in order and welcome Kendra's aunt Suzie into our home for a 2-week visit. Here's the latest picture I have of Susie, which is from our last visit to Sacramento over the summer. She is Ouma's sister, the one in the sun dress.
Kendra and I are very happy to have her around for a couple of weeks. She hasn't spent much time at our house before since we visit Sacramento so often, but Easton and Layla know her by name. We're always open for family to spend time at the Casa de Webb. I'm looking forward to having Aunt Suzie here and sharing our adventures with her. See you soon!
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