Fast Dump Truck

Greetings,

The last few days were fairly uneventful because I spent most of them at work in my office taking care of business.  I had a few long days, but my perspective is so narrow compared to the rest of the working parents.  I was up early and out the door for work before the rest of the Webbs were conscious and then arrived home just in time to sit down to dinner.  That left only about 90 minutes to play and take care of the "B's", which now consist of bath, brush teeth, books, and bed.

Welcome to reality, right?  I know I'm spoiled with my flexible work schedule.  These few busy cycles where I have to put in some extra hours during peak play times highlights how spoiled I am.  I just can't imagine having such limited daily interaction year after year.  I can see how people are blown away by how fast their kids grow up.  If I were rarely around and only had time to rush through the necessities of daily hygiene and meals, then it would be easy to miss out on moments like this:

Easton convinced me to bring in his big, dirty dump truck from the garage.  He requested a ride because Layla drives a little too fast.  Then miss "how 'bout me" requested a few laps around the house.   This is what I call interactive parenting and if I were to die tomorrow these are the two pictures I hope would describe me as a father.
 

Of course, everyone has their own perception of what parenting should look like, but my take on it is fairly clear.  Simply being in the same room or car with Easton and Layla is not considered "doing my part" as a parent.  I've seen too many disengaged parents ignoring their kids who are begging and nagging for their attention.  However, I also understand it is a fine line between giving a child the attention he/she needs and making a child feel like he/she is the center of the universe (a.k.a. bratty).

Layla's play date with her friend Lulu was eventful.  Unfortunately since she went to Lulu's house I have no pictures to share.  When we went to pick her up she had pieces of grass from the slip-n-slide as well as crayola marks from the coloring time.  That's a good sign!  While she was having her friend time I took Easton to the public pool to cool off and have father-son time.  He bravely agreed to go down the biggest water slide, but was turned away at the top because he's still 1/2 inch too short.  Maybe by the end of summer???  I am proud of him for the courage to go do it though!

We missed the Venus transit yesterday because I couldn't find glasses to look at the sun and I didn't see the live viewing website until it was too late.  Better luck next century.  I walked into the den and found Easton balancing his Sonic binoculars on his face.  These were a great gift from cousin Daphne and still get used frequently.  I'm continually baffled by which toys Easton and Layla keep in the rotation.  Some are very expensive or thoughtful and some are considered remnants of packing material.  None of that is taken into consideration when it comes to deciding if a toy is fun or not.

More power to him!

GAM is coming for a visit and we are excited to share our daily lives with her around. The twins are both expecting tornado stories because they believe tornadoes are a daily occurrence in Oklahoma.  Time and frequency and probability are tough concepts for a 4-year-old.  :)

See you soon!