Good-bye, 4 sleeps, Hello

Greetings friends and family,

Before I left for a long weekend in Phoenix without Kendra and the kids, I took Easton out for some father-son time.  I checked the wind conditions in the back yard when the idea of another rocket launch came to mind.  wind outside was zero.  nada.  not a single leaf moving on a tree.  Perfect!  I loaded up Easton and our model rocket gear, then headed for the hobby shop to replace the lost rocket.  Third time is a charm, right?

We found a "ready to fly" missile-looking rocket for a decent price.  I've had my eyes scan the city for a new launch site as we drove around town.  The best place I could think of was the local middle school football field.  We prepared the rocket and readied for launch.

Easton was so excited he could barely keep his hands off the ignition key.  The wind was probably 10 mph in the open field so I adjusted the trajectory accordingly.  5,4,3,2,1, blast off!

As soon as the parachute deployed the two of us took off in the direction of the expected landing site.  It drifted and drifted and drifted some more.  Ten feet before the bleachers I caught it like a rock star.  Easton proudly carried it back to the launch site with his faith restored in my ability as a Dad.

Uncle Casey happened to be practicing disc golf at the other end of the field with his buddy.  After the successful launch and landing, Easton and I made some paper air planes (at his request) and flew them down wind towards Casey.  He taught Easton and I some beginner disc golf technique with very good results.  Then...  dummm duh dum dum!  The sprinklers came on.  I sprinted 100 yards to save our cardboard missile, but by the time I arrived it was soaked.  The rocket is like what is leftover when you finish a paper towel roll so you can imagine the damage.

After the great catch and retrieval of the rocket we were spoiled again.  This time by the sprinklers.  Easton caught up with me and I picked up the wet, limp rocket from the grass.  I could tell Easton was holding his breath, keenly interested to see my reaction.  I broke out in a laugh out loud chuckle and the two of us shrugged our shoulders.  the only thing I said was, "Oh well, it's just a rocket and we can always get a new one.  Did you have fun?"  He said, "yes!"  I gave him a hug and a piggy back ride off the muddy field.  That's the best kind of ending I could hope for.  Sometimes things don't go as planned and I want Easton to know it's not a big deal.  We just adapt and carry on.

This coming Sunday I'll have Easton and Layla all by myself for the day.  This is one of the projects we will do when it gets dark before bed time.

It's a tornado for Easton and fairy pixie dust for Layla.  Win-win!

I flew home to Phoenix for 4 days of peace and quiet in my own home.  All alone.  No kids, no Kendra, just a complete lack of responsibility.  It was awesome.  Kyle came over to hang out for an afternoon.  I convinced him to help me create some welcome home signs for the twins.  I printed off a picture of them, stuck it to the cardboard and then drew like a 7 year old all over it.  Stickers, crayons, and markers galore.  We taped them to their bed room wall so they'll see them the morning after we get back.

A large portion of my free time was spent reading my PMP book.  This was a great opportunity to put some focus on it.  No, I didn't cook the crepes and eggs...  I ate out alone.

Another afternoon was shared with my friend David.  We celebrated his birthday by taking a 2 hour bike ride in the 100 degree heat.  The ride was almost perfect because he went over the handle bars and I ended up with some bacon on my shin from a rock that jumped out in front of me.  By the way, bacon is shredded, bleeding scrapes from riding because it looks like a piece of bacon.

Before I hopped on the plane back to Sacramento when my four days of bliss were over, I sent Kendra this picture to make sure I knew what to bring with me.

Layla hasn't said much about things she misses from our house.  However, several times she's given me the sad face and mentioned her fluffy white bear with the pink bow.  I pulled it out of my suitcase and Layla screamed with joy while squeezing the stuffing out of the bear.  I love being the hero for her.  

Our time here has been incredible, but it's about time for us to head home.  We are all looking forward to sleeping in our own beds again and getting back in school!

See you soon!