In This House

Greetings friends and family,

Welcome to Q4!  My pictures are organized by quarter so that means a clean slate on the hard drive and easy searching through pics.  Things are busy for everyone, but for us there are varying cycles of busyness.  We are on the rising swell as we speak.  With the responsibilities we've agreed to take, Q4 will  be challenging to say the least.  There is no doubt we will meet the commitments we made, but along the way we will need to find time for date night, individual alone time, exercise, and all the other aspects of life that fall by the wayside during these times.  It'll be interesting, for sure!

I found a picture of a staircase where some family painted some phrases on the face of the wooden stairs.  I've slightly modified it and plan to use it as a starting point for Kendra and I to define what the 4 Webbs are all about.  I want to create a statement of purpose and vision and goals.  It's harder to create than I thought, but even the longest journey starts with a single step, so here's step 1:

In this house
We are real
We make mistakes
We ask for forgiveness
We give second chances
We have fun
We give hugs
We do really loud
We are patient
We LOVE

The sun is setting earlier every day and it's becoming noticeable. We took a stroll down to the park and the twins took the fast horse to nowhere.

Easton didn't like getting squished between Layla and the horse mane so he hopped on the slowly, but surly turtle rider.  I told him to put his arm up like he was riding a bull, but he's obviously a city boy because he had no idea what I meant.

The flow of friends through the Webb house continues just like we desire.  We dedicated this place to be a House of Healing from the beginning.  Everything is designed to provide an environment of safety and healing; From the decorations to the cleanliness to the way we treat each other.  Rebehka earned refrigerator rights recently.  That means she walks into our house without knocking and has rights to eat anything in our fridge without asking permission.

I missed the moment where Layla offered to help Easton get into his astronaut backpack.  I listened down the hallway as she kindly helped and he gladly received.  I wanted to use it as a visual example of what it means for our house to be a safe place.  One aspect is: freedom to give and receive love.  These two are virtually experts at both giving and receiving love.  As parents we role model, explain, correct, and motivate so that specific behaviors will become a part of their character.  These moments where they willingly display the traits are impossible to dispute.  Just when I start to wonder if our efforts are getting through, they pull off something wonderful like this.

My Mom's side of the family is filled with recreational domino players.  Easton and Layla are getting a head start on the inevitable meeting with the cousins where dominoes will be played.  Costumes are usually optional around the Webb house on any given day.  I love coming home to find my princess and superhero greeting me with loud love.  

Kendra made taco salad tonight for the 4 Webbs plus our friend Suzanne.  She placed the chef's mixing bowl full of dinner in the middle of the table.  Easton and Layla started making faces and giggling like 4-year-olds.  We realized they noticed their own distorted faces in the reflection of the bowl.

Kendra and I choose our battles when it comes to correcting the twins and confronting each other.  Kendra wanted them to stop playing at the dinner table, but I asked her to let it go and let them have fun.  They weren't disruptive and I didn't see any harm in their discovery and exploration.  We are continually working to find the balance between being too stringent and too chaotic.  So much to learn...

See you soon!