Curiosity and Learning

Greetings friends and family,

I have a backlog of pictures and stories from my iphone because I haven't spent much computer time at my desk in the past week.  Each day is started with Easton crawling into bed with us at around 8:00.  He says something about being hungry then asks me, "is this a work day?"  Then Kendra and I get up and I wake up Layla for breakfast.  The twins get sad when I have a work day so leaving in the mornings is becoming less and less enjoyable.  They beg me to stay and play with them.  They ask when I'll be home and then ask when will we get to play together.  I had Monday off so it was a 4-day work week, but still felt unnecessarily long because I know the twins are home waiting for me to spend time with them.

Easton is coming along nicely with his learning and maturing.  I can't even start to describe the advancement in their confidence simply because they realized they turned five years old.  Easton is saying, "can i do it by myself?" more often.  One of his birthday gifts was a micro-charger.  The charger part required batteries.  Out of sheer habit he asked if I would put batteries in it.  I said, "You're five years old, right?"  He said "yes!  and that means I can do it all by myself!"

He unscrewed the back of the charger, retrieved the batteries, and installed them along with the cover.

I don't consider myself to be handy by any sense of the word, but I want Easton to get a head start because it's obvious he likes to work with his hands and fix things.  This is part of our Daddy time together, which I egregiously use as learning moments.

The same goes for Layla.  I asked her what she wanted to do with Daddy time and she said, "coloring".  The weather was perfect so I took her and the coloring equipment out to the hot tub ledge where we baked like solar panels soaking in the sunshine.

Layla received a birthday gift of a craft to build a heart-shaped jewelry box.  She asked if we could do it together and I agreed.  What she really meant was that I will watch her and shower her with compliments as she does it herself.  So be it!  I'm just here to give her the attention, affection, and approval she needs. Layla sacrificed one of her sticky heart jewels and placed it on my shirt over my heart.  I wore it proudly the next day and took pride in explaining why a grown man had a plastic heart jewel stuck to my shirt.

I took the twins on a South Mountain hike while Kendra ran errands.  I chose a new trail they hadn't seen before just to add a little variety.  We wandered through a sandy wash and found a huge pile of boulders.  The twins stood on top and I told them to give me their best princess and superhero pose.  Here you have it...  Princess Ariel and Spider-man.

We walked past a very tall, dead saguaro cactus.  Easton stopped in his tracks and asked what happened.  I told him it was old.  He said, "is it older than Oupa?"  I confirmed his suspensions and he accepted with a "wow I'm glad Oupa isn't that old".

We made it to the furthest point from the car that I wanted to go.  As we turned around to head back towards the car Layla informed me she had to go #2.  With no tissue or place to go I prepared to remove my socks and donate them to the city park.  When I told her she would have to wipe with my stinky, sweaty sock she made a yucky face and said she could wait.  Easton and I jogged towards the car as Layla raced like rocket.  Easton complained as I pulled him along saying, "why do I have to run?  Layla is the one who didn't go before we left!"  I couldn't explain the situation at the time, but someday he'll need to grasp this concept.  We made it home safely with both of my socks. Thank God.

Easton and Layla had preconceived notions of our attic.  They've been asking about it for months.  Questioning what's up there, how big it is, and why they can't go there.  The ladder is still broken, but holding together thanks to my Dad's wire-wrapping temporary fix.  I pulled it down and let the twins check it out.  Why would I do that?  The question is, "Why not?"  They are curious and I encourage they seek answers to their questions.  So here we go.

Easton climbed up first with the flashlight.  He was delighted to find there was nothing scary there.  in fact, nothing at all except wood.

Layla followed closely behind with no fear now that Easton was clearly safe inside

They wanted to go explore the attic, but I didn't want one of them to drop down through the living room ceiling.   They saw enough on the edge of the attic door.  I don't really consider it an adventure, but I love to build their confidence and give them opportunities to display courage.

Layla wore a choker necklace and I to send a picture to Bree (Logan's fiance) because Bree has commonly wears these.  I took the picture, then looked at the results.  My jaw dropped when I saw this.

Layla is no longer a baby or toddler or child or even a kid.  I know this logically, but to see her looking so much like a real princess is shocking to me.  She's a little girl now and it's hard to believe she looks and acts so old.

We went for a sushi dinner during half-priced happy hour. Layla wore her Ariel princess wedding gown and veil.  All of the patrons in the restaurant fell silent and smiled as we entered the restaurant.  Layla noticed the smiling faces and waved at everybody while batting her eyelashes.  A lady asked if we were at a photo shoot and I said, "no, this is her everyday-wear because she's five and a princess!"  Everyone chuckled and Layla took it all in stride.

I continue to fight for my sashimi (raw) fish with these two seafood lovers.  Nigiri is tough for me to dunk in the soy sauce.  For Easton it's nearly impossible so he just chows with his fingers.  I can tell he's growing again because his appetite is increasing and I don't have to tell him to eat his food much anymore.

That's all I have time for tonight, but several more pictures and stories are in the hopper already.  See you soon!