Webb House Wedding

Greetings friends and family,

Have you ever known someone who has battled cancer?  I have.  There is an entire blog post that will never be published because somehow, in the minds of others, honor is tied to secrecy of problems.  The need to protect ones projection of a perfect life and family is greater than my need to be open and honest.  I'm sorry.

Anyway, let me start by saying happy 80th birthday to Kendra's Grandpa!  He's been my grandpa for 12 years and I appreciate and honor him for the legacy grafted into my family when Kendra and I were married.

Easton and Layla are night and day different in many ways and I love it.  Each morning, if I wake up early enough, I wonder into Easton's room to find him reading a chapter book about the sinking of the Titanic.  He's happy and cuddly and completely awake.  This is my favorite one on one time with him.  Both of our hair is a cock-a-too mess, our breath stinks, and we're shirtless.  The similarities are undeniable.  He gives me big hugs and says, "I love you daddy!"  That's my boy.

At bed time Easton is a zombie who has no interest in interacting with anyone.  Just sing him a song, he pops his thumb in his mouth, and then off to sleep he goes within a few seconds. literally.

On the other hand I have Layla.  At night time she is wound up tighter than a garage door spring.  jumping on her bed, kicking her legs around, and wrestling with me.  She's like a ferret on double espresso.  We sing our songs together and she talks until I pry myself away from her hugging arms.  Even then she grabs my arm and hangs on for dear life begging me to stay and talk (or play).  She played peek-a-book with her fleece blankie, which made it difficult to capture a picture of her laughter.  This is my favorite time of day with Layla.

But when the sun comes up, I know exactly where I'll find Layla... still sleeping.  Her sheets are a wreck, her mouth is wide open and she is motionless except for the fluttering of her eyelashes as she dreams away.  I know this because I stand silently watching her sleep peacefully.  Sometimes I pray over her.  Other times my eyes well up with tears as I realize how blessed I am to have her as my daughter.

As she wakes up, she is squinty-eyed and speaking gibberish while she transitions from completely asleep to awake in a fog and then, after a few minutes, into a mellow sweetheart.  This is the most humorous moment of my day with Layla.  Her actions say something like, "I don't want to be awake... come here and give me a hug".

OK, so now here's the wedding story.  We were happy to host the young couple's wedding ceremony and reception in the greenbelt behind our house.  On Saturday our house turned into a zoo.  One of my many tasks was to install solar path lights so that guests wouldn't fall in the pool or trip over the rocks.  It turned out well!  Now we'll see how long they last before the sun bakes the solar panel right off the top.

Our friend baked the delicious wedding cake.  I have a plate full of the "extra" sunflower medallions because they were so amazing I begged the cake baker for them.  I don't mind being the benefactor of a few fringe benefits as the host!

Here's a picture of the bride and the flower girls just prior to showtime.

Easton gets along really well with Kayla.  When she hangs out he is constantly all up in their business wanting to play with Layla and her.  He makes friends so easily and that is one character trait I'm happy to see blossoming early.  It will serve him well all his life.

The ceremony went well considering the normal bumps along the way with any wedding.  Easton and Layla did a fantastic job of ring bearer and flower girl.  They walked slow, on time, and did their thing with the petals and the pillow.  The ring was in the best man's pocket so Easton was just symbolic, but he knew his role and carried it out very well.

After the ceremony the guests sat at tables and waited as the wedding party did pictures.  I captured the moment with the 4 Webbs because as the hosts we weren't required to do too much other than be little helpers now and then.  This is representative of one of the main reason's we bought this house.  We knew it would be used to bless others and so we do every chance we get.  The fee for the venue was zero and it ended up costing us quite a bit when considering the plants and decorations and preparation, but that's what we are designed to do: bless others.

Layla twirled around waiting patiently for the dancing to start.  She kept asking, "when are we going to dance?"

By "we" she meant everyone, but I took the opportunity to pick her up and dance with her right there in front of everyone.  This is the still shot, which is my favorite pic of the entire weekend.

and the twirling selfie.  as we spun in circles I captured the blur behind us.  I'd say this is the most representative picture of life with Layla.  No matter what is going on around us, there is a clear bond in relationship.  She knows it doesn't matter what else is happening, just stay focused.

I let the camera man do his job the entire night, but as he positioned everyone for this picture I said, "I let you do your thing all night, but just give me this one shot for my own purposes".  I'm happy with the way the wedding turned out and content with how well the twins represented the Webb family.

It's getting really close to Halloween!  and Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  Good grief, Charlie Brown. I can't believe how fast the year has gone by.

See you soon!