Camelback and Camelbaks

Greetings friends and family,

True story:  The 4 Webbs went out to with a husband and wife from church.  The twins met the husband earlier that day because he taught Sunday school and interacted with the kids well.  He is bald on top and very down-to-Earth.  During lunch he referred to his wife as "my wife" and Layla said, "She is your wife?"  He said, "Yes!" Layla said, "Oh... I thought she was your mom."

Talk about an awkward moment.  Kendra and I were just speechless for a moment.  Whatever apologetic words came out of our mouth weren't sufficient, but we tried.  We couldn't reprimand Layla because she didn't say anything wrong and her heart was completely innocent in motive.  That was one of those moments I will never forget as long as I live.

Much of our time together is on two wheels lately.  Any excuse to get the bikes out is met with immediate cheers and scampering for shoes.  I throw out a comment like, "Daddy needs some medicine...  I wonder if the drug store down the street has what I need?  You know... that store is in bike riding distance for us."  Then the light bulbs go off and they immediately become experts in medicine and know the inventory levels of the drug store.  Easton will jump in with, "I bet they have exactly what you need, Dad.  We can go along with you to make sure they have it...  and maybe get a lemonade!"

We ride there on the main road for part of the one-mile journey.  I struggle slightly to provide guidance so they stay away from the edge where a few feet away cars whiz by at 50 miles per hour.  They are very safety conscious!

I gave them $5 and sent them inside while I watched the bikes.  The only instructions I gave them was to find three lemonades and pay for them.  They came out a few minutes later with lemonades and change.  That's a big deal for the twins to do some unassisted shopping.   This is my proud-dad smile.

I've been searching for a sale on camelbak hydration packs for the twins.  I have mine, but I get tired of carrying their snacks and water on the hikes.  We stopped by the sporting goods store where I found half-priced kid-friendly Camelbak packs, called the "Scout".  The only difficulty in the purchase was convincing Easton that purple is a fine color for a Camelbak.  Mission accomplished!

Our hike was close to sunset.  We paused at the top of the second peak to take in the sights.  Layla pointed out the structure close by our neighborhood and said, "we live right there."  Easton knows all the land marks such as the zoo and Camelback mountain.  I am thrilled for the twins to see our city the way God does, from the top down, and to recognize where our little nook of the neighborhood fits into the bigger scope of the city.  Layla said, "I think I can see Ouma and Oupa's town way out there on that mountain."  She was disappointed to learn that isn't possible to see from here, but I will always tell her the truth no matter what!

We are working our way up to conquer Camelback mountain, but I'm guessing we won't attempt that until this fall.  Until then we'll keep on training and hiking and mapping out the world one step at a time.

This weekend we dressed up in costumes for no reason at all.  Layla wore her renaissance princess costume and Easton wore his ninja costume.  I wore my Spiderman costume and Kendra chose to wear her normal mommy clothes to work in the garage.  They are maintaining their imagination and creativity as much as could be hoped for considering they are stuck in the normal school system.  

I've been asking for a measuring board on the wall for many months.  kendra bought one a few months ago, but my request was finally met when we mounted it on wall and drew some measurements.  Kendra measured Layla first, then Easton had to keep his head off the wall because he is taller than her and would have got his hair in the paint if he'd leaned back.

Kendra wrote "E" for Easton, "L" for Layla, and the date for each one.  Easton has maintained the inch and a half height advantage over Layla since the day they were born (or shortly thereafter).  I don't know if she will ever catch him, but I think she likes being the little sister.

I enjoy seeing the twins in their church clothes.  They look so grown up.  I took them out back today and asked for a quick pose by the greenbelt gate just for fun.

Kendra and I are neck-deep into the next round of our ministry and classes.  We are building our team of 15 leaders and ramping up to host two classes this spring where 60-70 people will go through the program we lead.  The excitement is building in all of us.  We hosted a lunch meeting with everyone just to build relationships and do some planning for the next month.  One of our leader's was told by her daughter, while watching the controlled chaos in the kitchen, "This is what family looks like."  I agree completely and this is what our house was designed for.  Full tables, full bellies, full of life.  We are blessed and highly favored, but don't take a single moment for granted.

See you soon!