The 4 Webbs said goodbye to Ouma and Oupa after their month-long stay with us in the casa de Webb. Giving up summer vacation from school to sweat it out with us in Phoenix is a real sacrifice! I greatly appreciate their involvement to keep our household running smooth while I do this thing called a "job" and Kendra runs around town visiting doctor's offices.
The flood of kindness in words and serving and gifts has been amazing. Kendra received a healthy basket of nutritious goodies with all the right GMO-free, glutten-free, everything-free labels. It seems like every day she gets a card or phone call or gift in the mail that brightens her day.
I've been getting a steady diet of daddy time with Uno and Dos, which is perfectly fine with me. I've been soaking up every moment with them. I had Bahama Bucks twice in one day. Once with Layla while Easton was in karate day camp. Layla's sparkle is shining brighter and brighter the more time we spend together. It's very noticeable. The way she hugs me, the words she says to me, and the closeness of where she stands when we're together are all indicators of how close our hearts are.
One of the young guys from church connected with us a few months ago and then went off to the military. during his time of transition between bases he has a few weeks here in town. He made a point to contact us and ask to get together. Kendra and I were happy to spend an evening just hanging out together. We weren't counseling or giving advice or providing great wisdom. We were just doing life together and building a bridge with friendship. People don't often seek my opinion, but when I offer my vulnerability as a friend, I find people seek friendship.
And finally... some "us" time. We had an evening free to do whatever we wanted. The kids were taken care of by Ouma and Oupa. Kendra felt healthy enough to get out of the house. I had my work in order enough to take the time. so what did we do? We went to a church for a night of worship. We sang and danced together. OK, Kendra danced and I bobbed up and down like a white guy. We sat and listened while holding hands to a life-giving message of how God listens and hears us. Both of us completely enjoyed the night together and there's nothing either of us would rather have done than this.
Kendra is getting more and more comfortable being bald. She'd rather go out like this than with a hot wig on in the 110 degree heat. I don't blame her! Being seen in public is one level of confidence, but Kendra goes up front on Sunday morning to pray with people. What kind of woman has such incredible confidence that she can agree in prayer with people for God to move in their life even with a broken back and having cancerous tumors removed from her body? The kind of woman Kendra is. She knows who she is and she knows who God is. She knows how to rest and how to trust in God. I had a little moment there in church watching her pray with others where I was overwhelmingly proud of her. Not for her denial or faking, but for her faith and believing the truth.
I won free tickets to the Diamondbacks game again and took the twins along with my friend and his kids for a Sunday afternoon day out at the ball park. Easton tried on her sunglasses and felt like a fighter pilot with the over-sized sunglasses.
Layla said she was a movie star. She is the coolest little girl ever, but i'm doing my best to keep her on the balance point of being secure in who she is, but not a diva.
There was a day when the temperature dropped to 90 something in the afternoon. It was a rare opportunity to ride our bikes in the summer. We rode to the nearby Chinese restaurant for dinner so that we wouldn't make a mess in Mommy's kitchen. My goal is for them to have at least one hour each day of active play time. It's not easy to keep it interesting all summer long in Phoenix because there are only so many hours we can play Marco Polo in the pool.
Easton's hair is getting long enough to be a proper mo-hawk, but we'll have to mow it down before school starts. He's doesn't like having his picture taken very much, but will tolerate it if I ask him for one. Layla, on the other hand, will pose and flash her smiley face anywhere anytime there is a camera. I love the variety in their personalities. They keep life interesting for us!
I bought a Groupon for rock climbing several months ago and it was close to expiring. I took the twins to do some climbing in an air conditioned environment, which is key for summer time fun in Phoenix. There is a slanted wall that goes up three stories. The girl behind us in the picture is climbing up towards us. Easton and Layla have very little fear and it shows in their willingness to try new things like this.
I'll need to work on their "show your muscles" technique, but for now this is sufficient to get an idea for the kind of strong kids I'm growing. They both had their own accomplishments in the rock gym to be proud of. sometimes it's those little milestones or feelings of completion that add another layer on the foundation of their lives.
I titled this post "Every Opportunity" because that is how I see each interaction with the twins. If I were absent from their lives for the past seven years and then tried to insert myself now to fill the gaps where Kendra can't, then this would be very difficult. it's not like that. I've been a part of their world so much in playing jump rope and Legos and a hundred other aspects of their lives. it's not a stretch for me to turn the dial up just a bit to make sure they are given the chance to experience a quality year of growing in mind, soul, and body. I see the opportunity in 2015 even through the pain and difficulties. This is a year I will never forget.
See you soon!
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